Synthesizers and Classical Music

My first piece i learnt on Piano was Moonlight Sonata which just so happens to be Look Mom No Computers upload recently done on electronic gear. Of course Wendy Carlos did switched on Bach and Clockwork Orange soundtrack. Have you tried or know of any others?

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A few years ago I saw Adrian Utley, Will Gregory and some other guys doing a sort of Q&A and playing selected parts from Switched On Bach amongst other stuff. It was the RNCM here in Manchester. Not sure if they did any others or if it was filmed but that had quite a bit of classical stuff going on. Really good evening too.

Edit. I think it was this performance. Deffo looks like the same line up

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How cool is that. :slight_smile:

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Clair de Lune Debussy

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someday i’ll finish sort of M.S. cover version, i.e. M.S. re-written in phrygian/phrygian dominant scales.

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this combination has always sounded extremely cheesy and embarrasing to me

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Why?

this album must be mentioned in this thread for whatever reason:

I don’t know! I get the same feelings of embarrassment as with symphonic metal, or like metal with operatic vocals.

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Ah i see. :slight_smile:

Carlos is a big exception, but most classical synth stuff seems to be basically meme music. You’ve heard Beethoven, now listen to ELECTRIC BEETHOVEN! (Again, Carlos did masterful work in Clockwork Orange which few approach)

I think a deep understanding of classical performance techniques - not just what is written on the scores - and diligent synth programming is required to make something that doesn’t sound low-effort.

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Like even that Schulze album with classical music is just bad. I just don’t think it works.

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Am I missing the point mentioning Phillip Glass, Johan Johannsson, Max Richter, and all those types of composer, who’ve made use of synths in “classical” music, are you asking specifically about renditions of music written for classical instruments transposed to synths?

EDIT: for example the bass synth in Floe on glassworks

This is how I understood it. Naturally synths in classical music are fine if the work was composed with synth in mind. I was talking more of the lines of Wendy Carlos or Schulze playing Beethoven on a Minimoog.

On the other hand I would love to hear some old organ music played with two Lyras.

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Ah, ok. In that case maybe the best I can think of is Max Richter’s Vivaldi Recomposed…but that is more electronic music techniques, than obvious synth usage…I think I might be agreeing with you.

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But they weren’t around in Beethovens day. And if they were whose to say Beethoven wouldn’t have used them. Especially Bach who used rigid time structures.

There’s plenty of modern classical composers who compose for synths, or incorporate synths with traditional classical instruments. No idea if Beethoven would have composed for synths. Sounds like a discussion i’m too sober for.

A forgotten gem, and astonishingly done entirely with a VCS3. It must have taken ages.

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That one comes to my mind, sounds kinda video-gamey in some good way.

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Just with a Putney? People struggle to get anything out of it at all. Yes amazing !

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