Hello. I've been a lurker around this forum for a few weeks now, and I've finally decided to join. I am, as the subject may suggest, looking for recommendations on music to listen to. I have a very (very) long list of classical music to listen to, and, well, a list like it can never be too long, as page no. 9 will happily inform you. My list covers all eras of music, but I understand that this forum is focused on Romantic music, so it's recommendations from that era that I want.
Generally, what I'm looking for is a best-of with particular attention to the rare, the obscure, and the symphonic. My tastes in music are wide-ranging, so please don't feel limited. I'll listen to just about anything.
Yours,
Terry.
Hi Terry93D - you should just peruse some of these forums in here, to get inspred! It is often the base of Romantic piano concertos, forgotten Symponies and rediscovered Operas!
Dear Terry93D, Start off with the Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series. It will introduce many obscure composers to you. You can branch out to more works by these composers.
I'd like to suggest these 3 composers :- Raff - Cello Concertos, Draeseke - Symphonies, Bortkiewicz - Piano Music, concertos
The canvas is HUGE. However, do try the 2 vols so far released of piano trios by Henri Reber on Timpani. To my ears this is extremely attractive music.
This is a huge topic, obviously, and I wouldn't want to get mired in more lists. But...whenever I try to make a convert to the unsung side of things I loan the sucker four recordings: Raff's Third Symphony, Balakirev's First Symphony, Reger's Ballet Suite, and Pancho Vladigerov's Traumspielsuite. Orchestral all, and the feedback has always been positive and led the listener into new things. There just so much music!
Thank you everyone for your recommendations! I shall most certainly give a listen to all of these sometime soon.
I'd like to add Franz Lachner's prize winning 5th symphony and William Sterndale Bennett's Piano Concerto No 4, together with Louis Spohr's 2nd symphony.
Lachner 5 might be a bit of a challenge for the uninitiated. I'd second the choice of Spohr, but would suggest Symphonies 3, 4 or 5.
I forgot (and how on earth could I?) the 2 Hyperion RPC CDs of Concerti Symphoniques by Litolff. An absolute must for me, I'm afraid.
The sky really is the limit on this one. A few that you might like:
Alnaes- Piano Concerto on Hyperion (first two movements are about as close to being Rachmaninov without actually being Sergei) (Lyapunov is also excellent from that series, among others)
Lumbye - Something a bit lighter, and the Marco Polo series is surprisingly good (as are two discs from Odense/Guth)
Noskowski - Volume 2 of the Sterling trio.
Richard and Eduard Franck - Fine music on Audite and a wonderful orchestral disc from Richard on Sterling
Farrenc - Symphonies on CPO are a good starting place
Burgmuller - Symphony No.1 on Sterling
Offenbach - Entre Nous on Opera Rara (a lot of rarities, well done, and great booklet)
Rheinberger - Piano Music on Carus (perhaps a bit too much, but surprisingly good and consistent)
There are also numerous ballets and operas to recommend, even from big names like Bellini and Donizetti - many works that are not well known. But then there are names like Thomas, Herold, Messager, Mercadante, Moniuszko, etc.
There is a lot out there. Have fun!
For most of the suggestions above, YouTube is a great way to get started with your orientation into new repertory (even if not everything there perhaps should be there).
I am new to this forum and so not aware if we're allowed to give 'plugs', but I listen constantly to the following internet radio station; http://stream.psychomed.gr/webstream%20classical.html .
I used to think I possessed a comprehensive knowledge of composers (even obscure composers) and their output, but since discovering this station I have been astonished to learn just how much really deserving music, often by unknown composers, is out there whilst being ignored by the 'mainstream' outlets.
Louise Farrenc, Victor Bendix, John Marsh, Charles Tournemire, the list goes on and on. Not to mention the wonderful symphonies of Felix Weingartner.
I'd certainly second your advocacy of Tournemire whose Sixth Symphony is, I believe, one of the greatest of all unsung symphonies...in fact one of the greatest of all symphonies, unsung or not. Bendix's Piano Concerto is also a superb piece...and reading about his private life is almost as compelling!
one of my favourite discoveries of the past years is to be found among the magnificent series by §Hypérion "romantic piano concertos", ie the vol.43 containing the most stirring low movement from a piano concerto somewhere between Mozart 23d and Shostakovitch 2nd !
The composer (English) is forgotten : Francis Edward Bache (1833-58)( ref CDA67595),see also piano solo works on a Dutton Epoch cd
2 idea : french romantic symphonies by M. Gouvy (Louis Théodore,1819-98) or Mrs Louise Farrenc (1804-75),if you know and like the ones by St-Saens,Bizet or rarer,Gounod
Wilhelm Stenhammar (Swede, 1871-1927). String Quartets nos. 3 and 4
(Opp.18 and 25 ; 1897-1900 and 1904-1909 ; F major and A minor.)
try the swedish entrepreneur /dilettante composer Berwald, a kind of nordic Berlioz,without the woolly forewords of the boiling Hector (see mad poet of Fantaéstic Sy,Lelio et al)