Help finding similar music

Hi all

Up until now I've never been intrested in Classical and instead stuck to predominately electronic and acoustic music. I have no bias and I listen and like what I can enjoy and appreciate so my musical tastes are quite varied.

I say I wasn't intrested in classic but very recently I was introduced to a wonderful track written by Ralph Vaughan Williams called 'The Lark Ascending' performed by Hillary Hahn and the London Symphony Orchestra. Quite magical track that really takes you away. I have since also got another rendition of this same track from, and I hope I have this right, the English String Orchestra. Its quite interesting to compare the two, one has more gusto than the other but both are equally compelling.

I'd really like more of this type of small but intimate and ethereal music. Can anyone recommend similar tracks? I'm not yet ready for the full blown Orchestral movements or whatever they're referred to as, they're just too much hardwork at this minute!

Can someone also explain the meaning of

Andante
Allegro molto
Tempo di menuetto
Allegro con spirito
Presto
Rondeau. Allegretto grazioso

Thanks
Ant

 

I'd suggest you look at www.allmusic.com and you'll find you're looking at late romantic style, I think. Perhaps try a piece also very famous but slightly earlier, and "chamber" in scale like you seem to want - Transfigured Night by Schoenberg. Don't be put off by the name if you've already heard of him - it's probably from before what you expect. If you can get into it, you'll find you have an entrée into a lot of interesting stuff. You could follow that up by watching/listening to the soundtrack of a great film - Being John Malkovitch

BTW the phrases are simply indications of how fast pieces should be performed - you can find them in an online music dictionary.

 

Small, intimate (with some emotional outbursts in the middle sections), only piano playing, no full blown orchestral sound .... yet not "this type" : the Nocturnes of Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849).
Examples of refined playing, without mannerism: Nikita Magaloff (Philips) and Livia Rév (Hyperion).
But of course, probably the best recommendation in Chopin anyhow, the best advice is the great Arthur Rubinstein, (remastered at RCA Records, for The Rubinstein Collection).

 

Marc and Steve, thank you for your recommendations. I will seek these out.

On other note I bought Delius and Elgar Violin Concertos performed by Yehudi Menuhin and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Its also very good.

 

I think you might like Rick Wakeman's - Night Music