So anyway, this is kind of a variation on that old "If you were stuck on a deserted island..." questions isn't it. At any rate in response to Reed's latest posting, here it is, my list of 10 pieces of music I'm not sure I could live without:
1. Conan the Barbarian - I know, odd choice to start out with, but in the grand scheme of things, this is probably my favorite piece of music ever.
2. The Empire Strikes Back - I'll take the OT as a whole, but if you were to knit-pick, I'd narrow it down to this one.
3. Beethoven's 9th - I don't know exactly why, but there's always been a special place in my heart for this one.
4. Tod und Verklärung - Again, I'm not sure why, but at some point during my Grad studies I developed this loving affection for Strauss, and this one I think is my favorite.
5. The S&M Concert - Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony - In case you hadn't figured it out yet, yes, I love Metal. Particularly big M. This concert was the single coolest merging of my two favorite mediums ever!
6. Daphnis et Chlöe - Honestly, I'm not fond of the Impressionists as a whole, but this piece moves me.
7. Nocturnes in F minor and E minor (Chopin) - Of all the Nocturnes, I find these two the most hauntingly beautiful.
8. The Planets - Like everyone else seems to have been doing for The Lord of the Rings, I chose to group these as a whole (though I'd take Jupiter and Mars if pressed on the matter).
9. Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Der Herr und I have had this discussion before regarding this one. Considering he's the Goldsmith fanatic, I find it odd that I'm the one who can really get wrapped up in this score.
okay, and now these are really going to fuck you up in the head...
10. Tie - Oh, Girl (The Chi-Lites), Drift Away (Dobie Gray), Desperado (The Eagles), Take it to the Limit (The Eagles) - I more or less grew up on pop music from the 50's through the 80's and these four songs in particular do as much or more for my soul than just about anything from the classical world (I can't listen to Take it to the Limit without getting a little misty).
I suppose the most notable omission is The Lord of the Rings, in all honesty, I think it was a fascinating and monumental work, but at the end of the day, I could survive without it. And really, this whole concept is kind of unfair...I mean, come on, this kind of thing is nerve-racking you fucking sadists!!!
Addendum: I almost forgot, just as kind of an interesting discussion piece, I suppose I'd have to throw in Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor in there somewhere...anyway...
8 comments:
that's like 15.
oh well. i like doing this because now i have to listen to everyone elses choices that i don't know about.
Well, I look at it more from a standpoint of my must have favorites - that I could fit on a CD...or 5. I like a couple of Vogler's choices too, particularly the Music for 18 Musicians.
If you want exposure to new music, Der Herr's your guy. I'm so far behind I'll never get caught up. But I have recently discovered Mr.'s Salonen and Rautavaara - oh my f'n God! Wow, that's some slick shit there.
Speaking of which Brad, I think I know what's drawing you to Rautavaara so much (at least based on my limited exposure thus far). Not only is his music very 'cinematic' in nature, but his sound is eerily reminiscent of our good friend, the late Mr. Goldsmith.
Just a thought.
how deep is your metal vein?
do you listen to anything heavier than disturbed?
Let's see, what's on my iTunes library that could constitute "metal" -
Metallica, Disturbed, Godsmack, Tool, System of a Down (total guilty pleasure band!), Coheed and Cambria, GN'R (ehh?), Sevendust, Mudvayne, Bizkit's less rappy shit, Megadeth, Black Label Society, Ozzy, Shinedown (again, ehh? - they kinda pussed out on the second album), a little Manson, Damage Plan, Slipknot (oh hell yes), then there's the less "metal" and more "hard rock" that I enjoy like Van Halen/Hagar, Staind, Nickelback, Earshot, Alter Bridge, Aerosmith, Linkin Park (again the less rappy shit), a little Foo Fighters, one (1) Crue tune (Dr. Feelgood!)...
At any rate, I literally have over a day and a halfs worth of music on my computer and about 75% of it is hard rock/metal!
i'm glad to see you have coheed and cambria!
i started in metal when i was ten then went lower...cannibal corpse, deicide. then began the slow steady road up to lighter stuff.
now adays i listen and can find something descent about pretty much anything.
you should check out Avenged Sevenfold. in particular their tunes "the wicked end" and 'strength of the world."
in the midst of the former, they have a minute long section of what seems to be a cinematic orchestral piece. it is kindof cool in the song, but it seems very reminiscent of somthing else i've heard. for some reason whenever i hear it i am reminded of Elfman's theme for Batman. and whenever i hear Williams' "buckbeak's flight" i am reminded of the progression in "the wicked end."
Funny you should mention them, I've been addicted to "Bat Country" for about a month now - ever since I first heard it on the radio.
Slipknot is about as heavy as I get. If the band starts getting so dark and hard that they sound like the Super Monkey Metal Death Squad or something, I tend to lose interest (haha - monkeys on drums!). I met a guy my freshman year in college that was so hardcore gung-ho for Sepultura that he swore they'd outsell Metallica in five years and he'd damn near growl at you if you said anything bad about them.
At any rate, I like some lyric quality in my metal (as evidenced by what I listen to). I also enjoy some of that industrial metal/techno fusion stuff which is why I like a little Manson, Rob Zombie, and the Prodigy and things of that nature.
i agree about the lyrical quality in my metal. i have a harder time listening to metal that is just a wall of sound vs. one that is pleasing to the ear.
Backing up a bit (mostly because I didn't see it until now). Yeah, it's definitely the cinematic (actually I prefer 'dramatic') quality to Mr. Rautavaara's music that I enjoy so much. But there are other factors, too, such as good construction (seems to be a running theme in my, um, running commentary). I hear some of the Goldsmith characteristics but mostly those confined to the '60s and '70s.
Beyond that it's just freakin' sweet music! I think I have 8 or 9 discs now of his music. I love it!
Post a Comment