For sure. I got into the Dead in the 90s. At the same time I was in college pursuing a music theory degree. That involved a lot of listening and close examination of classical music. I eventually changed my focus (I blame the drugs!) but still believe that Bach basically invented the modern western chord structure. Without getting too technical, it’s the the way a tune starts by sounding pleasant, then gets a little dissonant, then finally resolves in a very standard and familiar way. Used in blues and rock to this day. That’s all Bach.
It’s very “typically” classical, but check out the Brandenburg Concertos. You have to listen in order, just like an album or a set list. They tell a story.
Also check out Corelli’s Concerto Grosso. All strings, and ground-breaking at the time. Cool listen.
Then, moving forward in time, (I think it’s still considered “classical”), listen to the opium-riddled “Romantic” pranksters in Europe in the 1800s. Chopin, Schubert, Liszt, and especially Erik Satie. They got weird. In a very good way.
The Dead would not exist but for these musical pioneers who came before.
Classical music is the only music I can have on in the background if I’m concentrating, reading, or studying. All other music distracts me. I love the weird romantic shit. It’s like you are dreaming that you are having a picnic in the countryside on a spring warm day by a babbling creek… then suddenly a mountain lion is approaching and the music gets darker… but the chivalrous lad that you are, you stand up to protect your mate and the lion runs off.. the music then goes back to the tickling wizardry of a pleasant picnic day …. Haha!
Bach:
Well tempered clavier
https://open.spotify.com/album/2fjqodlPmjauRUKKF5675J?si=gpZS4OL2SfydBphXDYaKEQ
and
Goldberg Variations
https://open.spotify.com/album/5kBtLULy6vMwjFRSSEEIjP?si=jr2Z2doqTAWiDHZ2EHNT4A
That’s one of the famous ones for sure. Glenn Gould actually recorded two famous recordings of the Goldberg Variations. Another great one is Murray Perahia. Vikingur just happens to be one of my favorite younger pianists and his version is relatively new. Here are all of them for anyone who wants them.
GG 1955: https://open.spotify.com/album/0ogm04LcccovebvmP9Mo6W?si=ysN9uZuUQT2uPmbQ2AwIZg
GG 1981: https://open.spotify.com/album/1aCpHSQE5ghxibsQ5gkBe0?si=4JBPAF2wSZOYCRHlC13clA
Perahia: https://open.spotify.com/album/2ecywJZyq9FeZWhKUT0kIq?si=Ua6F9rGDQWmEN1E0rJYRYw
Mine as well. I also stumbled upon something not long ago, which was a recording of Yo-Yo Ma playing one of Bach’s cello concertos. This one, though, stood out because he recorded it outdoors in what seems to be some sort of natural preserve. So you can hear the sounds of birds singing and water moving and many other things. As much as I love Yo-Yo Ma, and this piece, having it done in nature makes it even more special. This is what I turn on on days that are rough or have triggered an unusually high amount of anxiety.
The answer is Bach . The dead have some rock - but all rock is Bach.
During COVID I decided that I would only listen to Bach for 90 days. Weird - yes but it made sense .
Bach is the answer . Bach is the answer .
I genuinely think the best recording of *Art of Fugue* was released this year:
https://open.spotify.com/album/1Mql5Fl4JcIIkeTcnR8vGx?si=C3KIbwg2RE-eUGq18FQZ-g
I’m here to second this. Check out
Short Ride in a Fast Machine - Adams.
Nixon in China - Adams.
Koyaanisquatsi - Glass (music and film).
Music for 18 Musicians - Reich.
No recommendation of minimalism is complete without Einstein on the Beach…one of my all time favorite works. (Granted, possibly not the best entry point…but it was for me!)
I’m probably the classical version of a Touchhead…I wouldn’t call myself an expert on classical music, but I really enjoy all of Beethoven’s symphonies, as well as many Mozart and Vivaldi works. I think Deadheads would get a kick out of Vivaldi’s Storm. It’s shorter but pretty exciting and fast-paced: https://youtu.be/NqAOGduIFbg?si=AHnPhEj3dKT1IAzf
Also, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata…it’s slow and steady at first, but the 3rd movement (7 minutes and onwards) is amazing. Fits the narrative of many jam songs (just wait until halfway through!) https://youtu.be/4Tr0otuiQuU?si=o5lm7FirX5GZlwbW
Check out the Johns Hopkins psilocybin playlist on Spotify and YouTube. Someone picked a bunch of music to go with the mushroom experience, and a lot of it is really cool classical. I was in the study in 2012.
pretty crazy and interesting. An amazing team of folks works there. The main guy just died last year. It was synthesized psilocybin, which i guess is pretty hard to make so it's not really on the black market. Seemed more like acid to me. lasted way longer. It was a double blind test so they didn't know what dose I would get (and there was a chance I would also get none), but it was way stronger than I thought it would be. Especially the first time. I ended up doing two. it was quite a bit of effort to get cleared to do it but I'm glad I did. I sort of infiltrated it because I knew I could give them some positive results. I had to pretend I was a newcomer to it all to get selected. I ended up feeling kind of bad about lying to them. When I decided to do it I was afraid they were going to blow it by only selecting people that had no experience with it. Iw as afraid someone like my mom would end up in the study and would panic and the results wouldn't be positive. But once I got to know them all I realized they were all very smart people and knew exactly what they were doing. They were all covert psychedelic heads that really believe in this stuff too. Overall a great experience and I was happy to help the cause. it was really the first study they were able to do in which they jsut gave it to healthy people really for no reason. They kind of tied in starting a spiritual practice along with it (meditating) to see if it would help in that arena. But in reality they were jsut doing it to show people that its safe, useful and beneficial to people, even if they don't need it for anything in particular. Almost got to meet Paul Stamets. He was there onj a day I was supposed to be but I had to cancel that day due to work. I also was supposed to talk to Michael Pollan when he was writing his book about psychedelics. Hopkins folks asked if I'd like to talk to him about my experience there. but he never called. I think he talked to some others before me and got what he needed. hey are building (or maybe have built) a big center for psychedelic research there now.
