About Mussorski's Night on a Bare Mountain, Rimski-Korsakov didn't so much re-arrange but rather re-instrumentate it. As far as I've understood it correctly, if I have, he didn't change the structure or harmonies or anything like that, but switched around which instruments play which notes at certain times to make the sound as good as possible. Rimski-Korsakov was the professor of orchestration and a real master of romantic instrumentation so he was probably the best guy at the time to do that to that piece.
I was raised on Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Play Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies. Along with Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Firebird… but it was the opening strains of Petrushka that made me see music as being what i wanted to do.
Andy, very good to see some classical coverage, especially Stravinsky, Messiaen and Bartok. Although I still listen to only a few prog bands these days, I do value the genre's role in getting me interested in classical music when I was a young teenager. I remember buying 'Brain Salad Surgery' when it was first released and wondering and worrying if my limited attention span could cope with those long compositions. Of course, listening to pop chart singles doesn't develop anybody's attention span (they're not intended for that) but hearing the length and complexity of 'Topographic Oceans' certainly developed mine, and therefore prepared me for the challenges of listening to complex classical music. When I was much younger what fascinated me about 70s prog was that it was fundamentally music about other musics. Because the genre was so eclectic it could (and perhaps should) lead the inquisitive listener into classical, jazz, blues, even non-western musics. Now that's what I call exciting!
Thanks Andy, some great music there. My real"conversion" to classical music was when I went to a classical concert and heard The Inextinguishable Symphony by Carl Nielsen, it' was the first time I reacted as I am used to reacting in a great rock concert. It is a wonderful piece of music, I have to ask if you are familiar with it, if you are not then give it a listen it is phenomenal and loads of percussion! Love the channel.
I've been looking forward to this video since it was announced. Appropriate that so many, highly rhythmic pieces are beloved by a drummer. My father was a composer and professor of classical composition, which inevitably made that genre the foundation of my musical enthusiasm. Your observation that classical music is "all about the tunes" (i.e., melody) is an important point that partly explains why some people cannot get into jazz, which is less about the written melody and more about interpretation and process. Many of the most fertile melodic minds in classical music, especially in the modern period, have been students of folk song. Some, like Bartók and Komitas (who invented modern Armenian music) were serious ethnomusicologists. In light of Messiaen's profound interest in birdsong (he thought birds were the greatest composers in nature), one might put him in the same category.
If unfamiliar with these pieces, they’re worth a spin: Daphnis et Chloe, Ravel; Alpine Symphony, Richard Strauss; Miraculous Mandarin, Bartok; Sinfonietta, Janacek; Harmonium, John Adams.
The Planets is a masterpiece. On the surface with Mars and Jupiter, it's an easy sell for people who don't listen to classical music, but the rest of the movements are just as good and grow on the listener quickly if they don't already like it. I've spent many fond hours with that music.
Superb Choice At Your Number One !!.And How Incredible Andy That Was The Same Album That Introduced My Older Brother,Myself And My Two Younger Sisters Into The Pleasures Of Classical Music.That Same mfp Album By Gustav Holst THE PLANETS UNFORGETABLE 🍾🎻🎵🎉
Good list, these are three of my favorite newer classical pieces, Erik Satie - Trois Gymnopdie and Debussy - Prelude а l'apres-midi d'un faune and Clair de lune.
I would recommend the symphonic poems of Dvorak, Richard Strauss, Rimsky Korsakov, Rachmaninov and Liszt. Very dynamic, expressive and epic romantic classical form! Right up this prog fan's alley.
When I was only a toddler I would constantly grab "The Lark Ascending" from the album cabinet and bring it to my mother to play. It's all "Just Strings" for me... No love for Beethoven 7th 2nd Movement?
The Vaughan Williams piece you include is exquisite. I especially love his Lark Ascending. (BTW his first name is pronounced Rayff.) Paul Hindemith's Mathis der Mahler really blows me away.
Andy,...once again a top notch top 10 list! I was thrilled to find that your #1 is The Planets. I was turned on to this Holst masterpiece about 30 years ago when I was a wild young lad in my 20"s. Cheers mate!
Andy, I just started watching your videos and I think they’re great! Check out Prokofiev - “Symphony No. 5 in Bb Major, Op. 100”. There’s not a wasted moment in any of the four movements. As a plus, it honestly has the greatest ending in any piece of music I’ve ever heard in my life. Like a doctor hitting your knee with a hammer, I literally almost uncontrollably yelled “Wow!” after the final chord when I first heard it live by the Rochester Philharmonic about 20 years ago.
Andy, great as always. I'm not that familiar with most of your choices; but I thank you, and look forward to doing a little musical exploring based upon your preferences.
Great video with insightful thoughts on classical music. Here's my top 10 (i'm not counting operas): 1- Mahler : Symphony n°2 2- Schonberg : Pelleas and Melisande 3- Brahms : Piano Concerto n°1 4- Bach : Goldberg Variations 5- Beethoven : Symphony n°9 6- Bartok : Piano Concerto n°2 7- Ravel : Piano Concerto in G 8- Dutilleux : Symphony n°2 9- Scriabin : Poem of Ecstacy 10- Stravinsky : The Firebird (not the suite, the complete ballet)
Thanks again Andy....another accessable and insightful film, perfectly striking the right , unpretentious tone to encourage everyone and anyone to explore this wonderful world of classical music!!! Same for all the other genres you cover....just brilliant!!
Great video Andy as SoT brought me to your channel. I'm with you on the Holst Planets piece, one of the greatest pieces of music ever written period as parts have been used in the movies. Memories of my high school science class come to mind whenever I hear the beginning of Jupiter as it was used in a documentary about the Apollo space program.
Nice list.👌 I will add Edvard Grieg's( Per Gynt.) I gues you know( In the hall of the Montain King ) (Anitra's dance ) (Åse's death) (Morning Mood) Erik Satie (Gymnopedie 1.2.3)
Apparently my grandfather born in 1884 was classical music crazy. But only had maybe a few records. Due to lack of finances. So I found that out after discovering ELP and KC were inspired by it. I partic like Pictures so my genes make sense. My cousin played drums and another was a singer! Carl palmer and Greg Lake talk independently about being pleased to introduce classical to my generation. I’m going to use your vid here to start a collection for my grown kid as he’s finally seen the connections between genres. He’s musical but not enough time for it right now. Hopefully some day he will enjoy it and might inspire him! I like Eric Satie, he uses that silence RF has been sort of talking about WITHIN his work. Well it’s piano and Emerson was incredible.
Great picks! Of course Holst and Bartok were very important to King Crimson. I’m a big fan of the Minimalists especially. Koyaanisqatsi blew me away when I was a teen and Reich is my go-to when I need to focus on something. Also, I think you could add Zappa to the mix given his orchestral pieces.
If you love the bombast of Prog, the Stokowski recording of Katchaturian's Symphony III is a jem. Scored for full orchestra, pipe organ and 15 trumpets, it is a single movement Symphony, about the length of Gates of Delirium. It includes all sorts of progressive rock elements like an Armenian string melody ala Kashmir and a Rick Wakmanesque pipe organ solo.
Love your list. My favourites from your list I have loved for a long time: Stravinsky, Holst, Bartok and Messiaen. My short list would be - excluding the ones you already listed: György Ligeti - Masterworks Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 8 Ludwig Van Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 Leonard Bernstein - Symphony No. 1 George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue Arnold Schoenberg - The Piano Music
Really like Bartok. Also Prokofiev and Shostakovich. 'The Firebird' is amazing and very progy. Got to see/hear 'Rite of Spring' in Paris with horses. Yes! It was an amazing ballet, terrifying, grand, kinetic, and beautiful. Totally mind-blowing. And although my fav is Brahms, I must also admit Holst 'The Planets' is one of my favorites. Totally prog and totally English! Nice episode.
I love Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, except that it always leaves me devastated by the end: "Let us sleep now..." Gives me chills just thinking about it. I think the greatest piece ever written is Chaccone in D Minor by J.S. Bach. Bach came home from a long business trip to find out that his wife was dead and buried. He sat down and wrote the Chaccone. For me, nothing I've ever heard surpasses it's deeply felt brilliance. Check out Julian Bream's rendition on guitar. The D parallel major middle section will break your heart.
Agree, the Bach Chaconne transcription is the guitar piece I would go for, the Galbraith transcription which clocks in at a stately 20 minutes on his 8 string, and the Alan Mearns one, which he capos at the second fret are a couple of performances to check out. Here is the Alan Mearns one. ruclips.net/video/8xA3ZDdwA8Y/видео.html
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Yo Andy, on the topic of shredding, if you've got a spare couple of minutes check this out. ruclips.net/video/fEHjD4CyAU8/видео.html
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Lol. Not knowledgeable enough for me to spell Chaconne properly, which is ironic considering I spent nearly a year of my life learning the Segovia transcription on Spanish guitar. Piece damned near killed me.
