/classical/

File: tumblr_inline_nbvpcwK6GQ1rh3n9d.png (101KB, 210x195px) Image search: [Google]

101KB, 210x195px

>be Webern
>get shot

Try and convince me that Alfred Cortot's Chopin isn't the best. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-kaDxaVBFA

>>74270084
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDkhi9dt0TU

File: 1496368316955.gif (1MB, 480x470px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 480x470px

Korsakov or Borodin? I like Borodin's No. 2 in D major a lot, although Korsakov moves me a lot with Scheherazade, especially with the famous violin solo.

I don't understand why people rate Borodin so low and Korsakov so high of the New Russians. Then again I'm very lowbrow when it comes to music. and if something sounds pretty enough I'll enjoy it. I'm a degenerate who will listen to repetitive electronic music all day if the harmonies are nice enough.

Is this the most melancholic composition ever made? This is so beautiful, I never heard anything so sad before, not even Chopin's comes closes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1trE3ms3AGo

>>74270293
Rimsky-Korsakov's operas are underrated

>>74270708
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMxvqgh09lE

>>74270943
Yes but I'm not talking about why Korsakov is good. I'm trying to talk about why Borodin is considered mediocre.

>>74270982
because pretty much everything he did was done better and more uniquely by Mussorgsky except for chamber music and whilst Borodin's chamber music is nice enough, it's not outstanding on its own merits

we

wuz

File: stravinsky-with-rimsky.jpg (30KB, 407x450px) Image search: [Google]

30KB, 407x450px

>>74270293
First of all this so much>>74270943
The only reason why we don't see Rimsky-Korsakov's operas often played in today's operas is because of the 1917 revolution and the divide between western and eastern music traditions

Scheherazade is one beautiful piece of music, but it outshines his even greater operas (Mlada, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Snow Maiden and especially (!) The Golden Cockerel)

His in comparison to Borodin high fame as a composer may derive from the fact that he was an important and very influential intellectual figure in Russia's and even all of Europe's history of music. He actually studied musical composition later in his life - neither Borodin nor any other of the Five did that - and also became professor of composition in St. Petersburg. The most famous of his students from today's perspective was Stravinsky, on whom he had major influence. Compare the sound and especially the orchestration of The Golden Cockerel or The Tale of Tsar Saltan to the Firebird, Petrushka or even The Rite of Spring. They all share the style Rimsky- Korsakov created with his rich orchestration, classicistic simplicity and clearness but yet dreamlike atmosphere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNdYyYg57I0
So you could say, Rimsky-Korsakov layed a part of the foundation for modern classical music by impacting Stravinsky and even Debussy to some degree -
even though Mussorgsky played quite a role there, but that's another story
Borodin's influence was much smaller, but some of it can be found for example in Debussy's work (ie String Quartet (notably 3rd movement)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJJiUeBx-IM
Also, Borodin was actually a chemist, whose hobby was composing and he died relatively young, that adds to all of that.

You might like these, if you enjoyed Scheherazade for the exotic vibe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB0IHPGuTFo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rqwvMMxeA8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGv7Zl1UQ-E

>>74273091
>neither Borodin nor any other of the Five did that

Interesting. Does it follow then that a formal composition education is necessary to cultivate talent, or are there other accomplished names I'm not aware of that are revered despite their lack of study?

File: goncharova-set-design-for-thegoldencockerel.jpg (269KB, 1200x862px) Image search: [Google]

269KB, 1200x862px

>>74273235
I don't know about other periods, but during the russian romantic period Balakirev, who was a intellectual central figure in the Group of the Five (Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Balakirev, Mussorgsky, Cui), promoted the model of an artistic composer, that hasn't been corrupted by academic elitism, but is led by his soul and own artistic vision only. That's why Balakirev's music has a very raw and "unwestern" style (same for Mussorgsky, but maybe even to a higher degree) example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvmG2okLYSA

When Rimsky-Korsakov came to open himself to western academic influences, Balakirev actually saw that as treason. The Group split up and even hated each other later

So in Russian 19th century classical music, you got that conflict of intellectual artists, that don't want to see their pure russian, emotional style touched by western (also academic) influences on the one side and (more academic) composers, who open themselves to more and more western influences (notably Wagner's Ring) to enhance their musical expression, but still with the intention of writing national russian music
It's basically Balakirev, Cui, Mussorgsky vs Rimsky-Korsakov and later Glazunov, Lyadov (Belyayev circle). I'd describe Borodin's style as a compromise between these two schools - he didn't study music, but especially his chamber music comes kind of close to the simple and (imo trivial) beauty of a Glazunov

Both groups claimed to be successors of Glinka, who was the "Pushkin of russian music" - he was the first to develop a certain russian style in his operas

Tchaikovsky by the way wasn't perceived as a very russian composer for his western style, which is kind of ironic, as today we think of Tchaikovsky as a prime example of russian music, but Rimsky-Korsakov was nonetheless in close contact with him later

I was at the art exhibition in Kassel, Germany. There were a lot of interesting pieces, but one day we had just seen some modern day schmucks trying to act difficult and self important. We walked into a park, because there was supposed to be two exhibitions in it. One of them was literally a sign flashing different historical quotes, it was absolute useless. We walked into the building to see the second installation and it was literally this (but with different singers, plus one greek variation). It was so simple, so beautiful. A place to rest your feet and at the same time see something that was completely simple, with no pretentiouns, just an amazing choir on a big HD screen singing songs that made you think of god. The visuals were slightly different, but the choir sounds the same.

https://youtu.be/C7vvPXz-Qes?t=78

File: 600x600.jpg (41KB, 600x536px) Image search: [Google]

41KB, 600x536px

Why is he so perfect, bros?

File: Baaljew.png (101KB, 550x679px) Image search: [Google]

101KB, 550x679px

>>74273813
>schmucks

File: 1498705224643.png (549KB, 783x783px) Image search: [Google]

549KB, 783x783px

Is Classical music actually enjoable or do i need Music Thoery to like it?

>>74274226
We have goys in this thread? I think there's a nice disney singer thread down the hall.

>>74273091
Damn these are glorious, even better than Scheherazade. Is there anything more like this?