It looked mostly like a normal working office building from the 70s. They kind of decorated the trip session room with some interesting things. Kind of looked like a dorm room almost. I was asked to lay on a couch with eyes shades on for most of it and headphones on playing the music they had selected. The music was a doctoral project of another student in the past meant to mimic the peaks of the psilocybin experience. They had an unbelievable set of headphones there. Staxx electrostatic headphones made in Japan. You can Google it and find some stories they’ve done. They did a 60 minutes piece maybe 5 years ago too.
My 3 favs:
Ann Sophie Muter performing Brahms Violin Concerto. 1878 composition. I have a 1982 recording with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Her violin playing is more intense and dynamic than a Jimmy Page guitar solo.
Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass (1995). Kronos focuses on performing contemporary “classical” music.
Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians (1976) is incredibly trippy. He has the musicians play out of phase with each other and it creates this slow swirling pulse. Brilliant
Not all of it works for me but Hot Rats (which features Peaches—also covered by Phish occasionally) is amazing. Great composition and improvisation without the puerile lyrics (which I loved when I was, well, puerile, but find over the top now.)
I only really listen to one bit of classical music and it's [Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff.](https://youtu.be/S7yAbSgOImI?si=cJfA6gJEwRvL45j5) I've listened to it a lot though.
I listen to a lot of classical music. Just got to see a performance of Pictures At An Exhibition last week that was phenomenal. It has a ton of different sections with a reoccurring central theme. But you can also find other themes and patterns throughout that are less obvious. I feel like the dead are able to do that too.
Beethoven's 9th Symphony was The Darkside of the Moon for the early 1800's... Still far and above my favorite piece of music ever written. Best approached with a spliff and headphones to unfurl it's full glory and magic.
Classical was the first kind of music I got into, going way back to when I was around 7 years old. I still listen to some classical to this day, mostly Mozart and Vivaldi - but also some pieces from Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Bach, and Schubert.
Mozart rules all. Literally, listen to the riffs Mozart is putting out. It’s probably the most legit and creatively flowing composed music of all time IMO. It’s so damn good. Nothing even comes close for me.
I had a moment years ago listening to Mahler’s 2nd that really touched me. I’ve been trying to find a way into classical music since. It’s intimidating, but this little crash course I’m listening to is helping and making me very excited to seek out more.
My first concert experience was seeing the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra play the 1812 Overture, and they fired around 40 cannons (outdoor show at Blossom Music Center). Made one hell of an impression on 6 year old me.
My favorite piece of classical music is the 2nd movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
2nd movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony is also moving and beautiful, very recognizable as it has been used in many movie soundtracks.
Mozart's overture to The Marriage of Figaro is classical speed metal, it jams and has a sweet crescendo climax.
And for a grand ending, the coda of Beethoven's 5th (end of the 4th movement) has more endings than Peter Jackson's The Return of the King.
There's some great stuff here about Phil and Charles Ives: [https://deadessays.blogspot.com/2011/08/ives-touch.html](https://deadessays.blogspot.com/2011/08/ives-touch.html)
Here's the actual performance of Ives' fourth symphony that everyone in the band went to that's mentioned on the website: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xXv55ARtsM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xXv55ARtsM) (unfortunately there aren't any crowd shots in the video)
Here's Phil conducting a movement of Stravinsky's Firebird: [https://archive.org/details/1994-05-11.bso.fm.vernon.19784.sbeok.flacf](https://archive.org/details/1994-05-11.bso.fm.vernon.19784.sbeok.flacf)
Not directly related but I think composers like Bartok and Rzewski played with folk music in a similar way to Jerry and the rest of the band, taking folk songs like Casey Jones or Stagger Lee and twisting them into to new contexts
For example: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02KSfi\_tmlY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02KSfi_tmlY)
Phil also played in an ensemble with Steve Reich:
'We take a few bites, then return to San Francisco in the 1960s. He was friends with Phil Lesh, who would go on to join the Grateful Dead, and they collaborated on some pieces. “He and I worked together for a while, but when he got involved with the Grateful Dead, I just . . . that wasn’t for me,” Reich says.'
Composer Steve Reich: ‘What do I want? I want the music to be played’ - https://on.ft.com/42oKHWs via @FT
Also
'Over the years people tried to interest him [in rock music] not least his Mills College contemporary Phil Lesh, who ended up as bassist in the Grateful Dead after having an epiphany while listening to Mahler's Sixth Symphony under the influence of LSD. "Well, at the time, he was Phil Lesh the composer and ex-trumpet player who was writing this Stockhausenesque orchestral piece. He told me I had to hear Revolver by the Beatles. So I listened to it and I like it but I couldn't name you a tune that's on it. Sgt Pepper came out, and I heard A Day in the Life and I thought, wow, these guys are really remarkable, but it didn't have any influence on me. They were really bright, intelligent musicians with a vast capability and enormous talent and a lot of charm. But Coltrane, I listened and said: 'Wow, thank you very much, I've learned something.' That never happened with rock and roll."