Yes! We shared a few. Vivaldi rocks. But, we actually share the same #1. I stumbled across The Planets about ten years ago and actually cried the first time I heard it, and also when I heard it performed live. Your "head banging" comment regarding Mars is spot on. Venus is so sweet. Saturn is appropriately melancholy, especially with its with its eerie chimes. Jupiter is utterly bombastic (and the favorite of many flash mobs across the country). What I didn't hear you mention is how much it resembles Star Trek and Star Wars music. They had to have been influenced by The Planets, I'm sure of it.
Great, diverse picks, Andy! One piece you didn’t mention… I’ve always loved the classical-jazz fusion piece, Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin because of its blend of old vs new and it really captures the vibe of roaring 20s New York. Otherwise, I’m a real sucker for the German romantics, especially Schubert and Schumann, and the genius of Bach counterpoint in the Goldberg Variations.
I had a period in the mid-to-late 1980's where I bought a variety of classical CD's, at least partially because I had a CD player and some classical labels were making a big deal about being all-digital recordings. I really did like many of the ones I bought, but at some point I stopped playing them. At this point I can't even remember which of the titles I liked the most, other than _"1812 Overture"_ and _"Handel's Messiah",_ both of which I had actually picked up on in the early 1970's. More recently I have picked up two classical-music albums that Tony Banks did, and liked those a lot. I do still play those two titles: _"Six Pieces for Orchestra"_ and _"Five"._
That Planets MFP LP by Stokowski is the same one I bought in 1969 when I started getting into Classical music. The MFP series were a great way to appreciate classical music on a small budget and they featured excellent conductors and orchestras. I still have many in my collection. By the way, Mars was used by John Williams as inspiration for Darth Vader's 'Empire' theme in Star Wars. The choir in Neptune is one of my favourite pieces of all time.
No complaints from me here, I have eight of the pieces on cd so... Oliver Messiaen I know only by name, should look into it. I did listen to some Steve Reich music and the lack of melody is a problem for me while I love Philip Glass but most of all his symphonies and concertos. He said himself: "Many people don't believe I also compose symphonies." Al always interesting video, thanks.
I'm in no way an expert but I've never even considered ranking favorite classical music it's so vast, so I had to give it a try, based on what I liked in high school and college: 10. Nancarrow's Player Piano music 9. Cowell's Prepared Piano music 8. Stravinsky's Firebird 7. Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time 6. Gorecki's Symphony 3 5. Ravel's Bolero 4. Stravinsky's Petrushka 3. Messiaen's Turangalila-Symphonie 2. Holst's The Planets 1. Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major I just love all of Ravel's piano music really. It's highly underrated.
I like your analogy of us all sitting round a camp fire , discussing our music thoughts, so before I start let's have a quick round of "Ging gangooly". That's better. There are some fine jazz renditions of the Rodrigo Aranjuez concerto, the most beautiful that I've heard is on Jim Hall's album , Concerto from 1975. It's over 19 minutes and has Paul Desmond on Alto, Chet Baker on trumpet, Ron Carter, Steve Gadd and Roland Hanna, besides Jim Hall of course. Really beautiful sounds.
Great video! I would love more videos about "classical" music. During the summer, I've been listening to it a lot, thanks to the radio. I want to get deeper into it. My six favourite pieces (without a particular order) would be... - "Raindrop" Prelude, Op. 28, No. 15 (Chopin) - Pavane pour une infante défunte (Ravel) - The Planets Suite (Holst) - Suite Bergamasque (Debussy) - First movement of the "Piano Concerto No. 1" (Tchaikovski) - Pathetique Symphony (Tchaikovski) I'm trapped between Romanticism and Impressionism, as you can see... 😂 Thank you for the video and for some reccomendations, Andy. Bye! 🙂
Really interesting video Andy. My knowledge of classical music is haphazard at best, but I've heard most of your picks and they are solid choices (RVW is a genius). A couple of recommendations I would make are Villa Lobos Bachianas, and Scriabin's 'Prometheus' and 'Piano Concerto'. The Scriabin in particular I've always thought would be up many a prog fans street.
Regarding Vaughan Williams and Holst.... Two King Crimson-related things. First, Holst's Mars has been "covered" by several bands. (In fact, the song Black Sabbath by B Sabbath uses notes from Mars with just one change). The best version I'd say is King Crimson's, who played Mars live and then changed it slightly when recording In the Wake album (Devil's Triangle, I believe because of copyright issues). Second, several people have noted the coincidence that David Cross' famous violin bridge in Larks' Tongues part 1 (starting at about 7:50) strikingly resembles the violin theme of Vaughan Williams's influential tonal poem The Lark Ascending.
Back in the early 70's a little prog band got me a bit interested in classical music - though not really enough then to devote much time to it (I' talking ELP and their versions of classics ), although in my 20s I did buy a few cheap tapes of classical pieces - mainly Bach, because of the Nice's Brandenburg suite, and Vivaldi, as I felt that was closest to the neoclassical guitarists I was into at the time. Then back in the 90s there was a part works publication called the classical collection, where you got a CD and a magazine that talked abut the composer and the piece of music. I've got the whole collection gathering dust in my attic, however I remember listening to each one as it arrived and feeling mightlily important that I was listening to classical music. Needless to say at the moment they're all gathering dust in a box. This video has just made me now want to revisit that collection to not only see if any of the works you've mentioned are in it - which there must be at least one or two - but also to reintroduce myself to them. A previous video of yours introduced me to Reich and Messiaen, didnt quite get into the Messaien but did like the Reich, so I'm off in search of the Glass.
You know why you love these pieces of music, Andy, which is the point. Was this the Messiaen piece:' L'abîme d'oiseaux from the Quatuor pour la fin du temps'? As a kid of about 10, I played the MFP record of 1812 Overture over and over, just willing that massive crescendo on with the canons, hence why 'Supper's Ready' and 'The Gates Of Delerium' are fave prog tracks. The other great piece is Sir Peter Maxwell Davis' 'An Orkney Wedding'. When I saw it live at the QEH, the musicians acted out the post-wedding ceilidh then a solitary piper in full Highland dress walked through the audience playing an air for the sunrise - best prog gig ever. Cheers, Ian
Totally enjoyed this. I didn't dislike any of your choices and it explains the melodic and open mindset you have for other genres. Love Vaugan Williams & Steve Reich. Olivier Messiaen was a nice surprise. In terms of melody, I'm a bit of a romantic so a beautifully written adagio is something I lean towards. Gustav Mahler's Adagietto from Symphony No. 5. is a tearjerker. Frank Zappa's Outrage At Valdez is one of his most beautiful pieces. And for more tears, Antônio Carlos Jobim's Valse. Cheers Andy.
Hi Andy, love your channel. I also came to Stravinsky through Yessongs, and Firebird also remains my favourite Stravinsky piece. I also love Bartok -- Concerto for Orchestra is one of my all-time favourite classical pieces, especially that dizzyingly difficult and fast part for strings near the end. Here's a suggestion for listening: Bach's Mass in B Minor. This is, in my estimation, perhaps the greatest music ever written, plus, it's baroque, so it's broken up into easily digestible little chunks. Once you listen to that, I'm sure it will make it onto your top-10 list in the future. Perhaps the best performance available right now is the Gardiner with the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists. My go-to recording is the one by Frans Bruggen with the Netherlands Chamber Choir and the Orchestra of the 18th Century. It is amazing. Finally, onto the main topic of my comment: Olivier Messiaen. I note that you chose Trois Petite Liturgies as your favourite. My all-time favourite pieces of classical music are the late-60s and early-70s Messiaen masterpieces: La transfiguration de notre seigneur Jesus-Christ (composed from 1965 to 1969 -- listen to the original recording from 1972 with Antal Dorati conducting the National Orchestra and the Westminster Choir -- the later recordings are not nearly as good, especially the Chung rendition everybody else raves about -- it's a complete stinker with absolutely no rhythmic vitality and inaudible gongs) -- this is simply one of the most amazing pieces of music ever conceived by a human. Messiaen's late harmonic style is one of the wonders of the modern world. Next is his massive organ cycle from 1969, Meditations sur la mystere de la presence divine (which you mentioned in your video) -- I'm partial to the recording by Jennifer Bates on the Unicorn-Kanchana label, although for sheer power and terror, the recording by Olivier Latry is probably the best -- it's part of his complete Messiaen organ box set. Finally, from 1971 to 1974, Messiaen gives us what may be his greatest masterpiece -- Des canyons aux etoiles. My favourite recording is by Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the London Sinfonietta (avoid the turgid Chung rendition that everyone else raves about). These three pieces will blow your mind. Also, don't forget to listen to the Turangalila Symphonie some time (there are some really excellent live performances on RUclips -- the best are probably Dudamel/OSSBdV with Yuja Wang on piano, and Paavo Jarvi/Frankfurt Radio Symphony with the Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear on piano -- Mr Goodyear plays the most mind-blowing cadenza in the 5th movement -- it should be played as fast as humanly possible, and I believe that he accomplishes just that. Anyway, check it out!
