Suggest me some great "classical" music

Dvorak - New World Symphony
Sibelius - Symphony No. 2
Holst - The Planets
And keep going with Beethoven's other symphonies. They're the best. His 9th might even turn you on to vocal music. If you want to start poking around with opera, Rossini, Mozart, and Verdi are all pretty user friendly.

 

It is my favorite symphony of all time. I own around 15 versions of it. I was just warning Op since he stated he did not like singing.

 

Try J.S. Bach's Violin Concertos 1 & 2.
Also his Concerto for 2 violins.

You should try some with singing, as Brahm's A German Requiem and Mozart's Requiem are outstanding.

 

For keyboard pieces check out Vladimir Horowitz. His playing is without peer. Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Tchaikovsky... you can't go wrong with Vladimir

If you play records classical is very inexpensive to acquire.

 

..listen to "Baroque music" like JS Bach,Haendel,Purcell or Monteverdi....

 

Since you do vinyl, if you happen to have a thrift shop near you, it shouldn't be too difficult and costly (a dollar or so?) to grab an old opera box with the book inside. Then you can read while listening and decipher what's going on in the story by following the translation where needed. A fun way too I found to learn a bit of foreign language while one's at it... (provided of course the singer has the correct diction!) I say vinyl because I personally can't stand the thought of handling all this paperwork and the squinting with the CD format... Plus vinyl is usually cheaper anyway, for someone just testing the water. Especially the very common boxes on London UK ...which are exactly the same as the expensive Deccas! Ha!

Carmen is probably my favorite opera. Very tuneful and musical. Another highly tuneful (and of shorter duration) orchestral work is Mahler's 4th symphony. Don't be put off by seeing a soprano voice listed on the album cover, the song comes near the end and is not a major part of the work as such. Though I wouldn't do without it myself.

 

Bach's violin concertos are my favourite classical pieces. Must have around 20 recordings of these.

--Geoff

 

The first CD I ever bought was Bach's violin concertos.

 

Back in the 60s, the gateway for many newbies was the Columbia Record Club and the recordings of Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic. Bernstein made classical music (especially symphonies) sound exciting, and I would still recommend some of his repertoire to a person just starting out.

Critics don't have much use for Schumann's symphonies because of their lack of musical sophistication, but they're wonderfully melodic and carry you along like a river. Bernstein's set of all four is excellent and usually inexpensive.

Bernstein introduced Danish composer Carl Nielsen to the world, with a version of his Symphony #3. Again, it's melodic, exciting, and incredibly beautiful. Still one of my favorite discs after all these years.

 

Thank you for this recommendation. I loved it!

 

Elgar’s cello concerto conducted by John Barbirolli featuring cellist Jacqueline Du Pré.
A true classic. Du Pré was 20 when this was recorded.

 

Off the top of my head
Some of my faves-
Ravel - piano concerto in G
Shostakovich- cello concertos 1&2
Dvorak - cello concerto & 9th sym.
Sibelius - 5 & 7 symphonies
Rachmaninov - piano concerto 2
Copland - 3rd symphony
Carl Nielsen - symphony no. 4

 

I am no classical music expert, but my favorite classical work is Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

I have listened to it since I was a little girl with my father. It is highly melodic and a great entry point. I also love Tchaikovsky's great ballets (Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker). Again, very melodic. The sequence in Fantasia that uses The Nutcracker suite is pure magic.

 

Thank you Jkauff. I listened to Robert Schumann's symphonies conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas and I liked them. I don't know enough to say whether the music was sophisticated or not but certainly I was able to enjoy it thoroughly!
I will add Carl Nielsen to my list to listen to!

I love all the recommendations from contributors in this thread. It is incredibly exciting to get into this music.

 

Amadeus soundtrack.

 

Tomorrow, I will be attending my first ever WCM concert - Shotakovich Symphony No.5 at SF Symphony. Really looking forward to it.In preparation, I listened to the Symphony on Spotify and listened to the Podcast from SF Symphony about it.

Is there a dress code to pay attention to? SF symphony website says business or cocktail attire. Guess, I can't wear my jeans/sneakers then

 

"In opera, there is always too much singing." - Claude Debussy

 

Anything by Haydn

 

One of my favorites. Absolutely stunning. Just don't read a bio on Du Pré unless you want to be sad all day.

 

I could survive any desert island with just the Mozart piano concertos. Here you will find some crystalline musical perfection that you will find nowhere else. They're all good, but I like the minor key concertos best: #20 and #24. Other ones that stand out for me: #9, #14, #17, #23 (the slow movement will make you cry!), #25. Try some recordings by Mara Joao Pires.

 

Mussorgsky - pictures at an exhibition (fritz Reiner, Chicago symphony orchestra), this is the version i have on vinyl
Fritz Reiner-MoussorgskyRavel Pictures At An Exhibition-200 Gram Vinyl Record|Acoustic Sounds

Stravinsky - Firebird

 

Well ... I would say that it's a matter of taste. Personally, I can't listen to Horowitz. For me, he gets way too much in the way of the composer. His puts a personal stamp on the music that is often obscuring the original intentions of the composer. Now, with the romantic music you mention (I would include Chopin), it's maybe not so bad to have a very personal interpretation, but within limits. Horowitz went over the limits. He even went as far as changing notes in some pieces, claiming "the composer made an error". Again, it's a matter of taste, but I think you really can't say "you can't go wrong with Vladimir".

 

This is such a huge area, so instead of firing off suggestions and pressing options (which are still useful) I will ask some real basics.

You could think of it in alternative terms like:

1. Do you so-far only like full orchestras or maybe smaller ensembles? String quartets, chamber music? wind ensembles? I like intimately-recorded chamber music.
2. Are there specific instruments you think you may like? Cello, piano, violin, whatever. If so, there will be specific musicians you could follow. I like pieces that feature cello (du Pre) and violin (Kreisler).
3. Do you like happy, uplifting, purposely jolly music or slow and deep, dark music? I love the slow movements in quite a few pieces. Try the adagio from the Paganini violin concerto no 6.
4. Have you identified an era you like? I love some more modern composers, Arvo Part, Stravinsky but love Vivaldi and Mozart too.
5. How about the differences between highly mathematical pieces like Bach and far more ethereal writers like Debussy?

Hope that helps.
DD

 

Totally agree. Include #21 as well. Be sure to pick up Mozart's clarinet concerto as well.

The violin concertos by Mendelsohn and Bruch are amazing. And when youl feel like diving in to a intimate world of passion and deep breathtaking emotion go for the chamber music by Schubert: String quartets (espescially #15) and the string quintet. Get the Beethoven quartets as well. The clarinet quintet by Brahms is mandatory.