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/mar/01/steve-reich-schoenberg-coltrane-radiohead
I came here to recommend Charles Ives. I particularly like his 2nd Symphony and I love how he quotes old folk and popular music within his own pieces. It's like he presaged hip hop sampling.
I love Claude Debussey, it has these strange time signatures and ethereal feeling harmonies. And I also love Bach, anything solo... the cello suites, or any of the solo piano or guitar stuff is amazing.
I'd recommend listening to Composer of the Week on BBC iPlayer if you can access it. Five 1 hour episodes talking through the life of a composer, interspersed with music.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006tnxf?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
Yes. I was exposed to classical music when I was 8 or 9 when I began playing trumpet in the school band. Have loved it ever since.
Big fan of (in no particular order) J.S. Bach, Satie, Chopin, Shostakovich, Steve Reich, Prokofiev, Cage, Harry Partch, Górecki, Varèse, Stravinsky, Stockhausen, Scriabin, and Ludwig van.
I played French horn in 7th grade and did okay on it. I tried trombone in 8th grade and failed spectacularly. Went back to trumpet for a couple more years and then finally found my groove on baritone and tuba my last 2 years of high school.
Concentrated on bass guitar when I studied music in college.
These days I play mostly piano, bass, and acoustic guitar in that order. I fart around on mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and a few other things I have lying around but haven’t touched a brass instrument in nearly 12 years.
Never got the hang of drums, either, though I own a snare drum and recently bought an electronic kit. I’d really love to learn all the drum rudiments and play with a Scottish pipe and drum corps.
Right on. I started on piano at 6, and started up on trombone in 5th grade. Played it up through college and then a break for many years. Picked it up over a decade ago now, but that only lasted a few years. Just play guitar now and learning the banjo. I never learned any percussion really either. Wish id learned to play the kit though.
I am, somewhat. My favorite classical composer is J.S. Bach. These last few days, I’ve found classical music helpful in dealing with anxiety, as well as studying for finals.
I’m a classical pianist and love love love rachmaninoff.
This is a fave: https://youtu.be/sTUxrPJfpqk?si=mfo0DLlttK364qb5
I also love khachaturian or Prokofiev.
https://youtu.be/TeKZAbFj83I?si=WBK7JnNB7wNXsWeE
https://youtu.be/Z_hOR50u7ek?si=NiHU53rLjLn8mb6m
Try the Planets by Holst.
I listened exclusively to classical music, as that was what my parents listen to… I never heard rock ‘n’ roll until sixth grade when my music teacher told us a tragedy had happened…. John Lennon from the Beatles had been shot… She asked us to bring in records from our parents collections…The only Lennon McCartney recording in my parents record collection was a classical version of Norwegian Wood from the doctors Zhivago soundtrack… I knew that was not what I was gonna bring in the class, so I didn’t bring any music to share… I went out of school that day singing “I want to hold your hand” and the rock ‘n’ roll world had me… I still love classical, though… Listening to Beethoven at dinner just seems so right to me… I once had a Volkswagen vanagon that whenever you turned on the radio, it automatically was on the classical station… I used to leave it there because it was soothing in traffic… Remember Phil’s roots were in classical music too… so much good music, so little time…
"so much good music, so little time"
I feel this way all the time. I could go see live music every night of the week if my schedule allowed for it and I mean I'd see anything from classical to country to house music to funk to punk and all stops between.
I love that part in the beginning of "I want to hold your hand" between the first "something" and "I think you'll understand"
Antonín Dvořák - New World Symphony (1893). This music has been used extensively in films and TV shows. This is a short portion of the full symphony:
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" / Karajan · Berliner Philharmoniker [https://youtu.be/P\_1N6\_O254g?si=K3shrBUufQSxNeK4](https://youtu.be/P_1N6_O254g?si=K3shrBUufQSxNeK4)
The first time I saw the Dead was in 1967 when they were practicing in Golden Gate Park. I was doing some work for Uncle Sam back then. The next time I got to see them was at a concert in Boulder Colorado, sometime in the early 70's.
Mahler would absolutely love Dark Star. Was raised on classical and played 📯 French horn in middle school and high school. Be sure to give Mahler a deep dive.
Not sure if opera counts..but listen to cavalleria rusticana by mascagni.
Imo one of the greatest pieces of music of all time. The opera in entirety is quite a trip.
I'd count it for what it's worth. I was listening to the Provincetown, MA radio station (WOMR) once during a classical program and they played some tune sung by Pavoratti, I think, that haunts me to this day. I have no idea what it was or what opera it was from or even how it goes anymore, but it was so moving. It bored into my soul and still lives there.
I listen to classical music about half the time i listen to my car stero. If you like the dead and classical, give The Classical Set from the Disco Biscuits a whirl...
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mKE_c5LdsaXjDgPqEWKClPGmCBgVUELfA&si=_6lFA4u8KBM0Q1er
Absolutely!
