My Interest in Classical Music.

Rap: as Joe Cocker said when Parky asked him what he thought of it - "Rhymes with crap, doesn't it"

When LPs first came on the market in the 1950s, My Dad bought a record player and a number of Gilbert and Sullivan recordings and whenever the D'Oyley Carte company came to Glasgow we were taken to hear them. Apart from that, he built up quite a collection of orchestral LPs from a company called Classics Club, providing a monthly choice. We heard the Beethoven symphonies and concertos, Mozart, Schubert, and so on. When I got a record player for my 21st birthday, the first record I bought was Beethoven's Archduke Trio - I have always loved chamber music. I have quite a decent collection of CDs, ranging from Bach to Shostakhovitch, with the odd pop and jazz recording thrown in. My sons tried to 'educate' me about pop music and I can get quite enthusiastic about Queen and - what else? - the Beatles. As for rap, you can keep it!
Past my bedtime! [Moon emoticon]

I was spoiled rotten at age 19-21 because I was a student in Vienna, living with a family who subscribed to the opera and concerts. Back then, 1965-67, it was expected that anyone who had tickets but couldn't use them, had to give them to a student they knew. I was the only student quite a lot of people knew, so i got to go to all the stuff they wouldn't or couldn't go to. The first was Porgy and Bess - too American or perhaps not posh enough for the subscribers, but it was so very good. There were lots more, and also the operetta: this was good because they often changed the words to reflect contemporary issues, especially politics. The Student prince was one.

We could also get a standing place for next to nothing as students. I'd often do that, then have a good look for seats no-one was using.

Back in the UK I was more into pop, but when we got married my husband discovered classical music and now we have a terrific collection. He understands it all a lot better than me, but we both enjoy so much. He loves Beethoven and Vivaldi - I like the lot, but especially Tchaikovsky and Mozart.

perhaps it is my lack of musical skill made me dislike the film 'The Piano' so much!!!

The first piece of music that I remember really liking was the theme tune to 'Listen with Mother'. I hadn't even started school at the time and I didn't know what it was called until years later, but it is still a favourite - from Faure's Dolly Suite. Some pieces just spark you; and one piece leads to another. I can't sing either, nanaej - I really wish I could. I am learning to play the piano. I'm not very good at it, but I love to listen to those who are!

My mother (yes, she of the rubber gloves and clean dusters) was a gifted musician, with perfect pitch etc, and I got pushed into playing things. I played viola in the local city youth orchestra, and if you can play viola and read the different clefs, you can play the other strings, (and have a go at piano too) so I could fill in at cello, but adored double bass, which I played in a jazz band, much to my mother's horror. I was good, but apart from the jazz band, didn't have a gift. I loved playing about with the viola / violin / cello and improvising with friends, but the formal stuff bored me rigid. Love listening to serious music, though. And the rest.

I have occasionally picked up a violin or something, at a Young Musicians competition, and can wangle a few lines of music, but the force feeding spoilt it all. I think. La la la ...

I am not at all 'au fait' with classical music but there are some pieces that I have heard and that I do enjoy. My music education is dreadful! I cannot sing having been put off when laughed at as a child when having to audition for a choir! Never got the chance to learn a musical instrument nor ever learned to read music! Both my parents could and did sing around the house, they loved their contemporary music ( inc. lots of jazz) and that was what was on in the house all the time. I have only been to the opera once (Marriage of Figaro) which I quite enjoyed but I have not gone back!

I don't know about you, but watching such astounding young achievers as those we see in the final of the Young Musician contest (and I detest the competitive aspect) leaves me an emotional mess, all tissues and snot...

Yes, Laura van der Heijden was frighteningly good, and Charlotte, the recorder virtuoso was not only extraordinary by so elegant! Where else can you see a really elegant 16-year-old?

Ah well, nothing to compare with Britain is Tainted - sorry Has Talent, I suppose...

