Me too.
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Cracking performance of Beethoven 5th symphony at the First night of the Proms today. Plus a fun and clever première of Hallelujah SIM as well. Well worth a listen. I missed the first half so not sure what that was like.
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“So true, imho. I saw my very first opera, Tosca, in Florence, and will never forget the experience. It was not just the music and singing, it was the passion on the singers faces and the energy they gave off.
For me at least, I have never been able to recapture this experience, with the recorded medium, or live performances on the radio or the TV.”
I briefly worked as a photographer for one of Italy’s leading Opera houses.
The knowledgeable audience would hiss and boo any less than perfect performance. I could not understand what was happening the first tie i witnessed it.
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I support HHs suggestion to take a Qobuz subscription. A true treasure trove with great SQ, but also with the risk of not knowing where to start (although the Classical Music thread will give you some great pointers). As an alternative you could buy a second hand box set of recordings by a famous conductor or orchestra containing a broad repertoire. Just listen to one cd at the time, decide whether you like it or not and then build from there.
This photo shows some suggestions:
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Excellent idea thanks.
Do you have a CD player? If you do charity shops can be a great source of potential listening. I would work sideways from where you are rather than try to be too adventurous to begin with. If you like Vivaldi then listen to his other stuff. It is well represented out there and as others have said, try Christopher Hogwood etc. From your Classical Experience, try complete pieces by the composers represented that you like.
The two R3 programmes mentioned above are excellent these days and worth a listen.
Also be happy to start with the obvious big names too, Elgar, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and remember that most did big symphonies, lush string music, choral music (which you just need to fall for the sound of rather than understand all the words, you can learn/come back to that later), and sublime small pieces with limited instruments. Similarly, if you like violin music, search out violin stuff by others until it feels like time to listen to something else.
And remember you absolutely don’t have to like anything. It maybe that you find Mozart dull and Reich and Glass sublime.
Have fun and enjoy the journey.
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Hi Oxfordian
As others have suggested v much a journey (imo a great one).
Radio 3 show building a library is quite good I find and review recordings for the same music piece. You can access the full list of their recommendations since forever) on the bbc website
There is also an excel version.
Gramophone etc also review and award (as do others). There are online shops who specialise in classical and you can filter by award winners once you know what you want. There are loads of other sources I’m sure
I tend to find there is a genesis in styles (based on eras and learnings) which goes Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. Later styles are mahler, Stravinsky, glass and up to richter.
Literally hundreds of styles-like others have said there are core pieces you can browse.
Like you i am sort of at the beginning of my exploration. I love the link between electronica and classical and how the former grew out of the latter with some key (mainly women) innovators
Enjoy!
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Awesome, I will have a read, thanks.