# The Essential Pieces of Classical Music



## Balhor (Sep 24, 2013)

I'm making a cd with the essential pieces of classical music for a friend.
This is the list, do you have any suggestion?


Boccherini - minuetto
Corelli - follia
Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G minor 
Bach - Double Violin Concerto in D minor 2nd movement
Franz Liszt - Liebestraum - Love Dream 
Tchaikovsky - Waltz of the Flowers 
Prokofiev - Dance of the Knights
Richard Strauss - Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 
Handel - Sarabande 
Ponchielli - Dance of the Hours 
Beethoven - Symphony No. 9
Mendelssohn - Sinfonia n.3 Scozzese
Franz Schubert - trio op. 100 (D 929) 
Chopin Nocturne - Op. 48, No. 1 in C minor 
Antonio Vivaldi - La Stravaganza
Jacques Offenbach - Orpheus in the Underworld Overture 
Pachelbel - Canon in D Major
Haydn - Symphony No 88 4th mov


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Just wondering about Zarathustra. The opening I understand. But, the entire work? Wouldn't be my first choice, even for R Strauss.

No comment on the rest of your list. Some would be on mine, some wouldn't. We're all different.


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## niv (Apr 9, 2013)

essential, what a complicated and probably unanswerable question from an objective sense. I'd say that you're going to record a small sample of classical music, which is nothing bad at all (though I'm unsure that will all fit in one cd, unless they're mp3s). I'd add Claire de Lune by Debussy since noone in the world seems to dislike it, and something for string quartet (Ravel!)


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Grieg - Morningmood
Albinoni - Adagio
Barber - Adagio for strings

A few more that would fit such a compilation.


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## rrudolph (Sep 15, 2011)

Seems like you could save yourself some time and effort by just buying one of those budget "All the Greatest Classical Moments (Without Any of the Annoying Context)" collections. I saw one the other day that looked like it was 8 or 10 discs for around the price of 2. There are many such collections out there and they're very easy to find.


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2013)

The problem here is that you are trying to condense centuries of music into a CD. True, there are some works that stand out to the point that even non-classical fans may recognize them (e.g. the 1st movement of Beethoven's 5th, the last movement of his 9th, his Fuer Elise). How does one go about making up a list of essentials? How far back do you want? I would certainly add works like Thomas Tallis' Spem in Alium. Victoria's Requiem. Bach's Mass in B Minor. Already you have more than 1 CD. Mozart's 41st Symphony. Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, his Razumovsky quartets. Schubert's Death and the Maiden Quartet. Several of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony. Brahms' Violin Concerto. Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. Dvorak's Cello Concerto and 9th Symphony. I'm just scratching the surface.


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

I get the impression you're after the 'popular' pieces, in which case I would heartily recommend Bruch's Violin Concerto (mvt. 3) and perhaps Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (March to the Scaffold).

I also applaud your choice of Corelli's La Follia!


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

There's way more "essential" classical music than can fit on one disc. Even trying for a small representation of each A-list composer is too much.

If I had to recommend one work that has not been mentioned here yet, it would be Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World." Each movement can work on its own, and it fits together splendidly.


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

I say, remove all the minor excerpts and all those things and opt for complete works.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

*Sibelius:* Symphony no. 5, 3rd mvt
Schoenberg: the first of his 5 pieces for orchestra
Berg: Violin Concerto, 2nd mvt
Prokofiev: any famous excerpt from Romeo and Juliet
Shostakovich: Piano Trio no. 2, 1st mvt
Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Xenakis: Metastasis
Ligeti: Atmosphères
Gorecki: Symphony no. 3, 2nd mvt
Pärt: Fratres for Violin and Piano
Glass: Metamorphosis 5


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

The ones I've collected, of course


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## Schumann (Aug 12, 2013)

Balhor said:


> I'm making a cd with the essential pieces of classical music for a friend.
> This is the list, do you have any suggestion?
> 
> 
> ...


I would strongly suggest some alternations for some composers:

Bach - St. John Passion, BWV 245 - Herr, Unser Herrscher
Handel - Serse, HWV 40 - Aria: Ombra Mai Fu
Chopin - Nocturne #2 In E Flat, Op. 9/2, CT 109
Mozart - Don Giovanni, K 527 - Act 2: Commendatore Scene
Schubert - Ellens Gesang #3, D 839, "Ave Maria"
Mendelssohn - Hymn, "Hör Mein Bitten", Op. 96
Vivaldi - Violin Concerto #2 In G Minor, RV 315, Op. 8, "The Four Seasons (Summer)" - 3. Presto

And what about Schumann? Schumann - Liederkreis, Op. 39 - #5 Mondnacht


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## Balhor (Sep 24, 2013)

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, really helpful.


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## JCarmel (Feb 3, 2013)

' I'd add Claire de Lune by Debussy since noone in the world seems to dislike it..'
Whoo?...Over Here?!!....I've never much liked it, I'm afraid!


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## niv (Apr 9, 2013)

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

(just kidding)


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

This reminds me of the time years ago I decided to make a compilation CD of classical "essentials" for a friend who knew next to nothing. To define "essentials" I had a look to see what was on the various popular (and populist) commercial compilations.
The CD quickly turned into ten CDs with 137 pieces of music...


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

For Haydn, I would put the 1st movement of symphony no. 94, or one of the choirs from the Creation, for eg. 'The Heavens are telling the glory of God', 'In fairest raiment/The Lord is Great', 'Sing to God'.


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