Andy I have always said if Beethoven Vivaldi even Mozart etc were alive today they would be composing heavy rock, metal and prog. My late father was a big classical music fan so its the music I was brought up on till the age of about 7 ,my mother is German and a huge fan of Wagner.
Great vid Andy. Am not a classical music specialist myself but a couple of points. You seem to say that Vivaldi’s four seasons was written for a string quartet but as far as I know it was written as a concerto. Anyway, a few recommendations now based on your list for you or (in case you already know these pieces) anyone else interested. Domenico Scarlatti’s harpsichord sonatas. Awesome music which should particularly attract people into heavy metal and related genres. I get what you say about classical composers being too focussed on form, but I don’t think that that applies to Beethoven and especially not too his string quartets especially the late ones. And from there some of my all time favourite classical music are Shostakovich’s string quartets. Some awesome music there that is just so different form anything else. Messiaen: I don’t know the piece that you mention but La Nativite du Seigneur is also awesome.
"Pop the pomposity" 12:58 in a classical video no less, hahah! nicely done. There are 5 composers (not sure exactly which works I would choose), who would unequivocally HAVE to be on my list. So obvious, but there it is: Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky...probably Bartok, too. The Planets w/LA Phil conducted by Stokowski! Here's a story: I was fortunate enough to have a discussion with the principle bassist of the LA Phil a while ago, and I asked him who was the greatest conductor he had ever worked with. Without hesitation he said it was Stokowski.
I just listened to this on YT "Beethoven - Sonata No. 23 Appassionata 3rd Movement". I am calling it prog(i.e. many variations, playing around with a theme, and longer than average song length).
Could you please do an entire video on Steve Reich, and other minimalist composers ? I find these musical concepts to be some of the most interesting I’ve come across. Great video, and great channel as well👏
I'd love to hear Andy's thoughts on the impact of the minimalists on rock and jazz. think Reich in particular had a big impact on prog and fusion. Without Reich, King Crimson's 80s output would surely have been very different.
The Naxos label has a version of Night on a Bare Mountain in its original composition and in the commonly known orchestrated version by Rimsky-Korsakov. Naxos 8.555924. It's very different. I don't know much Messaien. His Quartet for the End of Time is stunning. Vaughan Williams' Symphonies are brilliant and Tallis and The Lark Ascending are beautiful. My wife walked down the aisle to The Lark Ascending. I too love Steve Reich. Different Trains and Music for 18 Musicians are my favourites. Metheny's version of Guitar Phase is great too. Stravinsky's ballets, The Firebird (like you I came to this via Yessongs) and The Rite of Spring, and Shostakovich's Symphonies and String Quartets are my favourites I keep returning to. I love Bartok. I know what you mean about his darkness. I like Janacek too, both of whom I came to via ELP who used themes by them. I'm not keen on many of the romantic composers. I like Mahler when I'm in the mood. I like the String Quartets of Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven but not keen on their Symphonies. For me the ultimate prog lovers classical piece is Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade. 40 minutes. 4 movements. Thematically linked. Telling a story. Banging tunes.
I tried to think of ten favourites but failed. Too many to decide. Here are a few that I think might be a bit less obvious. Souvenir d'un Lieu Cher movement 1 "Meditation" - Pete Tchaikovsy. Opus 42, Tommy Tallis, the man himself, with Spem in Alium, the 40-part motet (16th century prog) La Valse - Mo Ravel (early 20th century prog) Waltz from the Masquerade Suite - Aram Khatchaturian Come Heavy Sleep - Johnny Dowland (normally counter-tenor but there's an interesting rock-voice version by the late Freddy Wadling)
I keep watching Andy, despite the lack of VdGG! I love Messiaen as well, particularly the Turangalila Symphony. The first time I heard this, it was live on the TV for the Proms.
Whenever i have some sort of certification test or study for it at work i play piano pieces always Brahms. Three a little less known modern day composers well worth checking out are Alfred Schnittke, Gunnar Bucht and Moses Pergament... and ofcourse the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt as well. Looking forward to hearing rant on Opera at some point! ;) Oh and i really like Glazunov and his E-flat concerto for Saxophone.. doesn't sound like Coltrane, but its cool anyway
Great show! Love hearing your perspective on classical pieces. I think a series of shows on English composers you like would be a good idea, especially VW as he is very likely the best. Really love his symphony cycle. Very high level, but I have a Spotify playlist of English composers back to the 1400s.
In my humble opinion prog started in the 2nd movt of Beethoven's 3rd symphony. I still find it shocking. Also add Shostakovich no 4, Prokofiev no 2 & Bruckner no 8. They are monsters with more violence (play loud) than any Prog rock piece.
Peter Gabriel's favourite composers are Elgar, Vaughan williams and Mussorgski, Hackett Satie, Ravel and russians, Tony Banks are Ravel, Mahler and Rachimaninoff, Holdsworth are Bartok, Debussy, Stravinsky and Copland, steve Vai are Stravinsky.
Interesting! Must listen to Barton as I’m fascinated by Allan Holdsworth. Pity wasn’t aware of him in the 79’s. Bit like Rory Gallagher in that they weren’t into performing to become ‘stars’. Just play the way they wanted.
@@Saffy-yr8vo Allan said that Bartok was one of your bigesst influences like composer with Debussy, Stravisnki and Copeland. Especially Brtok Strigs quartets.
Of course we're all your friends! Only separated by space and circumstance. If I should ever happen to visit [whereever you live in england] I'd love to buy you a pint. :)
I enjoy your approach Andy. Honest, casual, amusing, and yes, informative. Nice work. I did my own video on 'Classical Music for Rock Fans' sometime last year (you can find it on my channel) and loved doing it. It's one thing to laud the virtues of Pink Floyd, another to have a good think about music that is, for most people, still to discover. I'm no musician but I like to think I am, on occasion, a serious listener, and classical music has provide many a thrill over the years.
Interesting that you choose none of the Big 3, Bach, Mozart & Beethoven. My favourite period of music is late German Romanticism, including Wagner, Mahler & Richard Strauss. I am also a big Gilbert and Sullivan fan. There are many many more that I love but I thought I would mention these.
Like you, most of the classical music I like is stuff that I heard when I was young. The first classical record I bought was the first western recording of Shostakovich's 15th Symphony. I was fifteen and trying to grow up. Most of the records I bought in the 70s, I had never heard before buying. I read reviews and bought them on trust. Most of the time, they were good. This one was excellent. I could go on about why it's so good, but it's better if you listen to it yourself. I also love the 5th and 10th symphonies, the violin and cello concertos. Another early one was the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky, specifically the recording by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. It is epic. I bought that around the same time. Also, the 4th, 5th and 6th symphonies. Beethoven's 9th Symphony has to be included, despite the totalitarian EU using the fourth movement as its anthem. It is an amazing piece of music, especially considering the composer was deaf when he wrote it. Of course, I could include the 5th and 6th symphonies as well. Dvorak's 9th Symphony, The New World, is stunning. Peer Gynt by Grieg contains some wonderful tunes, including In The Hall Of The Mountain King. The Planets makes it into my top ten as well, as does The Four Seasons. This video was interesting. How about a video of the records you liked as a youth but never dared tell your friends. I liked The Carpenters, but as a long-haired fan of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, the Who and so on, it would have been suicide to admit it.
Mussorgskys original version of Night on Bald Mountain is cool. A bit rawer than Rimskys version. Mussorgsky made a second version of it with vocals for an opera, and it’s that version Rimsky used for his arrangement. The end is from the opera version. It’s not there in the original version. Great piece of music. The opera version is also great. You can find recordings of both Mussorgskys versions and it’s worth to check them out.
Enjoyed the Video once again, even though you were a tad out your comfort zone and a little nervous it was totally engaging, 10 ,9 ....6 8 7 5 ... Good job you weren't on the Count down team for the visit to those Planets, so funny and honest. I do have a few Classical recordings and my Favs are the good old Nocturne op.9 No.2 - Chopin, Pictures at an Exhibition - Mussorgsky and also got into Franz Liszt from watching and listening to the Lisztomania rock Opera back in the day. Now there's an idea Top 10 Rock Opera's ?
I’m sure I am not the only one to point out that The Four Seasons is a violin concerto with a small orchestra, certainly not a string quartet. How does one not notice that the violin often plays independently from the rest of the group? I might add that you should get Sir George Solti conducting Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and the version celebrating the removal of the Berlin Wall conducted by Bernstein. I like to listen to them both back to back on an iPad.
