Classical music - where to start?

[mangoontoast]

I'm a huge music fan, I usually listen to bands with guitars and drums, but I recently started going to the ballet and I love the music. Strings especially. I want to start listening to more classical music, but I don't know where to start. Any recommendations? Advice?

I would start with Bach

So in theory they should sound mostly the same. It's the same music and the same on-paper directions. But you may find some differences when it comes to interpretation. Some may play slightly faster than others or there could even be a different ratio of instruments within the orchestra which can affect that balance.

When there's a long held note or a pause in the music for the whole orchestra it's up to the conductor how long these last for so in that way you'll find little differences between pieces, but for a beginner listening then it's more about getting to know the basics of the music you're listening to so any of the options should be fine.

You might notice the quality of the recording is something that makes you prefer one version over another too, a high quality recording will help you hear all the little nuances throughout each piece which could get lost in a lower quality recording (one reason why I prefer it live but I'm obsessed with watching all the musicians' various playing techniques too so for me it's a visual thing as well as audible).

I use thé "Shazam" app when I come down in the morning and husband is listening to R3 and can't tell me what is playing. Also good when something is playing as incedental music during a tv program and I want to know what it is.

Excellent, i doubt I'd notice such difference so this is great. Thanks so much for the detailed answer to my daft questions!!

Classic FM or other radio station that plays classical music of course. Type it into Spotify or Amazon Music, or youtube.
Ask Alexa.
Enjoy variety and see what you like.
I love Bach and have some other favourite pieces from my childhood.
Find out when the film score show is on Classic FM, that provides some really nice pieces.

If you find yourself getting interested in different recordings then there are lots of places online where you can read reviews. These podcasts https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrtty/episodes/downloads are also great- they take you through a piece and compare different recordings, playing excerpts so you can hear the differences, and then they recommend one or two as "the best" (in quotes because of course it's subjective).

If you subscribe to Apple Music, they are launching a specific app for classical music tomorrow which will have playlists etc.

The Classical Fix podcast is great- start with the early ones with Clemmie.

I wanted to update anyone that's interested after all your fab and helpful suggestions.

@healthyfats I bought the book and have started. Loving Bruch!

@gogohmm loved the piece you recommended. Will look for more by Barber.

@tarkan going to use your amazing advice to look up the upcoming orchestral concert on you tube and Spotify and hopefully go along!

Thanks to everyone, I'll keep coming back to this page and trying more of your tips.

Just to chip in - it's a real misconception going to a concert is expensive. The top seats are pricy but there's usually very substantial number of really affordable seats towards the back, which really is totally fine for classical music- you really don't need to be close. Usually price is roughly the same as a cinema ticket, less than any sporting fixture and less than going out for a meal. Obviously people have different levels of access to concert halls - if you have to travel etc it can all add up, but the ticket prices by themselves are really good, often very very subsidised though you don't see that (I work at an all-round arts venue and the classical concerts are cheaper than the pop gigs by miles, and we deliberately make a £2k loss each time -subsidised by the pop gigs - to try and keep tickets affordable)

Best of luck with it all! :)

There's a really great free course on Coursera if you're interested. It's called Introduction to Classical Music, it's a Yale University module, and it lasts 9 weeks (or as long as you want, as you can keep resetting the deadlines).

If you like going to the ballet why not start listening to the music composed for them?

Well yes, but I want to learn more about classical music and how to find what I like. I have had some great suggestions already on how to do so.

It might be because my local city has a big concert hall but tickets start at £22 which is £44 if my OH wants to come to. I'm very happy to pay that if I like the music, that was my point. I don't want to pay that and not like it so I wanted tips on how to understand a bit better what it all means. If you scroll up you will see some of my clueless questions and how very little I know about even researching the music.

@mangoontoast yes that's a very fair position - once you're doubling the attendees you definitely want to consider your options properly :)

I grew up with classical music in the house and dad getting me to guess the composer all the time, and conversely had to 'learn' what pop (as in, everything except classical) music was about. I remember a GCSE class in music and we all went round the room stating whether we preferred classical or pop music. There were 16 of us, and I was the only one to say classical. I thought everyone was lying and just trying to be cool liking pop music as who in their right mind actually likes it? (In my head it was like smoking, beer and mushrooms - you only grow to like it by prolonged exposure and nobody really likes it surely??) So I had quite a sharp learning curve when I got to uni hahaha!

All I'd say is don't over-worry about knowing what all the music is, or is supposedly about etc - it's the joy of classical music that, like art - whatever the composer was aiming at is probably very far from what you're experiencing, and whatever that experience is is always 100% valid. So never feel like you 'don't get' something and feel put off or unknowledgeable because of it, it's only that it doesn't resonate with you at that time.

Hope you enjoy your journey into new experiences :)

The trouble with following up on the Barber Adagio, is that Barber didn't write much else in this vein, so searching for his other music may not be so fruitful.

If you liked that, maybe try some Serenades for Strings. I'd suggest those by Dvořák, Elgar, and Tchaikovsky. If you like those, then those composers have a vast array of music to go on to explore.

Just wondering how you've been getting on @mangoontoast and if there's anything in particular you've really enjoyed?

Hello! I have been loving my explorations! I bought the book recommended above and am 2 weeks in. I have discovered I don't much like choral music, nor opera, though did enjoy one Puchini "song" (aria?) I listened too. Love Max Bruch, Prokifiev, chopin so far. I have made a little playlist with the ones I like and am just still going! I have been playing my playlist, then the recommended Spotify ones. I still don't know a great deal about classical music, but slowly getting there. And I have tickets for the orchestra next week - very excited about that!
You were all fab on those thread and I am grateful to you all for taking the time to educate a clueless rock music lover!

That's wonderful, thanks so much for updating us.

I'm actually a rock fan too, in fact I even hung out in a local punk scene for a bit at one point. My CD collection as a teen was the most eclectic thing you've ever seen as I started off loving boy bands, then went into hip-hop and rap, then indie, then rock and punk. With classical stuff in here and there as well. I really believe the more you learn about different genres, the more references you'll find elsewhere and I love finding those little links. It's like Easter eggs in movies, but within music instead.

I also have varied tastes so this love of classical music shouldn't have been a surprise really! To say thank you for all your help, could I recommend something that I think you may like? I have loved this soundtrack to a French musical for 25 years, the music always made my heart soar - it's on Spotify - notre dam de Paris, luc Plamondon, 1998.

This audiobook is the absolute best resource to start off learning about and listening to classical music. Robert Greenberg is a brilliant lecturer. I never managed to get into classical music until I understood it, and I didn’t understand it until I had listened to this audio. It's an easy listen because it is full of music, so you don't have to find it elsewhere and if he thinks you need to listen to it twice, he plays it twice, so no faffing around rewinding. Just sit back and enjoy. Life-changing.

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/How-to-Listen-to-and-Understand-Great-Music-3rd-Edition-Audiobook/B00DEL6S44?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

Oh thank you for that @mangoontoast - I'll definitely look it up. I'm actually a huge musicals fan too, Les Mis has been my longest love as we actually played some of the music from it in the orchestra I was in. I finally got to see it in London in 2019 which was amazing.

I'm going to see Six in Edinburgh next month too which I'm looking forward to (and will hopefully not be a cancelled trip, we're sadly waiting to hear when a family member's funeral is going to be so there is the risk it could be when I'm meant to be away).