[Confispect]

Orchestra with classical influences...sounds the same to these ears.

 

[calaf]

have a look at Tyson's list (which BTW, mods, it is time to turn into a sticky)
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/205590/classical-basic-library-recommendations-big-list
 
it is vast, but so is the amount of music it covers. Try sampling one recording per genre and that should get you going.
 
Tyson left opera outside of his list (except for the Solti Ring, which is not a beginner choice), so let me recommend two excellent blurays that should let you decide if you like the genre without breaking the bank:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Ring-Nibelungen-Highlights-Wagner-Blu-ray/dp/B00430EQK8/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294458829&sr=8-2-fkmr1
 
http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Traviata-Special-Blu-Ray-Exclusive/dp/B00361DR4Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1294458877&sr=1-3

 

[yifu]

Listen to Ennio Morricone soundtracks. They sound very attractive to most people who have never heard classical music before. But then again people who love classical music the most are normally people who play instruments.

 

[bigshot]

Ten bargain priced single CDs to introduce new listeners to classical music...
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/132136/ten-cds-to-introduce-new-listeners-to-classical-music

 

[Ripvanlink]

As long as you're going to include Mahler for beginners, I feel justified in recommending Rachmaninoff in general, and in particular the Symphonic Dances, on Vox Turnabout CD with the Dallas Symphony under Donald Johanos. If that doesn't inspire, nothing will! It is such an atmospheric and wonderful recording, one of the best   I've ever heard, coming together with a performance that justifies it too! Try it, you'll like it.

 

[KCrabbe]

I started with Beethoven's 5th, Bach's Brandenburg concertos, and Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. All of them had enough going on to keep me interested. Buy a compilation CD of various composers. Sure, it may not have the complete pieces by the composers, but it will introduce you to different sounds and styles. Remember it's about what YOU like, not what others think you should like. Something will catch you ear or grab you by the soul. That's what happened to me with Mahler. Something just grabbed me. I remember listening to Mahler's 1st and thinking, " Holy crap". The grin on my face was ear to ear. That's me though. Some people can't stand Mahler. Just start listening and find something that you like and go from there. Don't get discouraged. Classical music is a huge genre. You'll find something.

 

[Cdis99]

A little update....
 
I bought Benjamin Zander's rendition of Mahler's 4th Symphony from Amazon for like $7.
 
I am REALLY enjoying it. Especially Bedachtig. Nicht Eilen. Not sure what the heck it means, but I like it

 

[geoges.ravel]

I'd suggest something simple melodic to start with. Waltz Polka by Johannes Strauss, ballet music of Tchaikovsky, or any classical compilation will do. When you are ready for something more sophisticated you can look into chamber music, String Trio Quartet Quintet or sonata for violin/piano, after that your can advance to concertos to end up with symphonies.
But listening to radio programs make it much easier and more enjoyable.   

 

[Sanveann]

Quote:

Tyson left opera outside of his list (except for the Solti Ring, which is not a beginner choice), so let me recommend two excellent blurays that should let you decide if you like the genre without breaking the bank:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Ring-Nibelungen-Highlights-Wagner-Blu-ray/dp/B00430EQK8/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294458829&sr=8-2-fkmr1
 
http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Traviata-Special-Blu-Ray-Exclusive/dp/B00361DR4Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1294458877&sr=1-3

I really can't stand German opera, so I might be biased ... but I would definitely not recommend Wagner for a first-time opera listener! I think "Carmen" is a great introduction to opera (even my husband really enjoyed it when we saw it live), or just about anything by Puccini (I'm especially partial to "Tosca").

 

[bigshot]

That Ring video he recommended isn't your grandpa's German opera. It's totally reimagined, and in a good way. The sound is phenomenal, the staging is stupendous, the cast is the best assembled since the 1950s, and the conducting is first rate. It's well worth picking up the sampler even if you don't know anything about the Ring. You won't be able to follow the story, but that isn't uncommon with Wagner.

 

[rroseperry]

The Ring's a challenge, but it's also pretty gripping and the music may be more accessible to someone who's coming at it form the 21st century.
 
Story, pfui on story!

 

[Cdis99]

Is this The Ring everyone is talking about.
 
Because if so, boy, that's a steep price. Hopefully I'm looking at the wrong one

 

[bigshot]

We're talking about this sampler video.

http://www.amazon.com/Ring-Nibelungen-Fura-dels-Baus/dp/B00430EQJY/ref=sr_1_5?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1295603520&sr=1-5

It's available on bluray for the same price.

The Ring consists of four operas spanning 14 hours. Complete versions aren't cheap. But the hilights DVD should be fine to get your feet wet.

