Need recommendations for my other half...

[Tamsin]

My husband wants me to discover some new (to him) classical music for him and load them on his iPod 

Problem is I've been listening to mostly chamber music this year and he's not really into that, he wants the full orchestral listening experience.

His favorite pieces are Enescu's Romanian Rhapsodies & Beethoven's symphonies.

Please suggest some works for me to check out. Thanks!

[mc ukrneal]

My husband wants me to discover some new (to him) classical music for him and load them on his iPod 

Problem is I've been listening to mostly chamber music this year and he's not really into that, he wants the full orchestral listening experience.

His favorite pieces are Enescu's Romanian Rhapsodies & Beethoven's symphonies.

Please suggest some works for me to check out. Thanks!

That's an awful lot of works to consider. A few questions:
1. Beyond the two listed, is he a regular classical music listener? Does he know the core repertoire such as Brahms symphonies, Dvorak symphonies, Rimsky Korsakov Scheherezade, Mahler symphnies, Tchaikovsky works, etc.?
2. About how many discs does he already have (another way of getting at #1)
3. Is a braod range of styles ok, or does he have a preference (e.g. Classical, baroque, modern/contemporary, romantic, etc)?
4. Does he have any conductors or orchestras he particularly likes?

There are some big sets on various labels that may also fit what you are looking for like this one: http://www.amazon.com/111-Collectors-2/dp/B003TJY0W8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1292936635&sr=8-2 or this one http://www.amazon.com/Complete-EMI-Recordings-1946-1984-Vol/dp/B000ZBPQEO/ref=sr_1_22?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1292936892&sr=1-22 or this one http://www.amazon.com/Bernstein-Symphony-Leonard/dp/B003Z9Q4WG/ref=pd_sim_m_4. But whether any of these are appropriate will depend on his existing base and collection.

[Brian]

Well, I love both the Enescu rhapsodies and the Beethoven symphonies, and here are things I think of...

Similar to Enescu: witty, really colorful, exuberant full-orchestra
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies (try conductors Antal Dorati or Arthur Fagen)
Kodaly: Dances of Galanta
Rimsky-Korsakov: overtures, Capriccio, etc
Ravel: Mother Goose, La Valse, Alborada del Gracioso (try the CD by Pierre Boulez)
Khachaturian conducts his own greatest hits (this should be available everywhere)
Janacek: Sinfonietta
klezmer music!!

For the Beethoven symphonies lover
The Beethoven piano concertos
The Brahms symphonies
The Dvorak symphonies (I hate to repeat ukrneal, but these guys were Beethoven's two biggest heirs)
The Schubert symphonies
Jeanne-Louise Farrenc's symphonies (they're on 2 CDs, and they are absolutely terrific. Also... Louise was a woman! )
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

[Tamsin]

He doesn't have a favorite conductor/performer/etc. He mostly likes the classical period & after...

He's not a regular classical listener per se...He listens regularly to what he already has, which is not a lot, he just checks out new things when they are suggested to him by friends/family. It's not because he doesn't like classical that much, he's just this way about all music nowadays. When he feels like listening to something new he'll ask me to find stuff for him.

No, he doesn't know the core repertoire super well...

His current collection -
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1
Rach - Piano Concerto No. 3
Rossini - Overtures
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
Vaughan Williams - folksongs
Mozart - Symphonies Nos. 40 & 41
Enescu - Romanian Rhapsodies
Bizet - Carmen
Ravel - Bolero, etc. (http://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Bolero-Pavane-Valses-nobles/dp/B00004Z33G)
a renaissance song compilation
a 2-cd baroque compilation (he doesn't really listen to this anymore)

I have the Beethoven symphonies that he enjoys.
He also really likes Bach's Cello Suite #1

[Lethevich]

I second Janáček's Sinfonietta (as well as Taras Bulba - the two works are frequently coupled together on disc) and also Kodály's orchestral favourites.

This set covers Kodály in great performances, the earlier two disc set of the main works seems out of print, superceded by the larger set.

[Tamsin]

Well, I love both the Enescu rhapsodies and the Beethoven symphonies, and here are things I think of...

Similar to Enescu: witty, really colorful, exuberant full-orchestra
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies (try conductors Antal Dorati or Arthur Fagen)
Kodaly: Dances of Galanta
Rimsky-Korsakov: overtures, Capriccio, etc
Ravel: Mother Goose, La Valse, Alborada del Gracioso (try the CD by Pierre Boulez)
Khachaturian conducts his own greatest hits (this should be available everywhere)
Janacek: Sinfonietta
klezmer music!!

