Help a Classical Beginner

[Robertson]

I'm a music lover with an extensive library of music but almost none of it is classical. I've always wanted to explore classical, but I've found it extremely hard to get started. I have no knowledge of what CDs to buy; which ones will be great and which ones will be a waste of money.

My knowledge of composers is no better than the average guy on the street and my familiarity with the music is mainly from commercials and growing up watching Bugs Bunny. (Shameful, I know.)

So, help a guy battle ignorance and help me find a toe-hold in this confusing (to me) genre. What I'm hoping is that someone can give me specific direction, tell me exactly what 10 CDs will teach me what I need to know to start exploring on my own. Remember, I have no knowledge here, generalities probably won't get me started.

This is something I've wanted to do for years, so I leave my classical music future in the hands of you, the experts.

Thanks!

[Bogey]

Good morning, Robertson. 

I would start with exploring your public libraries in the area.

Also, you may want to tune into a classical radio station, even if you have to stream it in.  I get wonderful pieces from there and then look up the recordings.

Here is the one I tune into and can be streamed at your end.  Just go to their KVOD section and follow the directions.
http://www.cpr.org/

You will get a lot of wonderful advice here as well.  Not only will you find the folks here helpful, but also kind.  However, a bit of plunge and some homework on your part will narrow your questions a bit more and channel the advice given here into a manageable mode.

You may also want to grab a book like this:
http://www.amazon.com/NPR-Guide-Building-Classical-Collection/dp/0761104879/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238163045&sr=8-13

Is it the best?  Probably not, but it is a nice start and worked for me in the beginning.  However, it does have some starter lists including a Top Ten....and The Next Ten.

Hope this helps, and welcome.

[Dr. Dread]

This book is a must:

http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Guide-Classical-Music/dp/0679728058

[ChamberNut]

Welcome Robertson!

I second the recommendation to visit the public libraries, as I still do! 

There are many, many sub-genres and eras of classical music, so just keep this in mind.  The exploration can for sure be a lifetime adventure, so enjoy the ride!

I fell in love with Classical Music almost five years ago.  It's a lifetime passion now. 

[Dr. Dread]

And here is a great place to visit for the beginner. All kinds of tips here:

http://www.classical.net/music/rep/

[ChamberNut]

http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Music-Phil-G-Goulding/dp/0449910423/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1238164260&sr=8-1

I strongly can recommend this book as a beginner's reference guide.  Something I go look back to often.  It's a fun read to!

[Bogey]

http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Music-Phil-G-Goulding/dp/0449910423/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1238164260&sr=8-1

I strongly can recommend this book as a beginner's reference guide.  Something I go look back to often.  It's a fun read to!

Great book.  I find it very helpful as well.

[ChamberNut]

Great book.  I find it very helpful as well.

A friend of mine whom I've introduced classical music to (he's gone to the last two chamber music concerts I've attended) borrowed this book from me, and he still has it because he's really enjoying it.

Which is great......only problem is I am missing it now! 

[Bogey]

I would just ask him for it back, inscribe it to him as a gift, and grab another on Amazon.....

[ChamberNut]

So, help a guy battle ignorance and help me find a toe-hold in this confusing (to me) genre. What I'm hoping is that someone can give me specific direction, tell me exactly what 10 CDs will teach me what I need to know to start exploring on my own. Remember, I have no knowledge here, generalities probably won't get me started.

I'll give some recommendations in two different Classical Music eras (just for starters):


Baroque era

Composers (works in brackets) to initially explore:

*Bach, J.S. (Well-Tempered Clavier, Brandenburg Concertos, Cello Suites)

*Handel, G.F. (Concerto Grossi, Messiah)

*Vivaldi, A. (The Four Seasons)

Classical Era

Composers (works in brackets) to initially explore:

*Haydn, F.J. (String Quartets Op. 76, Symphonies No.75 to 104?)

*Mozart, W.A. (Eine Kleine Natchmusik, Symphonies 40 & 41, Gran Partita Serenade, Marriage of Figaro and Magic Flute Overtures, Piano Concerto No. 21)

*Beethoven, Lv (Symphony No. 5, 6, 7 or 9; Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathetique" or No. 14 "Moonlight", Violin Sonata No. 5 "Spring", Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor")

[Opus106]

Also, you may want to tune into a classical radio station, even if you have to stream it in.  I get wonderful pieces from there and then look up the recordings.

