FabSwingers.com forum: Classical music

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

I'm growing ever fonder of classical music, my radio at work has flipped from talksport to classic fm and I find I'm even working better.

There's so many wonderful pieces many of which I wouldn't know their name. I also consider lots of film scores as classical pieces, the music used in platoon is incredible and of course the star wars theme.

What's your favourite piece, composer or film music.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Popular classical but I do love Ludovico Einaudi

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

And Hans Zimmer has a huge catalogue of classic film scores

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By *mmmMaybeCouple
over a year ago

West Wales

Vaughn Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.

My favorite classical piece by a country mile. When it comes on I just sit down & listen.

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By *emini ManMan
over a year ago

There and to the left a bit

Holst - The Planet Suite is my all time favourite. Also rather partial to Elgar's Nimrod which never fails to send shivers down my spine.

Lots of other popular classical music that I like, although do think it's something I've come to appreciate more as I've aged.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Long standing soft spot for Mozart's Requiem.

Elgar's Enigma Variations

The Humming Chorus from Puccini's Madam Butterfly

The Pearl Fishers Duet - Bizet

Too many for my geeky brain to list.

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By *mmmMaybeCouple
over a year ago

West Wales

"Holst - The Planet Suite is my all time favourite. Also rather partial to Elgar's Nimrod which never fails to send shivers down my spine.

Lots of other popular classical music that I like, although do think it's something I've come to appreciate more as I've aged."

Me too, I can't listen to drivel FM anymore, which is any station where the DJ talks more than they play music.

About a quarter of our CD collection is classical stuff.

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By *mmmMaybeCouple
over a year ago

West Wales

"Long standing soft spot for Mozart's Requiem.

Elgar's Enigma Variations

The Humming Chorus from Puccini's Madam Butterfly

The Pearl Fishers Duet - Bizet

Too many for my geeky brain to list. "

Any Puccini is a good shout

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

The area of classical music is huge and has many categories.

To be honest I would not categorise film scores as classical music but as modern

orchestral music.

There is so much to love but here are a few I like.

Nessun Dorma Puccini sung by Pavarotti

Faure's Requiem

Moonlight Sonata by Beethovan

Chopin's nocturnes

Rites of Spring by Stravinsky

Glenn Gould performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations a favourite of a certain Dr Hannibal Lecter

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Film composer wise, Hans Zimmer or Danny Elfman.

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By *ed wineMan
over a year ago

Where the streets have no name

The Romantics, specially Tchaikovsky

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By *mmmMaybeCouple
over a year ago

West Wales

Verdi's Requiem is another, but hard work to listen to all of it.

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By *dam_TinaCouple
over a year ago

Hampshire

Morning by Greig is my favourite piece of classical music.

Reminds me of when I was a kid.

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By *eliWoman
over a year ago

Oh... I'm not sure. I really like baroque pieces and composers - so Bach's Double Violin Concerto and his Partita No.2 is probably up there. Tartini's Devil Trill is one of the most satisfying to play and listen to. I also love Bruch's Violin Concerto No.1 and I am also fond Ysaye's Sonatas.

With regards to film soundtracks - Philip Glass has composed some incredible, iconic ones.

I think I'll stop there before I bore everyone.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Long standing soft spot for Mozart's Requiem.

Elgar's Enigma Variations

The Humming Chorus from Puccini's Madam Butterfly

The Pearl Fishers Duet - Bizet

Too many for my geeky brain to list. "

Rex Tremendae is my fave part of Requiem.

Haydn and Brahms are good too.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Elgar, Mahler, Mozart, Chopin, Shostakovich, John Williams, John Barry.

My list is quite endless.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Classic FM at The Movies, Saturday 5pm - 7pm, always great.

I don't know what it is about coming to classical later in life. I used to be a huge hip hop and drum and bass guy, but that's mostly fallen by the way side for a bit of classical.

Love love love raspsody in blue by Gershwin!

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By *ed wineMan
over a year ago

Where the streets have no name

"The area of classical music is huge and has many categories.

To be honest I would not categorise film scores as classical music but as modern

orchestral music.

There is so much to love but here are a few I like.

