Gluck, the always overlooked master!

So I have noticed that Opera tends to be somewhat sidelined in this forum, which is sad because so much symphonic, orchestral, and chamber music derived from Opera. What would Beethoven's fifth have been had the trombone not first been introduced in opera? But I digress, and come to you with a question, albeit a hard one.

Gluck is a great operatic master, and anyone with any exposure to opera will surely have heard some of his music. I'm wondering what some of your favorite Gluck pieces are? A personal favorite of mine is "J'ai perdu mon Eurydice" from Orphée et Eurydice, a masterful aria that I recommend to everyone... not to mention the rest of the opera, which is a true masterpiece!

You'r obviously right Gluck is beeing overlooked, i played some of his very beuatiful pieces in clarinet arrangment i think some menuets or something...

Gluck is a schmuck.



No, just kidding! Actually, I have not heard his music. I will have to try it out.

How did I miss this?

Gluck is a schmuck

Actually, it would be Gluck is a schmook...but that doesn't make any sense.

He's another one who gets overshadowed by the "greater" composers of the 18th Century. And so much of his music is really lovely, but it's so very classical, refined and restrained that most people nowadays don't get very excited about his stuff. So he gets marginalised. Not fair.

I've never understood why so many people think music needs to be exciting and earth-shattering and fantasmagorical to be good anyway.

Does anyone have any thoughts on that?

Originally posted by J. Lee Graham@Aug 23 2005, 02:07 PM
[b]I've never understood why so many people think music needs to be exciting and earth-shattering and fantasmagorical to be good anyway.

Does anyone have any thoughts on that?

As I sit here listening to Gluck, I ask myself the same question. Does anyone have an answer? Gluck's music is delightful, uplifting, and beautiful in the truest, Mozartian, sense of the word. I love it!!!

Just listend to his Reigen Seliger Geister, thats the piece i played (in an arragment for a clarinet). A piece of incredible beauty.