What he said. This is also what I've said to a few others who were in a situation similar to yours.

GMG (or any public forum of this sort) is a crowd with members with widely varying tastes, and if each of them were to provide you with a list, it would be quite a daunting task for you to choose between them. (Even if you were to find Mozart's symphony No. 40 in all the lists, you'd probably end-up trying to decide between 10 different recordings! )  This is unlike the case where you like the music of, say, composer B and others can recommend something that might suit your tastes.

Your starting fresh, and frankly that's the best time in anyone's listening. I can recommend these two Internet stations: http://www.theclassicalstation.org (WCPE) and http://www.king.org (KING). Both provide daily playlists and play the whole work most of the time. (WCPE is currently in a pledge-drive, so they won't have a playlist, for awhile.)

http://www.classical.net something you may find useful.

GMG member Lethe compiled this very useful list of the threads dedicated to the discussion of the works (and the recordings thereof) of various composers.

And keep reading and participating in GMG, you'll pick things up soon.

Welcome aboard.

[Renfield]

I'll add to what has been said that, not only does classical have a number of sub-categories, structural (e.g. chamber music vs. symphonic music) and stylistic (e.g. Romanticism vs. Classicism), but you might also find many of them almost entirely incompatible with each other, at first.

That having been said, an experienced listener to any type of music is, in general, going to find 'connecting musical dots' easier. But it's still remarkable, and perhaps daunting to a beginner, how contradictory with each other classical sub-genres can sound.

If something you're pointed towards doesn't make sense, be sure to explore around it!


On specific recommendations, it would depend on what sort of classical you'd want to start with. That is, do you want 'old-school', traditional classical? Would you mind more modern examples of classical? Do you want an overview of the field across all genres?

(Mind, I would not advise the 'total overview' approach, precisely for the reason I offered above; but localised overviews of, say, the symphony (to offer an example), or, from a different angle, the Baroque era (to offer another example), wouldn't be a bad start!)

[Dr. Dread]

On specific recommendations, it would depend on what sort of classical you'd want to start with. That is, do you want 'old-school', traditional classical? Would you mind more modern examples of classical? Do you want an overview of the field across all genres?

Quoted for truth.

[Keemun]

Hi Robertson, it's great that you are interested in classical music.  It can be a puzzling genre, but it will all make sense soon enough.  

For some on-demand listening, try SymphonyCast or BBC Radio 3.  For some free and legal downloads, try the Radio 4's RCO downloads or Radio 4's Bernard Hatink downloads.  And as others have recommended, classical music radio (streaming online or an actual radio) and your local library are great ways to check out different works.  Even YouTube has some great performances (and a lot of bad ones).  Also, THIS dictionary might be useful if you need to look up a classical music term.  

[Opus106]

Even YouTube has some great performances (and a lot of bad ones).  

Wow, how did I miss that! Thanks, Keemun. Some may find it hard to believe, but YouTube is a great resource for classical music, even if one if not a beginner.

[Lethevich]

And here is a great place to visit for the beginner. All kinds of tips here:

http://www.classical.net/music/rep/

Wow, the repertoire lists on that site are great - the red stars are almost unfailingly spot-on.

[Dr. Dread]

Wow, the repertoire lists on that site are great - the red stars are almost unfailingly spot-on.

Yeah, that site's a good supplement to this one. Or this one is a good supplement to that one. 

[karlhenning]

Welcome, and have fun!