Nessun Dorma Puccini sung by Pavarotti

Faure's Requiem

Moonlight Sonata by Beethovan

Chopin's nocturnes

Rites of Spring by Stravinsky

Glenn Gould performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations a favourite of a certain Dr Hannibal Lecter

Some of them still bring me out wet sparks in my eyes...

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By *mmmMaybeCouple
over a year ago

West Wales

"Oh... I'm not sure. I really like baroque pieces and composers - so Bach's Double Violin Concerto and his Partita No.2 is probably up there. Tartini's Devil Trill is one of the most satisfying to play and listen to. I also love Bruch's Violin Concerto No.1 and I am also fond Ysaye's Sonatas.

With regards to film soundtracks - Philip Glass has composed some incredible, iconic ones.

I think I'll stop there before I bore everyone."

They are a bit dated film wise now, but the Qatsi trilogy are still quite powerful bits of film if your head is in the right place They are also my favorite Glass works.

Favorite film theme for me has to be Road To Perdition.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I went through a phase of classical music. Shall be following this thread to see some pieces that may surprise me.

I love Wagner

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

I'm listening to this quite a lot atm...

La Boccherini La Musica Notturna Delle Strade di Madrid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tSq1P5pels

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By *iss_tressWoman
over a year ago

London

The theme from Deerhunter...moving.

Anything by Puccini...Most classical really.

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

Sibelius: Karelia suite - Intermezzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtIw5AkUEsE

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

This is pretty cool...

Flashmob Flash Mob - Ode an die Freude (Ode to Joy) Beethoven...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

This was also written as part of a film score for Stanley Kubrick's 1960 film, Spartacus.

Khachaturian - Adagio from Spartacus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZLMKkEGFRo

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By *emplarWarriorMan
over a year ago

Nottingham

Ride of the Valkyries - Wagner

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By *ilary and DonaldCouple
over a year ago

chingford

I've been listening to classical music since I was a child as my parents always played it.

It's hard to pick a favourite but Prokofiev's Peter and the wolf always makes me melancholic as it was our bed time listening.

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

"Ride of the Valkyries - Wagner"

Better seen live, methinks

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

2CELLOS - Benedictus [LIVE at Arena Zagreb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_RjlIPuqyc

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I love the theme music from Morse by Barrington Pheloung

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MvntwhQ1E4

and chi mai from the Life and times of David Lloyd George by Ennio Morricone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-0UhCjwUeg

and finally, one from an American kids show that my son used to watch called Gravity Falls..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2DUpDxFJyg

not very 'classical' but I like them

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Bach Double Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin And David Oistrakh....

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By *ce WingerMan
over a year ago

P.O. Box DE1 0NQ

Felix Mendelssohn : The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave) - Overture

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3MiETaBSnc

Camille Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyknBTm_YyM

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By *isaB45Woman
over a year ago

Fabville

I love so many of composers and pieces of music already mentioned. But here are a couple of my favourites...

John Williams...the most epic film composer.

Vaughn Williams...The Lark Ascending. Simply beautiful.

Handel...he knew how to write a grand entrance!

Beethoven...lot of his music, but the Emperor Concerto so much a part of me.

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

Edward Elgar - Nimrod

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhnMd1Jl7SA

(crowd pleaser)

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By *mmmMaybeCouple
over a year ago

West Wales

Another film score favorite composer

Ryuichi Sakamoto

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By *eliWoman
over a year ago

Oh and Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

"Bach Double Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin And David Oistrakh....

Has to be Elgar's Cello Concerto for me

ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO, JACQUELINE DU PRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgdbqt2ON0

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By *emplarWarriorMan
over a year ago

Nottingham

"Ride of the Valkyries - Wagner

Better seen live, methinks"

methinks they would all be better live

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By *isaB45Woman
over a year ago

Fabville

"Ride of the Valkyries - Wagner

Better seen live, methinks

methinks they would all be better live"

This is true...

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By *eliWoman
over a year ago

"Bach Double Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin And David Oistrakh....

Has to be Elgar's Cello Concerto for me

ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO, JACQUELINE DU PRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgdbqt2ON0"

Nah.

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By *uzy444Woman
over a year ago

in the suffolk countryside

Tchaikovsky is my fav, love both swan lake and the nutcracker

i should listen to more and learn the names of the ones i like

i find them inspiring

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

What a play list we are creating. Classical music performed live is incredible.

