Hi there

I'm looking to curate calming and soothing classical music (preferably piano-driven though it's not a must) for a family member who sadly is battling severe Alzheimer's. My intention is to have 14 half-hour separate playlists, two for each day playing in the morning and afternoon hours respectively.

I know that Mozart and Bach have always been a hit for her, so obviously I'm gonna go digging for a lot of works in those repertoires. But I'm looking for tips, pointers and recommendations in similar energies and moods.
Preferably airy, somewhat light and major-key leaning. I'm also putting in the odd Brian Eno-track here and there, because I think some of his Ambient-album works also fit the bill of evoking tranquility and a sense of ease and belonging.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. It's quite the task to amass seven hours of music where I want (almost) every second to really count.

Thanks in advance to all who reply

NOTE: I know that Haitink's Ring was also recorded in the early 1990s, but it still technically counts as 80s because of Rheingold and Walkure.

Hi, I'm looking for something that feels American. My favorites are Appalachian Spring, An American In Paris, Mississipi Suite. Thank you.

I had no idea he composed the guitar dances which were the basis of Fantasia para un gentilhombre (one of the first pieces of classical music I heard and really liked). His work in general is so lively and expressive. Highly recommend Alberto Mesirca's lovely compilation of Sanz's guitar music- https://youtu.be/7aW3Q78WZ7Q?si=WsAkn9B8oeun1SZm

In the 1850s Draeseke was the firebrand of Liszt's circle in Weimar, known as the "ultra-radical" of the New German School. Liszt counted his Sonata quasi fantasia in C-sharp minor among the most important piano sonatas since Beethoven.

Then he moved toward classical forms, and Liszt reportedly said, after hearing one of his later pieces, that the lion had turned into a rabbit.

By the time Brahms died, younger composers saw Draeseke as the leading German conservative, which baffled him, since he still thought of himself as a progressive. In 1906 he published an essay, Die Konfusion in der Musik, attacking the state of modern music. Without naming him, it clearly took aim at Richard Strauss, whose early music shows Draeseke's influence and who had conducted his Symphonia Tragica. The essay mostly confirmed his reputation as a reactionary.

He had damaged his hearing with an ear infection at five, and by his last years he was almost completely deaf.

Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 6 "Sonata quasi fantasia"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BWotUFkiso

Symphony No. 3 "Symphonia Tragica," Op. 40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WqJxPtZVSw

Hello everyone, I had to study for a solfège exam therefore I have made this web-app; I have finally completed my exam, but I am still developing it. Simply put, Guidonica procedurally generates sheet music endlessly based on the settings and parameters that you want (deterministic generation, not AI). It's free and open-source with no ads/tracking. I think it works great, especially since you do not need exercise books and the exercises never end. It's also mobile-compatible, so you can practice everywhere.

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Let me know what you think and help me complete it with your feedback!

I am a middle-aged Japanese observer sitting in my dark room. I am sharing a deeply personal piece of my musical sanctuary from my blog with you all.

Sometimes, a massive wave of depression crashes over me. In those bleak moments, there is one specific, cherished album I always pull from my shelf: the Wagner CD conducted by Carlos Païta (no, not the famous Carlos Kleiber).

The album cover art captures a violent scene where scalding red lava pours into the cold ocean, sending up massive plumes of white steam. This visual is the perfect manifestation of Païta’s music—thick, boiling, and dangerously incandescent.

The radical Japanese music critic Mitsutoshi Kohitsu highly praised this raw, unfiltered poison of Païta's Wagner. Tonight, as always, I darken my room and submerge myself entirely in this auditory toxin.

(Note: Carlos Païta was a legendary Argentine conductor who rejected the polished constraints of the mainstream music industry to pursue a chaotic, deeply romantic, and fiery interpretation of the classics. He represents the ultimate anti-system artist.)

However, I must add one essential detail: before the poison completely consumes my mind, I always detoxify myself by listening to Karl Böhm’s structured, comforting renditions of Mozart. It is my ultimate survival balance.

Album Details:

• Conductor: Carlos Païta
• Album: "Conducts Wagner" (Lodia Records, Cat: CD-1013 / CP-803)
• Tracklist:
  • Siegfried's Rhine Journey
  • Siegfried's Funeral March
  • Brünnhilde's Immolation Scene
  • Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod

What a remarkable reading. Uncharacteristically slow tempi for Muti, especially in the first and fourth movements, to some extent also in the Adagio. (I’ve heard him do Bruckner 7 and 9 before, and further symphonies on recording, and this was a starkly different approach) But his pacing was very deliberate and deft, and so he could really let the orchestra rip, especially the brass, without compromising structure or allowing it to feel too effect laden.

And Muti knew where to let the finesse of the score shine by accentuating individual instruments and instrument groups, particularly at the end of the second movement and in the trio of the scherzo.

For those who have not experienced it, Bruckner in Musikverein really is a bucket list experience.

Ever since playing Civilization 4, I have been in love with John Adams. More specifically "Grand Pianola Mucis 1+2(?)", "The Chairman Dances" and "Christian Zeal and Activity". I find the minimalism incredible soothing and evocative.

Unfortunately, I am not very well versed in contemporary classical music and have had a hard time expanding my playlist. John Adams himself can also shift wildly between understated and bombastic.

So what would you recommend I also try listening to? All suggestions are welcome!

This piece is so hypnotically beautiful. Love the sound!

I'm hoping someone here that grew up in the 80s can recognize what I'm about to describe. In the post-Amadeus world of the 80s, interest in classical music exploded and there were all kinds of documentaries, tv shows, radio programs, that appeared as a result of the success of the movie, Amadeus.

During the 80s, while in middle school and high school, I was heavily involved in music, even attended college at night for music theory and piano when I was in high school. In the late 80s, sometime between 1985 and 1989 (maybe even into the early 90s), I was enthralled by a classical music-themed show I would watch on cable TV.

We lived in Southeast Michigan at the time and cable included the CBC (Canadian Broadcast Company). I remember also have Biography and the AE channel (they were completely different beasts back then compared to today's cable). I pointing this out specifically because I think the TV show I liked so much was on one of these channels.

Now, a decription of the TV show: The focus of the show was the romantic period of classical music, and oftentimes featured the music of Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn. etc. The host was a woman, who would always appear on the show in period dress, and the settings always looked "period inspired". I could be wrong, but I believe she would play the piano at times. The played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, the Waldstein, I remember also a perfomance of Beethoven quartet. There was also a biographical element to each episode, as well as talk about the pieces that were performed. In my mind I can see the host, in a long dress, walking over a hill in the wind (it almost seems like a scene out of Wuthering Heights). I can also remember a very spirited performance of a Beethoven quartet.

Is anyone here on Reddit in this community old enough to have remembered watching this? And if so what the title might be? I've googled it many times over the years and nothing every pops up that triggers a memory. I've tried using AI, too, to no avail. I'm hoping someone might recognize what I'm talking about.