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classical music: more metal than metal

Started by tyrannosaurus vex, January 07, 2014, 05:45:43 PM

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tyrannosaurus vex

So, in my old age, I have discovered that classical music doesn't suck. But I have a problem. Most of it does suck. Especially every single scrap of malauditory shit written by pretentious assholes who wish they were good enough to die at Mozart's feet in the past 150 years.

The purpose of this thread is to see if any of you irreverent bums know of any DECENT classical music that I should listen to, because I'm really lazy and the Google machine hasn't been very helpful. Everyone who says something is good is wrong. Beethoven is excellent, but wears thin after a while. Mozart is alright. I am liking Brahms so far. But surely there are less prominent composers who are as good as or even better than these overblown baroque-era Miley Cyruses. Who are they?

Now, I'll be frank. I am not looking for "edgy" or "innovative" classical composers. Invariably, in the context of the symphony, those two adjectives are euphemisms for "likes to use a lot of that god-awful dissonance shit" and "lacks the decency to present an audible rhythm." I do not want to wade through unfathomable seas of notes and instruments that disagree with each other, or try to wrap my aged and shuttered mind around "ambient" pieces that sound like someone delicately vomiting at the other end of a very long rubber tube. I want clear melody, harmony, and rhythm in the traditional sense: pleasing to the ear, but also complex and able to bear multiple extended listens. I am not looking for the kind of shit that BBC marches out every year at the Proms, which is only pleasing to self-satisfied schmucks in tuxedos who probably go to the symphony so they can go home to bitch about it over expensive wine that they are also bitching about. I would prefer only music written prior to 1860, because apparently after that year everyone in the classical scene got completely fucktarded and started "innovating" by deleting everything in their compositions that could be defined as "music." There may be newer compositions done in the Baroque or Classical styles, but I have not heard of them. That's what you are for !

The real problem I'm trying to solve with this music is that I live in Phoenix, which has less culture than cheese manufactured in the vacuum of outer space. I need to feel like there is a point to humanity, that we can paint mind-altering soundscapes, but in a format that is tied to history. Anyway, do you have any ideas?
Evil and Unfeeling Arse-Flenser From The City of the Damned.

LMNO

How much Bach have you heard?

And although it falls slightly outside of your timeframe, you might want to check out Verdi's Requiem.

LMNO

I can only assume you've dismissed Wagner?

Dildo Argentino

Pergolesi, Stabat Mater
Chopin, Waltzes
And although Erik Satie does fall in the last 150 years, the few pieces of music he left behind are very good.
Not too keen on rigor, myself - reminds me of mortis

tyrannosaurus vex

#4
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on January 07, 2014, 06:29:30 PM
I can only assume you've dismissed Wagner?

I have tried Wagner, and his stuff isn't bad, though I haven't gone that deeply into it. I'm looking for more obscure composers really, just because most of the best music by the "greats" is already played out.

Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on January 07, 2014, 06:18:33 PM
How much Bach have you heard?

And although it falls slightly outside of your timeframe, you might want to check out Verdi's Requiem.

Bach (JS) is good, but not really my cup of tea. Something about his music is too simple. Same problem I have with Mozart, to be honest. JC Bach is a little better, but I'm aiming for later eras - more Classical and Romantic than Baroque - because those are the years where the symphony format took off and ridiculously awesome 45-50 minute pieces for entire orchestras were a focus. Earlier music isn't BAD, it's just not given enough time to develop or explore itself, and often isn't written on the scale of an entire orchestra. I will check out Verdi (actually checking it now...), thanks!

Quote from: holist on January 07, 2014, 06:38:31 PM
Pergolesi, Stabat Mater
Chopin, Waltzes
And although Erik Satie does fall in the last 150 years, the few pieces of music he left behind are very good.


More items for the to-try list.

ETA: my time frame was off. Almost anything written after 1900 is awful, not 1860.
Evil and Unfeeling Arse-Flenser From The City of the Damned.

Cain

Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky are my recommendations.

LMNO

Speaking of Tchaikovsky, you might want to try out the Russians:  Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, et al.

Junkenstein

Nine naked Men just walking down the road will cause a heap of trouble for all concerned.

tyrannosaurus vex

Quote from: Junkenstein on January 07, 2014, 07:24:04 PM
Have you considered or tried any opera?


Opera would be good if it wasn't for all that singing.
Evil and Unfeeling Arse-Flenser From The City of the Damned.

Junkenstein

Quote from: V3X on January 07, 2014, 07:34:49 PM
Quote from: Junkenstein on January 07, 2014, 07:24:04 PM
Have you considered or tried any opera?


Opera would be good if it wasn't for all that singing.

That thwarts any recommendation I could make.

I'll fuck away off with my monocle.
Nine naked Men just walking down the road will cause a heap of trouble for all concerned.

GrannySmith

Opera is to me nothing more than overdramatic soap operas with really really crap storylines  :lol:

I'm a Stravinsky fan, (even though I'm supposed to hate classical music so let's not mention this again)
I especially love Stravinskys firebird, and how better to play it than when he is conducting it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2geXJ5Oiq60

Also the rite of spring is great - they say it caused a riot when it was first performed:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/music/riteofspring.html
QuoteThe Rite of Spring (Le Sacré du Printemps,) with music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky. The intensely rhythmic score and primitive scenario -- a setting of scenes from pagan Russia -- shock audiences more accustomed to the demure conventions of classical ballet. The complex music and violent dance steps depicting fertility rites first draw catcalls and whistles from the crowd, and are soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience escalates into a riot.
  X  

Junkenstein

Quote from: GrannySmith on January 07, 2014, 10:55:54 PM
Opera is to me nothing more than overdramatic soap operas with really really crap storylines  :lol:



That's the point of Opera.

"Over there! Fucking off, Fucking off Over There!"
"Over There! He's Fucking off, Fucking Off over THERE"
"Over Here! I've fucked, I've Fucked off Over Here!"
"With Us! Ran away and Fucked off with US"

Wonderful when you're fucked up but can stilll keep up with the subtitles. Music's not too bad either.

Philistines.
Nine naked Men just walking down the road will cause a heap of trouble for all concerned.

tyrannosaurus vex

I like the idea of opera, but it doesn't work out so well in practice. It's just that they keep belting out their wobbley tones in front of an orchestra that could tell the story just as well by itself, thank you very much. It's like listening to two TV shows at the same time, it's impossible to enjoy either one because the other one keeps butting in on all the good parts. Also how can I get lost inside an epic soundscape and imagine some great big adventure featuring giant Martian robolizards devouring entire domed cities full of Ayn Rand clones when there are people literally screaming at me and demanding that I imagine some boring story about Renaissance-era yuppies instead?
Evil and Unfeeling Arse-Flenser From The City of the Damned.

Junkenstein

With an attitude like this, you'll never be welcome in high society sir.

More seriously, I spent far too many years with at least 2/3 separate sources of noise constantly going so that may have given me a bit of an edge.

I'm sure you'll be able to get versions with no vocals, so maybe throw a couple into your search terms and see what you find.
Nine naked Men just walking down the road will cause a heap of trouble for all concerned.

tyrannosaurus vex

I do think they should make entire hour-long operas for karaoke night.
Evil and Unfeeling Arse-Flenser From The City of the Damned.