Based on who you have said that you like, I would suggest that you pick up "The Yellow Shark" by Frank Zappa, as well as "LSO - Zappa". I think you would really like it, if you also like Danny Elfman who was surely influenced by this music. Then, I would check out Bela Bartok, Edgar Varese, and Igor Stravinsky, whose music influenced Zappa. Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra is a necessity in any serious music collection, and I highly recommend it. Cheers. |
Try The Kronos Quartet's "Winter Was Hard"-its not old "pompous"classical. Well-recorded, some might classify much of it as avant-garde, especially their take on John Zorn's "Forbidden Fruit". I believe it's on the Elektra/Nonesuch label. I have it on vinyl, dont know if its available on CD. There's also a work by modern composer Arvo Part on it ("Fratres"), as well as their take on Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings".-Mrmitch |
Try Bernard Herrmann. He did the film scores for alot of Hitchcocks movies from Vertigo,North by Northwest,Marnie, The Man Who Knew to Much, Psycho and others.Esa-Pekka Salonen with The L.A. Philharmonic does an admiral job on their Cd but their is Herrmann conducting his own stuff on Cd and Vinyl out there too. |
What we call classical music was in many cases popular music in its day. Beethoven also became a weathy man from his compositions. EXACTLY - Classical was intended to be fun and exciting - not the "pompous" way it is treated today where we all have to dress up in suits to go out. I blame some of the conductors for taking the whole classical thing and themselves WAY TO SERIOUSLY. |
There are certainly many fine suggestions already. I'd add: Respighi - Feste Romane Shostakovich - light scores (The Bolt, Moscow-Cheryomushki, e.g.) Virgil Thomson - The Plow that Broke the Plains (film score) Holst - Suites 1 & 2 for Concert Band Stravinsky - Firebird, Rite of Spring Hindemith - Mathis der Maler Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra Orff - Carmina Burana Copland - Billy the Kid, Rodeo, Red Pony (RP is a film score) Kodaly - Hary Janos Although it's from the 19th century, it's still hard to find a piece that's more fun than Grieg - Peer Gynt Suites 1 & 2. |
If you want something of moderate scale that is offbeat, but very listenable try Stravinsky's Octet for Wind Instruments and the Ebony Concierto. Not at all obnoxiouos like the Firebird Suite. I've go them on the Netherlands Wind Ensemble Greatest hits, which as an added bonus is very well recorded. |
Well, if all you mean 20th century, then there are thousands to choose from. My favorite 20th century is Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Vaughn William, Barber, Copeland, Faure, Korngold, Sibelius, and Goldmark. Don't dismiss film composers; it is just snobbery. For example..Rossini became an extremely wealthy man because his operas were perfomed in Casinos. He got a cut of the gambling profits for bringing in the crowds. So while today the opera snobs only perform Rossini at the Met; if Rossini where alive today he would be doing his operas at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. What we call classical music was in many cases popular music in its day. Beethoven also became a weathy man from his compositions. All of the old Operas at The Met were the "show tunes" of their day.. Today people like John Williams make millions and are household names the same as Haydn, Beethoven, Rossini and Wagner were in their day. The current crop of "classical" composers need a goverment and/or a university handout because their music is not anything the public will pay money to hear. Pops concerts that play film or other show classical have sellout crowds. 100 years from now they will still be playing John William's music. Most new "classical" gets played once and is forgotten. Most of it will never get played again. |
Borodin (get Polovetsian Dances first) Mahler (watch out this can be painfully tearful stuff - rarely happy stuff) Prokofiev Shostakovitch (get the 5th first) Wagner Kachuturian Handel (fireworks - Queen of Sheba Emile Waldteufel (when The Seine used to freeze over - "The Skaters" I think it is called) Bach (some of his fugues are awesome - feel it as well as hear it stuff) I don't think you will find much modern work that is NOT done for movies....remember old classicall was the same...a lot was written for the stage and specific "events" (composers re-worked traditional "ditty's" and pub sing-a-long songs and marching tunes into their works.....much as is done today) ...classical is often filled with bombastic stuff after all this was a "rock concert" in those days loud and impressive! |
Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' Berlioz's 'Symphnie Fantastique' Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet' suites Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances BTW, I assume from 'traditional classical music' you mean stuff by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, etc. If so consider that this music barely scratches the surface of what is available. Knowing this would help you get more recommendations - the possibilities are vast. For example you indicate you want music that is "more dynamic". Have you ever heard Mahler? If not try his 1st Symphony. It's dynamic in spades! FWIW, while you said you don't want movie tracks, I assume you have heard the music of Korngold and Elmer Bernstein. If not you should before you exclude it. It has its own legs without a movie. |
Russ, Yes some of the best modern classical is written for movies. It is often well recorded too....they got big money behind them, after all! If you like dynamic then try Hans Zimmer 1 and Hans Zimmer 2 . Take the time to watch it all and you may find what you like. Zimmer is famous but there are a lot of "ghost composers" behind this work but that is the music biz so Zimmer still deserves credit along with his old partner Rifkin for turning out much of the bombastic scores to many movies. The Media Ventures Facility is HUGE - it is now called Remote Control since Rifkin and Zimmer have parted ways (law suits etc.) |
Horner and Elfman are both film composers. I guess you should seek out movie soundtracks CDs that are classical in nature. All of John William's scores are symphonic. There are quite of few compilation CD's out there taking the best from a lot of his movie scores. Some of the older ones were done back when he was the Director of the Boston Pops. There are also some non-film classical CDs composed by Williams. Some feature Yo Yo Ma. Also check out Tan Dun for something with an Asian flavor. There is a new CD with Joshua Bell and the Baltimore Symphony playing a concerto made from the Red Violin film score by John Corigliano. It is a live recording (and I was there). |
