BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Classical music

**Posted by Sammy** July 13, 2012 9:19 pm

I got the impression that quite some of you guys are into classical music.
I don't really have a clue about classical music but I know that sometimes I enjoy it.
So... I don't know, might be a rubbish idea, but maybe some of you might tell me why you love classical music, which kinds of classical music etc.?
I'm really a noob in this area, I couldn't even tell Mozart from Beethoven, I guess, but I would be happy to learn a bit about it.
What are your favourites?

**Posted by veecee** July 14, 2012 5:03 am

The Lark Ascending -- Ralph (pronounced Rafe) Vaughn Williams.
It always gives me chills. I hope you get a chance to hear it and like it.

**Posted by SusiGo** July 14, 2012 9:24 am

I love "Air on a G-string" by Bach, the piano concert no. 1 by Tschaikowsky (that how he's written in German), Samuel Barber's "Adagio for strings" …

**Posted by Irene Adler** July 14, 2012 9:37 am

Oh, God, you have opened Pandora's box here. At least for me.

I love "classical" music as many people call it and I really can't pick one or two favourites. Each day I would have to choose a different one.
Today it may be Haydn's cello concerto in D, for example.

Why do I love it? I don't know, I just do. It touches me. I can't say why, I just have some sort of special connection with Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy, Prokofiev or Stranvinsky. And about which kinds... well, anything from the sixteenth century to the twentieth. I have some trouble with Schönberg, Stockhausen or John Cage, but I think the music from twentieth century has real jewels, though they're a bit harder to appreciate (for me).

**Posted by SusiGo** July 14, 2012 5:10 pm

I also recommend one of Benedict's favourites. He mentions it in the James Rhodes interview.

Beethoven, piano concert no. 5, II. Adagio un poco mosso

**Posted by deerstalker** July 14, 2012 6:47 pm

It's such a wide genre- I think the best way to find what you love is try different time periods and see if particular style 'clicks" with your heart. Does not have to be one style, of course, but a lot of people have strong preferences. My mom, for example, loves Bach and Vivaldi and is not that fond of Romantics. Somebody else will love Mahler but be indifferent to Chopin, for example...
Some of my favorites:
Mahler. Adagietto from 5th Symphony
http://youtu.be/VWPACef2_eY
(if you are a movie fan you will recognize it from "Death in Venice".

Chopin. Ballade #1
http://youtu.be/RR7eUSFsn28

I might be back with more.

**Posted by Dramagod** July 14, 2012 9:17 pm

I don't listen to classical music enough to have favorite composers but I do have favorite songs. Many of them I connect to scenes in my favorite movies as you'll see.

"Air on a G string" by Bach (Seven)
"Rhapsody in Blue" by Gershwin (Manhattan)
"Adagio for strings" by Barber (Platoon)
"Moonlight sonata" by Beethoven (Resident Evil videogame)
"Clair de lune" by DeBussy (Frankie & Johnny)
"Also sprach Zarathustra" by Strauss (2001: A Space Odyssey)
"Finlandia" by Sibelius (obviously)
"The Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart (Trading Places)

And of course many compositions from John Williams.

**Posted by Smoggy_London_Air** July 14, 2012 10:18 pm

I prefer German and Russian composers such as J.S. Bach, Handel, and Borodin. I always found Mozart a little too airy.
Borodin is my all time favorite classical composer.

And then of course, now that Dramagod's brought him up, John Williams. He's only movie music (except Air and Simple Gifts, which he composed for President Obama's inauguration four years ago) but his compositions are still fantastic and could stand on their own. Alexandre Desplat, in the same vein.

I refer to Rhapsody in Blue, another favorite of mine, as 'the soundtrack of death' because that's what was playing at full blast during my first driving lesson.

**Posted by deerstalker** July 14, 2012 11:16 pm

As Dramagod says, there's some great use of classical music in movies. Another great example is the use of Albinoni's Adagio ( gorgeous music- here it is http://youtu.be/p8TkBM5DeHM ) in "Gallipoli" ( a shout out to all Australian board members here, I love that movie).
Smoggy London Air- Borodin is an interesting out- of- mainstream choice

There are also a few good movies about classical musicians, with great music throughout and true to the spirit of the music ( as I see it). "Amadeus" is great, as is the French movie " Tous les matins du monde". "Farinelli","Impromptu" and "Immortal Beloved"are somewhat less brilliant, but worth seeing nonetheless.

Last edited by deerstalker (July 14, 2012 11:22 pm)

**Posted by Dramagod** July 15, 2012 12:01 am

When it comes to movies about classical music, they don't come much better than SHINE starring Geoffrey Rush. Highly recommended.

**Posted by Irene Adler** July 15, 2012 12:11 am

I think the best use of classical music in movies has to be in Kubrick's films. Haendel's Sarabande and Schubert's Trio op. 100 in Barry Lindon, Strauss' Also spracht Zaratustra in 2001 or Bartok's Music for strings, percussion and celesta in The Shinning (this last one made me hate Bartok for a while after seeing the movie).

**Posted by SusiGo** July 15, 2012 8:18 am

I love John Williams's music for "Schindler's list" which is truly worthy of the film.

**Posted by The Doctor** July 16, 2012 8:07 am

I listen mainly to reproductions of 14th and 15th Century music ;)

**Posted by SusiGo** July 17, 2012 12:53 pm

Another beautiful piece also used in a film (Out of Africa): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcIyTiKwDvU

**Posted by Irene Adler** July 17, 2012 2:22 pm

SusiGo wrote:
Another beautiful piece also used in a film (Out of Africa): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcIyTiKwDvU

This is one of my favourites too

What do you think about this? I love it so much...

Last edited by Irene Adler (July 17, 2012 2:24 pm)

**Posted by SusiGo** July 17, 2012 2:59 pm

I like it as a whole although I prefer the slower parts to the more monumental ones. I remember my mother has the "Unvollendete" somewhere in her old 1950s record album and I think it might be even this Furtwängler recording.

**Posted by Irene Adler** July 17, 2012 7:50 pm

Yes the slower parts are the greater ones for me too.
And Furtwängler was a genius

**Posted by Davina** July 17, 2012 9:19 pm

I like Vaughan Williams' works as they are so redolent of English Folk Tunes. Holst The Planets especially Mars and Jupiter. Peer Gynt by Grieg with Hall of the Mountain King and Morning (I think that is what the latter is called) which was always played as we walked into assembly at my junior school.

Last edited by Davina (July 17, 2012 9:22 pm)

**Posted by KeepersPrice** July 17, 2012 11:19 pm

Anything Mahler is wonderful - but perhaps start with Symphony no. 1

**Posted by Sammy** July 19, 2012 8:07 pm

Wow, it seems it wasn't such a bad idea to make a thread about classical music, you guys have a lot to say about it, apparently .

Well, thanks for all the suggestions! It's a lot to check out.

Oh, sometimes they use classical music in such creepy ways on movies, like really happy melodies while the murderer is duing some gross stuff, for example. ;)