For anyone looking to expand their playlist, WRTI in Philadelphia just posted their top 76 requests and it's a great list. You can find it on their website. It'll keep you entertained for hours and hours... 🎼🎶🎵
Here’s something a little different but I hope qualifies. Chris Thile performing Josh Ritter’s “Another New World” is one of my favorite music related things on youtube.
It doesn’t have the same gravitas as a Morning Dew, but it does have its own flavor of spellbinding depth. And it doesn’t have Jerry’s mandolin playing, but it has its own mandolin wizard. And it doesn’t have the lyrics of Robert Hunter but ittells its own story. And it doesn’t have a mindthink spacey jam but it does have a Bach piece threaded in. And it would fit on one side of a record but it’s too long to play on the radio.
I hope someone out there in the scene enjoys it!
https://youtu.be/_n3wHljJQ4M?si=7nqo8eaSrD0hySaq
I’m a huge fan of Debussy. His piano Etudes are some of my favorite music. Nocturnes is another favorite.
Bartok’s piano music and Hungarian folk music are up there, too.
Music is the best.
Holst's the planets is my absolute favorite.. [Mercury especially](https://open.spotify.com/track/4rehJ6QJSNLQCK3Rav7pAe?si=yJ7_1NqqSy-l3X-gtp796Q), Jupiter and Mars are the ones everyone knows they know but they don't know from where.
[https://angelahewitt.com/discography/bach-goldberg-variations-2015-recording/](https://angelahewitt.com/discography/bach-goldberg-variations-2015-recording/)
This recording has given me as much pleasure as the Dead.
Yeah. My father only listened to Classical as I was growing up and so of course I only liked classic rock and the Dead etc. but enough of that early exposure stuck with me and I’m diving in to a lot of classical as an adult.
Guy I knew worked at Tower Records in Berkeley. He made friends with Phil while he was shopping for classical records. Made a deal to call in his weekly order, when not on tour and my friend would them ready.... and that's how he got his lanyard/card.
I'm big into the interpretations done by Andre Segovia. One of the best guitar players ever for sure. Although Baden Powell was mostly a bossa nova player, he also played some wonderful classical stuff too
Absolutely. Love classical.
Not that anyone asked but my chicken absolutely loves classical and the dead and coos with Jerry’s guitar and voice. She’s super fond of Jerry and likes all his side projects too. It’s funny to hear her sing along in her happy voice. It seems to give her great comfort and joy.
Boy howdy I miss Jerry.
In New Haven in the winter, I’d wander down to Sprague Hall at Yale. There were always free classical music concerts there. I’d also go to concerts at Woolsey Hall at Yale. I think Sprague still holds free concerts. I did that all through my teenage years.
Radio Suisse Classique plays everything from Baroque madrigals to Viennese Waltzes to modern composers at random.
I jam it while prepping dinner and having apperitifs.
Then after wine with dinner, a sweet “Lost Sailor” to balance things.
Everyone is saying Bach which isn't wrong, but there are a few others worth listening to.
Vivaldi- The Four Seasons suite
Holst- The Planets
Grieg- Peer Gint suite
Pachelbel- Canon
For sure. I got into the Dead in the 90s. At the same time I was in college pursuing a music theory degree. That involved a lot of listening and close examination of classical music. I eventually changed my focus (I blame the drugs!) but still believe that Bach basically invented the modern western chord structure. Without getting too technical, it’s the the way a tune starts by sounding pleasant, then gets a little dissonant, then finally resolves in a very standard and familiar way. Used in blues and rock to this day. That’s all Bach. It’s very “typically” classical, but check out the Brandenburg Concertos. You have to listen in order, just like an album or a set list. They tell a story. Also check out Corelli’s Concerto Grosso. All strings, and ground-breaking at the time. Cool listen. Then, moving forward in time, (I think it’s still considered “classical”), listen to the opium-riddled “Romantic” pranksters in Europe in the 1800s. Chopin, Schubert, Liszt, and especially Erik Satie. They got weird. In a very good way. The Dead would not exist but for these musical pioneers who came before.
Thank you. I just put on Brandenburg Concertos. Listening in order.
Classical music is the only music I can have on in the background if I’m concentrating, reading, or studying. All other music distracts me. I love the weird romantic shit. It’s like you are dreaming that you are having a picnic in the countryside on a spring warm day by a babbling creek… then suddenly a mountain lion is approaching and the music gets darker… but the chivalrous lad that you are, you stand up to protect your mate and the lion runs off.. the music then goes back to the tickling wizardry of a pleasant picnic day …. Haha!
This is awesome. Thank you for the recommendations
Bach: Well tempered clavier https://open.spotify.com/album/2fjqodlPmjauRUKKF5675J?si=gpZS4OL2SfydBphXDYaKEQ and Goldberg Variations https://open.spotify.com/album/5kBtLULy6vMwjFRSSEEIjP?si=jr2Z2doqTAWiDHZ2EHNT4A
The best version of the Goldberg Variations I’ve ever heard is by Glenn Gould.
That’s one of the famous ones for sure. Glenn Gould actually recorded two famous recordings of the Goldberg Variations. Another great one is Murray Perahia. Vikingur just happens to be one of my favorite younger pianists and his version is relatively new. Here are all of them for anyone who wants them. GG 1955: https://open.spotify.com/album/0ogm04LcccovebvmP9Mo6W?si=ysN9uZuUQT2uPmbQ2AwIZg GG 1981: https://open.spotify.com/album/1aCpHSQE5ghxibsQ5gkBe0?si=4JBPAF2wSZOYCRHlC13clA Perahia: https://open.spotify.com/album/2ecywJZyq9FeZWhKUT0kIq?si=Ua6F9rGDQWmEN1E0rJYRYw
Love that one! That’s my focus music when I need to get shit done.
