Hello all - starting my classical education

[cmr_for3]

Dear all,

occasional lurker now joined, hoping to start my classical education, longtime jazz and soul fan (mainly 70's mellow soul) my Jazz also needs some improvement. I dip in and out of radio 3 and classic fm, when I have time. Particularly enjoy Composer of the week and used to record through the night. what is the best way of getting a good ground of classical music and it's different styles?

Thanks

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Welcome to the Forum, cmr-for3.

I'd suggest you take it a piece at a time, and build up your own "catalogue" of likes and dislikes. For a "mellow soul" fan, I would suggest Chopin might be a good starting point. If you like that, try his contemporaries - particularly Schumann - and then move on to Grieg and Debussy. Stick with the shorter works to begin with - get used to each composer's style before getting into the larger works.

But Music (of all sorts) often takes us by surprise, and reveals things that we didn't know about ourselves - who knows, you might by chance overhear a piece by Frescobaldi, and realize that this is the moment your listening life has been heading towards! So, just keep listening (and Through the Night is available to "Listen Again" if you can no longer record it) and build up your own repertoire for yourself - and then share it with us!

[Pabmusic]

Welcome. It's difficult to point anyone in a 'right' direction, since there's no such thing. Ferney is right, however: stick with shorter works to begin with, if only because you won't feel it's such a waste if you don't like it. However, you'll probably find a few pieces you do like - then explore more by those composers, or post back here and ask for suggestions about where to go from where you've arrived. If there's anything that can be said of this site, there are plenty of strongly-held views. And all of them are right.

[antongould]

If the experts recommend shorter works then frenchie will tell you Breakfast is the place to be

[DracoM]

Listen to everything, BUT have a notebook handy, and just scribble down the pieces that grab you. Build that up. Listen to COTW, iPlayer, use Youtube to replay / explore. Give the pieces you noted ratings i.e. stars, go back, and now and again, check you still think that a piece rates 5-stars or whatever. Don't buy / download until you've sorted a top ten or so. THEN explore different performances.

Live performances NOT on radio but with you in the hall listening / watching is usually a very different experience. IMO, live concert / recital listening is a different game altogether. Stuff i don't listen to much can be electrifying in live performance.

And DO come back here and share loves and hates. Someone will always be interested.

[pastoralguy]

Welcome!

[teamsaint]

if it is possible, try to get to any concert performances you can.
tickets are not always expensive, if that is an issue, and you will always learn a great deal in a relatively short time. it's a great way of focusing on specific works, which may well be new to you.

[jean]

...used to record through the night...

That was a very good idea. Why did you stop?

[oddoneout]

if it is possible, try to get to any concert performances you can.
tickets are not always expensive, if that is an issue, and you will always learn a great deal in a relatively short time. it's a great way of focusing on specific works, which may well be new to you.

Free concerts/recitals can turn up in surprising places; actively musical churches may put on free drop-in lunchtime events featuring local performers - or evening concerts by resident or visiting choirs which are often on a retiring collection/donation basis. And no, just because it's in church doesn't mean it's all church music, or you can't applaud!
If there is a college or university near you then look out for student concerts.
And as DracoM says make notes.

[cmr_for3]

Thanks for all the replies, I shall take all the responses on board. With regards to why I stopped Through the Night, it was because my freeview recorder packed up and I simply had not got round to re setting up the recording on my new one. I dug out the hard drive that was attached to it and found a treasure trove of World on Three Jazz on Three and Through the night. So I am going to set the new one to record Through The Night as of now, and also make use of the archive.

[french frank]

Thanks for all the replies, I shall take all the responses on board. With regards to why I stopped Through the Night, it was because my freeview recorder packed up and I simply had not got round to re setting up the recording on my new one. I dug out the hard drive that was attached to it and found a treasure trove of World on Three Jazz on Three and Through the night. So I am going to set the new one to record Through The Night as of now, and also make use of the archive.