Music question for you all...

[Strange Ian]

Here's the thing: My little brother got a sudden and quite intense interest in classical music just this week. One of the problems here is that allthough we have both heard quite a lot of classical music (like anyone who watches TV and movies), but remembering titles and names is a different kettle of fish... He downloaded a couple of collections called "Top 100 classical pieces" and things like that, wich was good, but they all seem to contain the same stuff. So where do you go next? Well, I figured I'd ask you guys! Here's a couple of pieces I know he enjoys:
Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra
Johann Strauss' Radetzky March
Pachebel's Canon in D
Wagners' Ride of the Valkyries
Prokofievs' Dance of the Knights

I also know he's not crazy about piano music or opera. So... Got any tips? ;-)

[coldfire]

wqxr.com as well - you can listen online for free, all classical music.

(I also love Danny Elfman, for movie composers (adding onto lisabond's comments)).

[Chaldy]

Anything by Ravel is amazing. I find instead of trying to download/buy albums, the best way to listen to classical music is internet radio. One of my favourites is Beethoven.com. They play the standard classical stuff in addition to movie scores and requests. I really like the weekend features too, symphony sundays and on saturday they do things like classical a to z, russian composers, etc.

The only downside is of course, corny radio commercials.

[coldfire]

(ooh, another good one to recommend is Mendelssohn's overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream. Sorry, just occurred to me. You can hear the different characters, it's very cool.)

[coldfire]

Seeing that he likes R. Strauss and Wagner - for other big and awesome orchestra works, I recommend Dvorak's 9th symphony (which you'll also probably recognize, esp the 2nd and 4th mvmts), and Mahler's 1st symphony.

Are you guys looking for stuff that will be vaguely familiar, or new? 'Cause most of those have themes that are extremely famous (like the kind of stuff you would find in movies and tv, understandably ;)). Knowing that will help for recommending music.

Adding on to Barb's post - is he open to concertos? You said he's not interested in "piano music" - does include piano and orchestra, or just solo piano?
Also, it's Copland, tiny typo. I'd also recommend Copland (Rodeo suite or Appalachian Springs). Regardless of whether you're American or not, it's still really fun (and so amazing to play. Copland and Dvorak just rock the socks when you're in an orchestra. Aah sorry tangents). Definitely what you think of when you think of American music though, haha.

Right, so the things you listed are all really big, romantic pieces ('cept for Pachebel's canon) (again, movie soundtracks, duh) - is he open to more classical music, like Mozart, Beethoven? It's lighter in some ways, more complex in others - let me know, I can recommend more stuff. :) (classical meaning 18th and early 19th C music, not like classical as opposed to pop)

[lisabond]

Barb, you beat me to it..Rachmaninoff was the first composer who came to mind. Hand's down favorite of mine. He lived with depression, and at one time went 3 years without composing at all when his Concerto No. 1 was panned by critics. We swore never to compose again. He finally saw a psychiatrist/hypnotist, worked through his writer's block, and went one to compose Concerto No. 2, Op 18, his most famous work.

Before sampling was really big with rap music, in the 70's Eric Carmen used the 2nd movemt from Op. 18 in his song, "All By Myself". So people listen to classical music without even knowing it.

But, Ian, since piano isn't your brother's thing, I agree with The Planets, also. I like "Mars, The Harbringer of War" especially. Listen, and you will notice that John Williams must had been influenced by Holst in composing the music for Star Wars.

Today's composers, who mostly compose for the big screen shouldn't be looked over. They may be considered as classic composers in a hundred years. There is John Barry, who did most the Bond movies, Somewhere in Time, Out of Africa, and many others. Howard Shore, who did the LOTR trilogy is another composer I like. Listening to movie soundtracks opened the door to traditional classical music for me. Zarathrusta was made famous by the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Barber's Adagio for Strings was used in Apocalypse Now and I think The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Classical music...it lurks everywhere ;o) I mat not always know who did what, but I know what I like ;o)

There's a CD called "Classical Thunder" that has some of what your brother had probably already has listened to, and probably some he hasn't.

[Mark]

Vivaldi, "The Four Seasons" is breathtaking ..."Winter" makes me sniffle.
Paganini's "24 Caprices" are a lot of fun, whether on orchestral strings or classical guitar (if you can find a recording of Eliot Fisk playing it ...POUNCE on it ...I own that disc and it is amazing).
I also adore "Prelude" from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1.

[Barb Jacobs]

Holst's The Planets might be groovy for him. And Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition- at least portions of it. These are often included in classical music anthologies, but based on what he likes he may like them.

Some Mahler would be good, and Stravinsky (I love Firebird, but he might like Rite of Spring) too if he likes Prokofiev.

My all time favorite piece of symphony music is Daphnes and Chloe by Ravel.

I love Aaron Copeland too, but it's very Americana -- not sure if you Swedes would be too crazy about it or not. ^_^ (You are Swedish, right?!)

Now me, I'm crazy about piano music (gee, I wonder why Claudius is a classical pianist in one of his lives...) And how anyone can't love Rachmaninoff, I don't know....

Rachmaninoff's 2nd or 3rd Concertos are mind blowing. (the 3rd is considered the most difficult concert piano piece by many piano players...) Oh well, I am blathering...
~B

~B