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[Felidae_Khrall]

Ok, I'm putting together a CD for work tonight, and I want some suggestions.
I'm looking for classical/instrumental music and I've got a good selection so far, but I wanna see what I'm missing.

Beethoven - Lettre a elise
Strauss - Wiener Walzer (Vienna Waltz you pervs)
Berlioz - Rakoczy March
Strauss Richard - Also sprach Zaratustra (2001 theme)
Lehar - Gypsy fiddles.... (not sure what the name is)
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons
Paco De Lucia - Tango Flamenco
Strauss Johann - Radetzky Marsch
Chopin - Piano sonata #3
Bach - Concerti in E Major
Mozart - Pachelbel Canon in D
Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries
Strauss - Blue Danube Waltz
Gayane - Sabre Dance
Verdi - Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile
Mozart - String Quartet, 3rd movement.
Bach - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No.2 in E Major, Allegro assai.
Bach - Mars Volta
Bach - Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor-I.Prelude.
Vladimir Horowitz - Prelude based on Bach's Cantata No. 12(Liszt)
Bach - Toccata e fuga
Beethoven - Ode to Joy

Vivaldi - Spring
Ava Maria
Beethoven - Symphony No 5 in C minor

Ok! What's next ? I'd like to hear some recommendations from the classical buffs.

 

[Kiriku]

How could you forget Edvard Grieg's "Hall of the mountain King"?!

And Mozart - Für Elise

Also, Chopin's "Minue Waltz"

...and "Funeral March", if you're in the mood...

 

[bishoptl]

A few favourites I keep in steady mp3 rotation:

Mozart - Quando Corpus Mo
Bach - Concerto for Flute and Orchestra
Moonlight No 14. in C sharp minor, op 27 no 2, Adagio sostenuto
Moonlight No 14. in C sharp minor, op 27 no 2, Allegretto
Moonlight No 14. in C sharp minor, op 27 no 2, Presto agitato
Appassionato No 23. in F minor, op 57, Andante con moto

 

[Felidae_Khrall]

How could you forget Edvard Grieg's "Hall of the mountain King"?!

And Mozart - Für Elise

Actually, I forgot to list it but I do have it, and I the first one I listed was Fur elise. Which is by Beethoven, BTW



Oh, and just to bridge the generation Gap, i'm putting this on the CD

Classical-London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Choral Society - Symphonic Rock-The British Invasion- Vol.1 - Stairway To Heaven

 

[type9]

Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition
Ravel: Pavane Pour une Infante Defunte
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major

 

[Kiriku]

Actually, I forgot to list it but I do have it, and I the first one I listed was Fur elise. Which is by Beethoven, BTW

Damn, I always mix those two up...I was so sure it was done by Mozart!
Anyway, I thought your first song was something else, so that's why I mentioned it.

 

[Tesla]

Some minor corrections:

Fur Elise was Beethovan, not Mozart.
Pachelbel's Canon in D was Johann Pachelbel, not Mozart.

Some suggestions for your collection:

Bach - Cello Suite #1 (1st Movement Prelude)
Bach(?) - Prelude and Fugue in C minor

Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ("Pathétique") Op. 13 2. Adagio cantabile

Moussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain

Max Bruch - Concerto No. 1, Op. 26, In G Minor

Saraband - Can't remember the composer. It's the famously melancholy one.

Chopin - Nocturnes (ALL OF THEM!)

Schubert - Death and the Maiden

Holst - The Planets (MARS)

 

[thomaser]

Ravel - Bolero. So soothing, sensual and exciting!

Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite. Contains, among others, "Morning Mood", which must be the most hopeful, positive tune ever. Also has "In The Hall Of The Troll King".

Alexander Borodin - "Prince Igor". A great opera.

Igor Stravinsky... I think I love everything by this guy. Try "The Rite Of Spring".

And... if you want newer stuff, Gershwin. "Rhapsody In Blue" is the brilliantest of all brilliant things that ever were.

 

[Smidget]

Bach - Air

I dunno if I love it because of Seven or what... but it's great.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Ravel - Bolero. So soothing, sensual and exciting!
And... if you want newer stuff, Gershwin. "Rhapsody In Blue" is the brilliantest of all brilliant things that ever were.

yes to both.

looking at your list, there isn't much to add. it's a good list.

 

[IAmtheFMan]

I have waaaaaaaay too much classical music on my system (composes probably 4 gigs or so,) but it looks like you're looking for shorter pieces since you're compiling a LOT on a cd:

Massenet: Meditation from "Thais"
Mozart: Concerto for two pianos in E-flat; III movement
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20; the whole thing is good but for relaxing study music, go with the second movement
Bach: Arioso for Brass
Wagner: Prelude from "Der Miestersinger"
Chabrier: Espana, Rhapsody
Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre
Liszt: Piano Concerto 1 (the whole thing is only like 15-20 minutes I think)
Chopin: Piano Concerto 1 (the second movement is absolutely beautiful)
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto 3 (long)
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini (long)

Those are some good "study" things. If you wanted more really dynamic pure "listening" pieces, I could recommend those too.

