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Around November 20th, 1975, a year after getting married, I had the joy of exposing myself to classical music and opera. This was actually inspired because of my interest in the music of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It is my understanding that Keith Emerson had classical piano training as a youth and it showed in his music with a group called "the Nice" and later with ELP. I figured if I enjoyed the sound of rock and classical mixed in the music of ELP--later labeled "Progressive Rock"--then why not explore classical music in it's pure form.
I checked out many record albums from the local library--now, everything is CDs--and discovered beautiful compositions by composers from years past and from various parts of the world. What I present on this page is for people who might be where I once was . . . "curious, but not sure where to begin." These are some of the more popular compositions in classical music and some of the more popular arias (vocal solos) out of some of the better known operas.
There was a period in my life when classical and opera was all I listened to. My classical music phase lasted for about ten years. I never really lost my love for it, I just went through a period where I didn't listen to much music of any kind for a while. I then spent a few years listening to talk radio. Eventually, I started reading up on all the musical rock artists of the 70's, 80's and 90's, whose years of performing their music, I had slept through; and found that I enjoyed hearing their music when I tuned to the right radio stations (billed as "Classic Rock"). I have since found an interest in country music as well and I'm now listening to classical music and opera again. I'm very eclectic in my musical tastes!
That brings me to the point of putting together this web page to show some recommendations of classical music and opera for folks who might be curious as to what the whole world has been listening to for the last 200 years. Below are my personal favorites which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND for starters (with a few personal favorites highlighted in red). The rest of the page lists composers by country of origin and in the order of their year of birth. In each section are some of the more popular compostions of each of these composers which I would recommend listening to. I left out several good composers, like Igor Stravinsky, because his music was pretty deep, even for his day and it takes a while to learn to appreciate what composers like Stravinsky were doing with their works. My objective here was not to list every composer and every single great work, just list some of the better pieces you might find on an inexpensive CD collection of classical music. This is only a guide for you to investigate and experience THE JOY OF EXPOSING YOURSELF to Classical music and Opera.
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Bach * Suite #3 – Air for G-String Beethoven * Moonlight Sonata Beethoven * Piano Concerto #5 (Emperor) Beethoven * Symphony #5 (V for Victory) Beethoven * Symphony #6 (Pastoral) ***** Beethoven * Symphony #9 (Choral) Berlioz * Symphonie Fantastique Dvorak * New World Symphony (Largo movement-Goin' Home) ***** Gershwin * Rhapsody in Blue ***** Mozart * Piano Concerto No. 21 (Elvira Maddigan) K. 467 Rachmaninoff * Piano Concerto #2 in C Minor (Full Moon and Empty Arms) Ravel * Bolero Rimsky-Korsakov * Scheherazade ***** Rossini * William Tell Overture (The Lone Ranger) Strauss * Blue Danube Waltz Strauss * Voices of Spring Waltz Tchaikowsky * Piano Concerto #1 in B flat minor, opus 23 (Tonight We Love) Tchaikowsky * 1812 Overture Tchaikowsky * Symphony #6 Pathetique ***** Opera Just about any opera written by Mozart, Puccini, or Verdi is enjoyable. Mozart's Don Giovanni would probably be the critic's choice for starters. My personal favorite is Puccini's Tosca ***** Verdi's Rigoletto would likely be his most popular opera. Bizet's Carmen in French is very beautiful and easy to appreciate for beginners. What about Wagner? Wagner, the man, was quite controversial and Wagner's music is either loved or hated by those who hear it. There seems to be no middle ground with Wagner. Some of his instrumental opera overtures are breathtaking and very moving. Start with those and if you like them, then you will probably enjoy listening to his operas. All of Wagner's operas are listed on this page. |
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Bach, Johann Sebatian * 1685-1750
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Bach * Brandenburg Concerto #6 Bach * Clavier Concerto in D Minor Bach * Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Joy) Bach * Suite #3 – Air for G-String Bach * Toccata in D Minor Handel * Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah
Beethoven * Coriolanus Overture
von Weber * Invitation to the Dance Meyerbeer * Coronation March Mendelssohn * Midsummer Night’s Dream: Scherzo
