Classical music - starting points

Thanks, Rushton. Yours is the voice of reason vis. a vis. how a given piece of music will "resonate" with an individual. In my case I like stuff all the way from Renaissance and Baroque to Bernstein when it comes to classical. However, when I asked a friend who is heavily into Mahler to help me break into his music he suggested I get Symphony #2. I'm trying to like it but after a few passes I'm not there yet!

In a broad sense it is likely that folks new to classical music will be happiest with pieces heavy on melody (IMHO).
Most of what has been listed here qualify. A few more of this type that grabbed me upon first listen include Barber's "Adagio for Strings," Pachelbel's "Canon," "Nimrod" from Elgar's "Enigma Variations," and Bach's "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" to name a few more.

Jgreenwood, good catch to point out that we've not covered many entry points using Baroque music (Bach's Mass in B can be a challengin entry point). I like your Bach and handel suggestions above. To those, I'd offer:

Telemann's Tafelmusik (Music for Table). The Reference Recordings disc with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra is not bad, but I'd recommend Bruggen/ConAmsterdam on Telefunken as a better entre.

Albinoni, Adagio in g (Marriner/ASMF, Brown -vn, EMI)

Allegri, Miserere (Tallis Scholars or Willcocks and the Choir at King's College on Argo)

Buxtehude, Sonatas for Violin and Cello (Boston Museum Trio on Harmonia Mundi)

Gabrielli, just about anything, particularly his music for brass

Monteverdi, Selva morale e spirituale (Christie/Les Arts Florissants on Harmonia Mundi)

Collections:
"Laudate!" or "LaudateII" (Drottingholm Baroque Ensemble, Uppsala Academia Kammarkor, Proprius)

"Recital" and "In Concert" and "A Second Recital" by the Academy of St. Martins in the Field, with Marriner on Argo.
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Beemerrider, I agree with you about pieces with greater melodic content as better points of entry for most of us. You've suggested good works for starting points.
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How about starting with a live performance! The vast majority of classical music was written before Edison was a gleem in anyone's eye. I've got cheap tickets in the front row,(the ones everyone hates)right in front of the cellos. Watch the drops of sweat fly from the conductors brow, watch how hard the players work during a Beethoven symphony, make eye contact with the performers, hear first hand the complex harmonics of the instruments. No recording and no equipment can really reproduce the total experience of a live performance. Get yourself some cheap tickets to a couple of concerts and see what happens!

Beemerrider, Don't give up on Mahler. I'm not at all sure that #2 is the best place to start though. The last movement is certainly a big part of this piece's attraction but it sure takes a long time to get there and even then it can seem uneven and overlong. Personally I would have recommended #1, which is much more conventional, direct, dramatic and brief (for Mahler) or his greatest Symphony, IMHO, #6 which while long in duration is anything but long in listening. It is full of moments of contrasting drama, bleakness and great beauty. #7 is fairly assessible as well. Stay away from #3 & #9 'til you have gotten a handle on Mahler. They aren't tough musically, but will seem endless until you are more musically acquainted with Mahler. Also, FWIW, because of the uniqueness of Mahler it does help to read a bit about what he was up to....makes a bit more sense out of what what you are hearing and why. The opposite of what you noted as a good thing for newbies exists in Mahler - there is not a lot of symplistic melody to initially draw you in. But, as your friend will attest, once its in your blood it is very moving stuff. Keep trying, but don't get stuck on #2 - borrow some others.

Rushton (and anyone else), I've spent this morning listening to some very assessible neo- romantics (Arnold, Copland, Barber, Bantock) but as I was trying to make recommendations for newbies I kept away from them as much because of the obscurity of some of their names and music as anything else, but their music is very assessible and melodic. See any point in making an addendum to my list? Also, perhaps someone would volunteer to consolidate the lists by era (I demur - I'm too lazy).