 

[Error Macro]

Moonlight No 14. in C sharp minor, op 27 no 2, Adagio sostenuto
Moonlight No 14. in C sharp minor, op 27 no 2, Allegretto
Moonlight No 14. in C sharp minor, op 27 no 2, Presto agitato
Appassionato No 23. in F minor, op 57, Andante con moto

Awesome. I'm currently going through all 32 piano sonatas played by Wilhelm Kempff. I think he's bar none the best pianist that ever lived. Flawless execution of all of Beethoven's work, and also Schubert and Schumann's work. The "Moonlight" suite is definitely my favorite. Followed by numbers 8 and 21.

 

[Warm Machine]

Mozart - Moonlight Sonota
Rachmaninoff - Island of the Dead
Carl Orff - Carmina Burana

 

[wandering goat]

I don't know too much stuff but you really can't go wrong with anything Chopin, especially if you like romantic / melancholy classical music. I've found that easily the best player of Chopin is Vladimir Ashkenazy, so download stuff that he's played.

 

[DopeyFish]

Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 5
Gliere - Russian Sailors Dance

 

[NohWun]

Dvorak, New World Symphony.

Just about anything by Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart.

Oh, and Bruch's Violin Concerto.

 

[AeroGod]

A lot of good here, not much need for anything else but ill throw in a few i can think of now...

Toru Takemitsu- Japanese composer. Really good stuff to be found so look around. Twill by Twilight is a know favorite

John Williams-He didnt just do Star Wars Look up The Five Sacred Trees. Its a damn fine album. its a mixed album with a few other composers, but its all good.

 

[NohWun]

By the way, you should give a listen (and perhaps ask for recommendations) to different conductors, soloists, and recordings for these various works. Some conductor's interpretations are a lot different from others, and can make or break the piece.

 

[capslock]

Anything from Mendelsohn's Scottish Symphony, or Italian Symphony.

 

[Error Macro]

I don't know too much stuff but you really can't go wrong with anything Chopin, especially if you like romantic / melancholy classical music. I've found that easily the best player of Chopin is Vladimir Ashkenazy, so download stuff that he's played.

Chopin's "Romance: Larghetto" freaking rocks, in a classical sense, of course.

 

[Drozmight]

Pink Floyd - Any Colour You Like

 

[Felidae_Khrall]

Pink Floyd - Any Colour You Like

Well done! The first man to break the thread train.... lets keep modern out of if we can.

(I know I put stairway to heaven in, but when it's played by the London Symph. Orch... wow)

 

[Drozmight]

Hehe, aight... well I guess you could put Modest Mussorgsky on there with Night on Bald Mountain or Pictures at an Exhibition.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Quick question: In my Music appreciation class we have listening quizzes. We have to be able to identify a song, the composer, and one "fun fact" about each song from a 20-30 second clip. How does one go about doing this for 10-15 minute long pieces of work? If anyone has any listening tips they would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NohWun]

Quick question: In my Music appreciation class we have listening quizzes. We have to be able to identify a song, the composer, and one "fun fact" about each song from a 20-30 second clip. How does one go about doing this for 10-15 minute long pieces of work? If anyone has any listening tips they would be greatly appreciated.

Most music follows a theme. In other words, it's kind of repetitive.
In any case, I'd suggest listening to it all. Some of it's really good.

 

[NLB2]

Is it Händel?

Nope, its got to be Bach Cello Suite nr. 1

 

[Felidae_Khrall]

Quick question: In my Music appreciation class we have listening quizzes. We have to be able to identify a song, the composer, and one "fun fact" about each song from a 20-30 second clip. How does one go about doing this for 10-15 minute long pieces of work? If anyone has any listening tips they would be greatly appreciated.

I can do this with most movies. Even if I haven't seen them. Identify them anyway. not the fun fact bit.

 

[NLB2]

Quick question: In my Music appreciation class we have listening quizzes. We have to be able to identify a song, the composer, and one "fun fact" about each song from a 20-30 second clip. How does one go about doing this for 10-15 minute long pieces of work? If anyone has any listening tips they would be greatly appreciated.

A couple ways of doing this.
First is learn all the melodies in a given piece. This works especially well for classical and romantic works. If its classical, the pieces are generally in a specific form like sonata (which is AB A'B' AB), rondo (ABACADAE....) or some other form that uses repeated melodies a lot. It also works very well for romantic pieces. Have you ever heard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra? Its built almost completely around one simple melody that consists of a perfect fifth followed by a perfect fourth.

Another way is to look at the orchestration. If the piece has a french horn being played, you know its not gonna be a string quartet. This is especially helpful for music in which melody plays a not so significant role, not to mention many composers are defined by their tonal color.



To the original poster:
Some pieces of music I would recomend are the nine Mahler symphonies, especially 1, 3, and 8. Rite of Spring by Stravinsky, any operatic work of Richard Wagner sans Rienzi, Nixon in China by John Adams, Simphonia by Luciano Berio, Don Quixote by Jan Sandstrom (my favorite piece written in the last 10 years. and, although it is contemporary, it is very melodic), Symphony Number 2 by John Corigliani.