Tír Na HiFi

bombasticDarren wrote: In my case we can 'blame' Pictures at an Exhibition for starting it all...

Same question for you Darren, what prompted the turn to "Classical"?

fergus wrote:

Jared wrote: .... since I took the RVW Symphs 3 & 5 out of the local library...

What prompted the initial decision to go "Classical"?

well, in the past of course, I had always been acquainted with the more popular bits of CM and had indeed heard a few Symphonies in passing (I had even been to Birmingham Town Hall to hear the CBSO over 20 years ago, but it didn't mean that much at the time). I had always been into Rock music... especially of the Progressive kind as you know, but I guess I was getting a little tired of it. I had been doing a couple of Open University courses, where music had been part of the elements, and although Don Giovanni did nothing for me, I quite enjoyed some of it, and especially liked the notion of its history and heritage from Hildegard, and how its forms had changed with fashion.

I think that if you aren't encouraged to listen to classical whilst you are growing up, it is quite daunting in later life to take the bull by the horns and become acquainted single-handedly, with such a vast body of work, which is why I think I put it off and put it off, because although I was always intrigued, I was also quite daunted by the prospect... that's why a site like this is able to help so much... :-)

fergus wrote:

bombasticDarren wrote: In my case we can 'blame' Pictures at an Exhibition for starting it all...

Same question for you Darren, what prompted the turn to "Classical"?

I'm afraid it was plain old boredom. I had exhausted each and every phase of 'pop' music; at some point I had been into all the big names and plenty of the obscure ones too. The problem was that once I had absorbed the music I moved onto the next band or artist, I was a slave to (my own) fads and this meant I never truly had a stable musical 'thing' to hold onto. After a while this becomes a bit dispiriting - I can only listen to Yes or Bob Dylan albums so many times before I get bored of them. This is one reason why CM appeals - the same piece can be interpreted differently by artists so the recordings rarely get stale. I had a very rewarding jazz phase (particularly Miles Davis) that opened me up to utterly different musical forms...

Classical music was basically a product of my need to try something new. Like Jared, I never felt CM was encouraged in my childhood so I had to wait. It was a bit daunting at first, but I generally enjoy learning about stuff, so I had plenty to occupy myself with. I started with the intention of having a small selection of classic symphonies (probably assuming it would be a brief phase), but ended up realising that this form of music really brought out the collector in me. The turning point was when I bought my first duplicate set - I had Haitink's LSO LvB cycle, and I thought that would be all I would need, but as an impulse buy I picked up the raved-about Harnoncourt cycle and learnt very quickly that interpretation of CM was flexible and could make the music sound actually very different. And I really think that that's when I decided that this was the hobby for me...

bombasticDarren wrote: After a while this becomes a bit dispiriting - I can only listen to Yes or Bob Dylan albums so many times before I get bored of them.

Darren has in essence, hit the nail on the head for me, in this statement. I call it 'shelf life'. If you were to pick up a tabloid which was a month old, you very quickly realise that it is out of date, because the news it will print is genrally speaking 'of the moment'. With a broadsheet, although it might be a month old, the depth of journalistic research often means that the body of the paper will remain relevant for some time to come. I feel this to be very similar with music.

I don't want to decry other forms (Fran'll have me kicked off the forum!) but pop music is very much 'of the moment' and I quickly became bored, and changed over to Rock & Metal... I realised I enjoyed some of the longer, more creative epics which Iron Maiden & Black Sabbath had written, which evolved my listening toward Rush, Yes, Genesis & Marillion among other bands... but it was the same problem... a pop album is boring after 4 or 5 listens, but you tire of a Yes album after 40 or 50 listens and don't want to hear it again, other than to dust it down for old time's sake, years hence.

I genuinely feel that much of the music I am now approaching has a timeless quality about it, and will be with me for life. Yes I admit, I don't listen to much Tchaikovsky these days, but I still enjoy it when I put something of his on, and probably always will...

Fergus: I hope Darren and I have been able to answer what is quite a profound question, to your satisfaction.

Thank you both for the in depth insights guys. The reason that I asked is that I know that neither of you had a Classical Muisc "heritage" so I just wondered what the source for the change was. Interesting comments guys, thanks again.

fergus wrote:Thank you both for the in depth insights guys. The reason that I asked is that I know that neither of you had a Classical Muisc "heritage" so I just wondered what the source for the change was. Interesting comments guys, thanks again.

You're welcome. It's certainly helpful, when you follow CM, knowing that trends are less important. This music has been proven to be here to stay; it's permanence is an attractive selling point to me.

I would also add that thanks to this validation through history the discussions that can be had on the topics arising is much less likely to descend into tribalistic arguments (depends which forum you read though ;-))

^^ I'm not sure I entirely agree with you Darren... I have visited three other CM forums beside this one over the past 4 years, and found tribalism to have been every bit as intense as the Prog Rock forum I used to visit until 2008.

Jared wrote:^^ I'm not sure I entirely agree with you Darren... I have visited three other CM forums beside this one over the past 4 years, and found tribalism to have been every bit as intense as the Prog Rock forum I used to visit until 2008.

I am glad I have avoided some of those forums then Jared :-)

My original point should be amended to say that this forum is refreshly free of any of that sort of nonsense...

^^ the first ever, very small forum I stumbled across was run by a brash, opinionated Admin, who believed that Handel & LvB were the only geniuses and that Haydn and Mozart should have been consigned to the trash can of history... and said so, at every opportunity. Needless to say, I lasted about 2 months..