# New To Classical Music.



## NorthWind (Aug 23, 2014)

Hi all. 
As the title says I'm relatively new to classical music and as massive a genre as it is I don't know where to find all the best music. So I wonder if you could help me out. I'll tell you a little about my tastes and what kind of music I would like to hear.
A lot of the music that I enjoy would be somewhat repetitive, I like it when a piece evolves rather than changing theme all the time. Don't get me wrong, a well timed change of direction can sound excellent but to my ears it happens all to often.
Take for instance the first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. To me this is excellently composed, it sounds like one coherent piece not just a jumble of different ideas.
So what am I looking for? 
1. Some solo music for piano, cello, violin, guitar etc. with a laid back tone.
2. Some orchestral music, the more brass the better!
3. Choral music, some sombre, some powerful.

Any help you can give is very much appreciated.


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## OperaGeek (Aug 15, 2014)

A couple to get you started:
1. "Clair de lune" by Claude Debussy (an obvious one, I know, I know) for solo piano
2. "Boléro" by Maurice Ravel
3. Gabriel Fauré's "Requiem" should fit the bill very well

By the way, you're lucky that you are still in the early days of discovering classical music - you have a lifetime of great enjoyment ahead of you!


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## NorthWind (Aug 23, 2014)

Ok I know Clair de lune already and it's exactly the kind of thing I'm into so good thinking. The others I'm not familiar with so I'll check them out for sure. 
Yeah, I'd say there's more good music out there than I or anyone could give enough time to appreciate, and it's wonderful!


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## Serge (Mar 25, 2010)

Afternoon of a Faun is a much appreciated piece and very deserving-ly so.


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## Guest (Aug 24, 2014)

NorthWind said:


> 1. Some solo music for piano, cello, violin, guitar etc. with a laid back tone.
> 2. Some orchestral music, the more brass the better!
> 3. Choral music, some sombre, some powerful.


1. Besides the obvious solo instrumental of J.S. Bach (from harpsichord music to solo violin, solo cello, solo lute, etc), I would actually suggest some of Gabriel Faure's chamber music. While he's certainly popular, I'm surprised he isn't even more of a beginner's composer - his works for cello/piano and violin/piano in particular are remarkably accessible! The Steven Isserlis disc of cello/piano works (with several short single-movement miniatures) is one of my favorite "easy listening" albums.

2. Of course Beethoven/Mozart/Haydn are fantastic orchestral starters, but if you want more brass emphasis, you might try to be patient enough to get through some of the post-romantics (from Liszt and Wagner to Strauss, Bruckner, Mahler, etc...)

3. Cover your most basic needs with a recording of Mozart's Requiem and then relax to some Arvo Part as needed (particularly the "De Profundis" and "Te Deum" discs)


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

NorthWind said:


> Hi all.
> 
> I'm relatively new to classical music... and I like it when a piece evolves rather than changing theme all the time.
> To me [a piece] is excellently composed [when] it sounds like one coherent piece not just a jumble of different ideas.
> ...


Sounds like Anton Bruckner's symphonies and you were made for each other...


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

You could try something apophatic 










This is "somewhat repetitive" and is constantly evolving, and it has piano, cello and orchestra.


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

2. Berlioz overtures - Le Corsaire, Carnival Romain! Holst The Planets! Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet suites! Resphigi Fountains of Rome! Pictures at an Exhibition! Janacek Sinfonietta! Scheherezade! Should get you started

3. Just gonna put the Poulenc Stabat Mater and Gloria out there


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Haydn's The Creation. Glorious choral work. Sombre at times and very powerful. Should suit you just fine.

Tell them Uncle Aaron sent you!


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

NorthWind said:


> Hi all.
> A lot of the music that I enjoy would be somewhat repetitive, I like it when a piece evolves rather than changing theme all the time.... So what am I looking for?
> 1. Some solo music for piano, cello, violin, guitar etc. with a laid back tone.
> 2. Some orchestral music, the more brass the better!
> ...