I love Vaughan Williams, including Lark, though it seems to be all you hear of his these days. His 'Norfolk Rhapsodies' and 'In the Fen Land' are wonderful, evocative pieces, and of course, the 'English Folk Song Suite', which always cheers me up. There could not have been many who doubted that the young cellist would win last night; I've seldom seen anyone so composed. But what competition! Must have been a judging nightmare.

Ian Lark is one of my favourites too, along with the Bruch (sp) violin concerto and Rachmaninov (sp) piano con. no 2.
Puccini is wonderful too.

There has always been classical music in our house, DD is a pianist and also played the violin. Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy in particular remind me of long practise sessions when she was a teenager.

I was about 9 or 10 when I asked for Swan Lake for my birthday. My aunt said she couldn't find a recording of it and bought me THE TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC instead. I was mortified! So glad a recorder player reached the final of BBC Young Musician 2012, Now we recorder players won't have to feel we should apologise for not playing a ''real'' instrument.

My Top Fifty Classical Music Pieces.
I have had a go at naming my top fifty pieces and found it quite a challenge. I wonder if anyone else could do it.

50. The Ring-Wagner. (Actually I have never heard this complete, however I would love to one day.)
49. Der Rosenkavalier-Richard Strauss.
48. Finlandia-Sibelius.
47. The Trout Quintet-Schubert.
46. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini-Rachmaninov.
45. Water Music-Handel.
44. Pavane-Ravel.
43. Bolero-Ravel.
42. Swan Lake (ballet)-Tchaikovsky.
41. Violin Concerto No. 4-Mozart.
40. Violin Concerto-Beethoven.
39. Emperor Waltz-Johann Strauss.
38. Symphony in C-Dukas.
37. Peer Gynt Suites 1&2-Grieg.
36. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis-Vaughan Williams.
35. Double Concerto in A minor-Brahms.
34. Romeo and Juliet-Tchaikovsky.
33. Sea Drift-Delius.
32. In a Summer Garden-Delius.
31. The Walk in Paradise Garden-Delius.
30. The Damnation of Faust-Berlioz.
29. Tosca-Puccini.
28. Madam Butterfly-Puccini.
27. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma'-Elgar.
26. 'Moonlight' Piano Sonato-Beethoven.
25. Canon and Gigue-Pachelbel.
24. 'Air on a G string-Bach.
23. Peter Grimes-Britten.
22. Scheherazade-Rimsky-Korsakov.
21. The Flying Dutchman-Wagner.
20. Violin Concerto in D-Brahms.
19. Symphony No. 5-Schubert.
18. A Midsummer Night's Dream-Britten.
17. Symphony No. 6-Dvorak.
16. Danse Macabre-Saint-Saens.
15. Fantasia on Greensleeves-Vaughan Williams.
14. Piano Sonato-Dukas.
13. Adagio-Albinoni.
12. The Nutcracker (ballet)-Tchaikovsky.
11. Symphony No. 2 in E minor-Rachmaninov.
10. Piano Concerto in A minor-Grieg.
9. The Four Seasons-Vivaldi.
8. The Sorcerer's Apprentice-Dukas.
7. Symphony No. 5-Beethoven.
6. The Blue Danube-Johann Strauss.
5. 1812 overture-Tchaikovsky.
4. Carnival of the Animals-Saint-Saens.
3. The Planets-Holst.
2. Symphony No. 6 (Pastorale)-Beethoven.
1. Lark Ascending-Vaughan Williams.

I saw The Flying Dutchman last night at the Coliesium in London, what a magnificent production, and going to the pre-performance talk earlier in the evening was very helpful. One slight upset people networking during the performance on their i-phones, can't people not live without them?

I love the piano section. I was rivetted by Freddie Kempf's performance in 1992 - he was in his early teens. I have watched him in live performances and bought his CDs since then and he just gets better and better. There have been wonderful percussion finalists, a very young trombonist a few years ago - few could have doubted he would win. It gives you great heart to think that there are so many young people making music. Some years ago I went to the final of The Music for Youth competition at the Albert Hall. The standard was extraordinary and none of the young people taking part were over sixteen - some considerably younger. Music in schools seems to be on the decline these days - I hope we never lose all this wonderful talent.

