There are several songs that I just can't get enough of.
Ravel's Bolero is perhaps the greatest piece of classical music I've ever heard. It has a simple melody and theme that travels throughout different instruments in the band. The theme is thrown back and forth and given to several different instruments for different effects. For example, the sound of the oboe playing it is completely different from the sound of the flute. The conductor also uses several different combinations of instruments for different effects. For example, the piccillo and the french horn playing in unison has a strange sound that can't be replicated. Other great parts that make this piece unique is the drumline being given to the other instruments. Instruments like the flute tongue out the drum line to add to it, and soon enough the whole band is playing the rhythm of the drum line. But the greatest part of this piece is the snare drum player. To be able to crescendo for 15 minutes is ridiculous. He starts at his softest and sppends 15 minutes working his way up to his loudest, slowly and steadily. Truly a classic.
This has been posted before, but Peter and the Wolf is a classic. The whole symphony tells a story. Each character has its own theme, which combine to make several other themes. For example, Peter's theme often combines with the bird's, which makes it grow a little until it's a whole symphony of different instruments. I particularly love how Prokofiev embodied the different animals' personalities with different themes and instruments. For example, the horns embody the wolf well, while the oboe has a sort of duck theme to it.
I'm not really an opera fan, but Habanera from Carmen is probably the only song I'll listen to and enjoy. It has a cool minor feel to it and a Spanish touch to it that some classical music can't deliver. The vocals aren't over-the-top like many other operas (there's no screaming fat soprano for five minutes). The song is fairly subtle, and the background to it is also quite subtle. I also enjoy this version of it, although it isn't as traditional.
Finally, Simple Gifts by Aaron Copland is personally one of my favorite classical tunes out there. Words cannot describe the effect it has on me. Its energy is simply so great and the piece flows nicely. It has a nice, plain melody that is adapted into something great with motion. As a fairly patriotic American, this is the greatest example of Americana music. It was even played at Obama's inauguration with Itzak Pearlman and Yo-yo Ma, but due to the cold weather, there are some tonality issues so it is not the greatest recording out there.
Ravel's Bolero is perhaps the greatest piece of classical music I've ever heard. It has a simple melody and theme that travels throughout different instruments in the band. The theme is thrown back and forth and given to several different instruments for different effects. For example, the sound of the oboe playing it is completely different from the sound of the flute. The conductor also uses several different combinations of instruments for different effects. For example, the piccillo and the french horn playing in unison has a strange sound that can't be replicated. Other great parts that make this piece unique is the drumline being given to the other instruments. Instruments like the flute tongue out the drum line to add to it, and soon enough the whole band is playing the rhythm of the drum line. But the greatest part of this piece is the snare drum player. To be able to crescendo for 15 minutes is ridiculous. He starts at his softest and sppends 15 minutes working his way up to his loudest, slowly and steadily. Truly a classic.
This has been posted before, but Peter and the Wolf is a classic. The whole symphony tells a story. Each character has its own theme, which combine to make several other themes. For example, Peter's theme often combines with the bird's, which makes it grow a little until it's a whole symphony of different instruments. I particularly love how Prokofiev embodied the different animals' personalities with different themes and instruments. For example, the horns embody the wolf well, while the oboe has a sort of duck theme to it.
I'm not really an opera fan, but Habanera from Carmen is probably the only song I'll listen to and enjoy. It has a cool minor feel to it and a Spanish touch to it that some classical music can't deliver. The vocals aren't over-the-top like many other operas (there's no screaming fat soprano for five minutes). The song is fairly subtle, and the background to it is also quite subtle. I also enjoy this version of it, although it isn't as traditional.
Finally, Simple Gifts by Aaron Copland is personally one of my favorite classical tunes out there. Words cannot describe the effect it has on me. Its energy is simply so great and the piece flows nicely. It has a nice, plain melody that is adapted into something great with motion. As a fairly patriotic American, this is the greatest example of Americana music. It was even played at Obama's inauguration with Itzak Pearlman and Yo-yo Ma, but due to the cold weather, there are some tonality issues so it is not the greatest recording out there.