For the Beethoven symphonies lover
The Beethoven piano concertos
The Brahms symphonies
The Dvorak symphonies (I hate to repeat ukrneal, but these guys were Beethoven's two biggest heirs)
The Schubert symphonies
Jeanne-Louise Farrenc's symphonies (they're on 2 CDs, and they are absolutely terrific. Also... Louise was a woman! )
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

These look great! And I own some of these already too. I haven't listened to Kodaly, Janacek & Farrenc, I'd love to hear those.

[Brian]

His current collection -
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1
Rach - Piano Concerto No. 3

Can I suggest this? If he really likes those two works, he'll love the Rach Concerto No 2, Paganini Rhapsody, and the Rach Isle of the Dead and Second Symphony. The Second Symphony in particular is a huge showy masterpiece, with some things in common with 'Pictures at an Exhibition' too.

He'll also be a huge fan of Grieg's Piano Concerto and Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No 2. And definitely look at Scheherazade and Dvorak's Slavonic Dances. Based on what he likes so far the Brahms symphonies might be a little bit too dry, maybe, for now. At least, I found that I didn't appreciate 1-3 until years after I'd started really enjoying classical music.

Just saw your new post - great! Glad you even have some (like the Ravel, that's great!). Here's a YouTube clip of Louise Farrenc for you to try.

[mc ukrneal]

He doesn't have a favorite conductor/performer/etc. He mostly likes the classical period & after...

He's not a regular classical listener per se...He listens regularly to what he already has, which is not a lot, he just checks out new things when they are suggested to him by friends/family. It's not because he doesn't like classical that much, he's just this way about all music nowadays. When he feels like listening to something new he'll ask me to find stuff for him.

No, he doesn't know the core repertoire super well...

His current collection -
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1
Rach - Piano Concerto No. 3
Rossini - Overtures
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
Vaughan Williams - folksongs
Mozart - Symphonies Nos. 40 & 41
Enescu - Romanian Rhapsodies
Bizet - Carmen
Ravel - Bolero, etc. (http://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Bolero-Pavane-Valses-nobles/dp/B00004Z33G)
a renaissance song compilation
a 2-cd baroque compilation (he doesn't really listen to this anymore)

I have the Beethoven symphonies that he enjoys.
He also really likes Bach's Cello Suite #1

Aha! Very helpful! Ok. Then I guess the question is whether to go for volume vs cobbling some smaller items together. A box like the Bernstein I listed above has only symphonies, but can be a good way to get more familiar with other composers. It would give you breadth, and some very good performances. There are other similar boxes (one of Ozawa comes to mind) that would you give a range of works. These types of boxes can be great starting point since they are fairly economical even if one doesn't like all the music.

But I would also second some of the other recommendations. Sir Charles Mackerras has conducted some wonderful Dvorak (Symphonic Poems) and Janacek that could be worth exploring.

Here are a few more to consider:
Brahms: Hungarian Dances (Bogar conducting on Naxos)
Rachmaninov: Symphonies or Orchestral works set conducted by Ashkenazy on Decca
Dvorak: Legends, Slavonic Dances, Tone Poems, etc. So much here that he coud like. (Kubelik and Mackerras are usually safe choices with Dvorak)
Schumann/Grieg: Piano Concertos, Andsnes with BPO/Janssons
Elgar: Cello Concerto, Dupre/Barbirolli
Liszt: Hungarian Dances Dorati (I second this)

[DavidRoss]

He doesn't have a favorite conductor/performer/etc. He mostly likes the classical period & after...

He's not a regular classical listener per se...He listens regularly to what he already has, which is not a lot, he just checks out new things when they are suggested to him by friends/family. It's not because he doesn't like classical that much, he's just this way about all music nowadays. When he feels like listening to something new he'll ask me to find stuff for him.

No, he doesn't know the core repertoire super well...

His current collection -
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1
Rach - Piano Concerto No. 3
Rossini - Overtures
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
Vaughan Williams - folksongs
Mozart - Symphonies Nos. 40 & 41
Enescu - Romanian Rhapsodies
Bizet - Carmen
Ravel - Bolero, etc. (http://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Bolero-Pavane-Valses-nobles/dp/B00004Z33G)
a renaissance song compilation
a 2-cd baroque compilation (he doesn't really listen to this anymore)

I have the Beethoven symphonies that he enjoys.
He also really likes Bach's Cello Suite #1

Based on this list, might I suggest:

