So I was trying to think of some really smart, trendy but not too trendy band I could lift up and thereby be cool by association, but I realized that it was pretty much pointless. So, I'll say this.
Classical music rocks.
Right now I'm on this huge late romantic - early 20th century kick. Everyone should listen to some Stravinsky, some Hindemith, some Debussy, some Dvorák, and some Bartok. If anyone wants suggestions that may not fall into these composers, accumulate the following list.
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring
Hindemith - Viola Sonata
Ravel - Tzigane
Debussy - anything
Dvorák - any of the symphonies or violin sonatas. It's all good.
Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra, Romanian Folk Dances, Violin rhapsodies, etc
Walton - Viola Concerto
Franck - Violin Sonata (should be in d minor, I think)
Rimsky Korasakov - Capriccio Espagnol
Grieg - Piano Concerto, String Quartet
Shostakovich - Cello Concerto, String Quartets no. 2 and 8, symphony no. 1
It's a pretty small list, as far as classical music goes, but it's pretty ambitious. The average listener may have heard of one or two of these composers, but to be really familiar with them is pretty sweet. I really recommend the smaller pieces like the Viola Sonata (Hindemith) or the Tzigane. They're almost definitions of the era and culture they were written in, as well as sounding pretty sweet.
If I have time, I may take one of these apart and review it by itself, but I doubt it. I feel pretty inadequate to express any of these pieces in words.
