General Chat

CB Has he taste or what? Fingal's Cave it is so spectacular but as long as its played by an Orchestra and not just Piano solo, as that really is not the way Mendelssohn meant it to be. He meant it to be spectacular played in it's fullness with all the drama and pure dynamics for THE Orchestra . Pat x

Hi Pat, I'm still here! LOL Just read through the thread again, and so much lovely music has been mentioned! My husband's favourite classical piece is 'Fingal's Cave'. Thanks for reminding me it was Dorothy Dandridge who sang the part of Carmen in the film. She was fantastic. My son 'listened' to classical music even before he was born, but he's never really taken to it. He has a wall full of pop CDs and likes all kinds of popular stuff, but the classics have never 'grabbed' him. Like you, I like all kinds of music (apart from Rap, which I just can't get into at all), and I think it's great that we have so many modern composers like John Williams, Maurice Jarre and Hans Zimmer giving us memorable film scores. I play 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'Dr Zhivago' and 'Gladiator' all the time - I don't think I'll ever tire of them. Right! I MUST go to bed now, or I'll be asleep all day tomorrow. My age is catching up with me! LOL Good night, Pat and everyone else! CB >|< X

Georgina apologises for not answering you :-( What a beautiful piece of Music by Mendelssohn I was only listening on Radio 4 a couple of weeks ago to a good Programme about 'Fingal's Cave' also known as 'Hebrides Overture' It was discussing the name change since 1832 and how Mendelssohn came to write the piece after visiting Sir Walter Scott and being inspired by the sheer beauty of the Scottish coastline, I think there could be no better tribute than that wonderful piece :-))) Pat x

Hi Dee, I suppose that is one of the things I enjoy is interaction with others exchanging ideas etc., Jacqui, The best time for me to listen to music is when I am doing what I consider boring things like housework & Ironing & I suppose to a lesser extent cooking. Something like Figaro does the job, gets it done in double quick time :-))) Pat x

The Marriage of Figaro is the best ever - so clever, amusing and yet emotive. Takes a person of strong emotions to appreciate it fully. I also like Wagner, great to do the polishing to! Jacqui

Hi Pat Jim mentioned Yanni on a thread the other day and I listened to a snatch of the music on the web site he mentioned. I liked what I heard and ordered a CD. Very relaxing. It has been brilliant the number of new authors and different kinds of music I have been introduced to by people on this site, some better than others. Dee xx

ooops forgot to say thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to s that classical music still has a very strong following, thanks for this thread ..jim..... short for jacob... not as others think james...hahah

just an enquiry pat you ever listen to someone called YANNI ask dea of lea valley who he is think may be kind of music you can listen to, although coudnt know 4 sure ok i going to bed that flash advert for last minute dot com along top of gens give me migraine

Jim CB and I were discussing Carmen earlier in the thread as it was adapted for a film called Carmen Jones with the wonderful Pearl Bailey, Harry Belafonte and the Tragic Dorothy Dandridge playing the tragic Carmen, I loved that film so much I still have the album lol It actually got me into the original Bizet Opera :-))) John Williams of 1,000's of film themes Star Wars, Close Encounters, Jaws & ET included lol. Yes I like him but prefer John Barry to be honest :-))) Pat x

do u ever listen to any music by john williams he does all the classical film scores

do u like bizets carmen as well

Hi Jim Love Marriage of Figarro don't know the Merchant of Venice :-( I agree I cannot get into Wagners music just doesn't do anything for me Now Stravinsky that's different, he did tributes to John Kennedy and Dylan Thomas didn't he? modern composers including Irving Berlin, Cole Porter The Gershwins Ira & George were my favourite :-))) Wow the response on this thread has been terrific I wish I had put a thread up just about Classic music rather than the topic i started with as this has been great. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to it. Pat x

i think stravinskys music is excellent as well but have no time for wagner

when i was in glasgow used to go to candleriggs fro opera tickets loved merchant of venice and marriage of figaro ps you have to exscuse my grammar and spelling i got severe dyslexia why i got study support at college, hate when people correct me without first asking why its wrong

Sounds great Jim I am sure the concert was brilliant obviously you like Mozart too :-))) So do you listen to classic music a lot then? I think CDs were made for the spoken word and classic music as vinyl used to get cery noisy after lots of plays especially spoken word I have a a few comedy records and luckily they are still ok & listenable :-) Pat x

few years ago pad for 64 cd collction of classical music and also went to salzburg for mozorts bicentenary concert in castle

Terrific CB. Yes the good old days lol. Wonder was it London Schools, I went to two Church Of England Schools and both had same emphasis on Music especially the classics. I adore the Warsaw Concerto It is featured Intermezzo a 1939 film Ingrid Bergman & Leslie Howard lol 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' aka Theme from South Bank Show love it also. That's the only way I remember some music is it put it with what the stolen one is, I know not an expert but it Love all the same. By the way we have something else in common that I noticed and I answered but don't know if you saw it last time many months ago, in our house when I was growing up we had an Lp of Joan Sutherland the one she sings 'Nuns Chorus from the Casanova Suite By Strauss, I loved the melody of that and the record got scratched searched high and low for a new copy & got one many years later. Also I love the Pensiero Chorus of The Hebrew Slaves. I love so many different styles of music & I think I have mainly Primary School to thank for that. I have found some people think only snobs like Classical music but I don't go with that, I do know there is a lot of snobbery in the very specialist side of classic music but not the popular classics. It really shows you how earlier influences can effect choices in later life. Although Reggae and Soul remain my favourites. Pat x

Pat, I remember exactly the same things being played in my primary school. It must have been standard stuff in 'the old days'. We were encouraged to learn to play instruments as well - mainly the recorder, and those of us who were interested could stay behind after school one afternoon a week for recorder club, where we learned to sight-read music and played simple compositions of our own. We had a very talented pianist as one of our teachers, and his renditions of Chopin left me with lasting memories. He also played Addinsell's 'Warsaw Concerto' and Rachmaninov's 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'. Even though they were only played on an upright piano in a school hall, they still sounded wonderful. (We kids used to call him 'Cliff' because his name was Mr H Webb. LOL) Bit of a difference from those other favourites of ours - Desmond Dekker and Bob Marley, eh? ;>))) CB >|< X

When I was at Primary School we had lots of different music in School Tchaikovsky was a favourite to be played. Most children growing up in the 1960's were introduced to 'Carnival of The Animals' by Saint Saen and an LP featuring the great Russian composer Prokofievs 'Peter & the Wolf' on the same LP was the brilliant 'Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten :-))) I was in a record shop when I first went to work years later and there in the racks was the very same LP of peter & the Wolf along with Young Persons guide to the Orchestra it's on Argo label & I still have it amongst 1,000's of other records. :-))) Pat x

One of my favourite pieces would have to be Pachelbels Canon, although it does get a bit overdone being used so often for weddings. My daughter learnt it for string quartet a few years back, and I never got tired of listening to the rehearsals.