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The First Step Toward a Very Impressive Classical Collection
We’ve compiled a list of standard repertoire (strangely, standard means “beloved, great pieces”) to get you started on a substantial classical collection that will impress your friends and neighbors. Unlike most pop records, there are several recordings of each work listed below. So, how do you choose a good one? Well there are a few things to consider....price for one. There are some great older recordings of these works that can now be found on CD at budget price, but keep in mind that many are not digital. There are also recordings of less well- known orchestras/conductors that are also low-priced. These are surprisingly good recordings most of the time.
You might have heard of conductors Herbert von Karajan, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, George Szell, Ricardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim and Leonard Bernstein (or not). You can’t go wrong here, these guys are all good. Check the dates on the recordings to make sure you are getting digital sound if that’s what you want.
Some people have favorite sports teams. Classical music lovers have favorite orchestras. They know all the players, and have signed CDs by most of them. True classical fans hold season’s tickets and obsess about playing styles and their favorite player’s hits and misses (classical stats). Most loved teams...um...orchestras include - The Vienna Philharmonic, The Berlin Philharmonic, The New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chicago Symphony, The National Symphony and The London Symphony. You’ll get top-of-the-line performances from all of these orchestras.
Some great singers worth mentioning – Cecilia Bartoli, Maria Callas, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Renée Fleming, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dame Joan Sutherland, Susan Graham, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Thomas Hampson, Dmitri Hvorstovsky, Kathleen Ferrier, Tatiana Troyanos and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
So here we go.
ADAMS – The Chairman Dances
ALBINONI - Adagio in G minor
BACH, Johann Sebastian - Brandenburg Concertos BWV 1046-1051, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (from Cantata BWV 147)
BEETHOVEN - Piano Concertos, Nos. 4 and 5
BEETHOVEN – Symphonies Nos. 3, 5 and 9 (all 9 would be ideal)
BERLIOZ – Symphony fantastique
BIZET: Carmen Suite
BRAHMS: – Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4 (all 4 would be ideal)
BRITTEN – Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
CHOPIN – Etudes and Preludes
COPLAND – Appalachian Spring, Fanfare for the Common Man
DEBUSSY - Clair de lune (Suite Bergamasque) for Piano, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
DVORAK – Symphony No. 9 "New World", Concerto in B minor
ELGAR – Enigma Variations
FRANCK – Symphony in D minor
GERSHWIN – Rhapsody in Blue
GREGORIAN CHANT (any)
GRIEG - Concerto for Piano Op. 16
HANDEL - Messiah
HANDEL – Water Music, The Music for the Royal Fireworks
HAYDN – Symphonies Nos. 6-8 and No. 104
HOLST – The Planets
IVES – The Unanswered Question
LISZT - Les Préludes for Orchestra
MAHLER – Symphony No. 1
MENDELSSOHN - Concerto for Violin, Op. 64
MENDELSSOHN – Symphony No. 4 (Italian)
MOZART - Serenade #13 "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" K. 525, Sonatas for Piano (8, 11, 13, 15), Sonatas for Violin (K. 296 and 454), Symphonies (36, 38, 39, 40, 41) Requiem
MUSSORGSKY – Pictures at an Exhibition
PACHELBEL – Canon in D major
PROKOFIEV – Symphony No. 1
PUCCINI - La Boheme (opera) and Madame Butterfly (opera)
RACHMANINOV - Concertos for Piano (2), Symphony No. 2, Vespers
RAVEL - Boléro for Orchestra, Daphnis and Chloé
RESPIGHI – Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome
RIMSKY – KORSAKOV – Schéhérazade
ROSSINI – Overtures (any)
STRAVINSKY – Firebird Suite and Pulcinella Suite
Symphony No. 5, Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Op. 23
TCHAIKOVSKY – Nutcracker Suite, Serenade for Strings Op. 48
VERDI - Requiem Mass, La Traviata (opera)
VIVALDI – Four Seasons
WAGNER – Ride of the Valkyries, Die Meistersinger Overture
A Brief History of the (Classical) World
The Boys’ Club
Classical Speak
“Adagio”a guide to classical terms
Classical Starter Kit
Beethoven and beyond... but not too far
Classical 24/7
What Are They Doing Up There?
Now That I’m Here...
Concert etiquette for the rest of us
The Recycled Riff
Rock folks aren’t just lifting from each other
We Couldn’t Have Said It Better
Quotable quotes from all walks