[Promee]

Tyson has recommended an excellent performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Rinaldo Alessandrini as an intro to classical music. This is a genre I have always been curious about, but I always tended to zone out when trying to listen. This performance was perfectly captivating. I hope I can find more moving performances like this one to dive further into this style of music. I also hope to share that experience here with all of you. Any suggestions you have are appreciated!

-Promee

[richidoo]

I have a few records recommended by Tyson, they are always very good. 

Some popular classics that most everybody loves, (w/my fav version):
Holst, The Planets. (Chicago/Levine)
Dvorak, New World Symphony, (Bernstein/NYP)
Copland, Appalachian Spring, (Bernstein/NYP)
Bach, Goldberg Variations, (Gould, 1981)
Beethoven Symphonies (Vanska/Minnesota)

Some slightly more esoteric works that helped me fall in love with classical, just my taste... It's important to find your own favorite works that you love which are outside the mainstream. Though it's often the mega hits that draw people in and sustain them until they find their own special area of focus.
Respighi, Ancient Airs and Dances, (Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on DG)
Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Borodin: Quartets, (Emerson String Quartet on DG)
Bach, Violin Sonatas and Partitas, (Julia Fischer on Pentatone)
Shostakovich, Symphonies 5&9, (Kreizberg on Pentatone)
Prokofiev, Symphonies 1&5, (Atlanta Symph on Telarc)

My best advice is to find a classical radio station, or an internet radio stream that will expose you to new composers and recordings. I listen to WCPE on FM, but they stream too. As with any kind of music, the best experience is attending live concerts.

[thunderbrick]

"My best advice is to find a classical radio station, or an internet radio stream that will expose you to new composers and recordings. I listen to WCPE on FM, but they stream too. As with any kind of music, the best experience is attending live concerts."

+1!

My introduction to CM was "The Moldau" by Smetana, in Music Appreciation 101 in college 51 years ago.   If that doesn't absorb you, call 911.

[rotarius]

Signing up for a streaming service is a good idea.  You can be on the lookout for popular works to start with.
Quartets, Quintets - Schubert
Symphonic works - Brahms 4, Dvorak 7, Beethoven 3 & 9, Sibelius 2, Mahler 2
Piano Concertos  - Rachmaninov 2,3, Beethoven 3,4,5
Violin concertos - Bartok, Barber, Brahms, Sibelius
Cello concertos - Elgar, Schumann, Dvorak
Odds and ends - Strauss' Alpine symphony, Tchaikovsky/Dvorak's Seranade for strings, Barber Adagio for strings, Essay for Orchestra.

[Randy]

Some obvious orchestral gems for classical beginners.

Grieg - piano concerto
Tchaikovsky - 5th Sym.
Tchaikovsky - violin concerto
Mendelssohn - violin concerto
Schubert - Symphonies 8 & 9
Elgar - Enigma Variations
Tchaikovsky - Capriccio Italien / 1812 Overture/ March Slav
Bruch - 1st violin concerto
Rodrigo -  Concierto de aranjuez  (a concerto for guitar and orchestra)
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring
Mozart - late symphonies, piano concertos, opera overtures
Haydn - symphonies 94 - 104
Handel - "Water Music"
Vaughan Williams - Symphonies 2 & 5
Vaughan Williams - Variations on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Malcom Arnold - English, Scottish, etc. Dances, https://www.amazon.com/English-Dances-Scotish-Cornish-Sarabande/dp/B000027QVJ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Malcom+Arnold%2C+English+Dances&qid=1605422649&s=music&sr=1-1-spell
Prokofiev - "Classical" Symphony
Strauss - Don Juan, Til Eulenspiegel, Ein Heldenleben
Ravel - Bolero, Piano Concerto in G
Rimsky-Korsakov - Russian Easter Overture, Capriccio Espangol
Hindemith - Symphonic Metamorphosis,
Hindemith - Mathis der Maler
Korngold - Violin Concerto,  Symphony
Liszt - Les Preludes
Borodin - Polovtsian dances
Respighi - Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome, Roman Festivals

Check them out on You Tube.

[FullRangeMan]

The Four Seasons are part of a 12 Concertos set-La Stravaganza, check-out Rachel Podger on Chánnel Classics, recorded direct tô DSD.

[JLM]

Classical Music for Dummies

[S Clark]

So far these are great recommendations.  Add...
Albinoni  Adagio in G minor
Barber   Adagio for Strings. Rotarius beat me to this one.
Chopin Nocturnes  (or any Chopin)
Debussy  Clair de Lune,  Arabesque
And the ubiquitous  Sheherazde by Rimsky Korsakov-- there must be 100 recordings of it. 