Do you mean Philip Glass? The closed Captions read as Grass, not Glass 🙂 He also done Metamorphosis which I find that piece to be similar structure styled with a lot of the new classical I think may have started mixing minimalist form with some electronic loops, An example would be a new female composer named Hania Rani Piano Day Concert. Also too, I am floored because before you mention Stravinsky, I was thinking of his piece from the ballet "Firebird" which I found brooding especially watching not just listening which gave the whole effect
You are such an endearing person! I'm no expert but I love classical. Try Rachmaninoff's "Vocalese" with Anna Moffo and Leopold Stokowski -- she's the only one who sings that one right, to my ears. Also, the Chopin Etudes AND Preludes. The closing adagio of Mahler's 9th AND the opening adagio of Mahler's (unfinished) 10th symphony. Bach's Musical Offering, or Well Tempered Clavier (Glenn Gould playing) or English Suites, or Partitas or Cello Suites. Gorecki Symphony 3! Dowland Lute songs/pieces! Brahm's Intermezzi opus 118? (A major) Prokofiev piano sonatas -- there's one...maybe opus 117, I think it's E minor, that absolutely puts you on a galloping horse. Nojima's Liszt etudes (?) It's like rock, straight up! There's so much more! Beethoven's piano sonatas -- that's a beautiful journey listening to all 32 of them in order. Shostakovich 24/48 preludes and fugues. Albinoni...he uses dissonance in such a lovely way, it can make you cry! Mozart Requiem! God there's so much more. Think how exciting it is for any of us to have so much great music out there (from any genre) that we've NEVER heard/have no clue about. We're so lucky these soul experiences are out there waiting for us to taste them : )
The best music video on youtube: Claire De Lune, the most beautiful 5 minutes of music ever composed, played magically by the stunningly beautiful and sexy concert pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, 2014 red dress video. The video has been taken down a few times, but its had millions of views. Beyond exceptional.
I really loved the list. There's one piece I think was quite "proggy": Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 by Bramhs. The intro (Un poco sostenuto) is as majestic and dramatic as it can get. Think of the intro of Watcher of the Skies.
Have you heard Bruckner's 6th and 9th symphonies? Like the Motorhead of his day. I'm not really into choral stuff but Brahms' German Requiem and Berlioz' Requiem will give you goose bumps.
I'm a big Phillip Glass fan. I had a similar reaction the first time I saw “Koyaanisqatsi”. A film and soundtrack like nothing I had seen/heard before. “Einstein On The Beach” is probably one of my favorite pieces of music regardless of genre. Strangely enough, I actually heard part of it on the radio one day and was drawn in by its prog-type keyboard sound. I took a chance on the four CD set, but it took a while for me figure out what was going on. It’s unlike anything I’ve heard before or since. I got a chance to see the opera performed live (all 5 hours of it) about ten years ago. They did film it for the first time on that tour and, while it’s great that it exists and should be seen by anyone interested in this type of music, it’s hard to capture the live experience. With this kind of music though, your mileage may definitely vary…
As a Prog lover, I would have been highly surprised if Bartok was not included, however, Andy's choice of Bartok's music was surprising. Bartok's most Prog work was The Miraculous Mandarin, a one act Pantomime/Ballet containing sex and violence, that had it banned on moral grounds in places. If that's not progressive, pushing the boundaries, what is? The suite from this piece, which contains about two thirds of the score was performed this year at the Proms. I was there and the hairs on the back of my neck have yet to relax.
Nice job, Andy! You'll get plenty of recommendations below but everyone comes to music along different paths. Although many of your picks were very familiar, there were a few that were new to me that I would enjoy exploring. Would you mind listing the titles/composers on your Top 10 List. Recommended recordings would also be appreciated.
Great video and some love your choices Before I go further can I recommend reading The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross possibly the best read on 20th century music . I have to put Rite of Spring at #1 I came to classical music through Frank Zappa and your choice of Planets as top pick I can’t knock , if it was good enough for Frank on Absolutely Free that a stamp of approval . So glad you included the minimalists because this is the music I listen to the most I would have picked Music for 18 Musicians I have the complete Studies for player piano by Conlon Nancarrow which is a stunning achievement ( his life’s work ) John Cage : Music for prepared piano Lou Harrison , everything ! It’s the most beautiful music Last but not least Classical Music is very much alive and so I call out John Luther Adams Becoming Ocean :2014 just stunning
Always remember back in the day. HMV Manchester when it was a proper store buying my metal and rock cds 💿 then popping down to the ground floor where they had a fantastic classical department peaceful away from the advertising crap lol ,would spend an hour in there helpful staff telling most recommended versions etc etc Happy days.
That was a great video, Andy. I have to give a shout-out to Bach's Goldberg Variations, and if you don't mind classical singing, another shout-out to Schubert's "Winterreise". To me they are unbeatable.
Would be interested in a vid where you investigate Emerson’s love of Bach and other ‘prog’ bands’ classical inspirations, as someone has listed on here!
Great list! I was concerned it was going to be a bit pedestrian when you start out with Fantasia and Four Seasons, but you end up hitting many of my favorite among the true originals of the 20th Century with Messiaen, Bartok, Reich, Glass. I saw Koyaanisqatsi when I was in college in the 90s and my mind was just as blown as yours. Based on what you say here and describe liking, I think you'd really dig some of the pieces by another 20th C giant (in my book) Arvo Part.
I'm not a musician of any ilk, much less classical. I don't care at all for opera - to my hillbilly sensibilities, it sounds silly. But I love instrumental works of all sizes, & "The Planets Suite" is near the top of my list, too. I imprinted on the 1st version I heard: Zubin Mehta conducting the LA Philharmonic. There's something about his coda to "Mars" that raises the hairs on my arms and brings tears to my eyes - you can feel the musicians straining at the leash, trying to gallop away with an energy that Mehta is barely able to control. Also love the "Four Seasons". And Bach! I have a personal tradition of playing all 6 Brandenburg Concertos on Christmas Day. I'm especially fond of #4. Listening to almost anything by Mozart is like taking a warm bath. I like Poulenc's "Concerto for Oboe", and just about everything I've heard by William (not Robert) Schuman - though Robert's okay, too. Don't care much for Ives - but I've recently discovered Alan Hovaness (sp?), and LOVE the mystical, ethereal vibe - like a soundtrack without the pictures. Outside the box, I like Iannis Xenakis, George Crumb, Charles Wuorinen, more - otherwordly, alien, sometimes even slightly menacing stuff. No one said music has to be pretty.
If you're going to throw Terry Riley in the mix, check out "Shree Camel". I've never had such a "hypnotic" experience as I had the first time I listened that LP. If you get a chance, you can listen to it on Tidal (might be on other streaming services too). Get comfortable and listen to it on the best gear you have. Headphones are OK, but the three dimensional sound really shines through a decent set of speakers.
About Mussorski's Night on a Bare Mountain, Rimski-Korsakov didn't so much re-arrange but rather re-instrumentate it. As far as I've understood it correctly, if I have, he didn't change the structure or harmonies or anything like that, but switched around which instruments play which notes at certain times to make the sound as good as possible. Rimski-Korsakov was the professor of orchestration and a real master of romantic instrumentation so he was probably the best guy at the time to do that to that piece.
plus one for the Firebird Suite. It is so evocative and diverse in themes and moods. The lullaby is the most exotic lullaby by anyone.
And played before Yes concerts .
I was raised on Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Play Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies. Along with Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Firebird… but it was the opening strains of Petrushka that made me see music as being what i wanted to do.
Rite of spring , prog or avante garde?
I’ve always preferred Herbert Von Karajan’s interpretation of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. But I kind of grew up with that.
Andy, very good to see some classical coverage, especially Stravinsky, Messiaen and Bartok. Although I still listen to only a few prog bands these days, I do value the genre's role in getting me interested in classical music when I was a young teenager. I remember buying 'Brain Salad Surgery' when it was first released and wondering and worrying if my limited attention span could cope with those long compositions. Of course, listening to pop chart singles doesn't develop anybody's attention span (they're not intended for that) but hearing the length and complexity of 'Topographic Oceans' certainly developed mine, and therefore prepared me for the challenges of listening to complex classical music.
When I was much younger what fascinated me about 70s prog was that it was fundamentally music about other musics. Because the genre was so eclectic it could (and perhaps should) lead the inquisitive listener into classical, jazz, blues, even non-western musics. Now that's what I call exciting!
It was The Great Gates of Kiev etc that fascinated me on Pictures at an Exhibition. I was hooked.
Thanks Andy, some great music there. My real"conversion" to classical music was when I went to a classical concert and heard The Inextinguishable Symphony by Carl Nielsen, it' was the first time I reacted as I am used to reacting in a great rock concert. It is a wonderful piece of music, I have to ask if you are familiar with it, if you are not then give it a listen it is phenomenal and loads of percussion! Love the channel.
