Classical music - starting points

For someone new to classical music who is serious about getting some exposure to what is available from the different composers which would in turn give them some guidance in what music to move on to, I don't think you can beat the purchase of some compulation discs which feature composers from the different eras and which will typically include some of the composers most assessible and popular pieces. There are discs for solo piano works, chamber works, overtures, short symphonies, tone poems, and some short symphonies. Listening to these records/CD's will quickly help identify the starting point for a newcomer. These recordings are abundant and cheap. Highly recommended.

For folks who would want some very dramatic and assessible pieces from the Romantic era I would recommend:

Beethoven - Sym #5 & 7, Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto #4, Violin Sonatas 3 & 5, and Piano Sonatas #29, #8, #14, #23 and #29.

Brahms - Violin Concerto, Symphony #1, and Piano Sonata #3 and three intermezzi Op117.

Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique (and it is fantanstic, if a bit bizzare considering when it was composed). Big piece, an audiophile favorite show piece.

Chopin - Music for Solo Piano Preludes and Nocturns as well as Sonatas.

Debussy (not from the romantic period but very assessible non the less)- For Orchestral, LaMer and Afternoon of a Faun. For solo piano, Images and Preludes.

Dvorak - Tone Poems and Symphonies #8 and #9.

Falla - Nights in the gardens of Spain

Hanson - Symphony #2 (he is a neo romantic composer - this symphony is subtitled "Romantic).

Liszt - Sonata in B is a great place to start. This piece is really over the top.

Respighi - Orchestral - Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome and the Birds. Big pieces - great audophile demo stuff as well.

Rachmaninov - Symphony # 2 and Symphonic Dances

Rimsky Korsokov - Scheherazade & Russian Easter Overture. More big dramatic demo music.

Saint Saens - Symphony #3 the organ symphony, Piano Concerto #2 and #4.

Schumann - Fantasy in C for solo piano (this is supremely beautiful classical piano)

Sibelius - Symphony #2

Smetana - Ma Vlast, a very nationalistic piece of Czech music - very beautiful and often quoted.

Tchaikovsky - Symphonies 4,5, and 6. Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto, Swan Lake, the 4 suites, and solo piano the Seasons.

Vaughn Williams (not really of the romantic period) Symphony # 2, subtitled the London Symphony. Beautiful piece.

Wagner - Orchestral Preludes from the Ring and others. Big music, but for shear beauty get excerpts from Tristan and Isolda. No fat soprano screeching here!

Thats a few for starters from just one period......If anyone wants specific recommendations I'd be happy to recommend some of my favorite performances.

Rushton, Where's Mahler in your list! :-)

Believe it on not, I recently exposed my adult daughter to classical music using my two favorite composers, Sibelius (Sym #4), and Mahler (Sym #6). She found Sibelius bland and just loved Mahler. Go figure!

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).

Beemerrider, Solti's 1st, suggested by Rushton is a good place to start. It's in print and its a budget CD. If you can't find it Kubelik is another budget disc I'd recommend that is in print.

If you want to try #6, Zander on Telarc is a fine place to start and the CD, at regular price, comes with an additional disc of commentary by Zander about the symphony which you should find valuable.

All of Zander's Telarc disc's come with the commentary disc and they are all top drawer interpertations and performances which are well recorded. Also Telarc sells each symphony set at 'one disc' prices even though the set may have 2 or 3 disc's. And, for the audio nuts amoungst us I think some are hi-res format as well. I like Zander's performances a lot. Just a great way to get an intro to Mahler. He hasn't done the 1st yet (nor the 2d 7, and 8) but I'm waiting.

Rushton, Re multiple performances of Mahler. Just for fun I just counted my CD's of Mahler. Over 160. No wonder I'm broke! But, they really are all different from each other performance wise and interpertively. I'm often like a mule between haystacks. But, I've got a few favorites........:-)