Repetitive and evolving:
1. Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians




2. John Adams - Shaker Loops




3. John Adams - China Gates




4. Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations 





Solo piano, laid back (Of course, very little classical is laid back for long; these are exceptions):
1. Erik Satie - Gymnopedie 




2. Claude Debussy - Reverie




3. Claude Debussy - Suite Bergamasque




4. Maurice Ravel - Pavane pour une infante defunte





Orchestral with brass
1. Leos Janacek - Sinfonietta [The ultimate in booming brass]




2. Arturo Marquez - Danzon no. 2




3. Igor Stravinsky - Symphonies of Wind Instruments




4. Modest Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition (most dramatically in the finale: "Great Gate of Kiev")




5. Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto #1





Choral music - Powerful (1-3); Somber (4-6)
1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem in D minor




2. Georg Frideric Handel - Messiah




3. Johann Sebastian Bach - Mass in B minor




(For that matter, simply choose any of Bach 200 cantatas)
4. Thomas Tallis - Spem in Alium




5. Morten Lauridsen - O Magnum Mysterium




6. Arvo Part - Stabat Mater





Please let us know if any of these suggestions help, if they are the sort of things you're looking for.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Leoš Janáček ~ Sinfonietta





Paul Dukas ~ Overture to La Peri





Ottorino Respighi ~ The Pines of Rome, 4th movement, 'pines of the Appian Way.' (I recommend the complete work, think you will like it.)





Michael Torke:
Green





Paul Hindemith:
Symphony, Mathis der Maler




Concert Music for Strings and Brass









Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 - IV. Finale





William Schuman ~ Symphony No. 3





Lucas Foss ~ Night Music for John Lennon, for orchestra w brass quintet soloists.





Aaron Copland:
Fanfare for the common man





Choral:

Igor Stravinsky:
Symphony of Psalms













John Adams ~ Harmonium, for large orchestra and chorus








(imo, the best recording is with John Adams conducting the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus)

and this, too, is newer contemporary classical....

Steve Reich: 
Music for Eighteen Musicians




The Desert Music, for 10 (or 27) amplified voices and orchestra


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## thetrout (Jan 28, 2012)

NorthWind said:


> Hi all.
> As the title says I'm relatively new to classical music and as massive a genre as it is I don't know where to find all the best music. So I wonder if you could help me out. I'll tell you a little about my tastes and what kind of music I would like to hear.
> A lot of the music that I enjoy would be somewhat repetitive, I like it when a piece evolves rather than changing theme all the time. Don't get me wrong, a well timed change of direction can sound excellent but to my ears it happens all to often.
> Take for instance the first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. To me this is excellently composed, it sounds like one coherent piece not just a jumble of different ideas.
> ...


Well if you like Beethoven, and you like piano sonatas, I would pursue Beethoven's piano sonatas firstly - the thing about classical music is, there is so much of it, so you may as well begin where your initial interest began. Try, Pathétique, Appassionata, i.e. the 'named' ones. Try other masters on the piano also, such as Schubert (the final three and his impromptus) and Chopin.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

dgee said:


> 2. Berlioz overtures - Le Corsaire, Carnival Romain! Holst The Planets! Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet suites! Resphigi Fountains of Rome! Pictures at an Exhibition! Janacek Sinfonietta! Scheherezade! Should get you started
> 
> 3. Just gonna put the Poulenc Stabat Mater and Gloria out there


Add the Poulenc Organ Concerto!


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## Giordano (Aug 10, 2014)

You might want to check this thread too:
http://www.talkclassical.com/33445-want-get-into-classical.html


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## NorthWind (Aug 23, 2014)

Thanks everyone, this'll keep me going for a good while.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

NorthWind said:


> 1. Some solo music for piano, cello, violin, guitar etc. with a laid back tone.
> 2. Some orchestral music, the more brass the better!
> 3. Choral music, some sombre, some powerful.


