[sonicm]

So..as the title says, I'm a total newb to classical, never really listening to any except for a occasional song I find and like, the closest thing to it that I listen to would be Apocalyptica, mostly because I don't know any..um...composers(would that be the classical equivalent of a band?)
I know its a wide genre, but I can't really get much more exact than that, so can anyone recommend me something based on that extremely vague description of what I was looking for?

 

[Purgatos]

For starters you can go with:

Dvorak's 9th Symphony, Beethoven's 5th, 6th and 9th Symphonies, Mozart's Requiem, Holst's Planets

There aren't very many people who don't like those.

 

[Tyson]

Check the link in my sig.

 

[Cosmid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyson Check the link in my sig.

This list is enough to frighten a beginner. And, you have only Mahler 9 in your list. I would like to suggest No.1 for beginners.

 

[fjf]

For a beginner I would recommend easy melodic music: Mozart's 40th symphony, flute and harp concerto, 20th piano concerto. Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky piano or violin concertos. Any Vivaldi concerto, the four seasons. Handel's Messiah.

 

[Yikes]

Tyson’s list is a great list but it is too large an answer for the OP.

I think it would be best to recommend a few pieces of each genre or period. I’m primarily a fan of late romantic and modern symphonic pieces with some concertos. Someone else should chime in with earlier and smaller pieces.

I would also consider going to http://www.naxos.com/ and spending $20 to subscribe. You can then stream all of the massive Naxos catalog.

Romantic
Beethoven 9th
Tchaikovsky 5th

Modern
Mahler 1st
Shostakovich 5th
Dvork 9th
Stravinsky The Firebird

Modern Concerto
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 2
Elgar Cello concerto
Prokofiev Piano concerto #3

 

[chrisco]

It depends on what your general taste in other music is like.

If you like pop music you might want to start with baroque, rock or metal might mean some of the more dramatic works of Wagner or Rimsky Korsakov might be pleasing?

Who knows...

 

[eyeresist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yikes Modern Dvork 9th

lol

 

[Gatticus]

Big thumbs up for Mozart - Requiem from me. Also Orff - Carmina Burana and Moussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition.

 

[Yikes]

Quote:

Modern Dvork 9th

You guys are really that unfamiliar with late 20th century symphonic music?

For those who didn’t know Bjork’s cousin “Dvork” is a very prolific well regarded Islandic composer.

 

[eyeresist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yikes You guys are really that unfamiliar with late 20th century symphonic music? For those who didn’t know Bjork’s cousin “Dvork” is a very prolific well regarded Islandic composer.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatticus Big thumbs up for Mozart - Requiem from me. Also Orff - Carmina Burana and Moussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition.

I second the "Pictures..." recommendation. Lots of variety in mood and instrumentation, and seriously good music too.

 

[ProzacMessiah]

I recommend Mozart's Horn Concertos and the K.452 featuring Dennis Brain. You can't go wrong with these recordings, especially for $6.

 

[Rlynn]

Here are some more melodic and rhythmic pieces that are always popular:

Mozart: Eine Kleine Nacht Music
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Suite (one the includes "The Montagues and the Capulets")
Malcolm Arnold: Dances, available on Naxos
Honneger: Pacific 231
Siebelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, I have Paavo Jarvi on Virgin
Vauhgn-Williams: Tallis Fantasy (you will know this from "Master and Commander"). There is a beautiful CD with this and other simliar Engish Music: Barbirolli Conducts English String Music

My recordings seem to be mostly NLA, so I haven't included specific CDs for everything. Most good sized libraries have a decent classical CD collection, so you can try out some of the suggestions on this thread and see what you like. CDs are also available on Interlibrary Loan request.

Just discovered another source for beginners or anyone trying to decide what to try next. The link at the top of the Forum page to "Tone Audio" will take you to their e-zine. The classical reviewer is currently running a series of articles on composers, their main compositions, and recommended CDs. I like his style, informal and light, and brief.

 

[Oistrakh]

sibelius symphony no. 1

beethoven violin concerto

night on bare mountain

 

[Tyson]

I updated my list so that it would be more user friendly and useful for people that don't already know classical music very well, check it out