classical music (read: lots of symphonies, and a few other things)
So, ninjajab requested classical music, and naturally I got a little ridiculous and uploaded almost 300mb (5 hour play time) worth of classical type music. I figure I might as well share it all here as well. This is straight up cut & paste, yo. And the commentary is severely lacking, because I have a headache that's really getting in the way of being able to articulate much of anything. Nonetheless, maybe some of you will enjoy some of this (a number of you have already heard a lot of it).
Brahms - Serenade
This isn't as bombastic as some of the pieces I'm posting, but it has its moments. The whole thing is very upbeat, if one can describe a full orchestra as upbeat...
Elgar - Cello Concerto
Dark and intense (though it has its lighter moments). I love concertos, and this is a good one.
George Enescu - Sonata for Cello and Piano in F Minor.mp3
From The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack. The instrumentation is fascinating (in addition to the cello and piano, one occasionally hears horns, or bells, or snapping), it breaks into swing for an odd few seconds, and it... possibly doesn't even count as classical. But it's worth a listen all the same.
Katchachurian - Violin Concerto
My orchestra played this a long time ago, and now I can't actually remember what the more specific name of the piece was. But regardless, it's haunting and gorgeous. As I said above, I really love concertos. You get the focus of listening to a soloist, but everything is richer because they have the support of an ochestra. This gets even more from the orchestra than is sometimes the case with a concerto.
Ysaye Quartet - Ravel's String Quartet In F Major (Second Movement).mp3
Like dancing in the rain.
Saint Saëns - Bacchanale
Saint Saëns is one of my favorite composers, and a lot of my favorite pieces to play have been by him. Partly, he really knows how to write parts for brass and woodwinds. This has really fantastic oboe and french horn parts, and the whole thing is very fun and dramatic.
Saint Saëns - Danse Macabre
One of my favorite pieces to play, and to listen to. Definitely not something that can be quiet background music as one works - it's bold and dramatic.
Saint Saëns - Symphony No. 2 in A minor, Op. 55 (zip)
Saint Saëns - Symphonies in F major & No. 3 in C minor (zip)
...a lot more Saint Saëns.
Stravinsky - Firebird Suite (Finale)
Stravinsky really knew how to make the most of woodwinds and brass in full orchestras.
Shostavovich - Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 (zip)
So, Shostakovich was one of the totally badass Soviet composers, and I love all his music endlessly. His music is very powerful, in all kinds of ways, and has a distinctly Russian sound and feel.
Yo-Yo Ma - Bach Cello Suites
It is one of the most beautiful and stunning albums that I own. And unlike almost everything else I've uploaded, this is music that you can let play in the background while doing other things. It's also music that you can listen to with your undivided attention. Yo-Yo Ma is amazingly talented, the Suites are masterpieces in their own right; together, it's pretty much perfect.
Also, I highly recommend Dvorak's New World Symphony. I'd upload, but I can't seem to find my copy right now.
Brahms - Serenade
This isn't as bombastic as some of the pieces I'm posting, but it has its moments. The whole thing is very upbeat, if one can describe a full orchestra as upbeat...
Elgar - Cello Concerto
Dark and intense (though it has its lighter moments). I love concertos, and this is a good one.
George Enescu - Sonata for Cello and Piano in F Minor.mp3
From The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack. The instrumentation is fascinating (in addition to the cello and piano, one occasionally hears horns, or bells, or snapping), it breaks into swing for an odd few seconds, and it... possibly doesn't even count as classical. But it's worth a listen all the same.
Katchachurian - Violin Concerto
My orchestra played this a long time ago, and now I can't actually remember what the more specific name of the piece was. But regardless, it's haunting and gorgeous. As I said above, I really love concertos. You get the focus of listening to a soloist, but everything is richer because they have the support of an ochestra. This gets even more from the orchestra than is sometimes the case with a concerto.
Ysaye Quartet - Ravel's String Quartet In F Major (Second Movement).mp3
Like dancing in the rain.
Saint Saëns - Bacchanale
Saint Saëns is one of my favorite composers, and a lot of my favorite pieces to play have been by him. Partly, he really knows how to write parts for brass and woodwinds. This has really fantastic oboe and french horn parts, and the whole thing is very fun and dramatic.
Saint Saëns - Danse Macabre
One of my favorite pieces to play, and to listen to. Definitely not something that can be quiet background music as one works - it's bold and dramatic.
Saint Saëns - Symphony No. 2 in A minor, Op. 55 (zip)
Saint Saëns - Symphonies in F major & No. 3 in C minor (zip)
...a lot more Saint Saëns.
Stravinsky - Firebird Suite (Finale)
Stravinsky really knew how to make the most of woodwinds and brass in full orchestras.
Shostavovich - Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 (zip)
So, Shostakovich was one of the totally badass Soviet composers, and I love all his music endlessly. His music is very powerful, in all kinds of ways, and has a distinctly Russian sound and feel.
Yo-Yo Ma - Bach Cello Suites
It is one of the most beautiful and stunning albums that I own. And unlike almost everything else I've uploaded, this is music that you can let play in the background while doing other things. It's also music that you can listen to with your undivided attention. Yo-Yo Ma is amazingly talented, the Suites are masterpieces in their own right; together, it's pretty much perfect.
Also, I highly recommend Dvorak's New World Symphony. I'd upload, but I can't seem to find my copy right now.