1. Chopin's Nocturnes. They're all varied in tone and energy, but they're generally in a laid back mood.
2. I don't think I saw anyone recommend Rossini overtures. Some are very iconic, you've probably heard snippets of them all before. My personal favorite is La gazza ladra overture, but the William Tell overture is very popular too
3. Everyone's already shared some great suggestions, I'll imput that the finale of Mahler's 2nd would be exactly what you're looking for [though I do think that you should listen to the whole symphony; even people who aren't too fond of Mahler tend to love this symphony, you won't regret it!]


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

So you like repetition -- why?


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## Guest (Aug 28, 2014)

NorthWind said:


> 1. Some solo music for piano, cello, violin, guitar etc. with a laid back tone.
> 2. Some orchestral music, the more brass the better!
> 3. Choral music, some sombre, some powerful.
> 
> Any help you can give is very much appreciated.


Solo music:
Schubert's piano sonatas - performed by Wilhelm Kempff or Maurizio Pollini
Bach's Cello Suites - Rostropovich or Fournier
Chopin's solo piano works - so many to choose from, but start with the Polonaises or the Etudes, or the Nocturnes - Rubinstein is an excellent option
Bach's Goldberg Variations - talk about an evolution. Variations on a common aria. Murray Perahia has recorded my favorite, but there is also several devout followers of Glenn Gould's recordings - either from the 50's or the 80's.

Orchestral Music:
Bruckner's 4th symphony certainly has brass - Gunter Wand has an excellent recording
Beethoven's symphonies are simply excellent - try especially the most popular ones for starters - the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th. So many excellent choices for conductors, but I highly recommend Osmo Vanska's. Or for an excellent low cost alternative (only cheap in price, not quality), then George Szell with the Cleveland Orchestra.
Mozart's late symphonies - the 38th through the 41st - I like Rene Jacobs, but you could also go with Karl Bohm.

Choral Music:
So many choices, but the following are almost always found at the top of any list.
Brahms - German Requiem. I like the Klemperer EMI recording.
Beethoven - Missa Solemnis. Klemperer again.
Bach - Mass in B Minor. Masaaki Suzuki, or John Eliot Gardiner.
Tallis - Spem in Alium. Tallis Scholars.
Haydn - Missa in Angustiis (Nelson Mass). Trevor Pinnock.


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## Declined (Apr 8, 2014)

Beethoven's symphonies and piano concertos
Brahms' symphonies and piano concertos
Tchaikovksy's symphonies and piano concertos


Mahler makes very good use of brass, but he's quite dynamic.


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

Lope de Aguirre said:


> So you like repetition -- why?


Why? Why? Why? Why?

Why? Why? Why? Why?

Why? Why? Why? Why?


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## julianoq (Jan 29, 2013)

Brass? Repetitions of the theme? Listen to our glorious friend Anton Bruckner. Start with the 4th and 7th symphonies. And welcome!


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Lope de Aguirre said:


> So you like repetition -- why?





JACE said:


> Why? Why? Why? Why?
> 
> Why? Why? Why? Why?
> 
> Why? Why? Why? Why?


I think repetition is pretty much a given for structure. Without repetition, there is not much in the way of structure.

What a coincidence that you should bring this up  I was reading last night what Aaron Copland had to say on the matter:

"One all-important principle is used in music to create the feeling of formal balance. It is so fundamental to the art that it is likely to be used in one way or another as long as music is written. That principle is the very simple one of repetition. The largest part of music bases itself structurally on a broad definition of that principle.... To obtain... unity in a piece lasting twenty minutes without using any form of thematic repetition is no easy achievement. That probably accounts for the fact that the principle of nonrepetition is applied for the most part to short compositions."


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Check out Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring Suite with the NY Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
One of my all-time favorites.


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## Varick (Apr 30, 2014)

Lope de Aguirre said:


> So you like repetition -- why?


As Prince sings, "There's Joy In Repetition."

V


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