Well, @avclub-e129a878f7b0e5aa9ac09e0282f64ea6:disqus , I have to admit, I wasn't going to go as far as contesting the etymology of the word centuries after it's relevancy.

Well, @avclub-e129a878f7b0e5aa9ac09e0282f64ea6:disqus , I have to admit, I wasn't going to go as far as contesting the etymology of the word centuries after it's relevancy.

1. Bartender at university pub who wrote down her name on a piece of paper the first night I was in there.
2. Guy at the San Diego Public Library who always sits at my favourite desk except on Wednesdays.
3. Spanish (as in, from Spain) Lit professor who, along with a whole group of people, wants me to read the Communist…

1. Bartender at university pub who wrote down her name on a piece of paper the first night I was in there.
2. Guy at the San Diego Public Library who always sits at my favourite desk except on Wednesdays.
3. Spanish (as in, from Spain) Lit professor who, along with a whole group of people, wants me to read the Communist…

Please do listen to Villa-Lobos, especially his Choros series and his Bachianas Brasileiras. His symphonies and string quartets are also very good, and he has enough solo piano and guitar pieces to last you for a while. He is absolutely worth the time it takes to become familiar with his oeuvre.

I agree with your break-down of the development of his symphonic style, at least based on my listening experiences. "Babi Yar" really is a turning point, not just an interlude. It took me a while to warm up to #14, but I enjoy it even more than a few of his more standard symphonies.
As for his tendency to go big, even…

Cool, I'll get on that. Hey, can you tell me your opinion on Shostakovich's String Quartets, based on the recordings you've listened to. I've only ever listened to the Emerson and the Fitzwilliam recordings (I own the latter) but I found that they are both very apt and competent in different ways and on different…

I hope you mean the newer, slightly cheaper edition of the boxed set. In any case, I'm completely on-board (until I get enough scratch to get it). As for the live 14th, when I was looking for it on Amazon, I found one which is conducted by Rostropovich released by Russian Revelation, and another one which is released…

My favourites, among others, are #7, #15, and #24. And I can sympathize with you on how out of character a few may seem, so I can appreciate the calm in the middle of the tumultuous and sometimes uneven oeuvre that is Shostakovich and a lot of 20th Century music.
Big props on listening to all of the symphonies, because…

Not to mention amber-berries, if you happen to swing that way.

Not to mention amber-berries, if you happen to swing that way.

Shostakovich's p's & f's are some of the most enjoyable and varied works that I listen to constantly. I'll usually listen to one of the discs while driving, or while working at home, but in almost any situation, they seem to put me in the best of moods. And, for the most part, I'm not as picky about the pianists…

I've had his Passio and Kanon lying around for ages, but I've never gotten down to giving them a second listen. I think that when it comes to Part, I couldn't get past Litany and Spiegel im Spiegel along with Credo. But I agree that it would have been interesting to see where he could go after that.

Thanks for your input. I need to get to listening to your recommendations, especially since I've been in kind of a rut lately.
As for my favourite piano works, I usually go by author, but there are some standout pieces like Scriabin's sonatas and poems, Villa-Lobos' Rudepoema (disqus keeps freaking out when I try to…

Nice one, @violincatherine:disqus . I've recently found Janine Jansen, and I was really digging her quieted formalism, but Oistrakh, who I'd never heard before, just blew me out of the water. I have to listen to more.

It's not my go-to example for this sort of topic, but then again, when do I ever get a chance to talk about this?

Thanks. I tend to exaggerate, and I believe you described my problem with him better than I did. There are certain pieces that were meant to be played at a break-neck speed, with a current of chords flying across the page, and then there are others which require an even hand, a tempered pinky, in short, more…

Alright, I've got something to ask, and if anyone can give me their opinion on this, then I will appreciate it. If not, I'll look elsewhere. 
I can't appreciate Marc Andre Hamelin. As much as I can try to understand that his technique and his virtuoso title are well-founded and well-earned, I cannot name any of his…

That's what I kept thinking the entire time. I think it's because of the weird, sharp design of their costumes and their irreverence that made me think of the 80's-heavy Regular Show.

That's what I kept thinking the entire time. I think it's because of the weird, sharp design of their costumes and their irreverence that made me think of the 80's-heavy Regular Show.