With an astounding 2 upvotes, the Birth of Venus transliteration from the Botticelli Triptych won for Respighi. And finally, we get a British composer - this time in the depressed man himself, Elgar. Top comment gets added.
After a long fight, the Violin Concerto won for Sibelius. This round is on who I consider one of the best orchestrators ever - Respighi. Top comment gets added.
pls help the tauists are holding me hostage SOS they're torturing me with trig using tau only
Apologies for being AWOL - I was on vacation. Anyway, the remarkable flute solo from the better Ravel Piano Concerto won for Ravel. Now for the great Finn, Sibelius. There's a lot of great contenders, but only one must prevail. Top comment gets added.
The uniquely beautiful La fille aux cheveux de lin won for Debussy, and it definitely deserved it. Now, for Ravel. Top comment gets added.
What the hell?
The achingly beautiful Andante moderato from the aptly named "Tragic" symphony won for Mahler. We're nearing the end of this list, so I'm open to any composer addition suggestions in this era! Anyway, this round is on the great French Impressionist, Debussy. Top comment gets added.
The glorious finale from Grieg's Piano Concerto won last time - I never gave it enough credit. Now to the other Czech guy, Smetana. Top comment gets added.
The enchanting "Après une rêve" won for Fauré. Definitely one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Now, onto the Norwegian legend, Grieg. Top comment gets added. If any of you say In the Hall of the Mountain King istg
The confessional fourth movement from Franck's violin sonata won last time. Now, onto the lyrical French Romantic, Fauré. This is going to be hard. Top comment gets added.
I think I’ve just had a seemingly obvious realization.
I’ve studied music for most of my life, and the way the Classical period is usually presented is something like: tonal harmony reaches maturity, ornamentation becomes secondary, elegance, balance, clarity, etc. I've always known this like a sort of general knowledge but I never actually thought about it.
My main instrument is classical guitar, but I moved to production and composition and I started taking piano lessons a few years ago to enhance my capabilities as a composer/producer. But somewhere along the way, I ended up falling in love with the instrument and I'm trying to learn pieces from different periods to understand the instrument and music better.
I started skipping the Classical period because I didn't like it very much. But now that I’m studying Haydn’s Sonata No. 39, I feel like I finally understand. Maybe it's a bit simplistic, but it suddenly seems to me that Classical style (or at least Haydn) is basically taking one musical idea and squeezing every possible consequence out of the tonal system. What suddenly feels elegant to me is that a tiny musical idea is enough to travel through the whole tonal landscape. Ornaments are no longer necessary since the piece has been perfectly engineered
I know this probably isn’t a new insight to anyone here, but it feels like one of those moments where something I had read a hundred times suddenly clicks.
I recently got more into these, and... words cannot describe my adoration and admiration for these unforgettable masterpieces. They're so poetic - the Hebrides should basically be a tone poem. It's simply inconceivable how THIS was only early Romanticism. They're so lushly scored and full of earwormish themes - the waviness of The Hebrides, the bright majesty of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the force and stoicism of Ruy Blas, and the sheer beauty of Die Schöne Melusine. The earlier ones, such as the Trumpet Overture, are graceful and great works in their own right. Mendelssohn is probably the composer I admire most, for his incredible ability to push the boundaries of everything and innovate with such perfection and élan despite his young age.
So, I want to hear your opinions on these pieces. What do you think of them? What are your favorite recordings of them? How would you rank them?
My favorite cycle is the Abbado/ LSO, but there are so many to choose from.
The Scherzo from the Organ Symphony won for Saint-Saëns' round - which surprises me, since I would have expected the gloriously introspective Adagio. Nevertheless, on to Franck. He's not very boisterous, but he's bound to have some gorgeous tunes. Top comment gets added.
The rustic Old Castle from the Pictures at an Exhibition won for Mussorgsky. Now, onto the great Fr*nch Romantic, Saint-Saëns. Top comment gets added.
The delicate and serene Nocturne from the exquisite Second String Quartet won for Borodin. Now, onto an often underappreciated composer, Mussorgsky. His oeuvre is relatively small, so this will be interesting. Top comment gets added.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, the unforgettable Tchaik 5 horn solo won yesterday. Now, onto the great Russian orchestrator, Rimsky. Already have my own, but I don't think he's mentioned a lot on this sub. Top comment gets added.
For the Bruckner round, the second movement from the seventh symphony won. Pretty good, although the commenter was ambiguous about which theme. Now, onto another "have fun lmao" round, Tchaik. Top comment gets added.
The Poco Allegretto from the Third Symphony won yesterday, to no one's surprise. Now, onto Br*ckner. u/Lumpen_moi, here's your chance. Top comment gets added.