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Classical music with strong hooks

Kira's Mom said:
Also: Fanfare for the Common Man-
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which would lead to the version played by Emerson Lake & Palmer. There's a clip of them playing it at Montreal Olympic stadium on youtube.

In fact a number of classical pieces ended up in the ELP repetoire over the years include a complete version of Mugorsky's Pictures at Exhibition.
 
Not sure I agree with your use of the words "irredeemably low-brow" but anyway... ;)

Probably know them, but more Bach full of extremely catchy tunes: Brandenburg Concertos. Second movement of Beethoven's 7th.

Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras 5 maybe.

Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for strings; possibly a bit long but has one hell of a tune in it.

The Piano Concerto by Nyman is based on the music he wrote for the film The Piano, so if you liked that sound track you'll probably like The Piano Concerto.

May be too discordant and long for you, dunno, but seeing as everyone else is suggesting stuff outside your specifications such as gigantic Romantic symphonies, I think Messiaen's Trois Petites Liturgies de la Présence is full of very catchy stuff; particularly the second movement.
 
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Copeland-Hoedown, Fanfare For the Common Man

ELP- art rock interpretations, as mentioned above, and interesting approachs to old favorites.

ELO-In the Hall of the Mountain King-very interesting version

King Crimson-Prince Rupert's Awakening

and the Overture from the Jesus Christ Superstar is fairly impressive.
 
Speaking of Elgar, if anyone can get hold of his Symphony no. 1 in A flat, do so. It's stirring stuff. :bolian: (Incidentally, I've always imagined the entire symphony as a musical interpretation of the original Star Wars trilogy [or, rather, the films being a motion picture interpretation of the symphony, of course] - listen to it and you might feel the same way too. ;))

Also spine-tinglingly full of hooks is Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F - not as well known as "Rhapsody in Blue" or "An American In Paris" or his "I Got Rhythm" variations, but it's my personal favourite Gershwin piece.

Ah yes. Variations. The best of which by far are Brahms's "Variations on a theme by Haydn" (arguably the first "remix"? ;)) and Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini" (my all time favourite piano/orchestra work - and the Paganini original is in itself a masterpiece of violin virtuosity).

Deckerd said:
I'm a sucker for piano works, since they tend to have lots of hooks. Beethoven's PC 5 'Emperor'; Grieg's of course;
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I like the ELO version of Grieg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ8oMav1Yq8 :bolian:

Tchaik PC 1 is perhaps the definitive hook music of all time
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... best heard in the original Monty Python: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvpALlP_7lE :guffaw:

and Rach PC 2 if you're trying to romance a ladeee.
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Sadly, all my attempts at such a feat have been but a Brief Encounter, leaving me All By Myself in the end. :(

Although speaking of Rach, his Symphony 2 has a lot of neat hooks throughout (apparently all based on one main long theme, which I never really got into) as well as some shamelessly sentimental moments - listen to the third movement and cry. :devil:

And, of course.... Sibelius 5... :adore:
 
I once conducted a scientific experiment whereby I dropped some bagpipes, an accordion, and a viola out of a 20 storey building, to see which would hit the ground first.


The result?









Who cares? :p
 
We should also remember that not all modern takes on the classics have been succesful. Japanese sythnasist Isao Tomita did a version of the Holst's The Planets in the mid 70s which did not sit well with Holst's heirs and they got the release pulled at the time.
 
Jadzia said:
Zion Ravescene said:
"Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2" - Franz Liszt
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I like the Tom and Jerry version of that. To get the animated finger movements over the correct keys in time with the music must have been quite an effort. :)
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It was an amazing version. :) Incidentally, I also loved "What's Opera, Doc?" :D

But it's one thing to play the right notes... another thing entirely to play them in the right order:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP8TUe993uo[/yt]

:guffaw:


Jadzia said:
Well if anyone can, Canon can. :bolian:
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Speaking of cans, would any of them happen to be a can of Suppe?

"Leichte Kavallerie" Overture - Franz von Suppe
 
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Thanks for all the suggestions folks. It's going to take me some time to work through these choices; thank goodness for YouTube! :)
 
Carmen Suite No 1



Sabre Dance



The Ride of the Valkyries




In the Hall of the Mountain King



O Fortuna



1812 Overture
 
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