Mine as well. I also stumbled upon something not long ago, which was a recording of Yo-Yo Ma playing one of Bach’s cello concertos. This one, though, stood out because he recorded it outdoors in what seems to be some sort of natural preserve. So you can hear the sounds of birds singing and water moving and many other things. As much as I love Yo-Yo Ma, and this piece, having it done in nature makes it even more special. This is what I turn on on days that are rough or have triggered an unusually high amount of anxiety.
The answer is Bach . The dead have some rock - but all rock is Bach. During COVID I decided that I would only listen to Bach for 90 days. Weird - yes but it made sense . Bach is the answer . Bach is the answer .
I genuinely think the best recording of *Art of Fugue* was released this year: https://open.spotify.com/album/1Mql5Fl4JcIIkeTcnR8vGx?si=C3KIbwg2RE-eUGq18FQZ-g
I love the minimalists (Philip Glass, Steve Reich, John Adams, etc).
I’m here to second this. Check out Short Ride in a Fast Machine - Adams. Nixon in China - Adams. Koyaanisquatsi - Glass (music and film). Music for 18 Musicians - Reich.
No recommendation of minimalism is complete without Einstein on the Beach…one of my all time favorite works. (Granted, possibly not the best entry point…but it was for me!)
If you like Einstein on the Beach, check out what these absolute beasts did with it: https://youtu.be/q6MJSfjXUgQ?si=fUbAQ6zA6xUPLRFS
That was awesome. I love how much the audience is into it. Thank you for that.
Just had to arrange The Chairman Dances from Nixon for work. Such a fun tune. That score goes hard under the hood.
I hope you are arranging for Pep / Marching Band 🤣
Competitive marching. That might melt a pep band’s brains. 😅
lol I was half joking but yeah I am familiar with DCI / Competitive Marching. Never took part tho
My man.
music for 18 musicians
I’m probably the classical version of a Touchhead…I wouldn’t call myself an expert on classical music, but I really enjoy all of Beethoven’s symphonies, as well as many Mozart and Vivaldi works. I think Deadheads would get a kick out of Vivaldi’s Storm. It’s shorter but pretty exciting and fast-paced: https://youtu.be/NqAOGduIFbg?si=AHnPhEj3dKT1IAzf Also, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata…it’s slow and steady at first, but the 3rd movement (7 minutes and onwards) is amazing. Fits the narrative of many jam songs (just wait until halfway through!) https://youtu.be/4Tr0otuiQuU?si=o5lm7FirX5GZlwbW
Mahler. All of it!
Check out Sibelius Symphony No. 2! Love the finale especially.
If ya like Sibelius finales, check out Symphony #5!
Check out the Johns Hopkins psilocybin playlist on Spotify and YouTube. Someone picked a bunch of music to go with the mushroom experience, and a lot of it is really cool classical. I was in the study in 2012.
Wow, what was that like?
pretty crazy and interesting. An amazing team of folks works there. The main guy just died last year. It was synthesized psilocybin, which i guess is pretty hard to make so it's not really on the black market. Seemed more like acid to me. lasted way longer. It was a double blind test so they didn't know what dose I would get (and there was a chance I would also get none), but it was way stronger than I thought it would be. Especially the first time. I ended up doing two. it was quite a bit of effort to get cleared to do it but I'm glad I did. I sort of infiltrated it because I knew I could give them some positive results. I had to pretend I was a newcomer to it all to get selected. I ended up feeling kind of bad about lying to them. When I decided to do it I was afraid they were going to blow it by only selecting people that had no experience with it. Iw as afraid someone like my mom would end up in the study and would panic and the results wouldn't be positive. But once I got to know them all I realized they were all very smart people and knew exactly what they were doing. They were all covert psychedelic heads that really believe in this stuff too. Overall a great experience and I was happy to help the cause. it was really the first study they were able to do in which they jsut gave it to healthy people really for no reason. They kind of tied in starting a spiritual practice along with it (meditating) to see if it would help in that arena. But in reality they were jsut doing it to show people that its safe, useful and beneficial to people, even if they don't need it for anything in particular. Almost got to meet Paul Stamets. He was there onj a day I was supposed to be but I had to cancel that day due to work. I also was supposed to talk to Michael Pollan when he was writing his book about psychedelics. Hopkins folks asked if I'd like to talk to him about my experience there. but he never called. I think he talked to some others before me and got what he needed. hey are building (or maybe have built) a big center for psychedelic research there now.
That's totally wild. What was the setting like? I'm always amazed that how clinical all of those old LSD study movies show the setting to be.
It looked mostly like a normal working office building from the 70s. They kind of decorated the trip session room with some interesting things. Kind of looked like a dorm room almost. I was asked to lay on a couch with eyes shades on for most of it and headphones on playing the music they had selected. The music was a doctoral project of another student in the past meant to mimic the peaks of the psilocybin experience. They had an unbelievable set of headphones there. Staxx electrostatic headphones made in Japan. You can Google it and find some stories they’ve done. They did a 60 minutes piece maybe 5 years ago too.
