# Albums for Beginners



## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

Hi,

I need an album for a beginner who wants to get into classical music, I don't want to give them the usual "Moonlight Sonata" "Canon in D" "Beethoven's 5th" stuff, something maybe a little more obscure and new. I'm just at a loss, since I'm afraid to give them something they don't like.

They did really enjoy the Schoenberg Piano Concerto, so maybe stuff on the more modern side? Who knows however?


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Not obscure, but I think a sure winner for a newby:

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, the orchestral version.


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## Duncan (Feb 8, 2019)

*Horowitz plays Scriabin*

*Link to complete album - *

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lojHfzlDgio3k08hQ6_vCF4xUznBWLJWw









*Janine Jansen plays Prokofiev
*
*Janine Jansen (violin), with Boris Brovtsyn (violin), Itamar Golan (piano)

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski*

*Link to complete album - *

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mBO1EMH0xmbJv_GPtohyeFF8fC00Fh7fQ









*Stravinsky: The Firebird & Rimsky-Korsakov: Le Coq d'Or
*
*Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko*

*Link to complete album - *

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mFCSLZMEi3IXywSBQ-uZNoK0Yihk5KdsA


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Tchaikov6 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I need an album for a beginner who wants to get into classical music, I don't want to give them the usual "Moonlight Sonata" "Canon in D" "Beethoven's 5th" stuff, something maybe a little more obscure and new. I'm just at a loss, since I'm afraid to give them something they don't like.
> 
> They did really enjoy the Schoenberg Piano Concerto, so maybe stuff on the more modern side? Who knows however?


So, you don't want to give them the "usual stuff" like "Adagietto from Mahler's 5th"? Well, what about more early Schoenberg then? Or other 20th century music that is tonal, such as a Vaughan Williams symphony, or perhaps a bit of Stravinsky in his neoclassical period? Finzi could be interesting too... I bet that they would like something like his five bagatelles:


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet suites. Many fine recordings.

Bizet: suites from Carmen & L'Arlesienne.

Then this too: (I like steering beginners to easy to love suites)


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

I would say the Rite of Spring is absolutely necessary. Then maybe some Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Bartok, Martinu if they like the more driving, percussive stuff as classical newbies tend to. Don't know if this person likes rock/metal, but I've heard it said that metalheads have taken very well to Bartok's quartets. For piano music, try Rachmaninoff's preludes, Ravel's _Gaspard_, or, for something totally different, Messiaen's _Vingt Regards_. Grofe's "Grand Canyon Suite" is one of the most instantly lovable pieces of orchestral music I know. Then maybe top it off with some excerpts from Mahler and Wagner for more sweeping, romantic stuff. Hope that helps!


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## Bigbang (Jun 2, 2019)

Early Mozart violin and keyboard (harpsichord or piano) sonatas. Early divermentios....I kid you not. I mean, you said a beginner.

I am entranced everytime I hear these early works. Baby Mozart not for babies but someone who wants to enjoy music. I have seldom seen a person move from a piece that captured their ear one time (like on the radio). One has to somehow connect with a composer. Go ahead, feast on these works and see if they don't like it. Then gradually move on up the ladder, carefully so not to overwhelm them.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Tchaikov6 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I need an album for a beginner who wants to get into classical music, I don't want to give them the usual "Moonlight Sonata" "Canon in D" "Beethoven's 5th" stuff, something maybe a little more obscure and new. I'm just at a loss, since I'm afraid to give them something they don't like.
> 
> They did really enjoy the Schoenberg Piano Concerto, so maybe stuff on the more modern side? Who knows however?


I never know how to answer these sorts of questions. If I'd come on here 30 years ago and said "Hi, I've started listening to classical music, and my favourite composers are Mahler and Wagner, what should I listen to next?", I'm pretty sure nobody would have suggested Glass, who was my next big discovery. So my answer to "This person enjoyed Schoenberg's piano concerto, what should they listen to next?" is a shrug emoji and "I dunno... Boulez? Hildegard?"
There just isn't "an album" that's guaranteed to work - there are hundreds or thousands of them. And anyway, if this beginner genuinely wants to get into classical, then presumably they won't be put off just by one album they think is a dud.

Otherwise my general advice for any beginner is to just listen to as wide a variety of music as they can (there are some good wide-ranging Spotify playlists for that), and not feel bad about skipping an entire genre or period if it doesn't immediately grab them.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

I'd give 'em Holst's The Planets

or tell them to stream KUSC. 
https://www.kusc.org/radio/playlist...dUUjnL2IiuCxESxtYrnhy29MZOGnaulAaAmnqEALw_wcB


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I think people starting out still have preferences and a personal taste - types of music that they are predisposed to like - and you need to tap into that. The trouble is neither you or your beginner know what they will like so encourage them to explore, building on what they do like and branching out slowly. A liking for the Schoenberg piano concerto - a work many members would find difficult or even nonsense - seems to be the clue as to where next. The Schoenberg work has the structure and gestures of a Romantic warhorse but the notes are all wrong. I would try a big Romantic piano concerto (perhaps even one with lush tunes and lots of notes like Rachmaninov's) and also some more Schoenberg and some Webern, too. Or perhaps it is piano concertos (or modern piano concertos) that your beginner likes so offer up some further examples of these. 