 

[LevA]

having popped my classical cherry  just over 2 years ago, my initial purchases that got me really hooked on classical music are:
 
Bach -The  Brandanberg Concertos (recommend Diego Fasolis or cheaper set by Neville Marriner)
 
Mozart- Requiem (got me into choral music - my first set by Neville Marriner was very good, but there are better versions like Herreweghe or Harnoncourt)
 
Mozart symphonies - 38, 39, 40, 41 (conducted by Benjamin Britten)
 
Bach Goldberg Variations - A state of wonder  by Glenn Gould (got me into solo piano works)
 
Beethoven - 5th and 7th Symphonies by Kleiber. better yet Karajan's Beethoven cycle 1963 recording is very nice esp, 3, 5,7, 9 symphonies
 
Haydn's Cello concertos by Rostropovich (a must! most beautiful cello sound)
 
Brahms symphonies - especially 1st and 4th. a good introduction to Romantic era sound (still my favorite would be the Otto Klemperer cycle)
 
Haydn - London symphonies ( a good cheap set by Colin Davis)
 
Dvorack's New world symphony - Fritz Reiner 
 
and last for Opera, which I am slowly checking the waters myself I would recommend Mozart's Le Nozze Di Figaro. I have the Guilini set but there are many others that are very good like the new Rene Jacobs recordings. I find Figaro to be light, uplifting and cheerful. although I was expecting opera to be a difficult genre to get into, I think figaro has made it quite a pleasant introductory for me. I am now waiting for Don giovanni from Rene Jacobs to ship so I can continue to explore opera..
 
I would recommend get a variety of CDs so you can listen to a variety of different music style (symphonies, concertos , sonatas) like the ones above. you may find that you cant listen to all the CD at once, or repeat listening without changing style of music, so this will give you an introduction and ease your entry in to classical. 
 
However, be warned that once hooked, there is nothing quite like classical music's financial black hole effect..just over 2 years and already have close to 250 CDs accumulated, with another $300 dollars worth of CD orders waiting to be delivered in the coming week (good recordings can be expensive, though many are reasonably priced)...
 
so many different interpretations of the same pieces that by the time you realize which ones you like, you will find your music library filled with same pieces by different conductors and orchestras..though I quite enjoy searching information and reviews for which interpretations to get. its sort of a mini quest for each CD. this is a very important part of classical music, so try to find as much information on interpretations before you decide on purchasing, as the right interpretation (CD) can literally get you hooked, and the bad ones can make you feel like elevator music. so please avoid those best of CDs you find everywhere like wallmart etc..most tend to be no better than elevator music that you hear in the background everywhere, which is the reason most people associate classical music as boring..which is nothing further than the truth once you make an effort to hear the beauty of the genre...
 
good luck with your quest! 

 

[khaos974]

A very good list has been made by a fellow Head-Fier, I just added some colors to emphasize he philosophy of this list.
 
Quote:

As promised, I finished compiling my list, a week ahead of schedule. Much consideration went into this list, the choices, the placement, the saturation of certain composers. Yes this list really only documents 2 and a half centuries of Western music and therefore is not a definitive depiction of all of Western music. I have kept tallies of hundreds of lists over the years (I'm a compulsive list maker) and I have considered the numerous conversations I have had with many people in the industry when compiling this list. These names include but are not limited to: Anne Sophie Mutter, Itzhak Perlman, James Levine, Christoph Eschenbach, David Hurwitz, Murray Perahia, Ted Libbey, Emmanuel Ax, Elliott Carter, Rosalyn Tureck, Steve Reich and many many others.

However this list is meant to depict the critical acclaim and overall endurance/importance of the most beloved works in the history of classical music.

I tried to be as objective as possible....this is not a list of my favorites.

Here is the list:

[size=medium]100.PUCCINI – La Boheme

99.CHOPIN – Nocturnes (op. 27)

98.TCHAIKOVSKY – Violin Concerto in D Major (op. 35)

97.SCHOENBERG – Verklarte Nacht (op. 4)

96.HAYDN – Symphony No. 104 in D Major “London”

95.GRIEG – Piano Concerto in A Minor (op. 16)

94.PROKOFIEV – Romeo and Juliet (op. 64)

93.MOZART – Die Zauberflote (k. 620)

92.BEETHOVEN – Diabelli Variations (op. 120)

91.BRAHMS – Clarinet Quintet in B Minor (op. 115)

90.ELGAR – Cello Concerto in E Minor (op. 85)

89.HAYDN – Symphony No. 102 in B-flat Major

88.SIBELIUS – Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major (op. 82)

87.SCHUMANN – Carnaval (op. 9)

86.RACHMANINOV – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor (op. 18)

85.BRUCKNER – Symphony No. 7 in E Major

84.TCHAIKOVSKY – Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor (op. 23)

83.RAVEL – Gaspard de la Nuit

82.BEETHOVEN – Missa Solemnis in D Major (op. 123)

81.DEBUSSY – Preludes for Pianos [books 1 & 2]

80.BRAHMS – Ein deutsches Requiem (op. 45)

79.MOZART – Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor (k. 491)

78.BRAHMS – Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor (op. 15)

77.BEETHOVEN – Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor “Pathetique” (op. 13)

