Those you know me well know that I have this thing for classical music, something that is rare in the 21 year old male demographic. Not your boring, run of the mill, solo piano concerto, though I am a sucker for Mozart’s “Rondo Alla Turca”. To really catch my ear, classical music has to have layers; piano and strings, for instance. Better yet, piano backed by a full fledged orchestra. That said, let me share with you some of my favourite classical discoveries. For you snobs, we’ll call them classical-ish.
First up, the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack is undoubtedly the best movie soundtrack of all time. Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt both do amazing work, depending on which movie you’re watching:
There are other decent movie soundtracks, but none as legendary as this one. Have you heard any better? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to find some new stuff!
Roberto Cacciapaglia—say that ten times fast—is a new favourite. It’s not as up-tempo as what I usually like, but there’s something about the way the music flows. It makes great studying music, because it’s not too busy:
Finally, my all time favourite classical artist. William Joseph. No predicate needed. It’s just good music:
Now, down to the real reason for writing this blog. Anybody have any really good classical recommendations for me?
I'll listen to the pieces you've recommended that I haven't heard yet soon, but unfortunately I can't right now.
ReplyDeleteWhat I can do is give you the recommendations you ask for :D. For movie scores, I am also a fan of Hans Zimmer, but I think his best work is Gladiator.
I am one of those people who likes the solo piano concertos, for instance Debussy is one of my favourites. Or Chopin. But otherwise I'm always a fan of Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky. I have a really hard time remembering all of the numbers and odd titles of old classical works, so I'll just give the composers.
Zimmer is amazing, and the soundtracks for POTC, Gladiator, and Inception are all incredible, but I like POTC best as a standalone, aka, it's most pleasing to listen to even while you're not watching the movie. Now We Are Free (the track at the end of Gladiator) is REALLY good too.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy classical composers too, but like listening to music with layers, like symphony style. Certain pieces do stand alone well, though. I mentioned Rondo Alla Turca. Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. These pieces have personal meaning because my Uncle Randy, the one who passed away, used to play them when I was little. Brings it all back. Bach's Toccata and Fugue. All fairly well known pieces, but well known for a reason.
Moonlight Sonata is one of my all-time favourites. So simple, yet so beautiful.
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