Classical Music for the Film Music Fan

There is that one American tune heard often in the first movement.

Swing Low, Swing Chariot

"There's a great write-up of how Dvorak came to the United States. He was lured to America by a patroness of music with a promise of a huge salary. One of his students was a black musician by the name of Henry Thacker Burleigh. Burleigh introduced the Negro spiritual to Dvorak (purportedly Swing Low, Sweet Chariot). It was in Black and Native American music that Dvorak believed America could find and develop its musical heritage. This was the inspiration for his ninth symphony."

source: http://themeandvariations.blogspot.com/ … phony.html

All of what you say about Dvorak and Burliegh is true. If you want to say that in some cases that Copland used folk material, the Shaker melody in Appalachian Spring/United Airline theme being quite famous, as did Dvorak for his ninth I'll agree. Copland also used Mexican material in Rodeo and Billy Kid as he spent a year there. But we don't agree on the fact that Copland sounds anything like Dvorak at all. The Red Pony for your information was all original.
Thomas

I have and enjoy those pieces David though its been awhile since I've listened to them.

Add Holst to the list of composers to listen to especially if you enjoy Newman, Steiner.

The problem is getting people to really listen and give classical music a chance. Many just avoid it.

The average person has little or no interest. How many of you have any interest in the new Tribute Film Classic release of Steiner's "Charge of the Light Brigade?" A few but very few. How many are interested in getting the new Holst release from Chandos? Maybe a couple of you. Last night playing Scrabble I had to tell Maureen (and remember she is trying to be interested because of me) the name of every classical piece on the CD we had on.

That said, an above average number of oft-posting members -in all age brackets!- here has an above average knowledge of, insight in and preference for classical music, as has been tested and proven time and again.

I see its ok for everyone else to get a little off topic. but not me.

Well at least we know you have a high opinion of us.

A compilation of modern classical music that I think film music lovers would engage with:

1. Meister Eckhardt and Quackie (John Adams) from Harmonielehre (10:35)
2. Night of the Flying Horses (Osvaldo Golijov) from Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra (7:30)
3. Veni Creator Spiritus (Ross Edwards) (15:30)
4. Shadow Dances (Nigel Westlake) (12:32)
5. Movement II (Philip Glass) (8:30) from Violin Concerto
6. Beloved, Do Not Let me be Discouraged (Colin Jacobson) (10:34) (perf: Brooklyn Rider, Kayhan Kalhor)
7. Tree Dance (Christopher Gordon) (3:00) (source piece composed for Mao's Last Dancer)
8. Tarantella (Elliot Goldenthal) from the ballet Othello (14:16)
9. Tenebrae II (Osvaldo Golijov) (6:50) (perf: Kronos Quartet)
10. Ambush from Ten Sides - for Pipa, Sheng, Guitar, Cello and Orchestra (Traditional, arr. Silk Road Ensemble) (12:09)

All pieces are meant to be post-1980. It could do with some Reich, Ades, Turnage, Corigliano, and others, but it's not a bad starter, I think.

I refer you back to page 1 and Steven's original idea for this thread which was to be a bit more decriptive than just publishing a list Michael, as indeed you have done on other pages here.

I see there's a CD of him conducting both The Scythian Suite and Alexander Nevsky

It don't get better than that.....

I. MUST. HAVE.

I tend to think that the choices speak for themselves.

I do see your point. It's the 'how useful is a list?' question, and I've got to agree, it's not as useful for the reader as an extended discussion. Seriously though, would enough people read the post to justify the 30 minutes spent typing the longer version of that post? I've elaborated in the past in some threads to no response.