Just started being interested in clasical music, only 14, which are .the best 'starter' pieces to get into?

Question

chilled out pieces only please (but maybe the odd 5th syphony by beethoven)

Answer 1

Vaughan-Williams, and perhaps the easy Messiaen organ pieces, or any early 20th century European composers...smiled at someone suggesting Alan Hovhaness - come on...he was a fine composer, but if I was 14 and started off with, say, Mount St. Helens symphony, would have considered suicide!
Hovhaness is a bit like a wine - your brain cells (like taste buds) have to be gradually tested, and I suspect any 14 year old would be put off him for life. Maybe a few trips down 'easy-pieces lane' will warm you up for the heavy ones...Mozart, Wagner and perhaps even Glass, Riley, Eastern European, Russian and maybe even South American composers like Ginastera.

Answer 2

Try Saint-Saens' Organ Concerto (used in the film Babe) and his Carnival of the Animals (I bet you already know one or two, like the fish and the swan); Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto, which is wicked (is that the right expression, lol!); Mozart's Clarinet Concerto; Zadok the Priest by Handel (it's the ITV Champions League and P&O ad theme) Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto; Dvorak's New World Symphony (it was the Hovis theme - your parents should remember it!), Ma Vlast by Smetana ("My Country" - i.e. what was Czechoslovakia); Grieg's Peer Gynt and a beautiful song he wrote called Last Spring, as well as his famous Piano Concerto; any ballet music by Tchaikovsky (it's not soppy, well, maybe just a bit) just about anything by Beethoven, Lizst and Mendelssohn (especially Midsummer Night's Dream by Mendelssohn). Clair De Lune by Ravel, the orchestral version rather than piano. For English classical music, apart from Handel who was naturalised English, I'd recommend: Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (Land of Hope and Glory); Holst's The Planets Suite; Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis and The Lark Ascending; and finally, Sir Paul McCartney (yes, that Paul McCartney) has today released his new classical choral work, Ecce Cor Meum (this is my heart) which I heard a bit of and it is excellent, well worth a listen. Good luck!

Answer 3

Bach tends to be a good starter piece.

But if you're just now getting interested into classical music, I'd definitely go with pieces that you're sorta familiar with. You mentioned Beethoven's 5th, so Fur Elise, or pieces from the Nutcracker might be a good thing to start off with. The more familiar a tune is, the more likely you'll want to play it and be able to play it well once you get it down pat.

Answer 4

Well. Beethoven's 7th and 9th symphonies are musical delights and the famous Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky is classic classical piece. Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons", any of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, and Rachmaninoff's work must be listened to.

Answer 5

Anything by Mozart or Bach, Pachelbel's Canon, Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Eine kleine Nachtmusik are both very good, as well as his operas Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute.

Answer 6

How about Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto, or Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. Mozart's operas are superb - lots of comedy in them as well as gorgeous music. Beethovan's 6th (the Pastoral) is sublime. Starting to sound like a track listing for Classic FM radio here, which isn't a bad place to start actually. Every year they release albums of easy classical.

Answer 7

Pachabel's canon is a wonderful "chill-out" piece, or trying something like Handel's "Water Music" or Eine Kleine Nachtmuzik.

If you don't want anything too heavy then I'd avoid composers such as Brahms, Berlioz and Schubert to begin with.

Answer 8

Much depends on your taste, Try the 1812 overture (Tchaikovsky)for excitement and Hall of the Mountain King by Greig to chill out. Also for real relaxation Fingal's Cave by Mendolssohn.

Answer 9

There are a lot of "sampler" type albums in existence that give you just the one part of a classical piece that's famous. One of these is called Massive Classics: Music you can't relax to. I love that. The link below takes you to its page on Amazon. Once you get there, you can use the Amazon lists feature to find lists of similar albums, and also listen to clips to see if you want an album.

I also recommend Aaron Copeland. Almost everything of his is wonderful, and you've heard most of it, too. For instance, "Rodeo" is "Beef: It's what's for dinner."

Answer 10

I think you should start off lightly and listen to Vivaldi Four Seasons or and Mozart Piano Concerto. try and avoid Faures requiem (despite it being one of my favourites) it may put you off as it does get a little heavy in places!!!!

Having said that, Handels Messiah is always a good place to start!!!