Aha - have located this thread of mine from when I joined GMG. I'm rather sad to see that some of the contributors have left the site or else been inactive for some years. I hope they are okay.
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What would I put on here if I were to give myself advice?
The list, remember, is to prevent one being shown up by not knowing the famous pieces, so of course, they're all very well known.
Mine are more than well-known, and they don't go beyond the nineteenth century, so my thanks to those above who recommended modern works in particular.
1. Monteverdi, Vespers
2. Purcell, Dido and Aeneas
3. Vivaldi, The Four Seasons
4. Handel, Messiah
5. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto no. 5
6. Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
7. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
8. Schubert: Trout Quintet
9. Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture
10. Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody
11. Grieg, Peer Gynt
12. Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"