This particular form of music was always a bit of a mystery to me. As a child, my wonderful infant school teacher Mrs Cooper always tried to open our ears to many forms of music, and as a result, I started learning the guitar, attended folk festivals and, perhaps most importantly, attended a classical concert. It was, rather predictably, the 1812 overture, complete with small cannons and smoke! It left quite an impression on our little band of 7 and 8 year olds, and even now when I hear that particular piece, I feel like a kid again. Of course, the ravages of adolescence and inverse snobbery denied me too much more exposure to classical music, save the obligatory Holst Planet Suite album, purchased from the bargain bin. I discovered a love for Rock, Punk, alternative and Indie, and lost myself in that for many years. I even remember arguing against the merits of classical music with a work friend of mine during the 1980s, basically saying that classical music could not operate on an emotional level without poetry (Lyrics). Obviously this was nonsense, and I realise this now. I really happened upon classical again over the last 10 years. During a particularly stressful time in an office environment, I tried listening to what was horrifically referred to as "Chill Out" music. Not the kind of godawful Pan Pipe music that you can buy in Garden centres, but more the ambient works of people like the Orb and Brian Eno et al. It certainly helped, and I started revisiting Classical music through a touch of Mozart. The Internet has proved to be the real catalyst for me, giving me access to the kind of variety that previously you could only dream of. I then made a very good friend, who also had a love for Classical music, and he was able to recommend and advise. Within a matter of months, I found myself in the fortunate position of being able to work with a professional orchestra on several projects. How fantastic an opportunity. Since then, I have really not looked back. Recently, I have also been using more music in my theatrical ventures, and realised the power and beauty all over again. The way a simple piano line can suggest so much more than a page of dialogue is fascinating to me. So I found myself loving so much of what I heard, but not really having the time to start from scratch and learn all over again. Then I discovered two resources, which have transformed the way I listen to music. Spotify, the online music streaming service, and a website called Classical.net, which has what it describes as a "Basic repertoire". I have spent a few hours already compiling playlists based on their suggestions to get you started. I am still compiling the "Romantic - Basic Repetoire Playlist", but the "Classical - Basic Repertoire" is pretty much finished, and I have managed to find roughly 95% of what is in their suggested list. It has 830 tracks and takes three days to listen to! I have discovered so much already, and found some beautiful music. I am up to C on the Romantic list, and already I have over 700 track that would take 2 days to listen to! Today, I have already realised a love for Brahms..perhaps someone who I had heard before but just didn't know it. It would be delightful to be able to hear some music and be able to place it, but for now, I am settling for simply falling in love with it, and suffering from mild regret in not being able to do this when I was younger.
For any of my readers with a fleeting interest...here are the lists so far.
I still have to finish Romantic, and then move onto;
Medieval Repertoire
Renaissance Repertoire
Baroque Repertoire
20th-Century Repertoire
Modern Repertoire
I have no idea how long this will take me to either compile, or to listen to, but it is such a worthwhile exercise for me. The thing that makes me most happy, is that the website suggests these lists as only a starting point!
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