Introducing friends to classical music

[OboeKing]

Has anybody ever tried to get a friend who doesn't listen to classical music to like and enjoy it? If so, whether successful or unsuccessful, post your stories here!

Mine is quite a successful one. My friend hadn't listened to or heard much classical music in his life. So when me and a couple of others were off to see a concert of various Handel pieces, I invited him along. He was particularly taken with Zadok the Priest. He said shivers were being sent up and down his spine.

With this in mind, I copied Beethoven's 9th symphony for him. He absolutely loved it.

The thing that really amused me was the way he described what he saw going on in his head with each movement. In the second movement he said he could imagine little fairies and pixies being chased by monsters and gouls and goblins. This totally fresh description made me see the work in a whole new light. I find it totally amazing what different people can see and hear from the same notes.

After introducing him to the other great symphonies, the piano concertos and basically all the really well known works, he is fast becoming a major beethoven enthusiast. He's trying to find as many cd's of different beethoven pieces as he possibly can. He may even be more into Beethoven now than I am!

Well that is my successful story. Just a shame the rest of my friends arent as open minded and willing to try new things!

Regards,
Michael.

[Joy]

You're friend certainly is open minded. Good for him! He's in for a lot of beautiful listening! As for me I haven't had such luck with my friends who are not into it and really don't care to listen to it when I'm around so I don't even bother. My young nephew, on the other hand, is a quite different story. A couple of years ago he got interested in my piano playing and the pieces I was playing, then he got interested in the music I was listening too so we have another classical music lover in the family much to my enjoyment. So he's my success story.

Joy

[Sorrano]

I've had a couple of friends who caught on to what I was listening to. One of them changed his major at the university to vocal performance and was and became involved in the Opera productions.

[Javax]

I got my mum to actually listen to the cd's she already had, by taking her to the Symphony (9th).
Otherwise no luck. No luck at all. But I'm going to keep trying.

[TJJ]

Tried to get the wife to partake an outdoor classical concert at Tanglewood last summer. She thought it was a very nice venue with the nicely groomed grounds in the heart of the Berkshire Mts. However that was about all she liked. I think she was quite bored. All trips afterwards were solo.

[mspaceray]

I have had some small success recently with Beethoven's later string quartets.My husband enjoyed them (or said he did ,perhaps he was just being polite)we have listened to them a few times now while we spring clean.