The complete Bach Cello Suites (Fournier, Queyras, Tortelier, Wispelwey, Ma)
Bach sonatas & partitas for solo violin (Podger)
Bach Goldberg variations on piano (Schiff, Hewitt)
Mozart's late piano concertos, including #20 (Goode, Schiff)
Mozart Marriage of Figaro
Rossini Barber of Seville
Rachmaninoff pc#2 (Ashkenazy, Bronfman)
Tchaikovsky symphonies 4,5,6 (Mravinsky, Gatti)
Sibelius symphonies & tone poems
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
Dvorak symphonies 7, 8, 9
Elgar cello concerto
Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Mahler symphonie #1 & #4
Debussy selections incl La Mer & Afternoon of a Faun

[Daverz]

If he likes the Romanian Rhapsodies, he may like Alfven's 3 Rhapsodies and Kodaly's orchestral works.  And you can't go wrong with Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Grieg, or Ravel.

Some colorful ear-fetching works:

Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances
Chabrier: Espana
Borodin: Symphony No. 2
Mussorgsky: Pictures
Janacek: Sinfonietta
Prokofiev: Lt. Kije; Romeo & Juliet

[psylocke24]

The complete Bach Cello Suites (Fournier, Queyras, Tortelier, Wispelwey, Ma)
Bach sonatas & partitas for solo violin (Podger)
Bach Goldberg variations on piano (Schiff, Hewitt)
Mozart's late piano concertos, including #20 (Goode, Schiff)
Mozart Marriage of Figaro
Rossini Barber of Seville
Rachmaninoff pc#2 (Ashkenazy, Bronfman)
Tchaikovsky symphonies 4,5,6 (Mravinsky, Gatti)
Sibelius symphonies & tone poems
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
Dvorak symphonies 7, 8, 9
Elgar cello concerto
Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Mahler symphonie #1 & #4
Debussy selections incl La Mer & Afternoon of a Faun

I have in my list most of these music. I suggest that you try to download the music in this list and for sure your husband will like it.

[eyeresist]

First of all, from reading your mention of the Enescu rhapsodies and Beethoven symphonies, my immediate thought for a meeting of these two worlds was of Dvorak - all his symphonies, plus the Slavonic Dances. Related to that, check out Brahms's Hungarian Dances.

Other things hubbie may not have heard yet:
Handel - Water Music and Fireworks Music suites
Holst - The Planets (orchestral suite)
Mendelssohn - symphonies 3 ('Scottish')  and 4 ('Italian')
Mozart - piano concertos, especially 20 to 26. Also, the Requiem
Rachmaninov - the other 3 piano concertos, plus the symphonies (I recommend Ashkenazy)
Wagner - overtures and preludes

All of these are very enjoyable and accessible high-quality works.

[vandermolen]

He might like:

Vaughan Williams Symphony No 2 and 5
Sibelius Symphony No 2
Raff Symphony 5 'Lenore'
Debussy Nocturnes
Dvorak Symphony 8
Hamilton Harty Piano Concerto

[RJR]

Here are a few more suggestions:
Debussy Iberia Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra Sonate en trio, for flute, viola & harp
La plus que lente Sonata for violin and piano Children's Corner (piano) Préludes 1 & 2 Images
Liszt Préludes-Hungarian Rhapsodies-First Piano Concerto-Études Transcendante (that should knock Rach off his pedestal)
Moz Piano Concerto #24 Clarinet Quintet Clarinet Concerto Oboe Concerto
Bizet Symphony
Ravel String Qt Mother Goose Suite Le Tombeau de Couperin Rapsodie Espagnole Une barque sur l'océan (Ravel's La Mer) Tzigane
Bartok Hungarian Dances First Piano Concerto Music for Strings Percussion & Celeste (for later)
Kodaly Hary Janos Sonata for Solo Cello (for later)
Grieg Piano Concerto Peer Gynt
Sibelius En Saga Violin Concerto
Gabrieli Brass music
Bach Toccata & Fugues (Organ)
Prokofiev Classical Symphony Cinderella Ballet Romeo & Juliet Ballet music
Schubert 8th Symphony Lieder Sixth Symphony
Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony Nutcracker Ballet Capriccio Italien Manfred Symphony Swan Lake Ballet
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
Richard Strauss Salomé Dance of the Seven Veils
Till Eulenspiegel
Dvorak Slavonic Dances New World Symphony Cello Concerto
Henry Purcell Catches & Songs
John Dowland Lute music
Verdi Falstaff - Opera Overtures
Mahler Kindertotenlieder
Schumann First Symphony
Smetana Ma Vlast (Moldau)
Roussel The Spider's Feast