All warhorses of the genre.

[Promee]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, folks! I will dig into some of them this weekend!

[MTVhike]

And don't fail to listen to a piece a few times - some require getting used to. I can remember back in the day (when we had record changers!), my parents gave me a disc with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (the one I wanted) on one side, and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite on the other. Periodically, when playing a stack of records, the Stravinsky would reappear, and I hated it. But I got to love it and now, 65 years later, he's one of my favorite composers - along with most of the other late 19th and 20th century Russian/Soviet composers.

[Promee]

Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances was very enjoyable! It is regal and exuberant. Just when it seems too delicate, I love how the full range of the strings come in with some intense chords to inject power. I am going to jump around some in all of these suggestions. It looks like I will have plenty to do now with the time I was going to spend with my family over the holidays!

Also, thanks for the tip on the streaming services. I use both Tidal and Qobuz through Roon, and I believe that there are some radio stations I can stream on there, as I don’t have a tuner in my stereo. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea and I’m not trying to get a debate about formats going, but just putting it out there, I’m a sucker for the temporal accuracy of other genres in MQA, and I have no doubt that I would find that appealing for classical music as well, so if anyone has any MQA recordings from Tidal that they like, I would be very interested. I will also look into the recordings recommended on DSD, but I will probably preview them through another service prior to purchasing the DSD files. Also, I would be interested if anyone has favorite analog mastered vinyl recommendations of their favorites - particularly if they are available on reissue that is reasonably available.

Thanks everyone for the welcome and the suggestions. I will continue to update. Others should also feel free to share their discovery experiences if the mood takes you!

[Promee]

Just listened to 2014 Berlin Philharmonic of Die Moldau. How gorgeous! It’s like a little adventure in a piece of music. I think it was helpful knowing it’s named after a river, because with that in mind, it is so incredibly evocative... The drama of it was lovely. I will definitely be coming back to this!

[richidoo]

Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances was very enjoyable! It is regal and exuberant. Just when it seems too delicate, I love how the full range of the strings come in with some intense chords to inject power.

Glad you liked it! Yeah, that Orpheus album is one of the best classical recordings in my library and among the most beautiful music. It's always gets two thumbs up whenever I recommend it! Respighi is an underrated composer, imo.

If you like that Respighi, you may also like Respighi's Pines of Rome, another classical warhorse favorite. An excellent version in sound and performance is on Reference Records, by Minnesota Orchestra, Eije Oue. Nominated for Grammy 2002 for Best Engineered Album, Classical. The only drawback is it might make you want bigger speakers!

[S Clark]

And the Ancient Airs and Dances on Mercury is one of the best recorded and pressed lp's out there.  And the later and cheaper Dutch pressings are usually better than the collectable early ones. 


Lots available at Discogs for under ten bucks. 

[jcsperson]

Orff - Carmina Burana https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XkTUJ7Pgfo

Offenbach - Barcarolle Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Barcarolle

Delibes - Lakmé; Duo des fleurs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ZL5AxmK_A

Vivaldi - Filiae maestae Jerusalem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkJC8p48g6g

Borodin - Prince Igor; Polovstian Dances https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbSLPOvk9ns

Tallis - Spem in alium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3FJxDsa-5kY

[S Clark]

How have we overlooked Aaron Copland?   I see that Rich has already listed this.
1. Appalachian Spring- an absolute must!!
2. Fanfare for the Common Man
3. Rodeo
4. Billy the Kid

But what about Gershwin?  Rhapsody in Blue

[sounddog]

I add to the piano concerto recommendations:
Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 (No. 2 is probably performed more often but I think No. 1 is a better piece)
Schumann Piano Concerto in A Minor (his only piano concerto)
Grieg Piano Concerto (his only piano concerto)

[DrJ-10]

No love for Mendelssohn?  Let me suggest a few.

The Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave) -- continuing the water theme.
Violin Concerto
Reformation Symphony (#5)
Songs Without Words (Piano)

There are many more, but these are a good start. 

[MTVhike]

"My best advice is to find a classical radio station, or an internet radio stream that will expose you to new composers and recordings. I listen to WCPE on FM, but they stream too. As with any kind of music, the best experience is attending live concerts."

+1!
Check out Chicago's Fine Arts Station, WFMT, now streaming on WFMT.com.
My introduction to CM was "The Moldau" by Smetana, in Music Appreciation 101 in college 51 years ago.   If that doesn't absorb you, call 911.