Id love to go to an Andre Rieu concert.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Bach Double Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin And David Oistrakh....

Has to be Elgar's Cello Concerto for me

ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO, JACQUELINE DU PRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgdbqt2ON0"

Joe.......... ahem.....so tell me why Elgar never make it onto the Voyager space craft gold disc "Music From Earth" Eh!

..... tell me that.....

Or should I tell you, well It's because it is full of Bach.... ha-ha,,,,, I win again.....

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By *mmmMaybeCouple
over a year ago

West Wales

"What a play list we are creating. Classical music performed live is incredible.

Id love to go to an Andre Rieu concert."

We have a friend in a choir, went to see her locally 50 strong with a twenty odd piece orchestra was good, going to see them join other choral groups so there were around 300 & a full orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall was epic

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Bach Double Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin And David Oistrakh....

Has to be Elgar's Cello Concerto for me

ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO, JACQUELINE DU PRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgdbqt2ON0"

*shudders at the memory of grade eight cello* I now loathe this piece despite it being the one that made me pick the damn instrument up in the first place.

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

Jacqueline du Pré, Dvorák Cello Concerto in B minor op.104

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llB7NaWLUc4

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By *iamondjoeMan
over a year ago

Glastonbury

"Bach Double Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin And David Oistrakh....

Has to be Elgar's Cello Concerto for me

ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO, JACQUELINE DU PRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgdbqt2ON0

*shudders at the memory of grade eight cello* I now loathe this piece despite it being the one that made me pick the damn instrument up in the first place. "

I don;t play; I listen

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Popular classical but I do love Ludovico Einaudi

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By *andVBCouple
over a year ago

Wrexham

Camille Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyknBTm_YyM"

Plus pretty much anything by Bach.

I find it difficult to listen to a good piece classical music whilst working though, they're mentally distracting. Akin to someone reading out a series of numbers or sums.

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By *oodmessMan
over a year ago

yumsville

"Bach Double Violin Concerto - Yehudi Menuhin And David Oistrakh....

Has to be Elgar's Cello Concerto for me

ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO, JACQUELINE DU PRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgdbqt2ON0

*shudders at the memory of grade eight cello* I now loathe this piece despite it being the one that made me pick the damn instrument up in the first place. "

Should have played the drums and had more fun

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By *igeiaWoman
over a year ago

Bristol

God, I wouldn't know where to start so here's a few in chronological listening order. I have a soft spot for Byrd's vocal music. JS Bach and Corelli's keyboard pieces. Mozart's chamber music and his requiem never fails to get me in the feels. Schubert's Octet in F. Mendelssohn's Hebrides overture. The Russian Five as well; love me a bit of Mussorgsky. Xenakis and Ligeti when I'm in the right mood.

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By *a Fee VerteWoman
over a year ago

Limbo

I enjoy classical music but don't listen to it very often as I can't easily track down what I've heard and liked as the name of the piece and its composer usually goes in one ear and out the other - I seem to have a real brain block about instrumental music though am very good at remembering songs, their singers and lyrics.

All the stuff I can actually recall seems very melancholy and moving, often making me tearful:

Adagio for Strings - Samuel Barber

Gnoissienne no. 1 - Erik Satie

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence - Ryuichi Sakamoto.

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By *ENGUYMan
over a year ago

Hull

Although a lover of classical music from a child, I tend to concentrate more towards Choral music if given a choice.

So in no particular order,

Handel - Messiah - have sung it in Royal Albert Hall in choir of 1200 alongside major orchestras.

J S Bach. Beethoven. Mozart. Part.

Mouton. Victoria ( totally sublime ).

Lassus, Monteverdi. Corelli.

Hummel, Vivaldi. Tallis. Haydn.

Philip Glass. Vaughan Williams. Bruch.

Rachmaninoff (especially his Vespers).

Shostakovich. Tchaikovsky. Ravel.

Modern film scores aren't really "classical" music, the day it was decided by certain ppl in classical music circles to include them in the classical Charts, was a step too far in the wrong direction.