I'm currently enjoying the TV recordings of 'BBC Young Musician of the Year'. Those youngsters are soooo talented.
I have Catch up on Virgin cable so can watch later and skim past all the extraneous chat -just watch the actual performance.Today I watched the piano section -Fantastic!

Frequently!

I was trying to list my top ten Classical Music, however as I progressed I found I could not do justice to those I left out. Does anybody else have the same predicament?

Just a minor hobby-horse of mine, I'm afraid!

All this talk of choirs reminds me of being seventeen and singing in the 5,000-strong choir at Harringay Arena during the Billy Graham meetings there - I know Handel wrote the Hallelujah CHorus for a choir of about 25 - but with 5,000 it was turbo-charged! Then in the 60s, I lived for a while in Cornwall and joined the local Male Voice Choir in Fowey - all very satisfying to someone who was missing the music business!

feetlebaum how nice to hear someone talking about what "classical" really means!

Artygran - that is the whole point! Mozart wrote for the human voice, he never demanded too much so that perfection was possible and then the harmonies. wonderful! I was a contralto - I say was because at 65 my voice began to break and not hold the notes so that was that! I sing along with Verdi's Requiem' when I'm alone in the car.

I don't like classical music such as Classic FM as a background and I don't want to hear what the composer thought or did or know whether he had pneumonia etc etc. There are too many people cashing in on the human stories about composer's lives and the truth is Nobody knows!

Artygran you mention a Sheffield Choir. I grew up in Sheffied and when Winston Churchill got the Freedom of the City (of Sheffield) there was a huge choir of school children and we all stood on the stage of the City Hall. I was chosen by my teacher at school and went along to rehearsals. I knew I liked singing but knew nothing about choirs. That started me off. All in all there are not many years of my life when I was not member of a choir.

I love Classic Fm and have it on all the time. One of the few things I miss about living near Londnon is being able to go to the Barbican and the Albert Hall and The Coliseum for opera regularly. I have since discovered the theatre and concert hall in Nottingham and have tickets for The Halle and am so looking forward to it. Juts need somewhere to see the ballet now.

I have to agree with you there expat. The Kyrie from Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor, sung by a good soprano, brings tears to your eyes (it can bring tears to your eyes sung by a bad soprano too, I should imagine!). I can't sing - I wish I could. My piano teacher is the musical director of a prestigious local choir, The Sheffield Oratorio. As I had never heard them, he gave me a ticket to hear them sing the above piece (which I knew from a recording). I don't know what I was expecting - after all, they were a local choir, singing in our cathedral, but I was stunned by their performance - as near perfect as anything I had heard and the guest soprano had been a previous winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World competition. I have heard them many times since, singing everything from Bach to John Rutter, and it has been a huge pleasure.

My father was good pianist and of course we were expected to play. He was also a terrible teacher and lost patience with the sounds we were producing until we children just gave up. There is lot of piano music where I know every note and still love to hear a piano concert played by a symphony orchestra.

Although I am officially C.of E. I joined the local Catholic Church choir and began 25 years of singing choral music. 4 Times a year we sang a Mass in Latin by Mozart ( who has written about 30) and occasionally Haydn and Palestrina. After months of rehearsing, the High Mass day arrived. The small orchestra and soloists were in place and sometimes I almost had to stop singing when I heard the purity of the soprano voice together with Mozart's music. it was over powering.
I have a season ticket for an evening of chamber music every 6 weeks and if in big city I try to get tickets for a large symphonic work. I don't listen to as much at home but occasionally I listen to Beethoven's piano Sonatas or similar.

I have never forgotten the thrill of hearing a symphony orchestra in the flesh - a schools concert at the Hornsey Town Hall, with the Royal Philharmonic... although now the only oitem I can recall from the programme was the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. THe oboists demonstrated their duets before the piece was played, to show us how the piece was constructed. Magic! That would have been in1951, I should think, so I'm not surprised I can't recall the whole play-list!