If you don't know much music, falling in love with a piece can involve listening to it again and again. Give them time and accept that it could take them a year to get to know and love a mere handful of works. And, of course, resist the temptation (at this stage) to get them to like what you do.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Some excellent 20th century (mostly) options for those relatively new to classical music:

*Stravinsky: Rite of Spring
*Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra
*Barber: Adagio for Strings
*Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
*Dvorak: Symphony No. 9
*Holst: Planets
*Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition


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## Bigbang (Jun 2, 2019)

The OP writes that "They did really enjoy the Schoenberg Piano Concerto." I make no assumptions whatsoever because I know once the questions are asked, such as---When did they hear it? What format? What were the circumstances? Are you sure about the tracks? Are they merely being "polite" when you drilled them on your questioning? Lol. Seriously, after the trial, the assumption that they liked the Schoenberg Piano Concerto becomes, well maybe not so assured. My point is I do not know anything so it is not possible to "convert" a person to become a classical music listener. What does that mean? When I am asked this question--"oh, you are into classical music"?, I say, something like, "No, I am more into certain composers." How can I possibly hear it all in one lifespan? Why would I try? 

If a person finds a few composers, and listen regularly to a majority of their music daily, weekly, adds works over time, how can that be terrible? I mean, they limit their time to focus only on what they enjoy, and possibly be missing out on many works that might capture their attention, yet time is an issue so each person has to figure out "how to listen/when to listen/why to listen/and 
where to go from here. 

What happens when a movie has a classical piece--soundtrack cd is produced, and they buy the cd for just one track. Do they go on to become classical enthusiasts? I had a family member ask me about a movie and after figuring out the work, gave them the entire work. Do they now listen to classical music? No. Because it was only a few seconds of music that captured their imagination. Plus you have video to aid in the experience. My point is that is takes many hours of time to get many works and so lots of people fall out and go back to their routine.

If a person listen to one composer, and only one composer, and did so daily, I am inclined to think that is a person listens to classical music even though they are not trying to go "all out" in pursuit of some idea getting all that is available today. 

Right now I am listening to RVW Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis...Andre Previn RPO. How many times I have heard the work, how many versions I have, yet, did nothing for me, but now, many years later, I feel compelled to listen to it entirely as opposed to stopping it after a minute or two and move on to another work. 

There is hope for me yet that I might one day get into "classical music."


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

pianozach said:


> I'd give 'em Holst's The Planets
> 
> or tell them to stream KUSC.
> https://www.kusc.org/radio/playlist...dUUjnL2IiuCxESxtYrnhy29MZOGnaulAaAmnqEALw_wcB


So, I've mentioned it here before, and I'll mention it now: I started a thread in another vBlog website that I titled *A Beginner's Guide to Classical Music*.

http://www.yesfans.com/showthread.php?86027-A-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Classical-Music&highlight=

I compiled a list of some of the most compelling and accessible classical works for novice listeners. They're all great works, but one of the problems with getting folks to come over to *"the classical side"* is that the the length, textures, and complexity tends to just chase folks away.

Each entry is accompanied by a video link, usually to a LIVE PERFORMANCE. I feel that the visual component adds to the enjoyment.

First off, many 'novices' are already familiar with a lot of classical music: Cartoons from the 1940s and 1950s are loaded with it. And anyone who's a fan of theatrical films will have heard a great deal of it, even though they may not have realized it: For instance, *2001: A Space Odyssey* used a great many classical pieces for its score.

*A Clockwork Orange* used *Beethoven's 9th Symphony*.

*Apocalypse Now* used Wagner's *Ride of the Valkyries* from his massive operatic suite Die Walk?re.

Even *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* used music from Boccerini's *String Quintet in E.*

My list leans heavily on accessibility and familiarity. I'll usually give a little background or explanation with each of the works on the list, which started as a *Top 25*, and quickly expanded into a top 50, then Top 100 and beyond.

I started compiling it about the time I started this thread.

I decided on the most compelling Classical works based on my understanding of what might attract those interested in developing an understanding and love for the genre

You can agree or disagree, you can point out obvious omissions, you can rank my entries differently. There's really no 'wrong' here, although your favorite 20th Century work may confuse a novice with the concepts of atonality or 12-tonality or length. *Wagner's Ring Cycle* may be a masterpiece, but it's a lousy place for an untrained ear to start.

And, in retrospect, I'd move _Pictures at an Exhibition _from #13 to #11, and include more film scores higher up on the list.

Here's 1-10:

1-10
Holst - *The Planets*, Op. 32. 1918
Dvorak - *Symphony No.9 in E minor "From the New World",* Op 95. 1893
Beethoven - *Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
*Stravinsky - *The Firebird*. 1910
Tchaikovsky - *1812 Festival Overture*, Op. 49. 1882

Vivaldi - *Summer, The Four Seasons*. 1723
JS Bach - *Brandenburg Concerto #6*, In B Flat, BWV 1051. 1721.
WA Mozart - *Symphony 41 in C "Jupiter"*, K. 551. 1788
Borodin - *In the Steppes of Central Asia*. 1880. 
WA Mozart - *Overture* from *The Marriage of Figaro*. 1786

So, granted, my list is entirely subjective, but I've chosen works that can be instantly appreciated.

