How did you get into classical?

[WOStantonCS100]

Dave, that's deep. Waking up weeping, as an emotional response to music... that's deep; but, awesome! That would have driven me nuts until I found that piece of music. Great story.

I won't break off into a whole philosophical discussion of music and the human soul; but, I get that. It is that connection to music that has brought my collection to where it is. It's not about my collection is bigger than that guy's or anything like that. I'm addicted to the emotional response (high or low or in between) that I get from music. It's not better than sex. I love my wife, really. It's that the emotional high of music is in a completely different realm apart from sex. We're really not crazy.

Like other music, classical music is full of compositions that will make you weep, take your breath away and/or compel you to jump up and march like a proud viking. This is what keeps me taking chances on thrift finds, listening to the classical NPR station, borrowing CD's from the local libraries, etc. I know what you mean about the titles. And, that whole BWV cataloguing system and opus this and opus that and the announcers with the very pompous sounding voices still messing up pronunciations... At some point, I said, "Screw it!" I wasn't trying to join some elite club. I just want the music. Then it became simple. If I didn't like it, I tossed it back in the sea; but, I didn't (and still don't) let anyone or anything dissuade me from fishing. There's a whole lot of plump an' round succulent skrimps out there.

And Barry,

I'm okay with the whole "at gunpoint" thing. Joking aside, I'm just sorry I didn't listen to all of his collection when I lived with him. With all the music I've heard, there's so much more I haven't!!

[morris_minor]

The song? it was - miserere by gregorio allegri...

I hear the best recording of this was made my a music dean in Cambridge college around 1962? Can anyone confirm this?

Dave - maybe your recording was this one from King's College Choir directed by David Willcocks?

My intro to classical music was largely from my parents, who played a few well worn records on the Ferguson Radiogram when I was a kid, and also dragged me along to classical concerts in Guildford - where there was a semi-professional orchestra with a young music director called Vernon Handley. Little did I realise at the time that Vernon, Tod, Handley was to become one of this countries best conductors with a great specialism in British music (which held him back from wider acclaim IMO). Not only did he turn the Guildford orchestra into a fully professional outfit - one which London players were happy to jump on the train to play with, but he was allowed a great freedom in programming music that today wouldn't get a look in. Bax, Moeran, Finzi, Lambert, Martinu, Berg, Webern, plus first performances of all kinds were interlaced between the standard repertoire.

There was a Philharmonic Choir to go with the orchestra and a youth choir called the Proteus Choir - which I joined. My first work with them and the orchestra was Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. Not exactly easy, and in Hebrew too. The Proteus joined with the Philharmonic on occasions, and a very memorable concert was Elgar's Dream of Gerontious. We also recorded Finzi's Intimations of Immortality for Lyrita in a freezing cold Guildford Cathedral during one of the "winters of discontent" with power cuts threatened at any time. Every take needed a retune by the orchestra, and our breath just hung in the air! The soloist, Ian Partridge, was magnificent, and the resulting disc (I think still available on CD) got a very warm reception. (Has there ever been a dud Lyrita disc?)

So it's not surprising that recordings of music by British composers feature large in my music collection, and for this, and my appreciation of good music of all kinds I have Tod Handley to thank.

[Thing Fish]

Dave - maybe your recording was this one from King's College Choir directed by David Willcocks?

That's the puppy. Thanks...

[JJack]

I was a singer in high school and then at university, so I was always into vocal music.

I "discovered" orchestral music when a friend played Mahler 5 for me on this dormitory room stereo. A live performance under Marek Janowski solidified my love of orchestral music.

Happy to say that I'm still discovering things, like my more recent passion for string quartets, especially the late Beethoven quartets and Bartok as well.

Here's the funny thing: even though I'm a singer, I vastly prefer orchestral and chamber music, and only listen to a few singers.

[MartinT]

My introduction to classical music was via my mentor Erik, who ran a shop across the road and lived above it. His room was large and the system was magnificent: IMF Professional Monitors, Dynavector valve monoblocks, Micro Seiki three-arm turntable etc. My father left when I was a vulnerable 16 year old and Erik became a very good friend, guiding me through much teenage angst.

