[Sordel]

I can see why OP wants to ask for recommendations, since this community is reasonably informed, but I don't understand really how the question is answerable, since classical music is such a massive field. That said, the list by mbhaub is very good, and I agree with someone else's mention of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, which is the work that I would always recommend first in this context.

Shostakovich (say, start with the 5th symphony) and Mahler (probably the 6th if you're skirting vocals) are also popular entry points.

 

[SysteX]

I'm a huge fan of Beethoven's 6th (Pastoral) Symphony. It's definitely not instantly recognizable.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Krystof Penderecki's - Threnody for the victims of Hiroshima.

Holst's - The Planets is always good.

Danse Macabre (can't recall who composed it off the top of my head.)

 

[kipman725]

There is a cd with a cleaned up version of Jacqueline Mary du Page Rankingé playing Elgars Cello Concerto in E Minor. It's increadable I don't think I have listening to anything like it. (although that may be too popular for you )


The other one that rearly gets me is Albinoni's Adagio in G minor. The recording I have of that has an organ that seems to tear the air.. listening to that on 20yr old monitor audio speakers (before they axed the ultra high end models) driven by a high end NAD cd player was that got me into hi-fi... well that and Barber's Adagio for Strings on the same album.

Wow even though the first disc I mentioned is about 15yrs old they are still selling it on amazon. Amazon.com: Elgar: Cello Concerto & Sea Pictures; Jacqueline Du Pre: Music: Jacqueline Du Pre,Dame Janet Baker,Edward Elgar,Sir John Barbirolli,London Symphony Orchestra
buy it you will not regret it.

I mean just listening to the low quality samples on amazon I get chis down my spine...

 

[wower]

The Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto is a steal with quality performances and good sonics from EMI Classics at clearence prices. Both pieces are really moving. The genius of composing double and triple concertos comes across beatifully in these recording. Lots of other head-fiers have spoke well of it.

 

[Facade19]

Joseph Marx's Nature Trilogy and Franz Schreker's Overtures and Preludes ought to be listened. Since the OP asked for composers not overplayed (and this case underrated) I think these two fit the bill quite well. Also some of Zemlinsky's works are fantastic.

Edit: How could I forget...Scriabin's 1st Symphony. Really you must listen to it!!!

 

[milkpowder]

There are a lot of superb recommendations already.

Here's more popular classical pieces that don't get looped on your local classical radio station 24/7.

Concertos
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1 in D major
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1 in C major
Dvorak Violin Concerto in A minor
Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor
Strauss Oboe Concerto
Haydn Cello Concerto No.2 in D major
Mozart Clarinet Concert in A major
Korngold Violin Concerto in D major
Mozart Violin Concerto No.5 in A major
Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor
Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor
Mozart Piano Concerto in A minor, KV488
Poulenc Piano Concerto in C# minor
Poulenc Organ Concerto in G minor
Paganini Violin Concerto No.5 in A minor

Sonatas
Brahms Cello Sonata No.1
Schumann Violin Sonata No.1
Schubert Piano Sonata in D major, D840
Schubert Sonata in C major for four hands, D812
Schubert Violin Sonata in A minor, D385
Beethoven Violin Sonata No.9
Frank Violin Sonata in A major
Chopin Piano Sonata No.3
Liszt Sonata in B minor
Brahms Violin Sonata No.3
Brahms Piano Sonata No.1
Bartok Violin Sonata
Prokofiev Violin Sonata
Mozart Piano Sonata No.7 in C

Symphonies/Large Ensemble
Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4
Brahms Symphony No.4
Mahler Symphony No.3
Shostakovich Symphony No.5
Dvorak Cello Concerto
Dvorak Symphony No.8
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
Prokofiev Symphony No.1
Bruckner Symphony No.4
Beethoven Symphony No.6
Mozart Symphony No.47
Copland Appalachian Spring


Chamber Music
Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.3
Schubert Octet
Beethoven Septet
Mendelssohn Octet
Schubert String Quartet No.14
Schumann String Quartet No.1
Beethoven String Quartet op.130
Dvorak Piano Quintet in A major
Faure Piano Quartet No.1 in C minor
Mendelssohn String Quartet No.3 in D major
Shostakovich String Quartet No.8


Happy listening!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Try a little 20th Century, as well. A great place to start is with Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. A longtime favorite of mine and fairly accessible.

If you want to hear something by a living composer, pick up anything by Arvo Part. Wonderful music.

 

[EhJayKim]

Messian has a lot of great stuff, quartet for the end of time is pretty well liked.

I really like Vaughan Williams, I'd suggest The Lark Ascending, it's a violin concerto, I also really like his greensleeves.

Are you looking for purely tonal things? I mean, that's pretty much what has been suggested so far, but how much atonality can you handle/enjoy?

Saint-Saens Symphony no 3, The Organ Symphony would be good to pick up

What about picking up some Charles Ives stuff? he's not played all that much. I really enjoy his quartets.

I second Shostakovich, anything by him, but his 5th symphony is probably most known (don't let that turn you away from it) I would also get his Cello concerto's, there are two.