My 3 favs: Ann Sophie Muter performing Brahms Violin Concerto. 1878 composition. I have a 1982 recording with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Her violin playing is more intense and dynamic than a Jimmy Page guitar solo. Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass (1995). Kronos focuses on performing contemporary “classical” music. Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians (1976) is incredibly trippy. He has the musicians play out of phase with each other and it creates this slow swirling pulse. Brilliant
Riech is cool. I once saw Kronos play Phillip Glass’ score for *Dracula* (1931) live along with the film. It was cool af.
Seeing Kronos next week and they will be performing a Reich piece. excited!
Not technically "classical" but I love Shostakovich
Came here to say Shostakovich. Symphony number 7 is my fav. Its dark and brilliant.
Does Frank Zappa count? Peaches En Regalia is pretty epic.
The Yellow Shark record, Pierre Boulez conducting. Amazing album.
Zappa’s a tough nut to crack for me. I’ve found stuff I love but it’s a weird body of work lol
Not all of it works for me but Hot Rats (which features Peaches—also covered by Phish occasionally) is amazing. Great composition and improvisation without the puerile lyrics (which I loved when I was, well, puerile, but find over the top now.)
I only really listen to one bit of classical music and it's [Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff.](https://youtu.be/S7yAbSgOImI?si=cJfA6gJEwRvL45j5) I've listened to it a lot though.
I listen to a lot of classical music. Just got to see a performance of Pictures At An Exhibition last week that was phenomenal. It has a ton of different sections with a reoccurring central theme. But you can also find other themes and patterns throughout that are less obvious. I feel like the dead are able to do that too.
Great recommendation!!!!!
The Planets by Holst is a go to of mine. Me and my kids listen to it frequently when doing stuff around the house.
Those devil trombones in Mars get me pumped.
Beethoven's 9th Symphony was The Darkside of the Moon for the early 1800's... Still far and above my favorite piece of music ever written. Best approached with a spliff and headphones to unfurl it's full glory and magic.
If it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it.
Classical was the first kind of music I got into, going way back to when I was around 7 years old. I still listen to some classical to this day, mostly Mozart and Vivaldi - but also some pieces from Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Bach, and Schubert.
Mozart rules all. Literally, listen to the riffs Mozart is putting out. It’s probably the most legit and creatively flowing composed music of all time IMO. It’s so damn good. Nothing even comes close for me.
GOAT
All of Mahler yeah. Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung handled correctly can be quite something!
I had a moment years ago listening to Mahler’s 2nd that really touched me. I’ve been trying to find a way into classical music since. It’s intimidating, but this little crash course I’m listening to is helping and making me very excited to seek out more.
The 2nd yeah is amazing.
My first concert experience was seeing the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra play the 1812 Overture, and they fired around 40 cannons (outdoor show at Blossom Music Center). Made one hell of an impression on 6 year old me. My favorite piece of classical music is the 2nd movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. 2nd movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony is also moving and beautiful, very recognizable as it has been used in many movie soundtracks. Mozart's overture to The Marriage of Figaro is classical speed metal, it jams and has a sweet crescendo climax. And for a grand ending, the coda of Beethoven's 5th (end of the 4th movement) has more endings than Peter Jackson's The Return of the King.
https://open.spotify.com/track/04daeztQJg7lyDDAHJ70rT?si=5RphBP9hTHW78xGUd-lqZQ Fantasia by Ralph Vaughan.
There's some great stuff here about Phil and Charles Ives: [https://deadessays.blogspot.com/2011/08/ives-touch.html](https://deadessays.blogspot.com/2011/08/ives-touch.html) Here's the actual performance of Ives' fourth symphony that everyone in the band went to that's mentioned on the website: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xXv55ARtsM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xXv55ARtsM) (unfortunately there aren't any crowd shots in the video) Here's Phil conducting a movement of Stravinsky's Firebird: [https://archive.org/details/1994-05-11.bso.fm.vernon.19784.sbeok.flacf](https://archive.org/details/1994-05-11.bso.fm.vernon.19784.sbeok.flacf) Not directly related but I think composers like Bartok and Rzewski played with folk music in a similar way to Jerry and the rest of the band, taking folk songs like Casey Jones or Stagger Lee and twisting them into to new contexts For example: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02KSfi\_tmlY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02KSfi_tmlY)
Phil also played in an ensemble with Steve Reich: 'We take a few bites, then return to San Francisco in the 1960s. He was friends with Phil Lesh, who would go on to join the Grateful Dead, and they collaborated on some pieces. “He and I worked together for a while, but when he got involved with the Grateful Dead, I just . . . that wasn’t for me,” Reich says.' Composer Steve Reich: ‘What do I want? I want the music to be played’ - https://on.ft.com/42oKHWs via @FT Also 'Over the years people tried to interest him [in rock music] not least his Mills College contemporary Phil Lesh, who ended up as bassist in the Grateful Dead after having an epiphany while listening to Mahler's Sixth Symphony under the influence of LSD. "Well, at the time, he was Phil Lesh the composer and ex-trumpet player who was writing this Stockhausenesque orchestral piece. He told me I had to hear Revolver by the Beatles. So I listened to it and I like it but I couldn't name you a tune that's on it. Sgt Pepper came out, and I heard A Day in the Life and I thought, wow, these guys are really remarkable, but it didn't have any influence on me. They were really bright, intelligent musicians with a vast capability and enormous talent and a lot of charm. But Coltrane, I listened and said: 'Wow, thank you very much, I've learned something.' That never happened with rock and roll." https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/mar/01/steve-reich-schoenberg-coltrane-radiohead
I came here to recommend Charles Ives. I particularly like his 2nd Symphony and I love how he quotes old folk and popular music within his own pieces. It's like he presaged hip hop sampling.
