Recently I've found myself listening to quite a bit of classical music on the radio; basically to help me relax while I'm working, and now would really like to buy a couple of CDs to start my classical music collection. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to this area of music (wasted youth :rolleyes: ), so I need your help!!!
What I'm looking for is some nice relaxing, calming... music, that is fairly easy to listen to aswell. Any ideas?

*sigh* I must be growing up ;)

If you're asking for the best composers, well, in my book:

Beethoven
Brahms
Mozart
Chopin
Rachmaninov
Tchaikovsky
Any of the Strauss Waltzes (Richard and Johannes Strauss)
Debussy
Schubert
Bach
Handel (esp. if you can find it in Brass)
Haydn

Hope this gets you started, at least. If you're looking for orchestras, always go with the Philharmonic ones (they're the ones who put more life into the music), such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra or the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Boston Pops is great as well...if you can find CD's of when dear Arthur Fiedler conducted for them. The man was a genius, God rest him. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Cheers,
-Saz

you can't go wrong with bach,beethoven,strauss,and mozart.

<font color = lightgreen>Sazerac named the greats--definitely start with them. Just to add some more names to the list:

Mendelssohn
Janacek
Dvorak
Rimsky-Korsakov
Wagner

Fortunatetly, most classical CDs may be found in the under $10 section of music or book stores. Check out any discount/used book stores in your area, as well.</font>

[ 05-09-2002, 01:59 PM: Message edited by: Azred ]

Rimsky-Korsakov I'd give a huge thumbs-up to, as well as Mendelssohn. Wagner is one of the greats, but I'll warn you, if you're not used to that style, it's pretty hard-core. It can be used by surgeons for general anesthesia. ;)

If you are going to try Wagner, try something light to start off with, like "Tannhauser" or "Parsival"...don't jump into the Ring Cycle first thing unless you're very familiar with the Nordic myths. ;)

Cheers,
-Saz

This is where you need Melusine. She's the classical music expert of IW. I'm sure this thread will catch her attention!!

Mmmmmm, I can't advise you on anything light and relaxing I'm afraid - I like the dramatic stuff. My favorite Classical music:

Beethoven's 9th Symphony
Verdi's Requiem
Mozart's Requiem

Faure's Requiem is more relaxing.

'Modernist' stuff I like:
Prokofiev - Love of 3 oranges
Satie - pretty much anything (actually he was a Dadaist). Neither of those are easy listening though, although Satie can be relaxing if you can get your head around dischordant surrealism [img]smile.gif[/img]

<font color=Orange>My advice: DON"T</font>

<font color="gold">I have one CD with classic music that I really like, the soundset from "Gladiator"...LOL! :D
No no, but it's true, the music is great, Hans Zimmer is an excellent composer! [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>

Erm... no. Not at all actually.

But I'll add my list, Saz and Epona named some good ones.
If you're just getting into classical music, I could name some 'easy listening' - more accessible music.
Anyway here are some of my favourites, there may be a few in there that are a bit too weird to get into easily, but just give them a try a few times....

Gorecki's Third Symphony (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs)
Mozart's Requiem (most Requiems actually, and most of Mozart's "Geistliche Werke")
Carl Orff's Carmina Burana or Catulli Carmina
Tchaikovsky's Pathetique (his fifth - written just hours before he died of cholera)
Rachmaninov (maybe the Vespers)
Bach/Mozart/Beethoven - anything
Händel's Messiah
Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue)
Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite or some piano concertos
Janacek (anyone know how to get the half-circle on top of the 'c'?)
Charpentier's Te Deum
the Matthaus Passion *sigh*
Fauré's Requiem or Cantique de Jean Racine
Shostakovich's Fifth or Seventh Symphony (Leningrad)
Vivaldi's Gloria or Quattro Stagioni
Purcell's Dido & Aeneas
Mussorgsky's Night on the Bare Mountain
some Mendelsohn

[ 05-10-2002, 03:52 AM: Message edited by: Melusine ]

Erm... no. Not at all actually. </font>[/QUOTE]Sorry Mel, I thought you were up on these things. Well you sure know more than the average person! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Good call Melusine, I love those too!

No problem! I just wouldn't call myself an expert ;)

Thankyou for all the suggestions. My university has quite a good CD library, so I will have a browse next week and pick a few out.

'easy listening' would be good, so if you have some more suggestions I'd be glad to see them.

Many good ideas have already been said here. Maybe a little chronology would help you choose as well :

The oldest classical composers already mentionned are : Bach, Haëndel, Haydn, Vivaldi, Purcell, ... (Before that, we have almost no written music). That would be roughly 17th century - beginning of the 18th century. That's what's called truly "classical" music.

Mozart is at a turn (2nd part of the 18th century) because he was a precursor, his music prefigures already the next century. He was a genius - though, as he was constantly running for money, not all of his work is top standard - I wouldn't advise listening to many of his symphonies in a row. [img]smile.gif[/img] But his Requiem is a gem.

The 19th century is the century of "romantic music". Started with Beethoven - his 9 symphonies are all gems. After, you have, in no particular order, Chopin and Liszt (piano music), Schubert, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Tchaïkowski, Mendelssohn, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaïkovski, Grieg, Mussorgsky, Wagner, ...

First half of the 20th century has a lot of what I would call "expressionist music" (it's no the real word, but that kind of music always reminds me of the expressionist paintings of Monet, Manet, ...). Here you have : Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, ...

You also have the Eastern-european music, inspired from folklore, with composers like Bartok.

Gershwin is also a must, he is a world all by himself. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I have a fondness for Schubert, Chopin, Bartok and Debussy. But that's just me ... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 05-10-2002, 02:57 PM: Message edited by: Moiraine ]

Wow!!! Thanks, I am hopeless at rememebering what happened when, so this has made the history of it a whole lot clearer.

I've got my hands on some Bach; mainly because I've played some of his pieces, so I knew what to expect. I might have another browse later in the week.

You are welcome ! [img]smile.gif[/img] That was just a sketchy history line, anyway. If you want precisions about specific composers, just ask. [img]smile.gif[/img]