I've been looking forward to this video since it was announced. Appropriate that so many, highly rhythmic pieces are beloved by a drummer. My father was a composer and professor of classical composition, which inevitably made that genre the foundation of my musical enthusiasm. Your observation that classical music is "all about the tunes" (i.e., melody) is an important point that partly explains why some people cannot get into jazz, which is less about the written melody and more about interpretation and process. Many of the most fertile melodic minds in classical music, especially in the modern period, have been students of folk song. Some, like Bartók and Komitas (who invented modern Armenian music) were serious ethnomusicologists. In light of Messiaen's profound interest in birdsong (he thought birds were the greatest composers in nature), one might put him in the same category.
As a kid I was all about Holst's "Mars", now it's "Neptune". 👍
I'm heading towards Saturn...
As long as it’s not Uranus !
exactly the same for me
Please do more of these Andy really enjoyed it Thanks so much.
If unfamiliar with these pieces, they’re worth a spin: Daphnis et Chloe, Ravel; Alpine Symphony, Richard Strauss; Miraculous Mandarin, Bartok; Sinfonietta, Janacek; Harmonium, John Adams.
Really enjoyed that Andy, thanks for bringing us your top 10 classical pieces. I also love the Planets and would lob in a bit of Elgar also.
The Planets is a masterpiece. On the surface with Mars and Jupiter, it's an easy sell for people who don't listen to classical music, but the rest of the movements are just as good and grow on the listener quickly if they don't already like it. I've spent many fond hours with that music.
holy cow, this was a year ago ...just showed up on my recs😂
Same for me.
Superb Choice At Your Number One !!.And How Incredible Andy That Was The Same Album That Introduced My Older Brother,Myself And My Two Younger Sisters Into The Pleasures Of Classical Music.That Same mfp Album By Gustav Holst THE PLANETS UNFORGETABLE 🍾🎻🎵🎉
Good list, these are three of my favorite newer classical pieces, Erik Satie - Trois Gymnopdie and Debussy - Prelude а l'apres-midi d'un faune and Clair de lune.
I love the Satie tune!
I would recommend the symphonic poems of Dvorak, Richard Strauss, Rimsky Korsakov, Rachmaninov and Liszt.
Very dynamic, expressive and epic romantic classical form! Right up this prog fan's alley.
When I was only a toddler I would constantly grab "The Lark Ascending" from the album cabinet and bring it to my mother to play. It's all "Just Strings" for me... No love for Beethoven 7th 2nd Movement?
I had a cellist friend who died tragically young, and his favorite piece was the Lark Ascending with Vaughan Williams conducting
The Vaughan Williams piece you include is exquisite. I especially love his Lark Ascending. (BTW his first name is pronounced Rayff.) Paul Hindemith's Mathis der Mahler really blows me away.
Andy,...once again a top notch top 10 list! I was thrilled to find that your #1 is The Planets. I was turned on to this Holst masterpiece about 30 years ago when I was a wild
young lad in my 20"s.
Cheers mate!
Andy,
I just started watching your videos and I think they’re great! Check out Prokofiev - “Symphony No. 5 in Bb Major, Op. 100”. There’s not a wasted moment in any of the four movements. As a plus, it honestly has the greatest ending in any piece of music I’ve ever heard in my life. Like a doctor hitting your knee with a hammer, I literally almost uncontrollably yelled “Wow!” after the final chord when I first heard it live by the Rochester Philharmonic about 20 years ago.
Andy, great as always. I'm not that familiar with most of your choices; but I thank you, and look forward to doing a little musical exploring based upon your preferences.
Same here!
Great video with insightful thoughts on classical music.
Here's my top 10 (i'm not counting operas):
1- Mahler : Symphony n°2
2- Schonberg : Pelleas and Melisande
3- Brahms : Piano Concerto n°1
4- Bach : Goldberg Variations
5- Beethoven : Symphony n°9
6- Bartok : Piano Concerto n°2
7- Ravel : Piano Concerto in G
8- Dutilleux : Symphony n°2
9- Scriabin : Poem of Ecstacy
10- Stravinsky : The Firebird (not the suite, the complete ballet)
Thanks again Andy....another accessable and insightful film, perfectly striking the right , unpretentious tone to encourage everyone and anyone to explore this wonderful world of classical music!!! Same for all the other genres you cover....just brilliant!!
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video Andy as SoT brought me to your channel. I'm with you on the Holst Planets piece, one of the greatest pieces of music ever written period as parts have been used in the movies. Memories of my high school science class come to mind whenever I hear the beginning of Jupiter as it was used in a documentary about the Apollo space program.
Nice list.👌
I will add Edvard Grieg's( Per Gynt.)
I gues you know( In the hall of the Montain King )
(Anitra's dance )
(Åse's death)
(Morning Mood)
Erik Satie (Gymnopedie 1.2.3)
Also an Eric Satie fan. Just the Trois Gymnopedies. So far. Prob cos I’m a huge Keith Emerson fan!
Apparently my grandfather born in 1884 was classical music crazy. But only had maybe a few records. Due to lack of finances. So I found that out after discovering ELP and KC were inspired by it. I partic like Pictures so my genes make sense. My cousin played drums and another was a singer! Carl palmer and Greg Lake talk independently about being pleased to introduce classical to my generation. I’m going to use your vid here to start a collection for my grown kid as he’s finally seen the connections between genres. He’s musical but not enough time for it right now. Hopefully some day he will enjoy it and might inspire him! I like Eric Satie, he uses that silence RF has been sort of talking about WITHIN his work. Well it’s piano and Emerson was incredible.
Great picks! Of course Holst and Bartok were very important to King Crimson. I’m a big fan of the Minimalists especially. Koyaanisqatsi blew me away when I was a teen and Reich is my go-to when I need to focus on something. Also, I think you could add Zappa to the mix given his orchestral pieces.
If you love the bombast of Prog, the Stokowski recording of Katchaturian's Symphony III is a jem. Scored for full orchestra, pipe organ and 15 trumpets, it is a single movement Symphony, about the length of Gates of Delirium. It includes all sorts of progressive rock elements like an Armenian string melody ala Kashmir and a Rick Wakmanesque pipe organ solo.
Love your list. My favourites from your list I have loved for a long time: Stravinsky, Holst, Bartok and Messiaen. My short list would be - excluding the ones you already listed:
György Ligeti - Masterworks
Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 8
Ludwig Van Beethoven - Symphony No. 6
Leonard Bernstein - Symphony No. 1
George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
Arnold Schoenberg - The Piano Music
Really like Bartok. Also Prokofiev and Shostakovich. 'The Firebird' is amazing and very progy. Got to see/hear 'Rite of Spring' in Paris with horses. Yes! It was an amazing ballet, terrifying, grand, kinetic, and beautiful. Totally mind-blowing. And although my fav is Brahms, I must also admit Holst 'The Planets' is one of my favorites. Totally prog and totally English! Nice episode.
I love Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, except that it always leaves me devastated by the end: "Let us sleep now..." Gives me chills just thinking about it. I think the greatest piece ever written is Chaccone in D Minor by J.S. Bach. Bach came home from a long business trip to find out that his wife was dead and buried. He sat down and wrote the Chaccone. For me, nothing I've ever heard surpasses it's deeply felt brilliance. Check out Julian Bream's rendition on guitar. The D parallel major middle section will break your heart.
Agree, the Bach Chaconne transcription is the guitar piece I would go for, the Galbraith transcription which clocks in at a stately 20 minutes on his 8 string, and the Alan Mearns one, which he capos at the second fret are a couple of performances to check out. Here is the Alan Mearns one. ruclips.net/video/8xA3ZDdwA8Y/видео.html
Brilliant recommendations from my highly knowledgeable viewers...humbling....
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Yo Andy, on the topic of shredding, if you've got a spare couple of minutes check this out. ruclips.net/video/fEHjD4CyAU8/видео.html
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Lol. Not knowledgeable enough for me to spell Chaconne properly, which is ironic considering I spent nearly a year of my life learning the Segovia transcription on Spanish guitar. Piece damned near killed me.
Music lovers are music lovers .
Love talking music
Yes! We shared a few. Vivaldi rocks. But, we actually share the same #1. I stumbled across The Planets about ten years ago and actually cried the first time I heard it, and also when I heard it performed live. Your "head banging" comment regarding Mars is spot on. Venus is so sweet. Saturn is appropriately melancholy, especially with its with its eerie chimes. Jupiter is utterly bombastic (and the favorite of many flash mobs across the country). What I didn't hear you mention is how much it resembles Star Trek and Star Wars music. They had to have been influenced by The Planets, I'm sure of it.
Great, diverse picks, Andy! One piece you didn’t mention… I’ve always loved the classical-jazz fusion piece, Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin because of its blend of old vs new and it really captures the vibe of roaring 20s New York. Otherwise, I’m a real sucker for the German romantics, especially Schubert and Schumann, and the genius of Bach counterpoint in the Goldberg Variations.
