Al--

"Musical training was school band with clarinet and saxaphone" I would guess that means only band, no orchestra. If you had played clarinet in an orchestra, I suspect you'd like classical more than you do--just a guess. There are some great orchestral parts for clarinet (not so many for saxaphone)

I played viola--which (famously) does not have many good orchestra parts--but I loved just being part of the musical texture. And in Baroque music there are even good parts for a young violist-and I did play in a quartet from time to time--a few eons ago.



Daith--

I don't know the Scarlatti piece Il Contese di Stagioni--but I know the Devil's Trill--isn't it a sonata--or is there more than one? I have it on tape, I think.


Bert--

There is a LOT of great classical dance music. It just depends on what kind of dance you like to do. If you like Khachaturian, you might well like modern classical dance music--some Bernstein, for instance.







I certainly agree with everybody who criticizes vibrato you can drive a Mack truck through. With few exceptions, the only parts of opera I like are overtures and choruses. (Zauberfloete is an exception--it's actually very funny--auf Deutsch.) But why vibrato seems to be a requirement for a "trained voice" is beyond me. And in a chorus, the director usually wants straight tone--so he (or she) can create the musical color himself.