My mind is melting!

[Sungam]

I have fallen away from the straight and narrow path that is classical music.  Now that I try to jump back into it, it burns!  I need something that will ease my mind back into the giant pool of classical goodness - any suggestions?

[bhodges]

How about revisiting an old warhorse, such as:

Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade
Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story"
Debussy: La Mer

But it's hard to know what would do the trick!  Hope your mind un-melts soon. 

--Bruce

[Harry]

Or to take it easy, some lute music, gently going over in the preludes by Chopin, or Mompou.
Be a man, be a classical man, be a classical music man.

[Brian]

I have fallen away from the strait and narrow path that is classical music.  Now that I try to jump back into it, it burns!  I need something that will ease my mind back into the giant pool of classical goodness - any suggestions?

Well ... what music do you listen to now? That could help us narrow things down; for example, if you love jazz I would point you to Gershwin, Shostakovich's "Jazz Suites" and "Ballet Suites", the "Gaite Parisienne", and the piano music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk. 

[Sungam]

Scheherazade: Classical Goodness, my high school orchestra performed the last movement for the state contest, and won.  Go Valpo!

Brahms: Symphony No. 1 - Brahms is a good one.  I have a CD of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing this, and love it.

Bernstein: Symphonic Dances - I have never listened to this one, I'll have to find it somehow, hopefully free . . .

Debussy: La mer - Again, I have a cd of this; CSO with their personal back-up choir.  Half of my 14 disk "collection" is the CSO actually . . . it a crutch because I've bought cd's that suck from other orchestra' . . . CSO has always delivered.

I've already listen to and loved the "New World Symphony", all four of Brahms Symphonies, Copland's Symphony #3, and Ravel's Bolero.  I'm going to majoring in music in the fall, I'd better be developing an ear for classical soon!


Some of what I listen to now that is post-rock stuff like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky, and Mogwai.

[Brian]

Brahms: Symphony No. 1 - Brahms is a good one.  I have a CD of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing this, and love it.
I've already listen to and loved the "New World Symphony", all four of Brahms Symphonies, Copland's Symphony #3, and Ravel's Bolero.  I'm going to majoring in music in the fall, I'd better be developing an ear for classical soon!

I'm glad you've listened to all four - No. 1 is the last one I'd play to a new or returning classical fan...

The last four Dvorak symphonies will be really appealing. Nos. 6, 7, 8 are just as good as "New World" and sometimes better ... when you're in  a peaceful happy mood, prepare to be blown away by No. 8!

Might I recommend www.naxos.com? For $20 a year you get full access to ALL their 3,000 or so CDs - you can't download them, but you can stream them live. They have some really excellent recordings of a great many things, ranging from Bernstein's Symphonic Dances to Brahms' Hungarian Dances to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier to Beethoven's Overtures to Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 to Barber's Adagio to "Tintagel" by Sir Arnold Bax (awesome awesome awesome piece!) (and that's just highlights from the letter B). The downside is each composer listing is totally disorganized, so whether you find the music you're looking for depends on how hard you look.     Also some of their recordings are not as good, like the Beethoven symphonies, which are played in a rather dull way.

[Sungam]

Its like the fair just burned down, and as I played around in the wreckage, I found a Goldmine!  Thanks for the link.

[Harry]

Well all's well, what ends well right?

[71 dB]

I have fallen away from the strait and narrow path that is classical music.  Now that I try to jump back into it, it burns!  I need something that will ease my mind back into the giant pool of classical goodness - any suggestions?

How about Elgar's Violin Concerto, Op. 61 ?

[not edward]

Some of what I listen to now that is post-rock stuff like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky, and Mogwai.

Because you like these groups, I'm going to suggest you also try listening to more contemporary music. Try  snippets of some of these pieces on www.naxos.com:

Penderecki: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, Symphony No 2
Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie
Ligeti: Etudes for piano
Shostakovich: Execution of Stepan Razin
Schnittke: Cello Concerto, Faust Cantata
Xenakis: Pleiades
Lutoslawski: Cello Concerto
Gorecki: Symphony No 3

Obviously, you shouldn't neglect the main repertoire, but these are pieces which I've found tend to appeal to those who like the sort of post-rock you seem to.

[hornteacher]

Good 'ol Planets might do the trick.

[mahlertitan]

Its like the fair just burned down, and as I played around in the wreckage, I found a Goldmine!  Thanks for the link.

you might want to check out www.naxosmusiclibrary.com it has MANY more recordings than naxos.com. I have a subscription, naxosmusiclibrary.com is better because it also has numerous other labels.

why Naxosmusiclibrary is better?
   Invaluable Resource for Music Professionals and Collectors
   Wide Range of Standard and Specialist Repertoire
   First-class Performances and Sound
   Contains more than 15,000 CDs, over 230,000 tracks of music. 500 CDs are added every month
   Comprehensive Liner Notes
   Includes Opera Synopses and Libretti, Composer and Artist Biographies and other Essential Information
   Access from Anywhere, Anytime

[m_gigena]

I need something that will ease my mind back into the giant pool of classical goodness - any suggestions?

TCHAIKOVSKY ! ! ! ! !

If his 1st piano concerto doesn't boost your interest in the classics... you don't belong here.... 

[dtwilbanks]

Listen to the dripping of your mind as it melts.

[bhodges]

Because you like these groups, I'm going to suggest you also try listening to more contemporary music. Try  snippets of some of these pieces on www.naxos.com:

Penderecki: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, Symphony No 2
Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie
Ligeti: Etudes for piano
Shostakovich: Execution of Stepan Razin
Schnittke: Cello Concerto, Faust Cantata
Xenakis: Pleiades
Lutoslawski: Cello Concerto
Gorecki: Symphony No 3

Obviously, you shouldn't neglect the main repertoire, but these are pieces which I've found tend to appeal to those who like the sort of post-rock you seem to.

Excellent suggestions...if I had known about the "post-rock" interest I would have suggested some of these as well. 

--Bruce

[BachQ]

TCHAIKOVSKY ! ! ! ! !

If his 1st piano concerto doesn't boost your interest in the classics... you don't belong here.... 

Speaking of Piano Concertos: 

Brahms PC's 1/2
Mozart PC's 20/24/27
Mozart PC's 17/21/23
Rachmaninov PC's 2/3
Prokofiev PC 3
Beethoven PC's 4/5
Liszt Totentanz in d minor
Bach PC in d minor
Saint-Saens PC 2
Schumann PC
Grieg PC
Busoni PC
Chopin PC's 1/2
Ravel G Major

and even Mendy PC 1 

[Maciek]

Listen to some stuff played by Bang on a Can. Or Icebreaker. Or even the Kronos Quartet! Or, if you'd like something more exotic, the Silesian Quartet. Here, I'd recommend this CD:

(you can listen to samples after clicking on the image)

Maciek

[bhodges]

Great cover art on that Silesian CD, Maciek!  And nice to see Icebreaker mentioned.  I heard them here in the summer of 2005, and wrote this review.

--Bruce

[facehugger]

crumb - black angels

[Don]

TCHAIKOVSKY ! ! ! ! !

If his 1st piano concerto doesn't boost your interest in the classics... you don't belong here.... 

I must not belong here then.