I then suggest this piece
ruclips.net/video/ptFi7ZZeRNo/видео.html
I had a period in the mid-to-late 1980's where I bought a variety of classical CD's, at least partially because I had a CD player and some classical labels were making a big deal about being all-digital recordings. I really did like many of the ones I bought, but at some point I stopped playing them. At this point I can't even remember which of the titles I liked the most, other than _"1812 Overture"_ and _"Handel's Messiah",_ both of which I had actually picked up on in the early 1970's.
More recently I have picked up two classical-music albums that Tony Banks did, and liked those a lot. I do still play those two titles: _"Six Pieces for Orchestra"_ and _"Five"._
That Planets MFP LP by Stokowski is the same one I bought in 1969 when I started getting into Classical music. The MFP series were a great way to appreciate classical music on a small budget and they featured excellent conductors and orchestras. I still have many in my collection. By the way, Mars was used by John Williams as inspiration for Darth Vader's 'Empire' theme in Star Wars. The choir in Neptune is one of my favourite pieces of all time.
Only one missing for me is a bit of the old Ludwig van, my fellow droogs…symphony no7 in A, opus 92… the allegreto…choon!
No complaints from me here, I have eight of the pieces on cd so... Oliver Messiaen I know only by name, should look into it. I did listen to some Steve Reich music and the lack of melody is a problem for me while I love Philip Glass but most of all his symphonies and concertos. He said himself: "Many people don't believe I also compose symphonies." Al always interesting video, thanks.
I'm in no way an expert but I've never even considered ranking favorite classical music it's so vast, so I had to give it a try, based on what I liked in high school and college:
10. Nancarrow's Player Piano music
9. Cowell's Prepared Piano music
8. Stravinsky's Firebird
7. Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time
6. Gorecki's Symphony 3
5. Ravel's Bolero
4. Stravinsky's Petrushka
3. Messiaen's Turangalila-Symphonie
2. Holst's The Planets
1. Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major
I just love all of Ravel's piano music really. It's highly underrated.
I like your analogy of us all sitting round a camp fire , discussing our music thoughts, so before I start let's have a quick round of "Ging gangooly". That's better. There are some fine jazz renditions of the Rodrigo Aranjuez concerto, the most beautiful that I've heard is on Jim Hall's album , Concerto from 1975. It's over 19 minutes and has Paul Desmond on Alto, Chet Baker on trumpet, Ron Carter, Steve Gadd and Roland Hanna, besides Jim Hall of course. Really beautiful sounds.
Great video! I would love more videos about "classical" music. During the summer, I've been listening to it a lot, thanks to the radio. I want to get deeper into it.
My six favourite pieces (without a particular order) would be...
- "Raindrop" Prelude, Op. 28, No. 15 (Chopin)
- Pavane pour une infante défunte (Ravel)
- The Planets Suite (Holst)
- Suite Bergamasque (Debussy)
- First movement of the "Piano Concerto No. 1" (Tchaikovski)
- Pathetique Symphony (Tchaikovski)
I'm trapped between Romanticism and Impressionism, as you can see... 😂
Thank you for the video and for some reccomendations, Andy. Bye! 🙂
Really interesting video Andy. My knowledge of classical music is haphazard at best, but I've heard most of your picks and they are solid choices (RVW is a genius). A couple of recommendations I would make are Villa Lobos Bachianas, and Scriabin's 'Prometheus' and 'Piano Concerto'. The Scriabin in particular I've always thought would be up many a prog fans street.
Nice one, Andy.
I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on classical music and the pieces you like.
Thanks for listening
Regarding Vaughan Williams and Holst.... Two King Crimson-related things.
First, Holst's Mars has been "covered" by several bands. (In fact, the song Black Sabbath by B Sabbath uses notes from Mars with just one change). The best version I'd say is King Crimson's, who played Mars live and then changed it slightly when recording In the Wake album (Devil's Triangle, I believe because of copyright issues).
Second, several people have noted the coincidence that David Cross' famous violin bridge in Larks' Tongues part 1 (starting at about 7:50) strikingly resembles the violin theme of Vaughan Williams's influential tonal poem The Lark Ascending.
so is the Lark in the title a reference? probably eh?
@@theshrubberer It's part of the coincidence... Muir came out with the title in a casual way.
Back in the early 70's a little prog band got me a bit interested in classical music - though not really enough then to devote much time to it (I' talking ELP and their versions of classics ), although in my 20s I did buy a few cheap tapes of classical pieces - mainly Bach, because of the Nice's Brandenburg suite, and Vivaldi, as I felt that was closest to the neoclassical guitarists I was into at the time. Then back in the 90s there was a part works publication called the classical collection, where you got a CD and a magazine that talked abut the composer and the piece of music. I've got the whole collection gathering dust in my attic, however I remember listening to each one as it arrived and feeling mightlily important that I was listening to classical music. Needless to say at the moment they're all gathering dust in a box.
This video has just made me now want to revisit that collection to not only see if any of the works you've mentioned are in it - which there must be at least one or two - but also to reintroduce myself to them.
A previous video of yours introduced me to Reich and Messiaen, didnt quite get into the Messaien but did like the Reich, so I'm off in search of the Glass.
You know why you love these pieces of music, Andy, which is the point. Was this the Messiaen piece:' L'abîme d'oiseaux from the Quatuor pour la fin du temps'? As a kid of about 10, I played the MFP record of 1812 Overture over and over, just willing that massive crescendo on with the canons, hence why 'Supper's Ready' and 'The Gates Of Delerium' are fave prog tracks. The other great piece is Sir Peter Maxwell Davis' 'An Orkney Wedding'. When I saw it live at the QEH, the musicians acted out the post-wedding ceilidh then a solitary piper in full Highland dress walked through the audience playing an air for the sunrise - best prog gig ever. Cheers, Ian
I saw someone already mentioned Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. I am adding my vote for it being one of my favorites!
Your choices are awesome 👌
Totally enjoyed this. I didn't dislike any of your choices and it explains the melodic and open mindset you have for other genres. Love Vaugan Williams & Steve Reich. Olivier Messiaen was a nice surprise. In terms of melody, I'm a bit of a romantic so a beautifully written adagio is something I lean towards.
Gustav Mahler's Adagietto from Symphony No. 5. is a tearjerker.
Frank Zappa's Outrage At Valdez is one of his most beautiful pieces.
And for more tears, Antônio Carlos Jobim's Valse.
Cheers Andy.
Yes, you mentioned RVW... It's the most English of English classical. I agree 100% with what you are saying about Vaughn Williams.
Hi Andy, love your channel.
I also came to Stravinsky through Yessongs, and Firebird also remains my favourite Stravinsky piece.
I also love Bartok -- Concerto for Orchestra is one of my all-time favourite classical pieces, especially that dizzyingly difficult and fast part for strings near the end.
Here's a suggestion for listening: Bach's Mass in B Minor. This is, in my estimation, perhaps the greatest music ever written, plus, it's baroque, so it's broken up into easily digestible little chunks. Once you listen to that, I'm sure it will make it onto your top-10 list in the future. Perhaps the best performance available right now is the Gardiner with the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists. My go-to recording is the one by Frans Bruggen with the Netherlands Chamber Choir and the Orchestra of the 18th Century. It is amazing.
Finally, onto the main topic of my comment: Olivier Messiaen. I note that you chose Trois Petite Liturgies as your favourite. My all-time favourite pieces of classical music are the late-60s and early-70s Messiaen masterpieces: La transfiguration de notre seigneur Jesus-Christ (composed from 1965 to 1969 -- listen to the original recording from 1972 with Antal Dorati conducting the National Orchestra and the Westminster Choir -- the later recordings are not nearly as good, especially the Chung rendition everybody else raves about -- it's a complete stinker with absolutely no rhythmic vitality and inaudible gongs) -- this is simply one of the most amazing pieces of music ever conceived by a human. Messiaen's late harmonic style is one of the wonders of the modern world. Next is his massive organ cycle from 1969, Meditations sur la mystere de la presence divine (which you mentioned in your video) -- I'm partial to the recording by Jennifer Bates on the Unicorn-Kanchana label, although for sheer power and terror, the recording by Olivier Latry is probably the best -- it's part of his complete Messiaen organ box set. Finally, from 1971 to 1974, Messiaen gives us what may be his greatest masterpiece -- Des canyons aux etoiles. My favourite recording is by Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the London Sinfonietta (avoid the turgid Chung rendition that everyone else raves about). These three pieces will blow your mind. Also, don't forget to listen to the Turangalila Symphonie some time (there are some really excellent live performances on RUclips -- the best are probably Dudamel/OSSBdV with Yuja Wang on piano, and Paavo Jarvi/Frankfurt Radio Symphony with the Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear on piano -- Mr Goodyear plays the most mind-blowing cadenza in the 5th movement -- it should be played as fast as humanly possible, and I believe that he accomplishes just that. Anyway, check it out!