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By *emini ManMan
over a year ago

There and to the left a bit

"Tchaikovsky is my fav, love both swan lake and the nutcracker

i should listen to more and learn the names of the ones i like

i find them inspiring"

Reminds me of a favourite story about Madness...they "covered" Swan Lake on their first album...Dave Robinson head of their record label heard them rehearsing it and asked them if they'd written it themselves!!

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By *et-shortyMan
over a year ago

Manchester

Mark kermode is doing some really great shows on film scores on radio 2 ,I think it's Friday nights but I'm not sure as I listen to it on iplayer

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I'm very fond of Arabesque number 1-Debussy, as a relaxing piece.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Gabriel Fauré's Dolly, Suite OP 56 makes me feel happy.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Vaughan Williams -The Lark Ascending. The high notes are so sweet.

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By *heBirminghamWeekendMan
over a year ago

here

Quite interesting the comments about not including film scores in to the genre of classical musical.

The film scores of Walton, Shostakovich, Korngold are firmly established as classical works of music, so why not those of Williams, Silvestri, Zimmer, Horner?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Quite interesting the comments about not including film scores in to the genre of classical musical.

The film scores of Walton, Shostakovich, Korngold are firmly established as classical works of music, so why not those of Williams, Silvestri, Zimmer, Horner?

Probably on the basis that just because a piece of music is orchestrated and is melodious does not make classical. In the same way as adding a saxophone or Jamie Cullem to a song does not make it jazz.

Puts on tin hat and heads for the fab bombproof bunker with a cup of tea and a wagon wheel.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Quite interesting the comments about not including film scores in to the genre of classical musical.

The film scores of Walton, Shostakovich, Korngold are firmly established as classical works of music, so why not those of Williams, Silvestri, Zimmer, Horner?

Puts on tin hat and heads for the fab bombproof bunker with a cup of tea and a wagon wheel."

What makes it classical?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Film composer wise, Hans Zimmer or Danny Elfman."

Same here. Otherwise it's not my bag.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Quite interesting the comments about not including film scores in to the genre of classical musical.

The film scores of Walton, Shostakovich, Korngold are firmly established as classical works of music, so why not those of Williams, Silvestri, Zimmer, Horner?

Puts on tin hat and heads for the fab bombproof bunker with a cup of tea and a wagon wheel.

What makes it classical? "

Technically 'Classical' is period of time when the music was composed in comparison to say'Baroque'. From Wikipedia

'Classical music is art music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western music, including both liturgical and secular music. While a more accurate term is also used to refer to the period from 1750 to 1820,...'.

But I think you are asking what makes one piece of music Classical and another not. My suggestion is at the time the piece of music was composed it showed advanced technicality, complexity (although sounding simple in some cases), emotion and development in the way music was composed. Hence Philip Glass now falls under the classical canon. Many film scores although easy on the ear contain no development, or technical complexity or development. Which is not to say they are not enjoyable. I like smooth jazz but is it Jazz, no!

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By *ucyfur77Woman
over a year ago

Pleasuretown

Mars - Gustav Holst

My teacher played it to us as kids and it's stuck with me ever since

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By *heBirminghamWeekendMan
over a year ago

here

"Quite interesting the comments about not including film scores in to the genre of classical musical.

The film scores of Walton, Shostakovich, Korngold are firmly established as classical works of music, so why not those of Williams, Silvestri, Zimmer, Horner?

Puts on tin hat and heads for the fab bombproof bunker with a cup of tea and a wagon wheel."

The point being the film scores of the likes of Williams, Zimmer etc. are most definitely far more than a few tunes strung together and arranged for an orchestra.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Agreed a good film score is more than a few tunes strung together but I would suggest many do not have that technical invention and creativity in the art of composition that the great pieces of classical music do. Although the original ideas of the great claasical pieces are much copied and are now banal by over hearing them, many when written blazed new ground in orchestration, or composition or imagination. I suspect most film scores do not do that, they know from the publics' exposure to great works what will work as short hand to create a mood sympathetic to the visuals. I am not saying that a film score is not art or that film scores are not worthwhile or are not great music in their own idiom (I love the film and TV work of Lalo Schriffren and Dave Grusin) but many modern film scores are not, and I have to say in my view, classical music.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Chopin piano concerto no 2 . Legato.... Love the feeling it gives me..

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