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New to Classical Music - Album to try first??


Hi all,
I have a very important question to ask..

I know good music with talented people and good recording when I hear it..and I have good ears..

When I listen to an artist that I haven't heard before, It is actually very easy to tell if you will like their music...If you hear a few cuts that you want to listen to AGAIN, that is the start of it...you listen to the cuts again and you start having favorites.. on good albums you will have a couple of real favorites, on great albums you may have 5 or more favorites..now you are really on to something...a nice music excursion.

That is exactly the way that most good music comes into my life, and I would think that it is much the same for most audiophiles..

I listen to classic rock, jazz & female jazz singers, some country and many kinds of other music..I am open to all music by talented people and especially love well recorded, dynamic examples on a good system..

Now here's the question.
I have NEVER listened to classical music, but I would like to try some now..
What one album would you suggest for me to try first?
- It has to start somewhere..

Please take your time to answer..and I will borrow or buy the one most suggested, and am looking forward to it..

Thanks,
Joe
joe55ag
musicnoise
377 posts
 
A few suggestions: First choice: Mendelssohn - Bruch Violin concertos - Kyun Wha Chung on Decca Legends. Sonically nice: Vanska's Eroica (Beethoven's 3rd) with the Minnesota S.O.; Handel's Messiah by Dunedin Consort and Players (on Linn). Biondi and/or Carmignola for Vivaldi (any); Mozart's Violin Sonatas by Manze and Egarr. Telarc and Linn are labels with impressive sonic appeal - I find a lot of the recordings a bit hyped but they do sound impressive. For great performance - Furtwangler's 1951 Beethoven's 9th or the 1961 Beethoven box set from Karajan.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,379 posts
 
Jim Crane's list is great; add Firebird Suite or Firebird Ballet by Stravinsky. Cheers,

Spencer
gawdbless's avatar
gawdbless
1,235 posts
 
Hit your local library.
rja's avatar
rja
2,371 posts
 
Yes, I second Gawdbless's suggestion. One thing I might mention is that there is a lot of different "classical" music and you'll have to check out different eras, styles, composers etc. to find out which you prefer.

For instance, I don't care that much for the big romantic era stuff (Mahler, Bruckner, Brahms, casts of thousands) although I like some later romantic music like Ralph Vaughan Williams (sometimes referred to as the English cow pat school). I prefer smaller romantic repertoire such as piano trios, quartets, chamber music, etc.
I find baroque stuff with basso continuo appealing as well. Earlier opera (17th & 18th century) especially French and English also appeals to me (Rameau, Lully, Purcell).
Then I skip to more contemporary stuff like Valentin Silvestrov.

Obviously, there's a whole lot to explore. Be forewarned; Can turn into a lifelong pursuit!
Even worse when mixed with interests in Rock'n'Roll and Jazz and audio.
mantisory
95 posts
 
I third that suggestion - the library is an excellent source of music. As for what to listen to, well...that's a huge can of worms...here are some recordings/performances that I really think you should check out though:
1) Tutti (reference recordings sampler) - i think this was already mentioned, and I second that one
2) Die Rohr (The Tube) - Baroque music recorded through tube equipment on period instruments - really nice!
3) Beethoven 7th (Solti) - I love that 2nd movement!
4) If you think you might like beethoven, check out "Beethoven lives upstairs" - it's a kids CD that is truly wonderful and the music is excellent. I listen to it often.
5) I would also suggest using an online music service like Last.fm - a great way to discover music (ANY music really)
B
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