Great video Andy 📹
Glad you enjoyed it
Loved it! I’m going to go listen to my copy of The Planets again!
Andy I have always said if Beethoven Vivaldi even Mozart etc were alive today they would be composing heavy rock, metal and prog.
My late father was a big classical music fan so its the music I was brought up on till the age of about 7 ,my mother is German and a huge fan of Wagner.
Great vid Andy. Am not a classical music specialist myself but a couple of points. You seem to say that Vivaldi’s four seasons was written for a string quartet but as far as I know it was written as a concerto. Anyway, a few recommendations now based on your list for you or (in case you already know these pieces) anyone else interested. Domenico Scarlatti’s harpsichord sonatas. Awesome music which should particularly attract people into heavy metal and related genres. I get what you say about classical composers being too focussed on form, but I don’t think that that applies to Beethoven and especially not too his string quartets especially the late ones. And from there some of my all time favourite classical music are Shostakovich’s string quartets. Some awesome music there that is just so different form anything else. Messiaen: I don’t know the piece that you mention but La Nativite du Seigneur is also awesome.
"Pop the pomposity" 12:58 in a classical video no less, hahah! nicely done. There are 5 composers (not sure exactly which works I would choose), who would unequivocally HAVE to be on my list. So obvious, but there it is: Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky...probably Bartok, too. The Planets w/LA Phil conducted by Stokowski! Here's a story: I was fortunate enough to have a discussion with the principle bassist of the LA Phil a while ago, and I asked him who was the greatest conductor he had ever worked with. Without hesitation he said it was Stokowski.
I just listened to this on YT "Beethoven - Sonata No. 23 Appassionata 3rd Movement". I am calling it prog(i.e. many variations, playing around with a theme, and longer than average song length).
Could you please do an entire video on Steve Reich, and other minimalist composers ? I find these musical concepts to be some of the most interesting I’ve come across. Great video, and great channel as well👏
Great suggestion!
I'd love to hear Andy's thoughts on the impact of the minimalists on rock and jazz. think Reich in particular had a big impact on prog and fusion. Without Reich, King Crimson's 80s output would surely have been very different.
Prog is classical music in another form
The Naxos label has a version of Night on a Bare Mountain in its original composition and in the commonly known orchestrated version by Rimsky-Korsakov. Naxos 8.555924. It's very different.
I don't know much Messaien. His Quartet for the End of Time is stunning. Vaughan Williams' Symphonies are brilliant and Tallis and The Lark Ascending are beautiful. My wife walked down the aisle to The Lark Ascending. I too love Steve Reich. Different Trains and Music for 18 Musicians are my favourites. Metheny's version of Guitar Phase is great too.
Stravinsky's ballets, The Firebird (like you I came to this via Yessongs) and The Rite of Spring, and Shostakovich's Symphonies and String Quartets are my favourites I keep returning to.
I love Bartok. I know what you mean about his darkness. I like Janacek too, both of whom I came to via ELP who used themes by them.
I'm not keen on many of the romantic composers. I like Mahler when I'm in the mood. I like the String Quartets of Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven but not keen on their Symphonies.
For me the ultimate prog lovers classical piece is Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade. 40 minutes. 4 movements. Thematically linked. Telling a story. Banging tunes.
Phil Collins' first recorded work in 1969 was the album Ark2 by Flaming Youth. On this record is a hommage to The Planets by Gustav Holst
I tried to think of ten favourites but failed. Too many to decide.
Here are a few that I think might be a bit less obvious.
Souvenir d'un Lieu Cher movement 1 "Meditation" - Pete Tchaikovsy. Opus 42,
Tommy Tallis, the man himself, with Spem in Alium, the 40-part motet (16th century prog)
La Valse - Mo Ravel (early 20th century prog)
Waltz from the Masquerade Suite - Aram Khatchaturian
Come Heavy Sleep - Johnny Dowland (normally counter-tenor but there's an interesting rock-voice version by the late Freddy Wadling)
I keep watching Andy, despite the lack of VdGG! I love Messiaen as well, particularly the Turangalila Symphony. The first time I heard this, it was live on the TV for the Proms.
Whenever i have some sort of certification test or study for it at work i play piano pieces always Brahms.
Three a little less known modern day composers well worth checking out are Alfred Schnittke, Gunnar Bucht and Moses Pergament... and ofcourse the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt as well.
Looking forward to hearing rant on Opera at some point! ;)
Oh and i really like Glazunov and his E-flat concerto for Saxophone.. doesn't sound like Coltrane, but its cool anyway
Nice list, Andy. I think you might enjoy Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg.
Another great video!!
Glad you like them!
Planets yes, Mahler has to be in there: the 9th, Bartok yes Concerto for Orch or his 4 the String Qrt, Stravinsky Rite, etc etc
Great show! Love hearing your perspective on classical pieces. I think a series of shows on English composers you like would be a good idea, especially VW as he is very likely the best. Really love his symphony cycle. Very high level, but I have a Spotify playlist of English composers back to the 1400s.
Great suggestion!
In my humble opinion prog started in the 2nd movt of Beethoven's 3rd symphony. I still find it shocking. Also add Shostakovich no 4, Prokofiev no 2 & Bruckner no 8. They are monsters with more violence (play loud) than any Prog rock piece.
Peter Gabriel's favourite composers are Elgar, Vaughan williams and Mussorgski, Hackett Satie, Ravel and russians, Tony Banks are Ravel, Mahler and Rachimaninoff, Holdsworth are Bartok, Debussy, Stravinsky and Copland, steve Vai are Stravinsky.
Interesting!
Must listen to Barton as I’m fascinated by Allan Holdsworth. Pity wasn’t aware of him in the 79’s. Bit like Rory Gallagher in that they weren’t into performing to become ‘stars’. Just play the way they wanted.
Bartok
@@Saffy-yr8vo Allan said that Bartok was one of your bigesst influences like composer with Debussy, Stravisnki and Copeland. Especially Brtok Strigs quartets.
Of course we're all your friends! Only separated by space and circumstance. If I should ever happen to visit [whereever you live in england] I'd love to buy you a pint. :)
I enjoy your approach Andy. Honest, casual, amusing, and yes, informative. Nice work.
I did my own video on 'Classical Music for Rock Fans' sometime last year (you can find it on my channel) and loved doing it. It's one thing to laud the virtues of Pink Floyd, another to have a good think about music that is, for most people, still to discover. I'm no musician but I like to think I am, on occasion, a serious listener, and classical music has provide many a thrill over the years.
I'll check it out!
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Cheers Andy. I think you'll find some shared faves buried in there.
The Rite of Spring is my number one, followed by Pachelbel canon in D
Coming in third I have Nutella Biscuits.
Interesting that you choose none of the Big 3, Bach, Mozart & Beethoven. My favourite period of music is late German Romanticism, including Wagner, Mahler & Richard Strauss. I am also a big Gilbert and Sullivan fan. There are many many more that I love but I thought I would mention these.
Like you, most of the classical music I like is stuff that I heard when I was young. The first classical record I bought was the first western recording of Shostakovich's 15th Symphony. I was fifteen and trying to grow up. Most of the records I bought in the 70s, I had never heard before buying. I read reviews and bought them on trust. Most of the time, they were good. This one was excellent. I could go on about why it's so good, but it's better if you listen to it yourself. I also love the 5th and 10th symphonies, the violin and cello concertos.
Another early one was the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky, specifically the recording by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. It is epic. I bought that around the same time. Also, the 4th, 5th and 6th symphonies.
Beethoven's 9th Symphony has to be included, despite the totalitarian EU using the fourth movement as its anthem. It is an amazing piece of music, especially considering the composer was deaf when he wrote it. Of course, I could include the 5th and 6th symphonies as well.
Dvorak's 9th Symphony, The New World, is stunning.
Peer Gynt by Grieg contains some wonderful tunes, including In The Hall Of The Mountain King.
The Planets makes it into my top ten as well, as does The Four Seasons.
This video was interesting. How about a video of the records you liked as a youth but never dared tell your friends. I liked The Carpenters, but as a long-haired fan of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, the Who and so on, it would have been suicide to admit it.
Mussorgskys original version of Night on Bald Mountain is cool. A bit rawer than Rimskys version. Mussorgsky made a second version of it with vocals for an opera, and it’s that version Rimsky used for his arrangement. The end is from the opera version. It’s not there in the original version. Great piece of music. The opera version is also great. You can find recordings of both Mussorgskys versions and it’s worth to check them out.