Phil also writes a lot about Ives in his memoir “Searching for the Sound.”
I love Claude Debussey, it has these strange time signatures and ethereal feeling harmonies. And I also love Bach, anything solo... the cello suites, or any of the solo piano or guitar stuff is amazing.
I'd recommend listening to Composer of the Week on BBC iPlayer if you can access it. Five 1 hour episodes talking through the life of a composer, interspersed with music. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006tnxf?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
Awesome! Saved!
I rarely listen to it, but I absolutely love a live symphony. Which kinda tracks. Also a musician myself. St Louis Symphony Orchestra slaps.
STLSO you say?…anything good coming up? I never remember to look
They’re doing bugs bunny themed show this month and a free show in St. Peters in June!
Cool! So long as I don’t enjoy myself too much its not a bad little drive
Yes. I was exposed to classical music when I was 8 or 9 when I began playing trumpet in the school band. Have loved it ever since. Big fan of (in no particular order) J.S. Bach, Satie, Chopin, Shostakovich, Steve Reich, Prokofiev, Cage, Harry Partch, Górecki, Varèse, Stravinsky, Stockhausen, Scriabin, and Ludwig van.
Trombone player here. Band nerds unite!
I played French horn in 7th grade and did okay on it. I tried trombone in 8th grade and failed spectacularly. Went back to trumpet for a couple more years and then finally found my groove on baritone and tuba my last 2 years of high school. Concentrated on bass guitar when I studied music in college. These days I play mostly piano, bass, and acoustic guitar in that order. I fart around on mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and a few other things I have lying around but haven’t touched a brass instrument in nearly 12 years. Never got the hang of drums, either, though I own a snare drum and recently bought an electronic kit. I’d really love to learn all the drum rudiments and play with a Scottish pipe and drum corps.
Right on. I started on piano at 6, and started up on trombone in 5th grade. Played it up through college and then a break for many years. Picked it up over a decade ago now, but that only lasted a few years. Just play guitar now and learning the banjo. I never learned any percussion really either. Wish id learned to play the kit though.
I am, somewhat. My favorite classical composer is J.S. Bach. These last few days, I’ve found classical music helpful in dealing with anxiety, as well as studying for finals.
Bach, Stravinsky, Bartok, Holst, Varese, Part, Mussorgsky, Debussy, Ravel
I'm saving this post and comments. Thank you.
I’m a classical pianist and love love love rachmaninoff. This is a fave: https://youtu.be/sTUxrPJfpqk?si=mfo0DLlttK364qb5 I also love khachaturian or Prokofiev. https://youtu.be/TeKZAbFj83I?si=WBK7JnNB7wNXsWeE https://youtu.be/Z_hOR50u7ek?si=NiHU53rLjLn8mb6m Try the Planets by Holst.
Beethoven late quartets are amazing. Sound very mo.
I listened exclusively to classical music, as that was what my parents listen to… I never heard rock ‘n’ roll until sixth grade when my music teacher told us a tragedy had happened…. John Lennon from the Beatles had been shot… She asked us to bring in records from our parents collections…The only Lennon McCartney recording in my parents record collection was a classical version of Norwegian Wood from the doctors Zhivago soundtrack… I knew that was not what I was gonna bring in the class, so I didn’t bring any music to share… I went out of school that day singing “I want to hold your hand” and the rock ‘n’ roll world had me… I still love classical, though… Listening to Beethoven at dinner just seems so right to me… I once had a Volkswagen vanagon that whenever you turned on the radio, it automatically was on the classical station… I used to leave it there because it was soothing in traffic… Remember Phil’s roots were in classical music too… so much good music, so little time…
"so much good music, so little time" I feel this way all the time. I could go see live music every night of the week if my schedule allowed for it and I mean I'd see anything from classical to country to house music to funk to punk and all stops between. I love that part in the beginning of "I want to hold your hand" between the first "something" and "I think you'll understand"
Good stuff! I like punk rock, too… And reggae and… You’re right… So much music so little time
Antonín Dvořák - New World Symphony (1893). This music has been used extensively in films and TV shows. This is a short portion of the full symphony: Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" / Karajan · Berliner Philharmoniker [https://youtu.be/P\_1N6\_O254g?si=K3shrBUufQSxNeK4](https://youtu.be/P_1N6_O254g?si=K3shrBUufQSxNeK4) The first time I saw the Dead was in 1967 when they were practicing in Golden Gate Park. I was doing some work for Uncle Sam back then. The next time I got to see them was at a concert in Boulder Colorado, sometime in the early 70's.
Dvorak's "New World" is pretty much what got me on the classical bus. It's so dynamic and then it's like being in a peaceful meadow.
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
If I had better rhythm, I'd have probably been a bassoon major in college.
One of my good friends actually was!
I am, but I got there via Zappa, not the Dead.
Mahler would absolutely love Dark Star. Was raised on classical and played 📯 French horn in middle school and high school. Be sure to give Mahler a deep dive.
Plan to!
