No worries - it needs some work still (pruning now mainly), but nice to know it's being listened to.

Music of the Spheres isn't really my cup of tea but it's innocuous enough.  It's not really classical music though in the strictest sense as stylistically it sits far more comfortably in that ever expanding 'crossover' genre that's also occupied by Karl Jenkins, Einaudi et al.  The Planets is irrefutably awesome though.

His stuff's very evocative of 'Olde Englande' with its modal (churchy) harmonies and wistful pastoral reminiscence. The Lark Ascending and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis are also awesome.

igorgetmeabrain wrote:

Music of the Spheres isn't really my cup of tea but it's innocuous enough.  It's not really classical music though in the strictest sense as stylistically it sits far more comfortably in that ever expanding 'crossover' genre that's also occupied by Karl Jenkins, Einaudi et al.  The Planets is irrefutably awesome though.

Er, not necessarily. I'm assuming you knew you were being silly when you posted that though.

Music of the Spheres isn't classical music.

EDIT: oh, perhaps you were just taking issue with the final sentence, in which case, yes I was being a little flippant, though I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't think so.

Classical-crossover is a genre that popped-up as a means of tapping into the classical market, creating a genre of music that shows some classical influence but does not share its stylistic roots. It doesn't really share much with classical music beyond basic appearances.

I have to admit I'm not a fan of Karl Jenkins, mainly because I keep getting asked to perform his turgid 'Armed Man' (lasts maybe a couple of hours but feels like about six), which is co-incidentally, in part, a cheap rip-off of the aforementioned Planets.

Nah, it's just that the 'classical' music that is constantly being fed to you by Classic FM and other such outlets, often isn't.

André Rieu can suck on this...

He's an amazing musician and an incredibly humble guy too.  I almost feel bad for posting such a 'lollipop' clip of him as there's so much more to him than his incredible technical virtuosity.  There isn't much else of him on YouTube, but loads on Spotify, including that Mendelssohn Octet that I mentioned earlier.

There's a distinction between classical music and Classical music.  The first is the general definition which applies to the formal musical tradition that originated in Medieval times (which has both sacred and secular roots) and which evolved along a variety of paths over the next several centuries to the present day.  It's difficult to define precisely as it covers not only such a vast period but an equally vast range of styles/forms.  

The second refers only to the specific period between approx mid-18th and 19th centuries (occupied by such composers as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven) which (alongside art, architecture etc) saw a move away from the highly-ornamental Baroque style to a more refined, elegant simplicity which eschewed the many-layered complexity of polyphonic composers such as Bach in favour of a cleaner sound that relied on melody underpinned by a more homophonic harmonic texture (rather than lots of independent voices).  Later, Beethoven was largely responsible for breaking music out of the Classical mould and heralding the dawn of the Romantic era.  (His 3rd Symphony 'Eroica' was pretty significant in this respect).

This link gives a reasonable (if limited in scope) timeline of the major periods in classical music.
I keep meaning to buy this poster too as it's impressively detailed (though you can click around on it to get a pretty good idea).

There's also that humungous Spotify timeline that I'm still working on (in the OP) - I may split it into periods as that would make more sense really.

MSO = Melbourne Symphony Orchestra?

I was watching the Classical Brits briefly (until André Rieu showed his ugly face yet again) and found the whole affair more distasteful and cynical than ever before.
Thankfully I'm not alone.

At last: the Classic Brit Awards exposed as a sickening crime against classical music

Paul Morley's Blog (referred to in above article)

I'm (re-)learning the flute, alongside my eldest daughter. We make a hella racket.

Today's Spotify recommendation is Ravel's Piano Trio, performed by the Capuçon brothers with Frank Braley on piano.

A great outpouring of 'heroic rage' in reaction to the outbreak of WWI, it is a technical masterpiece that is at once ravishingly beautiful, tempestuous, sombre and ecstatic, a dazzling display of virtuosity in writing and in execution.

Listen here