Suggestions, please...

Quote by Tobais: "Hope it helps old Fab4fan..."

Hey, who are you calling old! LOL!

Thank you all for your suggestions. That piano teacher I had was a bit of a purist. Once I was working on a section of "Rhapsody In Blue" and I couldn't quite get it so I sort of "fudged" it. When I finished she said, "That was lovely, now would you mind playing what's on the page?"

"Baroque is when you have no Monet"...that would make a great signature line.

Please feel free to keep the suggestions coming...I'm eager to learn.

OK, to be serious, you must get Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances on Reference Recordings. A gorgeous piece of music and a terrific recording. A rare combination.

Given what you've listed, here are some works by other composers that you might like.

Debussy: Afternoon of a Faun, Pelleas et Melisande, Images pour orchestra, La Mer, piano music (esp. as played by Ivan Moravec)

Chabrier: Danse Slave, Espana (Ansermet or Paray)

Charpentier: Arts Florissants (Christie/Les Arts Florissants)

Corelli: Conc Grossi, op6,1-6 (McGegan/PhilBarO/HarMundi)

Rutter: Gloria

Dvorak: Serenade for Strings (Marriner/ASMF), Symphony #9 (From the New World) (Kertesz/LSO)

Grieg: Piano Concerto (if you liked the Rachmaninov...)(Boult/LSO, Curzon -pf)

Handel: if you enjoy Vivaldi and Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, you might try exploring a little Handel. Try his Water Music or Music for the Royal Fireworks (I like performances by Pinnock and by Gardiner with period instruments, but Dorati is good on Mercury in the Fireworks)

Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite (Kertesz.LSO), Galanta Dances (Kertesz/LSO), Peacock Variations (Dorati/PhilHungarica) - if you enjoy large scale Rachmaninov, the Kodaly will be worth exploring.

Nielsen: Saga Drom, Symphony #5 - worth a shot if you enjoy some of the others listed here. (Horenstein on Nonesuch)

Poulenc: Gloria, for Soprano Solo, Chorus & Orch (Pretre/FNRO, Carteri on EMI)

Prokofiev: Scythian Suite (Dorati/LSO or Skrowaczewski/MinnO, Lt. Kije (Reiner/CSO)

Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso, Pavane pour une Infante Defunte, Ma Mère l'Oye, Valses nobles et sentimentales (Skrowaczewski/MinnO or Paray, among others)

Gershwin: Since you like Gershwin, try the EMI recording with Andre Previn and the LSO for Rhapsody in Blue, American in Paris and Piano Concerto in F for luscious performance in an excellent recording by the two Christophers.

Bach: For the Brandenburg Concertos, try Trevor Pinnock and the English Consort on Archiv. For additional music by Bach, try his Triple Concerto, BWV 1044, with the same forces. The Violin Concertos are well worth exploring (BWV 1041-1043).

I am assuming you've well explored the music of the composers you've listed, but if not, we can offer some suggestions for additional music from those composers.
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Rushton: Wow...thank you for taking so much time to respond. As I read the list, I realized I did know some of the composers you mentioned, but many are new to me, so thank you.

I'll have to check out that recording of "Rhapsody..." I am pretty partial to the Bernstein version, but then again, he's my favorite conductor, so...

I've heard Michael Tilson Thomas (?) perform "Rhapsody"...it hardly sounds like the same piece of music, to me anyway.

Thanks again. I appreciate everyone's suggestions. Keep them coming!

Fab4fan, I wondered if you'd call me on that... you can call me old if you like, as in "Good old Tobias." ;o) ( I'll be a senior citizen soon enough. Like Paul Simon says, God is old, we're not. )

Rushton, that's a great list. I myself was going to suggest Kodaly for the Rachmaninov-loving Fab but I couldn't think of anything orchestral, ho ho ho. My cultural veneer is very thin, I think. Thanks and hats off to you.