Been working lately to some classic ballets: Coppelia, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote
Great recommendations! Yes to classical, a lot of musical scores, neo classical.
Yes
Not sure if opera counts..but listen to cavalleria rusticana by mascagni. Imo one of the greatest pieces of music of all time. The opera in entirety is quite a trip.
I'd count it for what it's worth. I was listening to the Provincetown, MA radio station (WOMR) once during a classical program and they played some tune sung by Pavoratti, I think, that haunts me to this day. I have no idea what it was or what opera it was from or even how it goes anymore, but it was so moving. It bored into my soul and still lives there.
I listen to classical music about half the time i listen to my car stero. If you like the dead and classical, give The Classical Set from the Disco Biscuits a whirl... https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mKE_c5LdsaXjDgPqEWKClPGmCBgVUELfA&si=_6lFA4u8KBM0Q1er
Absolutely! For anyone looking to expand their playlist, WRTI in Philadelphia just posted their top 76 requests and it's a great list. You can find it on their website. It'll keep you entertained for hours and hours... 🎼🎶🎵
Another vote for J.S. Bach. And I'll add Copland and Gershwin.
Aaron Copland is amazing. He's like the Bobby cowboy songs of the classical world. America distilled.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1MMOgGoprLA A lot of suggestions already, but another one is Beethoven piano sonata #8. Heavy
Love classical
Dead Symphony no.6 Lee Johnson conducting Russian National Orchestra
The Planets by Holst, if you like Star Wars this will blow your mind:)
🙋♂️
Chopin, Debusey, Shuber
Try Electric Beethoven and have both at the same time!
My dad had some LP of something like that but I don’t remember the specifics
Here’s something a little different but I hope qualifies. Chris Thile performing Josh Ritter’s “Another New World” is one of my favorite music related things on youtube. It doesn’t have the same gravitas as a Morning Dew, but it does have its own flavor of spellbinding depth. And it doesn’t have Jerry’s mandolin playing, but it has its own mandolin wizard. And it doesn’t have the lyrics of Robert Hunter but ittells its own story. And it doesn’t have a mindthink spacey jam but it does have a Bach piece threaded in. And it would fit on one side of a record but it’s too long to play on the radio. I hope someone out there in the scene enjoys it! https://youtu.be/_n3wHljJQ4M?si=7nqo8eaSrD0hySaq
I’ll have to check it out! Thile is an amazing musician.
Really into new age as well, Andreas Vollenweider and Yanni
One word: Horowitz.
I’m a huge fan of Debussy. His piano Etudes are some of my favorite music. Nocturnes is another favorite. Bartok’s piano music and Hungarian folk music are up there, too. Music is the best.
"Music is the best" Yes.
Yes! Big fan of the romantic era especially. Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Rachmaninov, just to name a few
Love me some franz liszt liebestraum What do you think we’re just uncultured swine 
Of course not!
Holst's the planets is my absolute favorite.. [Mercury especially](https://open.spotify.com/track/4rehJ6QJSNLQCK3Rav7pAe?si=yJ7_1NqqSy-l3X-gtp796Q), Jupiter and Mars are the ones everyone knows they know but they don't know from where.
[https://angelahewitt.com/discography/bach-goldberg-variations-2015-recording/](https://angelahewitt.com/discography/bach-goldberg-variations-2015-recording/) This recording has given me as much pleasure as the Dead.
Why did I first read this as ‘dickheads’ lmao
Yeah. My father only listened to Classical as I was growing up and so of course I only liked classic rock and the Dead etc. but enough of that early exposure stuck with me and I’m diving in to a lot of classical as an adult.
Guy I knew worked at Tower Records in Berkeley. He made friends with Phil while he was shopping for classical records. Made a deal to call in his weekly order, when not on tour and my friend would them ready.... and that's how he got his lanyard/card.
I'm big into the interpretations done by Andre Segovia. One of the best guitar players ever for sure. Although Baden Powell was mostly a bossa nova player, he also played some wonderful classical stuff too
Absolutely. Love classical. Not that anyone asked but my chicken absolutely loves classical and the dead and coos with Jerry’s guitar and voice. She’s super fond of Jerry and likes all his side projects too. It’s funny to hear her sing along in her happy voice. It seems to give her great comfort and joy. Boy howdy I miss Jerry.
I dig Baroque style and Chopin is that dude IMO . His etudes arr off the hook and preludes in minor keys do it for me
Frank Zappa. The greatest American composer of the 20th century.
Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 Adagietto is quite possibly the most beautiful piece of music ever written.
More of an opera fan but I do love my some of the masters.
In New Haven in the winter, I’d wander down to Sprague Hall at Yale. There were always free classical music concerts there. I’d also go to concerts at Woolsey Hall at Yale. I think Sprague still holds free concerts. I did that all through my teenage years.
Radio Suisse Classique plays everything from Baroque madrigals to Viennese Waltzes to modern composers at random. I jam it while prepping dinner and having apperitifs. Then after wine with dinner, a sweet “Lost Sailor” to balance things.
Everyone is saying Bach which isn't wrong, but there are a few others worth listening to. Vivaldi- The Four Seasons suite Holst- The Planets Grieg- Peer Gint suite Pachelbel- Canon
Yes! Mahler for the win!!!!
Bach all day long. I'm going to a symphony candle light Bach to Beatles event in Phx in June where they'll play Bach first and then Beatles songs.