Music Thread . Using your skill and judgement.....

[johnb]

Music that is approachable but also startling and attention grabbing in some way, such as:

Mussorgsky - Night on a Bare Mountain
Shostakovich - Symphony No 5, 8, 10 (take your pick)
Janacek - Sinfonietta

(In 30 minutes time the choices will be different.)

[Edit] I've just realised that I had a younger person in mind.

[Alison]

I'd go for complete works

Mozart K467

Dvorak 8

Mahler 1 or 2

[Pabmusic]

Would you like to suggest 3 pieces of broadly Classical music that you would recommend to somebody who professed to have no interest in the genre...

If you're talking to a real novice (the sort of person who has previously deliberately avoided 'classical' music) then I'd go for very predictable fare that's easy to follow:

Dvorak: New World
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Elgar: Enigma

or:

Vivaldi: Four Seasons
Haydn: London (No. 104)
Beethoven: Pastoral

or:

Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Mendelssohn: Italian
Rimsky: Scheherazade

But the thing is, you need more than three pieces, since there's a better chance of succeeding. Once you have a 'success', you can build on it by recommending other pieces with similar attributes.

[teamsaint]

Roberto Gerhardt - Symphony No 1 - juast to give 'em a surefire taster of the sheer thrill offered by some advanced modern musics.

well I will certainly give that one a go S_A, as its not one I know. So some good done !Thanks.
I realise that in the real world , one might tailor a choice to the individual..and as Johnb suggests, the excitement of a quality live event would be much more likely to have a big effect. Something dramatic is certainly where I would look for inspiration.

[Resurrection Man]

I'm not sure that there is a ready answer. It depends on their other musical interests, surely, and depth of musical awareness. To some the Enigma Variations might work but for others something by Shostakovitch.

Out of curiosity I dug out my old LP's that I bought when I were a wee lad. The usual suspects were there (Nutcracker, Introduction and Allegro for Strings) but surprisingly an LP of Shostakovitch and which I cannot, for the life of me even now, ever remember buying or listening to!

[Pianorak]

Assuming that particular "somebody" is not totally averse to either music or - wait for it! - the ballet, take them to see Kenneth McMillan's “Mayerling” and/or “Concerto”. The former has plenty of Liszt's “A Faust Symphony” and the latter has the complete Shostakovich 2nd Piano Concerto. If that kind of music doesn't grab them I'd give up! A sneaky way to catch your monkey and a circuitous road - but it might work.

[Hornspieler]

For a complete novice, I would start with
Kabelevsky: Ov. Colas Breugnon

followed by
Haydn: Symphony Nº 88 in G (last movement)

and then
Walton: Capriccio

I would not expect the listener to have a long enough attention span at that stage for the introduction of such as Mahler or Shostakovitch - exciting though they may be.

HS

[teamsaint]

I'm not sure that there is a ready answer. It depends on their other musical interests, surely, and depth of musical awareness. To some the Enigma Variations might work but for others something by Shostakovitch.

Out of curiosity I dug out my old LP's that I bought when I were a wee lad. The usual suspects were there (Nutcracker, Introduction and Allegro for Strings) but surprisingly an LP of Shostakovitch and which I cannot, for the life of me even now, ever remember buying or listening to!

Must have been an unwanted(at the time) gift !!

[salymap]

When young myself I played the following to a young couain, then about ten.

Britten YPG
Peter and the Wolf= Prokofiev
The Sorcerer's Apprentice.- Dukas

He isn't the greatest music lover but on a recent visit from Adelaide he admitted to a few dozen CDs including these pieces, so something resulted. And he asked to watch one of my recorded proms,

[Anna]

i'd go for something no-one could object to and everyone would fall in love with, assuming they had never heard nowt:
Eroica
Tannhauser overture
Elgar's First

[MrGongGong]

i'd go for something no-one could object to and everyone would fall in love with, assuming they had never heard nowt:
Eroica

It's fascinating that this revolutionary music has become so mainstream ..............

[gradus]

Nutcracker suite
Peer Gynt
Scheherezade
Colourful orchestral music ideally played loudly through good louspeakers so the sound of the orchestra and its sheer oomph can be felt and heard. Not a major problem if attention wanders as the next tune/loud bit isn't far off. Based on my own earliest memories. Might have included the Hallelujah Chorus in the still best ever version (ime) by the Huddersfield Choral Soc/RLPO and Sargent.

[salymap]

I think it's important to pick short works or even excerpts [shock,horror]. I remember going to a prom with an old school friend who had never even been into the RAH. The Beethoven Violin Concerto seemed to last for ever as her evident boredom communicated itself to me. She had nothing to say afterwards but don't think
she ever went to another concert. We remained good friends though.

[Dave2002]

Would you like to suggest 3 pieces of broadly Classical music that you would recommend to somebody who professed to have no interest in the genre.
I am assuming that the person in question is interested in other genres....i ask this in part because I enjoy discussions with friends and colleagues about music, and frequently gently encourage them to dip a toe in the water....maybe I am recommending the wrong things......

I'm wondering about the target audience here, context and motivation. Age and gender?

See also Roslynmuse post msg 15 - "This is difficult! Surely much depends on the personality and musical leanings of the person you're hoping to get interested."

A colleague went to Glastonbury some years ago, and came back enthusiastic about the ENO performance of the Ride of the Valkyries. I think his kids also enjoyed it.

Oddly enough, opera may be a way in for some, even though it can be long. One partial convert went to see Tosca on a work visit to Russia, and felt it was amazing and wanted to hear more.

If you're trying to expand people's experiences this can work, though I doubt that you'll get many people to convert exclusively to classical music, even if they do hear some music they like, or which gives them a strong musical experience.

For no particular reason I just thought that Schumann's piano quintet might appeal to some people.

[Hornspieler]

Nutcracker suite
Peer Gynt
Scheherezade
Colourful orchestral music ideally played loudly through good louspeakers so the sound of the orchestra and its sheer oomph can be felt and heard. Not a major problem if attention wanders as the next tune/loud bit isn't far off. Based on my own earliest memories. Might have included the Hallelujah Chorus in the still best ever version (ime) by the Huddersfield Choral Soc/RLPO and Sargent.

Yes, the finale of Scheherezade would be a good choice.
When we used to give Schools concerts to an "all must attend" audience in Bournemouth, the audience was restless throughout and the opening of William Tell overture was almost lost in the riotous din.

But when the trumpets and horns started up after that dirge of a cor anglais solo, there were rapturous cries of "The Lone Ranger!" and the children left the hall in an excitedl mood; having finally enjoyed their first encounter with classical music.

HS