I was always into classical music and opera because I played the piano as I went through school and was very interested in Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals and stuff like that. That changed into heavy metal at around the age of 14 or 13, and I dropped the piano and started to play the guitar.
For me, electronic music is the classical music of the 21st century.
The origins of Indian classical music, not unlike their western counterparts, lie in the Vedas, the ancient Hindu scriptures of 2,000 years ago.
As a kid, I would listen to anything that had a live orchestra or ensemble playing, so that covered everything from show tunes to eclectic jazz things to film soundtracks to classical music. They’re all inspiring to me.
Generally, we tend to believe that royalty is only for mainstream Hindi commercial cinema music and maybe some popular ghazal singer or pop singer but we never think that classical music is played at so many places.
Classical music requires an immense amount of concentration, and I don’t know if I would’ve been that committed to that particular life.
There’s certainly no doubt that commercialism has entered classical music to such a degree that almost no one seems to care anymore about the physical and mental health of the performer.
For me, I’m way more at home in heavy metal than I am in classical music.
I listen to classical music when I need to relax. It depends a lot on mood.
I have loads of issues with the way classical music is presented. It has been too reverential, too ‘high art’ – if you’re not in the club, they’re not going to let you join. It’s like The Turin Shroud: don’t touch it because it might fall apart.
At a certain point, I became a kind of musician that has tunnel vision about jazz. I only listened to jazz and classical music.
A lot of people may not know how competitive it is to play classical music, because when you think about it, the music that you’re playing is music that’s been here for years. And all you’re trying to do is improve upon it when you play.
I was able to learn a new language – a new musical language is learning a new language, because it’s so extremely different from Western classical music. African music is completely different.
I grew up with classical music blasting in my parents’ living room and my older brother’s practicing saxophone in his room listening to jazz… a beautiful chaos.
I come from a very strenuous, strict, disciplined classical music background. My grandfather, noted Carnatic classical exponent Dr. Sripada Pinakapani, was a Padma Bhushan recipient.
I love listening to classical music.
Classical music in Venezuela is now something like a pop concert. You can see people screaming or crying because they don’t have a ticket.
When I was young, I played the piano and studied classical music and jazz. I wanted to be a concert pianist, and if I’d devoted myself to it, I could have been. But it would have been too much work and a very lonely life.
We are working on organising classical music festivals in a bid to promote qawwali there and produce films that promote music. Perhaps people lack the talent as yet, but at least there’s a stable platform available to promote this as an art form.
You’re now getting a new breed of people like Il Divo and Andrea Bocelli and I think that’s why people feel less intimidated by classical music than they once did.
I like – I actually love classical music very much.
I’m a self-taught guitarist, but I have a classical music background.
I love singing jazz. I don’t like the idea that classical music should be over here and jazz should be someplace else. It’s all wonderful, and we should be open to enjoying it all.
I love gentle, gorgeous classical music such as Mozart.
I’d like to explode a few myths about what we call classical music. It’s not high art for the titillation of a chosen few.
Musical themes developing is a lot of what classical music is based on, and exposition and recapitulation – these kinds of things I find oppressive.
For me, let’s keep jazz as folk music. Let’s not make jazz classical music. Let’s keep it as street music, as people’s everyday-life music. Let’s see jazz musicians continue to use the materials, the tools, the spirit of the actual time that they’re living in, as what they build their lives as musicians around.
I love classical music and have been playing violin since I was seven. Music helps me to express feelings in a way words often cannot.
Ilaignan,’ the script of which has been penned by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, is a period film that is set in the romantic era of classical music. You will find Western classical music mixed with our Indian melodies.
Indian classical music was born when time barely existed. It developed further within the structures of royal courts and a system of patronage where the ruler or the feudal master determined all.
I love classical music. It’s my stabiliser.
We have to go and show these people what classical music is. We say sometimes that classical music has a small audience, but it’s because people don’t have the chance to be closer to it.
I’ve got this diverse education, growing up in classical music and existing between that and music that is more visceral, so for sure, I’ve always been interested in music from other cultures.
I grew up with classical music when I was a ballet dancer. Now when I have to prepare an emotional scene, to cry or whatever, I listen to sonatas. Vivaldi and stuff. It’s just beautiful to me.
Once, the arts were opera, ballet, classical music, and everything else deemed highbrow.
Me, who’s educated classically, I went toward rock music ’cause it was sort of a natural evolution from where I was playing with my brother. But I was always drawn back into classical music.
I think that’s one of the things that has always put me in kind of an odd niche. It’s that all of my understanding of orchestral music is via film, not via classical music like it’s supposed to be. To me it’s the same, it doesn’t make any difference.
I don’t know if it’s a sign of all the chaos that is happening out there or not, but I’ve lately craved the structure and order of classical music, the balance and symmetry.
I listen to old jazz and classical music, and that’s it.
I had been exposed to classical music my whole life; even before I was born.