Here's 11-25

Grieg - *Peer Gynt*: Suite No. 1, Op. 46, and Suite No. 2, Op. 55. (Original score, Op. 23). 1876 
Frederic Chopin - *Polonaise Op. 53*
Mussorgsky - *Pictures at an Exhibition* (Ravel orchestration). 1922
Gershwin - *Rhapsody in Blue* 
Stravinsky - *The Rite of Spring*

Beethoven - *Symphony No.5 *in C minor, Op. 67. 1808 
JS Bach - *Cello Suite No. 1 *in G major, BWV 1007
Carl Orff - *O Fortuna* from *Carmina Burana*
Mussorgsky - *Night On Bald Mountain* (Rimsky-Korsokov arrangement). 1886	
Johann Sebastian Bach - *Well-Tempered Clavier 2, Prelude F Sharp minor*

Claude Debussy - *The Sunken Cathedral*
Sergei Rachmaninoff - *Prelude Op. 23 No. 5*
Franz Liszt - *Consolation No. 3*
Richard Strauss - *Also Sprach Zarathustra*
Ravel - *Bolero* 

While there's certainly room to quibble about some of these, one cannot deny that these are all arguably great works.

And when I peruse the next 50, I'm astonished at what didn't make the Top 50: Chopin's *Raindrop Prelude*, Beethoven's *Moonlight Sonata* and *Pastoral Symphony (6th)* and *9th Symphony* , Strauss' *Blue Danube*.

Truly, there are very few 'surprises' on my list (the most notable is a short orchestral piece by *George Martin* called *Pepperland*), and most folks familiar with Classical may give the occasional entry a short eyeroll.

The thread is up to #188 now.

I invite you all to peruse, comment, judge, and enjoy.

http://www.yesfans.com/showthread.php?86027-A-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Classical-Music&highlight=


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

It is strange how few recommendations come close to the Schoenberg piece that the beginner "really liked". I'm guessing that part of the difficulty for us with that piece and pieces like it applies more to those reared on the poor derided "canon" than to someone who comes fresh to classical music. Now I love much of the canon and I can still remember how difficult I found the Schoenberg concerto when I first encountered it. But if you come to classical music afresh, with no expectations, I can easily imagine being amazed by the work even on first hearing. Many younger people I know dislike classical music because it sounds to them like film music or the music used on adverts. The Schoenberg concerto just sounds serious and dramatic and not at all contaminated with commercialism. 

Come on! Let's offer up some advice based on the person's actual preferences.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

25-30

George Martin - *Pepperland*
Chopin - Prelude in Db "*Raindrop*"
Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor ("*Moonlight Sonata*") 
Antonio Vivaldi - *The Four Seasons*
Rossini - *Overture* to "*The Barber of Seville*" 

31-40

Wagner - *Ride of the Valkyries* from *Die Walkure* from *Der Ring des Nibelungen*.
Mozart - *Symphony No.40 *in G minor
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons "*Spring*"
Beethoven's *Symphony No. 6* "_*Pastoral*_"	
Mozart - *Requiem* in D minor

Johann Strauss II - *The Blue Danube*, Op.314 
Tchaikovsky - *Capriccio Italien*
Paul Dukas - *The Sorcerer's Apprentice* 
Beethoven - *Symphony No. 9*, "Choral"
Schubert - *Ave Maria*

I think you'd enjoy my entire list in order. Check it out (link in my previous comment).


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

Thank you all so much for the recommendations!!!! I know some of these, and am checking out the others. This is just what I needed.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Michael Tippett's Piano Concerto


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Le snigger..........  :lol:


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Tchaikov6 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I need an album for a beginner who wants to get into classical music, ...
> 
> They did really enjoy the Schoenberg Piano Concerto, so maybe stuff on the more modern side? Who knows however?


There are other intriguing modern piano concertos out there. I would think that if I myself enjoyed the Schoenberg Concerto, which is not an easy work by any means, I would be open to modern music and especially the piano concerto.

Ravel's Concertos come to mind. They bridge the gap between old and new music and offer some startling and beautiful moments.

Too, Shostakovich's Second Piano Concerto introduces a new composer and new material that might incite interests.

Then there are a couple of Prokofiev Concerti that might whet interest: I think off hand of the 3rd and 4th.

Of course, Schoenberg has a Violin Concerto that probably would interest one who liked the Piano Concerto. So too does Shostakovich, and does Prokofiev. Which would lead to Bartok's concerti.

One final concerto suggestion is for the guitar, the Rodrigo _Aranjuez_.

My immediate thought, though, upon first reading the post was Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. In any case, here's a fine listing of moderny works which should interest nearly anyone, I would think. I'm interested enough to want to go now and listen to something from this list. Or maybe two or three.


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