Enjoyed the Video once again, even though you were a tad out your comfort zone and a little nervous it was totally engaging, 10 ,9 ....6 8 7 5 ... Good job you weren't on the Count down team for the visit to those Planets, so funny and honest. I do have a few Classical recordings and my Favs are the good old Nocturne op.9 No.2 - Chopin, Pictures at an Exhibition - Mussorgsky and also got into Franz Liszt from watching and listening to the Lisztomania rock Opera back in the day. Now there's an idea Top 10 Rock Opera's ?
I’m sure I am not the only one to point out that The Four Seasons is a violin concerto with a small orchestra, certainly not a string quartet. How does one not notice that the violin often plays independently from the rest of the group?
I might add that you should get Sir George Solti conducting Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and the version celebrating the removal of the Berlin Wall conducted by Bernstein. I like to listen to them both back to back on an iPad.
Do you mean Philip Glass? The closed Captions read as Grass, not Glass 🙂 He also done Metamorphosis which I find that piece to be similar structure styled with a lot of the new classical I think may have started mixing minimalist form with some electronic loops, An example would be a new female composer named Hania Rani Piano Day Concert. Also too, I am floored because before you mention Stravinsky, I was thinking of his piece from the ballet "Firebird" which I found brooding especially watching not just listening which gave the whole effect
Nice calls, Andy. I would also pick Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. 🎻🎶🎵
I was also going to suggest this! Good choice!
You are such an endearing person! I'm no expert but I love classical. Try Rachmaninoff's "Vocalese" with Anna Moffo and Leopold Stokowski -- she's the only one who sings that one right, to my ears. Also, the Chopin Etudes AND Preludes. The closing adagio of Mahler's 9th AND the opening adagio of Mahler's (unfinished) 10th symphony. Bach's Musical Offering, or Well Tempered Clavier (Glenn Gould playing) or English Suites, or Partitas or Cello Suites. Gorecki Symphony 3! Dowland Lute songs/pieces! Brahm's Intermezzi opus 118? (A major) Prokofiev piano sonatas -- there's one...maybe opus 117, I think it's E minor, that absolutely puts you on a galloping horse. Nojima's Liszt etudes (?) It's like rock, straight up! There's so much more! Beethoven's piano sonatas -- that's a beautiful journey listening to all 32 of them in order. Shostakovich 24/48 preludes and fugues. Albinoni...he uses dissonance in such a lovely way, it can make you cry! Mozart Requiem! God there's so much more. Think how exciting it is for any of us to have so much great music out there (from any genre) that we've NEVER heard/have no clue about. We're so lucky these soul experiences are out there waiting for us to taste them : )
The best music video on youtube: Claire De Lune, the most beautiful 5 minutes of music ever composed, played magically by the stunningly beautiful and sexy concert pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, 2014 red dress video. The video has been taken down a few times, but its had millions of views. Beyond exceptional.
I really loved the list. There's one piece I think was quite "proggy": Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op.68 by Bramhs. The intro (Un poco sostenuto) is as majestic and dramatic as it can get. Think of the intro of Watcher of the Skies.
This version by Karajan is a must.
ruclips.net/video/DGODw49lSLQ/видео.html
Have you heard Bruckner's 6th and 9th symphonies? Like the Motorhead of his day. I'm not really into choral stuff but Brahms' German Requiem and Berlioz' Requiem will give you goose bumps.
I'm a big Phillip Glass fan. I had a similar reaction the first time I saw “Koyaanisqatsi”. A film and soundtrack like nothing I had seen/heard before. “Einstein On The Beach” is probably one of my favorite pieces of music regardless of genre. Strangely enough, I actually heard part of it on the radio one day and was drawn in by its prog-type keyboard sound. I took a chance on the four CD set, but it took a while for me figure out what was going on. It’s unlike anything I’ve heard before or since. I got a chance to see the opera performed live (all 5 hours of it) about ten years ago. They did film it for the first time on that tour and, while it’s great that it exists and should be seen by anyone interested in this type of music, it’s hard to capture the live experience. With this kind of music though, your mileage may definitely vary…
Incredible music...so glad to been able to talk about it on my channel...
Without a doubt, the best version of "Koyaanisqatsi" was the cover by Alvin and the Chipmunks.
I rewatched this and have to add
Symphonie Fantastique : Berlioz
Great dark , concept piece
As a Prog lover, I would have been highly surprised if Bartok was not included, however, Andy's choice of Bartok's music was surprising. Bartok's most Prog work was The Miraculous Mandarin, a one act Pantomime/Ballet containing sex and violence, that had it banned on moral grounds in places. If that's not progressive, pushing the boundaries, what is? The suite from this piece, which contains about two thirds of the score was performed this year at the Proms. I was there and the hairs on the back of my neck have yet to relax.
Nice job, Andy! You'll get plenty of recommendations below but everyone comes to music along different paths. Although many of your picks were very familiar, there were a few that were new to me that I would enjoy exploring. Would you mind listing the titles/composers on your Top 10 List. Recommended recordings would also be appreciated.
Great video and some love your choices
Before I go further can I recommend reading
The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross
possibly the best read on 20th century music .
I have to put Rite of Spring at #1
I came to classical music through Frank Zappa and your choice of Planets as top pick I can’t knock , if it was good enough for Frank on Absolutely Free that a stamp of approval .
So glad you included the minimalists because this is the music I listen to the most
I would have picked
Music for 18 Musicians
I have the complete Studies for player piano by Conlon Nancarrow which is a stunning achievement ( his life’s work )
John Cage : Music for prepared piano
Lou Harrison , everything ! It’s the most beautiful music
Last but not least
Classical Music is very much alive and so I call out
John Luther Adams
Becoming Ocean :2014 just stunning
In my perfect world I was listening to your video while flipping through another book by Oscar A.H.Schmitz
Always remember back in the day.
HMV Manchester when it was a proper store buying my metal and rock cds 💿 then popping down to the ground floor where they had a fantastic classical department peaceful away from the advertising crap lol ,would spend an hour in there helpful staff telling most recommended versions etc etc Happy days.
Birmingham HMV was the same...and they had the Jazz section in there too
That was a great video, Andy.
I have to give a shout-out to Bach's Goldberg Variations, and if you don't mind classical singing, another shout-out to Schubert's "Winterreise". To me they are unbeatable.
Also a shoutout to Bach's Brandenburg and Schubert's Unfinished.
Night on Bakd Mountain is on my Halloween playlist
Would be interested in a vid where you investigate Emerson’s love of Bach and other ‘prog’ bands’ classical inspirations, as someone has listed on here!
Great list! I was concerned it was going to be a bit pedestrian when you start out with Fantasia and Four Seasons, but you end up hitting many of my favorite among the true originals of the 20th Century with Messiaen, Bartok, Reich, Glass. I saw Koyaanisqatsi when I was in college in the 90s and my mind was just as blown as yours. Based on what you say here and describe liking, I think you'd really dig some of the pieces by another 20th C giant (in my book) Arvo Part.
I have some Part in my collection and I like him.
Nice list. Who’s the guitarist on your Rodrigo recording? I’ll put in another plug for Mahler. Especially his “Ruckert lieder”
Please do this again, especially relating movements in classical music to later 20th century music.
As far as Reich goes, I absolutely love his "Music for 18 Musicians". OH! And "Different Trains". But I think I'll take your pick for a spin.
It's really different to the minimalist stuff...ruclips.net/video/nsGAl4b33eQ/видео.html#
I'm not a musician of any ilk, much less classical. I don't care at all for opera - to my hillbilly sensibilities, it sounds silly. But I love instrumental works of all sizes, & "The Planets Suite" is near the top of my list, too. I imprinted on the 1st version I heard: Zubin Mehta conducting the LA Philharmonic. There's something about his coda to "Mars" that raises the hairs on my arms and brings tears to my eyes - you can feel the musicians straining at the leash, trying to gallop away with an energy that Mehta is barely able to control. Also love the "Four Seasons". And Bach! I have a personal tradition of playing all 6 Brandenburg Concertos on Christmas Day. I'm especially fond of #4. Listening to almost anything by Mozart is like taking a warm bath. I like Poulenc's "Concerto for Oboe", and just about everything I've heard by William (not Robert) Schuman - though Robert's okay, too. Don't care much for Ives - but I've recently discovered Alan Hovaness (sp?), and LOVE the mystical, ethereal vibe - like a soundtrack without the pictures. Outside the box, I like Iannis Xenakis, George Crumb, Charles Wuorinen, more - otherwordly, alien, sometimes even slightly menacing stuff. No one said music has to be pretty.
If you're going to throw Terry Riley in the mix, check out "Shree Camel". I've never had such a "hypnotic" experience as I had the first time I listened that LP. If you get a chance, you can listen to it on Tidal (might be on other streaming services too). Get comfortable and listen to it on the best gear you have. Headphones are OK, but the three dimensional sound really shines through a decent set of speakers.