Classical music - recommendations needed

[quiksilver]

I would like to get some violin music, probably in a string quartet setting - but I know nothing about classical music. I'd like something with virtuosity.

Can anyone offer any recommendations? Thanks!

[slayer32390]

I personally like Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in A Minor. Or any of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

[Joe_Steeler]

Another vote for Vivaldi.

[Tashtego]

I like Vivaldi too, I have 2 favorite recordings of the 4 seasons, an I Musici recording on Philips and a Gill Shaham on Duetsche Grammophon.

Bach - Partitas, again on Philips, Arthur Grammiaux.

Bach - Concertos, Kennedy with the Berlin Philharmonic. on EMI. I hated his stylized 4 seasons but I liked this.

Maybe someone else can suggest some specific Beethoven, Mozart and Saint-Saens recordings.

[Stinkbug]

Violin is my second favorite instrument. I love Paganini's 24 Caprices played by Itzak Perlman. It isn't a quartet, but it is great!

[thetroy]

Do you mean classical or "Classical"?

[Nazgul]

Vivaldi - 4 Seasons
Paganini - Caprice no 24
Johann Sebastian Bach- Gavotte en Rondeau (from lute suite 4) BWV 1006a

[black cherry]

I personally like baroque style music. See if you can find a compilation CD of baroque music and take it from there? You'll soon find certain composers that you like to sound/ style of. I like Bach myself.

Also, virtuosity doesn't mean playing fast and there's lots of beautiful music played at medium to slower tempos.

By the way, anybody knows what BWV stands for? Something german I bet.

[Baum83]

Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, German for "Bach works register" (register, catalogue, whatever). Same goes for Mozart (KV, Köchel-Verzeichnis/Köchel-register/catalogue) and many other composers. Here's a listing in German, but it shouldn't pose any problems as there's just the register name and the appropriate composer in one line: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werkverzeichnis

[black cherry]

Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, German for "Bach works register" (register, catalogue, whatever). Same goes for Mozart (KV, Köchel-Verzeichnis/Köchel-register/catalogue) and many other composers. Here's a listing in German, but it shouldn't pose any problems as there's just the register name and the appropriate composer in one line: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werkverzeichnis

Thanks! I'd always wondered about that.

[Shawn Lutz]

Violin is my second favorite instrument. I love Paganini's 24 Caprices played by Itzak Perlman. It isn't a quartet, but it is great!

+ a million although I don't play violin I love the thing.

I have an album wiht Itzak Perlman on violin and John Williams on classical guitar, just two players and its insane...great stuff.

I love anything by vivaldi and bach.

Also dont overlook cello cncertos...they rock as well

[horns666]

Uli Jon Roth.

[quiksilver]

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I have been checking out some of your recommendations on iTunes. I found a CD of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Itzhak Perlman playing Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" which is just fantastic, and I think I will start with that. This is going to be fun!

[straycat]

After you get over the lust for "classical"violin music try listening to Papa John Creech.His style is more modern say 30s-40s style but he is/was (not sure he is still around) a monster player.Such feeling and tone in his music.
I saw him when he played as opening act for Jefferson Airplane as they were morphing into Jefferson Starship.
Marty Balin and Papa John did some off the wall stuff like "Over the rainbow"Sonny boy"and some well known blues songs its was a trip watching a thin frail black man just rip up the violin.
He did hammer ons pull offs and made the violin talk kind of like Steve Via does on guitar.Truly amazing.

[straycat]

Looks like he died in 94 at the age of 77. There is 1 tune on you tube "over the rainbow".He did 2 solo records and they are killer.Very good stuff.He played with Hot Tuna for a while as well.