# Help Me Get Into Classical Music! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820 "2004-03-01T01:10:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/1 "2004-03-01T01:10:43Z")
At the risk of sounding moronic, ever since I saw _Jackass: The Movie_, I’m in love with that _O Fortuna_ song. I think it’s a beautiful, epic, dramatic piece of music. This Christmas, I went to the Nutcracker Suite and was further blown away by a genre of music I’ve largely ignored. So, SDMB, what classical music can you recommend to a guy who got started out on The Beatles, then had a Rage Against the Machine and Tool obsession, and is now way into the Pixies, Mars Volta, and At The Drive-In? (You know what other song I really like? That song from _Se7en_ where Morgan Freeman is in the library doing research. IMDB says it’s Bach Suite Number 3 in D Major, is this correct?) ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/2 "2004-03-01T01:44:59Z")
Tocata and Fugue in D Minor by Bach. If you love Tool, you will love it. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/3 "2004-03-01T01:54:06Z")
The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. Especially the Winter. Sabre Dance by Khatchaturian. I promise you you’ve heard it before. Don’t believe me? Go to [musicrobot.com](http://musicrobot.com) and search for Sabre Dance. (musicrobot points to MIDI files which are freely and publicly available. Please don’t get moderator on my ass) O Fortuna was from Carmina Burana, by Karl Orff. It has lots of other good bits, including Estuans Interius. While he’s not necessarily classical, Edgard Varese has some nice instrumental/choral works. Look for “Nocturnal”. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/4 "2004-03-01T02:02:43Z")
How about Wagner? Also, Mahler might fit the bill. Orchestral music louder than rock music. ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/5 "2004-03-01T02:15:15Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Tocata and Fugue in D Minor by Bach. If you love Tool, you will love it. Wow, you’re right. That was cool. Hey, _Sabre Dance_ is like the universal “crazy cartoon characters running around” song! Thanks all. Am now checking out Wagner… ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/6 "2004-03-01T04:18:15Z")
Go to your favorite CD store and get a “best of” classical cd. There are dozens! Personally, I love baroque style. Check those out. Post back and let us know what ya like! BTW, I’m not an expert. I _love_ rock and roll. I’m just getting into blues. I like classical, but I don’t study it, and I rarely recognize it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/7 "2004-03-01T06:28:27Z")
Beethoven’s symphonies. Start with #5, #9, #3, and #6. Franz Liszt’s _Hungarian Rhapsody #2_ Beethoven’s _Moonlight Sonata_ (Everybody knows the first movement, but the third movement is the really fun one.) Holst’s _The Planets_ seems to be popular among people just getting into classical music. Mussorgsky’s _Pictures at an Exhibition_ Ravel’s _Bolero_ ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/8 "2004-03-01T06:37:34Z")
Since you seem to like big bombastic music (not that that’s a bad thing) check out: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concert No. 1(the opening sound like the piano player is just randomly slamming on the keyboard) Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture (has cannons in it) Mozart: Symphony No. 25 (it’s the music in the opening credits of **Amadeus** ) ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/9 "2004-03-01T07:15:43Z")
Still working my way through all this stuff… I just remembered _Night On Bald Mountain_ from _Fantasia_ and got that one. Yes, it’s loud and obnoxious and I love it. By the way, Bach’s Suite Number 3 in D Major makes you _feel smarter,_ I swear to God. Good when you’re studying the neurobiological method of action of heroin at 2 in the morning… ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/10 "2004-03-01T12:02:51Z")
**nameless** you like _loud and obnoxious_? WhooHoo! try **The Rite of Spring** by your man Stravinsky. Get a decent performance tho’ not just a £4.99 woolworths version. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/11 "2004-03-01T12:43:45Z")
:: slinks into thread, mentions Sibelius (_Finlandia_ and _En Saga_, fr’instance), slinks out again :: ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/12 "2004-03-01T23:38:08Z")
There have been many threads in Cafe Society with classical recommendations. Just search for “classical” in the thread title. I’ll plug a few of my favorites yet again. Ravel - the ballet “Daphnis and Chloe”. At least listen to the 2nd suite from the ballet. It starts with the must-listen daybreak section and ends with an incredible bacchanal. Debussy - 3 nocturnes for orchestra, “La Mer”. > [@nameless](#): > > By the way, Bach’s Suite Number 3 in D Major makes you feel smarter, I swear to God. Bach does that to me, too! Try the suite in B minor if you haven’t yet (it’s my favorite). ---
**Author:** ![Deus\_Ex\_Apocrypha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@Deus\_Ex\_Apocrypha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deus_Ex_Apocrypha)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/13 "2004-03-02T01:01:14Z")
Try Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, his piano Concerto no. 5 (and no. 1), Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and anything by Bizet - he’s the reason I love classical music now. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Dirx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Sir\_Dirx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Dirx)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/14 "2004-03-02T03:01:00Z")
Pick up some Classical Thunder cds if you can. They’ve got a great sampling of classical pieces, all exactly what you’re looking for. You’ll probably recognize a lot of the pieces on the first album. Some of my favorite picks from it: Marce Slave by Tchaikovsky Procession of Nobles by Rimsky-Korsakov Farandole by Bizet and several others that have already been mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/15 "2004-03-02T04:51:30Z")
One more hint: Learn to play an instrument, even if very badly. Then you can at least take a whack at a few pieces you like. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/16 "2004-03-02T05:02:22Z")
Tschaikovsky’s 6th (“Pathétique”): rocking my socks since 1983. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/17 "2004-03-02T05:42:54Z")
You’ll like Dies Irae by our pal Mozart. (X-Men 2 opens with a version of it.) We sang it in high school choir. It’s big, put-the-fear-of-god-in-ya music. Even with only a piano backing a 75 member SATB choir singing it, it was scary. In a good way, of course, but goose-bumpily. Now for a list: Into the Hall of the Mountain King Russian Sailor’s Dance (Gliere) Firebird Suite (Stravinsky) William Tell Overture (Rossini) Overture to Carmen Hungarian Rhapsody (It’ll sound _really_ familiar) Polovtsian Dance (Borodin – DEFINITELY this one) La Mer (Debussy – this has a section that reminds me of the soundtrack for Highlander that Queen did) I heartily second The Planets, especially the Mars movement if you liked the Star Wars theme. If you like ginormous and thundery, check out some 19th/early 20th century Russian composers, since big and boomy seems to be a specialty with them. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/18 "2004-03-02T07:32:07Z")
Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto. Everytime that I play the CD, my husband always asks what that is and mentions that he really likes it. It is so _heavy_. I love the Russians! ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/19 "2004-03-02T08:56:03Z")
I see **lillalette** beat me to it with a couple of them. William Tell Overture is the theme to the Lone Ranger. Beethoven’s Für Elise is ubiquitous by now, as are Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer. You might enjoy Bach’s Brandenberg Concerto #3 which has been used a few times on Star Trek: TNG. IANA expert either. Oh and if anyone can tell me the name and composer of the Eyes Wide Shut theme song, I’d be eternally grateful! ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820/20 "2004-03-02T08:58:38Z")
Try the Etudes and Nocturnes of Chopin for excellent piano music. Most of the Russian romantic era composers are fabulous. Great emotive pieces of work [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-classical-music/231820.md?page=2)