Anyway, he was a classical music buff and had a very large collection of orchestral and operatic music. I would go over there and he would play me Mahler and Strauss and more obscure composers like Piston. Some of my earliest loves were Mahler's 2nd symphony, Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, Holst The Planets and other good orchestral pieces. I couldn't get into opera so he only gave me glimpses of that world.

My very first classical LP was Neville Marriner's Vivaldi Four Seasons on Argo, an LP which I still have and which still sounds good.

Sadly I have lost touch with Erik, who went back to his homeland Scotland, about 10 years ago. Many a time when I play classical music I think of him and how pleased he would be at my growing collection and how my system sounds these days.

[WOStantonCS100]

Here's the funny thing: even though I'm a singer, I vastly prefer orchestral and chamber music, and only listen to a few singers.

Hmmm... As a guitarist, I continue to study vocalists; how to play with the same inflections and dynamics, as opposed to just playing the note(s). Interesting.

My introduction to classical music was via my mentor Erik, who ran a shop across the road and lived above it. His room was large and the system was magnificent: IMF Professional Monitors, Dynavector valve monoblocks, Micro Seiki three-arm turntable etc. My father left when I was a vulnerable 16 year old and Erik became a very good friend, guiding me through much teenage angst.

Anyway, he was a classical music buff and had a very large collection of orchestral and operatic music. I would go over there and he would play me Mahler and Strauss and more obscure composers like Piston. Some of my earliest loves were Mahler's 2nd symphony, Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, Holst The Planets and other good orchestral pieces. I couldn't get into opera so he only gave me glimpses of that world.

My very first classical LP was Neville Marriner's Vivaldi Four Seasons on Argo, an LP which I still have and which still sounds good.

Sadly I have lost touch with Erik, who went back to his homeland Scotland, about 10 years ago. Many a time when I play classical music I think of him and how pleased he would be at my growing collection and how my system sounds these days.

Your story is very similar to that of my father. What a treasure it is to have someone risk rejection in order to take a chance on possibly giving you a magnificent life long gift. And, that recording of Four Seasons is a goodie! I have a copy on vinyl; but, it was knackered before I obtained it. I need to replace it, soon.

[jazzpiano]

Thoroughly enjoyed your story Martin. And, what a hi-fi rig! What's more valueable than that Argo Vivaldi? - there's memories galore what with the Holst Planets, Piston exposure, etc. People + music + hi-fi = memories.

Best,
Barry

[MartinT]

Your story is very similar to that of my father. What a treasure it is to have someone risk rejection in order to take a chance on possibly giving you a magnificent life long gift. And, that recording of Four Seasons is a goodie! I have a copy on vinyl; but, it was knackered before I obtained it. I need to replace it, soon.

Yes it is and it's something I try to pay back in any way I can. Sadly I know few classical music fans these days. As for the Argo - you must!

[JJack]

Yes it is and it's something I try to pay back in any way I can. Sadly I know few classical music fans these days. As for the Argo - you must!

I live in a university town, and it's so wonderful to see young classical music fans.

If they hear it, many of them will come to love our music.

[tannoyman]

It strikes me as a genre I should be into but find it hard to break the shell (so to speak)


The song? it was - miserere by gregorio allegri...

I hear the best recording of this was made my a music dean in Cambridge college around 1962? Can anyone confirm this?

Of course I only play vinyl so I suspect this makes aquiring most titles a bit of a task.

Hi Dave

The Misereri is actually a setting of Psalm 51. It originated in the Vatican in the late 16th century and was jealously guarded for more than 100 years until in the 1760's a young Mozart visited the Vatican and when he left he wrote the piece out note for note and that is the version that we all love today.

I am reasonably confident that the version you refer to was recorded by the Choir of Kings College Cambridge under David Willcocks in 1963. The soloist was Roy Goodman on the Argo label (I dont know the Cat No offhand). If you ever get the chance to go to choral evensong in Cambridge this piece performed as the anthem quite regularly in both Kings College Chapel and St John's College. It is magnificent.

kind regards

David