New to classical music


I've got eclectic tastes, but have only just started listening to classical music - I credit Tidal with this. I am intending to get some cd's - I'm drawn towards the large dramatic work and piano - can you give me some recommendations please. Thanks
lohanimal

Showing 3 responses by dodgealum

I could be wrong but I think the OP was saying that his OVERALL musical tastes are pretty eclectic, not that his tastes WITHIN the classical genre are eclectic. So maybe start with recommending large scale orchestral works and piano compositions that are a bit more accessible than Part, Stravinsky or Bartok? Showing my age here but my interest in classical music was stimulated by the film "Children of a Lesser God". There are two points in the film when William Hurt tries to decompress after a long day and puts on the Adagio from Bach's Concerto for Two Violins. I had zero exposure to classical before that moment and it sounded so lovely I went to the local record store (Melody Records Dupont Circle in DC) and bought Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert's most recent recording (on CD). I moved back to NJ months later to work on my thesis--hours a day for nearly a year--with WQXR on the radio and the listeners guide on my desk. Every time I heard a piece I liked I highlighted it in the guide and then brought it to the record store with me to guide the building of my collection.
I think you are smart to build a collection on CD. The prices are really low for used these days and you can go to a place like Princeton Record Exchange or shop online and find tons of inventory for minimal dollars. I have found several European labels (Archive, Hyperion, Accent, Alia Vox) that offer consistently good sound and performances and these can usually be had for under $5. Have fun!
If you have a SACD player then go for those as well which can also be had pretty cheap and usually have better sound quality than Redbook CDs.