Classical music newbie needs your suggestions


I purchased around 300 like new classical albums last summer. Music from a wide range of composers. I also purchased around the same amount of operas. (I may sell those).

I’m finally retired and able to pursue a lifelong desire to understand and enjoy classical music.

Pieces that move you to tears, or pluck heart strings. Your all time favorites.
The albums you’d take to that desert island.
Any suggestions are welcome.

1111art

Showing 1 response by desktopguy

Rather that rattle off a list of my favorite pieces of classical music (we’d be here all day), I would advise you to do a couple real-world things to inform yourself so you can figure out what you like (of music on-hand now) and what might thrill you in future purchases:

1 - Take the time to read the liner notes. With classical it matters greatly who the composer is (of course) and who the performers are (of course, again) -- but in the larger sense, it matters what era of classical music you’re hearing (ie, baroque style vs classical style vs romantic style vs things that came in w/the 20th century).

2 - And when you hear something that thrills you, note what instrument it is (or instrument grouping: chamber vs symphonic). If you find yourself loving the cello (for example), there were fabulous pieces written for it all over the past 300 years

3 - And finally, note any composers whose works appeal to you, and any performers who impress you most. You can later on pick up more recordings based on those factors.

A friend was here yesterday and really liked a classical recording I was playing (an orchestral piece by Frederick Delius). I don’t know him to own any classical, so I asked, "If you like this so much, why don’t you own any of it?" His answer baffles me: "Because I don’t know enough about it to know what I would like."

All he has to do is spend some quality time youtubing classical of various types and eras--and pretty soon he’d have a very good idea what he likes. Your 300 recordings are the equivalent of that.