I raised the question in the Tech Forum ...Small Questions thread if a thread about classical music would interest anyone, and got enthusiastic support from FMs Jason from Volo, yardbarf, losthighway and Teacher's Pet. So here goes...

Post any questions, interests, insights, etc... I'll port the first few from the aforementioned tech thread and we can get 'into it'.

I may start another thread specific to chamber music and perhaps that could become a listening group.

Teacher's Pet wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:08 pm Could we talk about 'Switched-On Bach'?
Been fascinated by Walter Carlos recently.
I know nothing about classical music.

SoB was a big step in getting me started into appreciation of Bach. Wendy Carlos had a great idea when she envisioned Bach's music arranged for Moog modular synth. The biggest challenge for her in recording the project was the monophonic nature of the Moog and the need to record each voice as a separate track, whether it was a two voice keyboard prelude, a four voice fugue written for organ, or an eight part concerto for mixed orchestra.

Bach in his time was known as a master virtuoso of pipe organ. Baroque pipe organs were some of the most complex human-made machines of his era, and were arguably the first additive synthesizers, as well as the first instruments whose "amplification" could fill a multiple-thousand-seat venue with LOUD music.

So it seemed a natural fit that Bach would sound great played on a modern subtractive synthesizer, made all that much better by the ability to assign truly unique and new timbres to each voice in a way that better defines each part in a multi-voice piece - such as a four voice fugue, and brings incredible clarity to pieces of music that are often very dense and difficult for the lay listener to pick out each line of counterpoint within.

losthighway wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:30 pm ^ Into this. I often think about how much deeper the era of stuff that I'm into probably goes: Debussy, Ravel, Satie etc.

I love early modern French music. What would you like to know?

Travelling backward, Gabriel Faure was an early progener of what was to become the style of Ravel & Debussy. Ravel studied under Faure at the Paris Conservatoire. I find that Faure's Nocturnes and Piano Quartets are a good starting point that leads to the later stylings of "Impressionism".

Faure studied under Camille Saint-Saens. Though I personally have never been very intrigued by Saint-Saens' music, I recently discovered his Piano Trio #2 in e-minor, which is a fantastic piece - particularly the opening and closing movements (the middle movements being a bit more conventional in style and somewhat maudlin).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T14LD5E ... sicalMusic

The first Trio is also well worth a listen.

More contemporary composers to Debussy and Ravel include Lili Boulanger, who was a great talent, despite dying of Typhoid at the young age of 24. She wrote some captivating vocal/choral works, as well as a few pieces for Piano Trio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLE7tm4 ... =AnnaArazi

Nice thread.

My favourite composer is Bantock. Anything in a similar vein would be appreciated.

Modern composerwise, I really like Andrew Norman. Anything modern in a similar style would again be appreciated. Ta.

A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:34 pm Nice thread.

My favourite composer is Bantock. Anything in a similar vein would be appreciated.

Modern composerwise, I really like Andrew Norman. Anything modern in a similar style would again be appreciated. Ta.

Wow, you're already digging pretty deep. I really haven't gotten into composers from the British isles in the past 150 year much yet. I'm listening to Bantock's Celtic Symphony now. Generalizing, it reminds me of stuff from guys like Vaughan-Williams, Havergal Brian, Delius, perhaps a bit of Elgar and Holst. I assume you've listened to most of those already.

I'm not familiar with Andrew Norman. I'm going to take a listen to his Farnsworth: Four Portraits of a House in a bit, since I am a fan of Meis' work.

So, I'm going to turn this around and say "thank YOU" for the suggestions!

Geiginni wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:08 pm So, I'm going to turn this around and say "thank YOU" for the suggestions!

Damn. Thanks, haha.

I was switched onto Andrew Norman by this interview with him, btw. Worth a listen.

https://www.wnyc.org/story/meet-composer-andrew-norman/

Geiginni wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:21 pm Travelling backward, Gabriel Faure was an early progener of what was to become the style of Ravel & Debussy.

Faure studied under Camille Saint-Saens. Though I personally have never been very intrigued by Saint-Saens' music, I recently discovered his Piano Trio #2 in e-minor, which is a fantastic piece - particularly the opening and closing movements (the middle movements being a bit more conventional in style and somewhat maudlin).


More contemporary composers to Debussy and Ravel include Lili Boulanger

Thanks for these, I'm adding them to my "Listen to this" doc.

Did we not, on the old forum, have a "modern classical music" thread?

I think that thread went more heavily into composers. How about performers? Who are the LaSalle, Arditti and Guarneri quartets of today? I mean in terms of really good tone, not swamping everything in obligatory vibrato, and a passion for contrapuntal masterpieces of the baroque and early Romantic, as well as modernism. The less of the fancy gavottes of the classical and galant, the better, although I'll admit that the Guarneri Quartet from my examples seemed to enjoy their Mozart. And what about non-string-quartet ensembles?

Anyway, there's Kronos, and maybe the Emersons. That much is obvious, but I'm looking for deep cuts.

Pfff. Bach was far too Baroquen to be discussed on a classical thread.

That was a bad joke. Sorry.

I'm not afraid to admit that I got into Glenn Gould's recording of the Goldberg Variations, first because its mention in Silence of the Lambs, and second because Gould seemed like some kind of rebelious, handsome, cigarette smoking, James Dean of classical music.

Of course I stuck around because the performances are energetic, and the compositions are total madness.

Has their been anyone as memorable or iconic since? I remember Hilary Hanh recently being promoted as a virtuoso but, like, cool. Not quite to the same effect.