I worked in a classical music store, and when people asked to be introduced to classical music, I’d point them in the direction of the many cheap box sets that were in print. It’s been a few years, but there used to be a whole schwack of 5 cd box sets of various composers for dirt cheap (under $30 CDN at the time). There also used to be a classical music label called “Naxos” that were very good quality recordings and usually under $7 CDN apiece.
And I’ll second the Amadeus s/t as a good selection of Mozart for the beginner.
:smack: I just remember the composer I forgot while I was writing my second post!
Shostakovich. I’m not sure exactly when he was around and writing but I’m pretty sure it was 20th century…needless to say, his work is excellent. My personal favorite would be his Festival Overture
Straying a bit from what would normally be considered classical but still falling under the umbrella of modern day legitimate compositions would be Nobuo Uematsu. His main focus is in the composition of music for video games (most famously Final Fantasy) but he frequently orchestrates the works as well. If you’re interested check Amazon for Fithos Lusec Wecs Vinosec and *Final Fantasy: S Generation *
I just bought a 3-disc set called “Classical Music for people who HATE classical music.” I think it’s titled that just for effect, but it’s a good intro to classical I think. The best part was that it was six dollars at a discount store. So maybe look around for discount or used music and experiment.
If you listen to Zappa’s classical stuff, check out some of Igor Stravinsky’s material. At least it might sound familiar.
“Igor Stravinsky had perhaps the greatest influence of any composer on Frank Zappa, dating from a first hearing of The Rite of Spring at age eleven” -from here
If your computer is up to it, you can gohere and get three hours of classical music each day. I listen to this while I’m working and I keep a note pad by my computer and write down the ones I like so that I can go out and buy them every now and then.
The advantage of this site is that it also gives the names of the pieces including full references to the particular recording. The disadvantage is that you don’t want to play it over a home modem.
Other general advice -
Naxos does a pretty comprehensive range of classical music at very cheap prices.
Some of my favourite pieces from when I started getting in to classical music:
-Flower duet from Lakme by Delibes
-Dance of the Knights from Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet
-Almost all of Grieg’s "Peer Gynt
-Part’s (there’s an umlaut over the a in Part) “Cantus in Memorium of Benjamin Britten”
-Khatchaturian’s “Adagio from Spartacus”
_Vaughan William’s “Lark Ascending”
-Mozart “Allegro from Symphony in G Minor k560”
-Bach “Siciliano in G Minor”
-Beethoven “Bagatelle in G Minor”
-Mozart “Andante from Piano Concerto no 21 in c”
-Chopin Nocturne in C sharp Minor
-Bach “Jesu Bliebet meine Freunde”
-Wagner “Ride of the Valkyries”
-Shostakovich “Prelude & Fugue no 7 in A”
-Hoffler (there’s an umlaut over the o in Hoffler) “Prelude & Fugue from suite no 1”
-Holst “Mars suite” from the Planets symphony
-Puccini’s “Nessum Dorma” from Turandot
-Pachelbels’ Canon
Some of that stuff is opera and some is actually ballet music but it’s all pretty good.
*I wouldn’t worry too much at this stage about the various eras or whatever. Just find something you like then have a listen to other stuff that composer has written and see how you like it.
*There’s a really good CD called The Best of Karajan (or something like that) that has some fantastic music on it
Since you like Zappa, you may want to start with HIS classical inspirations, beginning with
Edgard Varese
Hard to find, and very wierd, but it’s what began to turn Zappa into Zappa. If you like Varese, you may wish to seek out the even weirder and harder to find
Harry Partch
Look into
Igor Stravinsky
as well, to get you back towards more traditional stuff.
The Brandenburg Concertos by J.S. Bach
are always popular, but check the NPR or Penguin guides to classical music to find a good performance.
As a trumpeter, you may enjoy
Trumpet Voluntary by F.J. Haydn
to start getting you into his stuff, because, centuries before Zappa, Haydn was already asking the question
My problem is that I listen to the William Tell Overture and think of A Clockwork Orange!!
“The #1 Classical Album” discs 1 and 2 (they come together) is a good start. I have a lot of compilations, along with some Beethoven and Mozart albums, to get me started.
I seriously doubt Dan Rather is taking credit for a joke that dates to the 1960s (when I first heard it) and probably earlier.
In any case, the William Tell Overture is a fine piece of classical music and a very good piece for a beginner to classical. As a matter of fact, any recording of Rossini’s overtures is a good place to start.
Other good pieces:
George Gershwin – “Rhapsody in Blue”
Tchaikovsky – “1812 Overture” (though you really need to hear it live with real cannons); 6th Symphony.
Anything Beethoven
Bach’s Brandenbergs
I also highly recommend Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A Major (Op. 81). I heard Itzhak Perlman play it at his music school last summer and it was astounding.
Try listening to these works, Splanky:
Maurice Ravel’s “Pavanne for a Dead Princess”
Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony”
Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Brandburg Concertos”
Rossinni’s “William Tell” and “The Barber of Seville”
“Concerto in D Major for Piano” and “Orchestra and Symphyony 38” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Dimitri Shostakovich’s “Fifth Symphony”
Gershwin’s “Symphony for Piano and Orchestra in F Major” and “Rhapsody in Blue”
Richard Strauss’ “Thus Sprach Zarathrusta” and “Don Juan”
get all of em, they orbit the sun, they rock out. Venus makes you fall in love, Jupiter and Mars both make your blood pump as if you were on the battlefield.
The Planets
Not as “out there” as some of Stravinsky’s “Rites of Spring”, or “La Mer” by C.D.
HOLST
THE PLANETS
ok i feel better
there are some wonderfull suggestions in this thread already of course, I just wanted to do a bit of personal reiteration.
Every Memorial Day Weekend KFUO in St Louis has a top 99 Classic countdown.
It is pretty well the greatest hits of Classical Music. Although how in the name of Johann Sebastian Bach they can list Toccata & Fugue in D Minor at # 27 is beyond me.
Well, thanks for everyone for their reccommendations so far! I’ll probably look into some of them tommorow and check out my local station. Thanks again everyone.
Also, Handel’s Water Music, which features that nice finish with the brass figuring prominently, and Carlos Kleiber’s version of Beethoven’s 5th, which is on a CD with the 7th as well - a nice combo.
It’s on a disc set? I have a long-playing record with that very same title. Is yours by the Boston Pops Orchestra with Arthur Fiedler as the conductor?
Yes, I still have records and a turntable. Not a large collection. It’s outnumbered by audio cassette tapes and now my music collection is mostly in CD form.
Last year I purchased (and coincidentally am currently playing as background music) 101 Classical Greats. It’s got a good number of the pieces mentioned by previous posters and covers a pretty wide range of classical styles.