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.

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After more than fifty years of trying to educate myself about classical music and listening to thousands of records and cd's on fairly good stereo systems, I had the time to listen more seriously during the pandemic. I intuitively began to focus on one composer: Mozart. I learned that I loved his chamber music the most, and eventually branched off to others.

I actually found some of Mozart's works difficult to listen to at times because of the sheer emotion that arose in me when I began to appreciate them. This surprised me, incidentally, because there is also a lot of humor to be found in Mozart's works: this is what initially attracted me to Mozart when I "rediscovered" him.

I have a nice beginners collection of Mozart that I return to when I get the urge, but lately my journey led to rediscovering Beethoven's piano sonatas (specifically Alfred Brendel's interpretation), and recently Hayden and Scarlatti. The latter artist took most of the fifty years for me to begin to fully appreciate. 

That said, I found that my classical music journey resulted in what I could only describe as a spiritual one as well when I devoted myself to Mozart. My advice it to forget about all the rest do the same. 

Aaron Copland- I call it frontier music.  Rodeo, Billy the kid suite and Appalachian spring. The music brings to mind any western movie and a nation bursting into west.  

There are lots of good suggestions above which I will try not to repeat. Here are some I highly recommend:

  • Bach - Brandenburg Concertos
  • Bach - organ music, especially Toccata in F (BWV 540), Prelude & Fugue in A minor (BWV 543), and Prelude & Fugue in D major (BWV 532). Since this is an audio forum, you have to test your woofers with some really low bass, and only the pipe organ can really do that (16 Hz). 😁
  • A Bach Festival, Empire Brass and Douglas Major, organ
  • Music for Organ, Brass, and Percussion, Empire Brass and Michael Murray, organ (Telarc).
  • Handel's Messiah
  • Saint-Saens - Symphony No. 3
  • Charles-Marie Widor - Symphony 5 for organ
  • Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, all four piano concertos, 24 preludes for piano.
  • Holst - the Planets (especially the Charles Dutoit/Montreal Symphony performance).
  • Basically anything by Tchaikovsky.
  • Sibelius' violin concerto.
  • Smetana - Ma Vlast, especially the Moldau.

I'm sure I can think of more if I look at my CD collection, but that's a good start. Have fun!  Some of these will take multiple listens to really understand, but they're all great music.

You might enjoy owning Mahler’s 2nd symphony "Resurrection" conducted by Gilbert Kaplan. The story behind the man’s determination to conduct a symphony orchestra is rather interesting.

See

 

I've been into classical music for decades and love it. Some personal favorites include pianist Sviatoslav Richter, and the Guarneri Quartet, especially their late Beethoven set that came out on Philips. A whole level beyond anyone in insight for me. Sandor Vegh and the Camerata Salzburg have a 10-CD set of Mozart serenades and divertimentos that's great. Bernstein's Schubert 9th and Unfinished (#8) symphonies with the Concertgebouw are special. Haydn quartets with the Auryn Quartet are wonderful.