Do You Like Classical Music?

[Chip Fossa]

See...

That's what I was getting at. We heard all this wonderful "classical" music in our formative years. Some of it really took us on a ride.

"Peter and The Wolf" - WOW! Wasn't there a 'Peter and The Wolf' children's book? (or just a book?)

I think my mother used to read it to me, actually, while P&TW was playing on an old 78rpm victrola. My mom did love me.

This stuff stays with you.

Great thread b0b; and all concerned.

Chip

[Brint Hannay]

We had the same "Peter and the Wolf" with Basil Rathbone from my earliest years. In fact, I still have the record--Columbia ("Originator of the Modern Long Playing Record") Masterworks, ML 4038. I haven't tried to play it in a long time--with all the scratches it'd probably be hard on my needle!

[Tracy Sheehan]

I used to like all kinds of music before it died out.But my favorite to listen to has always been classical violin.Wish i could play it.

[Charlie McDonald]

Question: If so many of us like classical music, why do so few of us transcribe it for steel and play it?

It's too hard.

Quiz; Who's this cheerful guy?

It must be Grieg, listening to Barber's Adagio and trying to figure if it's happy or sad. Or if it's modern.
I'd like more than anything to play the Adagio on pedal steel, but that's a lifetime's task for me.

We had Peter and the Wolf, with Rathbone, in school, and yes, it came with a book--maybe one of those where the record would 'beep' and you turn the page. Think how many schoolchildren got their introduction to classical music from that record.
Discovering Prokofiev's Classical Symphony was a big surprise after that.

[Steinar Gregertsen]

It must be Grieg,

10 points to you sir!
I was only 'fishing' to find out how Grieg is rated among you 'foreigners' - he's one of our 'national treasures' and personally I am very fond of his music which in large parts was built on traditional Norwegian music. Guess he's not considered to be one of the "heavyweights" in classical music, but he's definitely good listening, IMHO..

[Carl Morris]

I'd like more than anything to play the Adagio on pedal steel, but that's a lifetime's task for me.

You just gave me an idea...Wikipedia says it was originally written for string quartet...it might be a fun exercise to learn each of the 4 parts separately and multi-track them into a single recording. By the time you were done with that, you'd probably be well on your way to playing the whole thing at once.

[Charlie McDonald]

Then all hope is not lost; ferreting out the parts from a larger ensemble is bewildering. Thank you Carl; hope you try it too.

Steinar, I think Greig may be the most well known over here. Pier Gynt (?) suite is also played and acted in elementary school, altho maybe not anymore.
Put it this way, 50 years back....

[Ray Minich]

I first heard, and learned most of the Classical music I easily recognize, from Captain Kangaroo...

[John Kavanagh]

I usually don't admit this, but privately there have always been two kinds of music for me: Bach, and everything else.

[Mark Lind-Hanson]

Yes, there is a good deal of classical music that I like. BAch, of course, Beethoven (esp Symphony #6), a lot of Mozart esp the piano concertos, a fair slug of Debussy, Messaien & Bizet, Stravinsky a little (petrouchka and Rite of Spring) Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherezade, a heap of Chopin,& probably I could name a lot more but only with my cd colleciton in front of me, which it isn't. Generally I find Wagner, and MOST opera, unlistenable, and tend to stay away from the Strauss stuff, Lizst, and most of the "Modern" stuff, which, it seems to me, is just a lot of sound and fury trying to signify cleverness, ending with confusion.
What I would like to see would be more people writing music for orchestra that uses the orchestra in the same manner as a rock & roll band (heavy on bass, percussion, & rythmns). Lots of chamber music I enjoy, generally though, if I have a choice, I will -put on some ROCK AND ROLL!

[Mike Neer]

Very much love J.S. Bach (the greatest of all, IMO), many French composers, such as Faure, Debussy, Ravel, Duparc, Roussel, Poulenc (my list would be extremely long). I love Schonberg, Berg, Webern, Ives, Milhaud...so I guess my answer is a resounding YES!