Must-have classical music?

Question

Besides Beethoven's Piano Concerto and Mozart's Requiem. What would be good starter themes? I'm new to classical music but have always loved the emotions it seems to stir; I usually listen to rap and some rock.

I prefer more epic and haunting stuff like Requiem rather than frilly happy themes.

Answer 1

Epic and haunting, you ask for:

1) Rachmaninov Piano Concertoes 2 & 3; Preludes for piano; Moments Musicaux; Etudes-Tableaux

2) Scriabin Piano Sonatas; Prometheus

3) Gustav Mahler: Symphony #9; Das Lied von der Erde (particularly the Das Abschied)

4) Mozart Piano Concertos: also you will love Mozart's Jupiter Symphony (the powerful second movement)

5) For epic, you can't beat Beethoven's symphonies, particularly #4, #5, and #9 (the choral symphony), it's very sweeping and powerful.

6) Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Firebird Suites
7) Holst: The Planets
8) More of the epic: Brahms Symphony #1, Symphony #4

Good luck, and happy listening!

Answer 2

You need Mahler's 8th Symphony (the Symphony of 1000.) It is based on Goethe's Faust. The first half is in Latin, and the second half is in German. It's beautiful (and haunting, at times)
If you want haunting, you need:
Rachmaninoff's Piano Concertos 2 & 3
Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in Em
Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique
Dvorak's 9th Symphony in Em
Ravel's Bolero
Stravinski's Le Sacre du Printemps (the Right of Spring)
There are many more pieces you should check out too. The ones listed above are all symphonic works. There is also some great music for solo/ensemble instruments and solo/ensemble voice. I would recommend listening to some classical music stations and finding out what you really like. Also, if you are a talented musician and you live in a community that has a community orchestra and/or chorus, you should audition for it. You can learn a lot more about the music and the interpretation of the music by performing it.

Answer 3

The 2nd movement of Brahms' Deutsches Requiem
The second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)
The third movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 12 (Beethoven)
The Trauermarsch opening movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 5.
The ninth variation from Benjamin Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10
The third movement of Mahler's first symphony
The fourth movement of Alexander Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 1
The funeral march for piano by Chopin in 1837, the 3rd movement of Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, op. 35 and the theme for Marche funèbre in C minor, Op. 72 No. 2. (This is probably the most well known and famous funeral march with many appearances in popular culture, such as cartoons and computer games).

Answer 4

Here's a few that I know

Gustav Holst's "Mars, The Bringer of War" from The Planets (very epic)

Shostakovich's Symphony No.5

"Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copland

"Ride of the Valkries" by Wagner

"Night on Bald Mountain" by Modest Mussorgsky

"O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's Carmina Bruana

those are all pretty epic, hope you like them.

Answer 5

Brahams and vivaldi are some good ones to start with. Beethovan and mozart are some good choices too. Your on your way