76.SHOSTAKOVICH – Symphony No. 5 in D Minor (op. 47)

75.SCHUBERT – String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor “Death and the Maiden” (d. 810)

74.RACHMANINOV – Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor (op. 30)

73.WAGNER – Lohengrin

72.DVORAK – Cello Concerto in B Minor (op. 104)

71.STRAVINSKY – L’Oiseau de feu

70.MENDELSSOHN – Violin Concerto in E Minor (op. 64)

69.TCHAIKOVSKY – Symphony No. 4 in F Minor (op. 36)

68.BACH – Art of the Fugue (bwv 1080)

67.LISZT – Les Preludes

66.MUSSORGSKY – Boris Godunov

65.VERDI – Aida

64.SCHUBERT – Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major (d. 960)

63.SIBELIUS – Symphony No. 2 in D Major (op. 43)

62.SHOSTAKOVICH – Symphony No. 10 in E Minor (op. 93)

61.BRAHMS – Symphony No. 3 in F Major (op. 90)

60.BARTOK – Concerto For Orchestra (sz. 116)

59.CHOPIN – Ballade No. 4 in F Minor (op. 52)

58.FAURE – Requiem in D Minor (op. 48)

57.BEETHOVEN – Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor “Apassionata” (op. 57)

56.SCHUMANN – Fantasy in C Major (op. 17)

55.MAHLER – Symphony No. 1 in D Major "Titan"

54.BEETHOVEN – Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major (op. 58)

53.MOZART – Clarinet Concerto in A Major (k. 622)

52.RAVEL – Daphnis et Chloe

51.BEETHOVEN – String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor (op. 132)

50.DEBUSSY – Images for Piano

49.DVORAK – Symphony No. 9 in E Minor “From the New World” (op. 95)

48.SIBELIUS – Symphony No. 7 in C Major (op. 105)

47.R. STRAUSS – Der Rosenkavalier (op. 59)

46.MOZART – Requiem Mass in D Minor (k. 626)

45.BRAHMS – Violin Concerto in D Major (op. 77)

44.SCHUBERT – Winterreise (d. 795)

43.MAHLER – Das Lied von der Erde

42.VERDI – Messa de Requiem

41.SCHUBERT – Symphony No. 9 in C Major “The Great” (d. 944)

40.BRUCKNER – Symphony No. 9 in D Minor

39.VERDI - Otello

38.BRAHMS – Symphony No. 1 in C Minor (op. 68)

37.MOZART – Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor (k. 466)

36.BEETHOVEN – Symphony No. 6 in F Major “Pastoral” (op. 68)

35.HANDEL – Messiah (hwv 56)

34.MOZART – Symphony No. 40 in G Minor (k. 550)

33.HAYDN - Die Schopfung

32.MAHLER – Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp Minor

31.SCHUMANN – Piano Concerto in A Minor (op. 54)

30.WAGNER – Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg

29.LISZT – Piano Sonata in B Minor

28.BEETHOVEN – Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor (op. 111)

27.DEBUSSY – La Mer

26.BEETHOVEN – Violin Concerto in D Major (op. 61)

25.BEETHOVEN – Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major “Emperor” (op. 73)

24.SCHUBERT – String Quintet in C Major (d. 956)

23.BRAHMS –Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major (op. 83)

22.TCHAIKOVSKY – Symphony No. 6 in B Minor “Pathetique” (op. 74)

21.BERLIOZ – Symphonie Fantastique (op. 14)

20.MAHLER – Symphony No. 2 in C Minor “Resurrection”

19.MOZART – Symphony No. 41 in C Major “Jupiter” (k. 551)

18.BEETHOVEN – Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major “Hammerklavier” (op. 106)

17.BACH – The Well-Tempered Clavier (bwv 846-893)

16.BEETHOVEN – String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor (op. 131)

15.BACH – Goldberg Variations (bwv 922)

14.MOZART – Le nozze di Figaro (k. 492)

13.BRAHMS – Symphony No. 4 in E Minor (op. 98)

12.BACH – Brandenburg Concertos (bwv 1046-1051)

11.BEETHOVEN – Symphony No. 7 in A Major (op. 92)

10.BACH – St Matthew Passion (bwv 244)

9.MAHLER – Symphony No. 9 in D Major

8.STRAVINSKY - Le Sacre du Printemps

7.MOZART – Don Giovanni (k. 527)

6.BEETHOVEN – Symphony No. 5 in C Minor (op. 67)

5.WAGNER – Der Ring des Nibelungen

4.BACH – Mass in B Minor (bwv 232)

3.BEETHOVEN – Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major “Eroica” (op. 55)

2.WAGNER – Tristan und Isolde

1.BEETHOVEN – Symphony No. 9 in D Minor “Choral” (op. 125)[/size]




I hope the rest of this thread can serve as a discussion board for any of these works, their placement, their value and their brilliance. Please feel free to recommend any recordings which make any of these works shine! And thanks for reading

-Dave