[Closed] 'Must have' Classical Records

Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies, Beethoven 4th & 7th.

Almost anything by Chopin

All time fav. is Khatachurian Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia

Bolero.

This is all you need.

[url= http://www.classicfm.com/shop/digital-albums/50-tv-classics/ ]http://www.classicfm.com/shop/digital-albums/50-tv-classics/[/url]

Beethoven Eroia and 9th
Karl Orff carmina buranah
Berlioz symphony fantastique
Schahrazde
Peer Gynt
Pictures at an exhibition Mussorgsky
Katachrian Saber Dance.

I should point out I can't spell to save my life.

Actually, in all seriousness, something by Gershwin - possibly Rhapsody In Blue - at least you'll recognise it.

[url= http://www.classicfm.com/pictures/artist-pictures/100-classical-music-recordings-you-must-own/ ]This is a pretty good list for starters[/url]

Spotify it and buy what you like

Any of Mozart's concertos for flute, violin, piano, etc.
There's plenty to choose from and apart from the clever bits they all sound much the same. Try the bassoon and clarinet ones.

Pictures at an exhibition Mussorgsky

Good call!

Antonín Dvo?ák New World Symphony. Gustav Holt - The Planets. Carmina Burana of course. Turandot, although that's more of an Opera.

Erik Satie - Gnossiennes.

J.S.Bach

The 1812 Overture and Swan Lake, by Tchaikovsky.

Although you could just ignore most of the suggestions here, get a "100 Best Classics" album and see what you like.

Wagner Der Ring Des Niebelungen.

Gustav Holst - The planets

Vivaldis Four Seasons

I am getting mainly into symphonies. I would say
Beethoven 5th and 9th
Mahler 5th
Holst The Planets
Also like Brahms and Mendelsohn.
I would add Williams Star Wars Episode IV soundtrack.

Bach B minor Mass, Mozart Requiem or Serenade for Wind K361, Victoria Requiem, Tallis Spem in Allium, Faure Requiem, Palestrina Missa Papa Marcelli. A bit of a vocal bias but that's mainly what I listen to.

Elgar: Enigma Variations
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4

The only one I have that I'd not do without is The four seasons on Argo, Neville Marriner,Alan Loveday I've got three copies, just to make sure..

I am not a classical buff but I do love this.

suburbanreuben - Member
Erik Satie - Gnossiennes

I came here to say this ^

Glad to see I can play a large number of these

Bach for me and other Guitar stuff

Heitor Villa-Lobos - composer

Recuerdos de alhambra- piece

Rachmaninov 3rd (Organ) Symphony, Isles Of The Dead.

bruch violin concherto 1-4
prokofiev romeo and juliet
the Barbour of Seville
carmen
rachmaninov piano concherto no 2

i also cannot spell!

Mahler - Symphony # 2 with the Berlin Phil conducted by Claudio Abbado is always on my iPhone.

Another vote here for Dvo?ák's 9th (New World Symphony)

Messiah - Handel
Cello concertos - Elgar and Haydn
Toccata and fugue (organ) - Bach
Horn concertos - Mozart
Violin concertos - Mendlesson
St Matthews passion - Bach
Enigma variations - Elgar
Ave Maria - Shubert
Chopin piano - pretty much all of it
Meditation - Thais

Misha Maisky and Yo Yo Ma on the cello
Something choral
More cello
Repeat.....

And visually, make an effort to see the Simon Bollivar orchestra if you can get tickets.

Violin concertos 1&2 - Bach
Tabula Rasa/Frates/Speigel im spiegel - Arvo Part
Sextet/Six marimbas / music for 18 musicians /proverb - Steve Reich
New music for bowed piano -Stephen Scott
Weather - Michael Gordon
Time Loops - Michael Harrison
'Dido's Lament' - Henry Purcell (from Dido & Aeneas)
Allegri - miserere
Gorecki - Symphony No. 3

I do have a distinct minimal/minimalist bent though....

Bach Das Wohlentemperte Klavier (aka 48 preludes and fugues)

Durufle's Requiem

Mozart 40th Symphony - also his requiem, also Don Giovanni

Stravinsky Firebird Suite

oh yeah - The Circus Band by Charles Ives, a work of astounding genius. It's a recreation of a band marching through a crowd and if you ever hear it live it is as though a band walks through the auditorium; the instruments when not playing the tune play random notes and sounds to mimic the sound of the crowd when not playing the tune.

There is an interesting tale associated with the above.

It was written in the 1500's and came to be consider too scared to be conscribed and only played once a year in the Sistine Chapel (the pope threatened anyone who disobeyed excommunication). All was well until a certain WA Mozart attended a recital aged 14 and memorised it note perfect.....

just marking this....

Try Saint Saens Symphony No 3, stick with it, it builds and you'll recognise some of it even though you may never had heard it.

Philip Glass for something a bit different.

I must second this suggestion as well;

Gorecki - Symphony No. 3

Faure's Requiem. (Apologies for the missing accent!)

How about a bit of modern classical?
Ludovico Einaudi - Nightbook.
Pushing the boundaries a little more , Nihls Frahm - Spaces,
the track "SAYs" is pretty must have imo.

Wow - brilliant responses folks; lots to try out!
Cheers,

Rachmaninov piano concertos

As much which composers as which works, but some Stravinsky, Bartok, Janacek should be in there. Also Shostakovich - all with pretty well unique sound signatures (listen to some and see what I mean).

So, the likes of Stravinsky Firebird, Pulicinella; Bartok Romanian Dances, concertos; Janacek - Glagolitic Mass, string quartets.

Brahms - clarinet quintet.
Byrd - choral works, see also Carver & Tallis

Much more modern - Steve Reich?

Middle distance - some of the Britten works are sublime, may be a bit long or intricate at first though.

I explored quite a bit of classical music by just going to concerts and listening to Radio 3 - get the education bit as well - and also having listened to the likes of E L & P, followed up what they based their works on. Hence the Janacek, Bartok above.

J.S.Bach: Magnificat, Brandenbergs, cello suites by Yo-Yo Ma, Glenn Gould doing piano sonatas, Tochata and Fugue in D minor
Allegri: Miserere
Faure: Requiem
Mozart: Requiem
Vivaldi: Stabat Mater
Beethoven: ninth symphony, the Emperor
Guitar classical: Julian Bream, Paco de Lucia
Popular opera collections: Benjamino Gigli, Jussi Bjorling

As well as the more recent stuff recommended above, go for older Renaissance music by Tallis, Byrd, Tavener (as well as the modern John Tavener who has just died) Palestrina, Gabrieli, Praetorius, Gibbons etc. Beautiful.

Mozart Piano Concert 23 in A

There's too wide a range - do you want purely Classical (i.e. Beethoven onwards) or earlier Baroque style such as Handel (Zadok the Priest) and Bach e.g. 48 Preludes & Fugues or even earlier?
Then there's 20th Cent Classical, e.g, Holst The Planets and Elgar's Nimrod, moving onto Philip Glass and John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine.

It might be worth listening to radio BBC3 Breakfast or Classical FM to get a feel for what you like.

THEN there's which conductor you like as one arrangement can sound really different to another.

sublime