There's no one set of 10 which will serve for everyone.  With that caveat, I will suggest the following ten discs (and for fun, will keep them all at budget to mid-price):

1. Thomas Tallis / Spem in alium &c. / Oxford Camerata / Naxos 8557770

2. Béla Bartók / Concerto for Ochestra & Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta / Royal Stockholm Phil, Toronto Symphony / Apex 88431

3. Paul Hindemith / Kammermusiken &c. / Berlin Phil, Abbado / EMI 97711

4. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov / Scheherazade &c. / Phila Orch, Muti / EMI Seraphim 73291

5. Sergei Rachmaninov / Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini &c. / Ashkenazy, LSO, Previn / Universal 000055202

6. Antonín Dvořák / Symphony № 9 in E Minor, From the New World &c. / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Libor Pesek / Virgin Classics 62492

7. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Concerto for Violin in D Major &c. / Nigel Kennedy, London Philharmonic, Okko Kamu / Classics For Pleasure 85619

8. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Eine kleine Nachtmusik &c. / Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Mariner / EMI Seraphim 73289

9. Antonio Vivaldi / The Four Seasons &c. / Kremerata Baltica, Gidon Kremer / Nonesuch 79568 (← my token "non-budget" recommendation)

10. Igor Stravinsky / Petrushka &c. / City of Birmingham Symphony, Simon Rattle / EMI 85538

[Dr. Dread]

Welcome, and have fun!

There's no one set of 10 which will serve for everyone.  With that caveat, I will suggest the following ten discs (and for fun, will keep them all at budget to mid-price):

1. Thomas Tallis / Spem in alium &c. / Oxford Camerata / Naxos 8557770

2. Béla Bartók / Concerto for Ochestra & Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta / Royal Stockholm Phil, Toronto Symphony / Apex 88431

3. Paul Hindemith / Kammermusiken &c. / Berlin Phil, Abbado / EMI 97711

4. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov / Scheherazade &c. / Phila Orch, Muti / EMI Seraphim 73291

5. Sergei Rachmaninov / Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini &c. / Ashkenazy, LSO, Previn / Universal 000055202

6. Antonín Dvořák / Symphony № 9 in E Minor, From the New World &c. / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Libor Pesek / Virgin Classics 62492

7. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Concerto for Violin in D Major &c. / Nigel Kennedy, London Philharmonic, Okko Kamu / Classics For Pleasure 85619

8. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Eine kleine Nachtmusik &c. / Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Mariner / EMI Seraphim 73289

9. Antonio Vivaldi / The Four Seasons &c. / Kremerata Baltica, Gidon Kremer / Nonesuch 79568 (← my token "non-budget" recommendation)

10. Igor Stravinsky / Petrushka &c. / City of Birmingham Symphony, Simon Rattle / EMI 85538

Dude, you totally left out the three B's. 

[Jay F]

I like Bogey's suggestions about the library and the radio. Also, do you have any friends IRL who like classical? And have you heard Mahler?

Here are some discs you might like to try. This just barely scratches the surface.

Mahler, Symphony No. 2, Leonard Bernstein, Deutsche Grammophon 423 395-2 http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-2-Gustav/dp/B000001G96/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238171399&sr=8-1

Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 & 9, Karl Bohm, Deutsche Grammophon http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Symphonies-Overtures-Karl-Ridderbusch/dp/B000001GHL/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238171453&sr=1-2

Mozart, Great Piano Concertos v. 1, Alfred Brendel. http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Great-Piano-Concertos-Vol/dp/B000004194/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238171763&sr=1-1

Bach, Brandenburg Concertos & Orchestral Suites, Trevor Pinnock http://www.amazon.com/Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Brandenburg-Orchestral/dp/B0000057D8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238171842&sr=1-5

Vivaldi, The Four Seasons, Anne-Sofie Mutter http://www.amazon.com/Vivaldi-Seasons-Tartini-Devils-Trill/dp/B00002DE2L/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238171946&sr=1-3

Bach, Goldberg Variations, Andras Schiff (many other people --most?-- prefer Glenn Gould's versions)
http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Goldberg-Variations-Johann-Sebastian/dp/B000E6EGX2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238172112&sr=1-8

Bach, St. Matthew's Passion. My favorite, the first version by Herreweghe, is OOP. I haven't heard any others I like as well, including Herreweghe's newer one.

Schubert, Last Three Piano Sonatas, Alfred Brendel http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Three-Piano-Sonatas-958-959-960/dp/B00000417C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238172322&sr=1-3

Schubert, Piano Trios, Beaux Arts Trio
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Piano-Trios-Bernard-Greenhouse/dp/B00000E2TN/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1238172556&sr=1-3