Weburn is also amazing, I forget the pieces name, 7 sketches maybe...I can't remember off the top of my head.

Schoenberg wrote some interesting stuff too.

Why not just go to your local library, pick up some random CD's, don't even look at them, listen to them, read the notes that come with the CD and see which of those you like and which you don't. the interesting thing about classical music is the more you know, the more stuff you like. So, don't write off a piece write away, or at least, give it another chance a few years down the line.

Where do you live? The reason I ask is that you could also go and see your local orchestra, you might also live near a conservatory or really great music school if there isn't a great orchestra near you. Seeing a piece performed is just a different feeling than listening, and I feel like the more performances you see, the better classical music gets (at least for me).

 

[stevenkelby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you want to hear something by a living composer, pick up anything by Arvo Part. Wonderful music.

Is there anywhere in the world to buy Lamentate and Alina on LP? I've been searching all this time...

 

[jsaliga]

This is what invariably happens whenever someone asks this sort of question. There's nothing really wrong with asking the question, but it is so broad that you quickly become burried in a deluge of recommendations. Pretty soon you end up with a gigantic list of music to try and no real understanding of why someone suggested that you try it in the first place.

If you really want to get into classical music, then you might want to consider using some free resources to discover it for yourself. There is Wikipedia and Allmusic guide to learn about the composers and the music. There is Itunes and even Amazon that allow to you play samples. This will help you to develop a classical music library based on your own personal experience, rather than what other people think you should be listening to. Try your local library, if there is one nearby. Who knows, you may find this sort of exploration to be a great deal of fun. I know I sure did. And it also helped me to appreciate more what others are recommending when I already know something about the music itself.

And just a parting note about Beethoven and Mozart. What everyone knows is the first few bars of the first movement of the 5th Symphony and Schiller's Ode to Joy in the 9th. There aren't enough people who are really familiar with and appreciate the remainder of these two great symphonies. I have at least 8 different performances of both, and there is something to recommend them all. The same is true to Mozart's Serenade for Strings in G Major. Everyone knows the allegro, and there are far fewer who know the rest.

You might find it helpful to listen to some of these entire works before judging them.

--Jerome

 

[ns6490]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seals /img/forum/go_quote.gif I really want to get into classical music. I just have two restrictions on what you should suggest. First, I don't want anything with vocals. Second, I don't want the overplayed stuff. Example: Beethovens 5th and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. That basically pulls Beethoven and Bach out. Recommend me things other than the equivalent of the radio top 40 of classical. THANKS btw, from my small exposure to classical I have heard Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony and love it

Aside from the fact that a fortnight doesn't pass here without yet another thread soliciting generic "classical music" recommendations by a poster who has miraculously accessed the 'post' button without also discovering the 'search' function, there's the grating arrogance and entitlement, in poorly constructed English at that, of excluding the entire corpora of two of the biggest giants of the genre that thousands of musicologists and performers over millions of man hours have barely scratched the surface of, a request tantamount to the absurdity of a new hooked-on-phonics alumnus turning up his nose at the ever-so "overplayed" Shakespeare and Homer.

Edit: To the poster below me: I urge you to learn the distinction between 'long' and 'run-on' sentences, as well as brush up on the use of 'irony'.

 

[ataraxia]

As a violinist / violist, I've always been partial to Haydn's Quartets. Specifically, performed by the Italian Quartet group whose name escapes me at the moment.

EDIT: To the poster above me, another poor display of english ironically lies in your use of run-on sentences.

 

[jsaliga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ataraxia /img/forum/go_quote.gif As a violinist / violist, I've always been partial to Haydn's Quartets. Specifically, performed by the Italian Quartet group whose name escapes me at the moment.

You're probably thinking of Quartetto Italiano.

--Jerome

 

[jsaliga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ns6490 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aside from the fact that a fortnight doesn't pass here without yet another thread soliciting generic "classical music" recommendations by a poster who has miraculously accessed the 'post' button without also discovering the 'search' function, there's the grating arrogance and entitlement, in poorly constructed English at that, of excluding the entire corpora of two of the biggest giants of the genre that thousands of musicologists and performers over millions of man hours have barely scratched the surface of, a request tantamount to the absurdity of a new hooked-on-phonics alumnus turning up his nose at the ever-so "overplayed" Shakespeare and Homer.

I think you make a valid point, but I personally don't see a problem with someone wanting to explore classical music on their own terms. It took me considerable time to embrace Bach, Haydn, and Mozart. I got my start with the orchestral and chamber music of Beethoven, and from there focused on the Romantic period for a few years before looking at other works.

At first I thought much of the Bach I heard lacked passion and personally found the compositions to be somewhat dry and formulaic. But over time I discovered that a great deal depends on the hands in which these great works are placed. Today I couldn't imagine being without the Brandenburg Concertos, The Art of Fuge, The Goldberg Variations, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Suites for Solo Cello, and Sonatas for Solo Violin, just to name a few. But I certainly didn't always feel that way, and the fact that I didn't hardly makes me a barbarian standing at the gates.

--Jerome