& Overture
Schumann * Traumerei, op. 15, no. 3 Wagner * Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde
Offenbach * Barcarolle (Adrift on a Star)
Brahms * Academic Festival Overture
Strauss Richard * Also sprach Zarathustra (Sunrise)
(Theme from “2001”)
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Borodin, Alexander * 1833-1887
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Borodin * String Quartet no. 2 Mussorgsky * Gopak from the Fair at Sorochinek
Tchaikowsky * 1812 Overture
Rimsky-Korsakov * Capriccio Espagnole
Ippolitov-Ivanov * Caucasian Sketches: Procession of the Sardar Rachmaninoff * Piano Concerto #2 in C Minor
(Full Moon and Empty Arms)
Gliere * Russian Sailors’ Dance from Red Poppy Ballet Prokofiev * Love for Three Oranges: March (The
FBI in Peace and War)
Khachaturian * Sabre Dance from Gayne Ballet Shostakovich * Age of Gold: Polka |
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Haydn, (Franz) Joseph * 1732-1809
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Haydn * String Quartet Op. 3, no 5 Haydn * The Clock Symphony Haydn * The Surprise Symphony Mozart * Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman, K. 265
Schubert * Ave Maria
Strauss * Blue Danube Waltz
Mahler * Symphony #1 |
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Berlioz, Hector * 1803-1869
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Berlioz * Symphonie Fantastique Saint-Saens * Danse macabre
Delibes * Coppelia Ballet Suite: Swanilda’s Waltz (Pretending)
Bizet * Aragonaise from Carmen
Chabrier * Espana Rhapsody Massenet * Le Cid: Aragonaise
Debussy * Arabesque no. 2
Dukas * Sorcerors Apprentice Ravel * Bolero
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Albinoni, Tommaso * 1671-1750
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Boccherini * Minuet
Rossini * William Tell Overture (The Lone Ranger) Verdi * Aida: Grand March
Ponchielli * Dance of the Hours Leoncavallo * Mattinata (You’re Breaking My Heart) Masscagni * Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo |
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Smetana, Bedrich * 1824-1884 * Czechoslovakia
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Dvorak * Humoresque, op. 101, no. 7
Elgar * Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (Land of Hope and Glory) Liszt * Hungarian Fantasy for Piano & Orchestra
Lehar * Gold and Silver Waltz
Chopin * Etude, Op. 10, No. 2 “Revolutionary”
de Falla * Ritual Fire Dance from El Amor Brujo |
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Addinsell
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Dinicu-Heifetz (arrang.) * Hora Staccato Foster * Camptown Races
Gade * Jalousie Gershwin * Rhapsody in Blue Grainger * Country Gardens Grieg * Anitra’s Dance from Peer Gynt Suiite no. 1
Grofe * Grand Canyon Suite: On the Trail (“Phillip Morris Playhouse” Theme) Herbert * March of the Toys Lecuona * Malaguena (At the Cross-Roads) Rubinstein * Melody in F, Op. 3, no. 1 Sibelius * Finlandia
Sousa * The Stars and Stripes Forever Suppe * Light Cavalry Overture
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A Night At the Opera
A listing of some of the
more popular arias
Composer * Opera * Aria *
Voice
| Beethoven * Fidelio * Abscheulicher! * mezzo-soprano
Beethoven * Fidelio * O welche lust! (Prisoner’s Chorus) * chorus Bellini * La Sonnambula * Ah! Non credea mirarti * soprano Bellini * Norma * Casta Diva * soprano Bizet * Carmen * Habanera * mezzo-soprano
Boito * Mefistofele * L’altra notte in fondo al mare * soprano Donizetti * L’Elisir d’Amore * Una furtiva lagrima * tenor Flotow * Martha * M’appari * tenor Giordano * Andrea Chenier * Come un bel di’ di maggio * tenor Leoncavallo * I Pagliacci * Vesti la giubba * tenor Mascagni * Cavalleria Rusticana * Voi lo sapete * mezzo-soprano Massenet * Werther * Ces lettres! * mezzo-soprano
Mozart * Abduction from the Seraglio * Martern aller Arten * soprano Mozart * Cosi fan tutte * Come Scoglio Immoto Resta * soprano Mozart * Don Giovanni * Deh, vieni alla finestra
* baritone
Mozart * Magic Flute * Der Vogelfanger bin ich
ja * baritone
Mozart * Marriage of Figaro * Dove sono * soprano
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Ponchielli * La Gioconda * Cielo e Mar * tenor
Ponchielli * La Gioconda * L’amo come il fulgor del creato * mezzo-soprano & soprano Puccini * La Boheme * Musetta’s Waltz * soprano
Puccini * Madame Butterfly * Un bel di Vedremo * soprano Puccini * Tosca * Vissi d’Arte * soprano Rossini * Barber of Seville * Largo al factotum * baritone
Saint-Saens * Samson et Dalila * mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix * mezzo-soprano
Strauss Richard * Der Rosenkavalier * Waltz Scene of Baron Ochs * baritone Verdi * Aida * Triumphal March * Orchestra Verdi * Il Trovatore * Il balen del suo sorriso
* baritone
Verdi * La Traviata * Addio del passato * soprano
Verdi * Rigoletto * Bella Figlia dell’Amore (Quartet)
* baritone & soprano & tenor & alto
Verdi * Un Ballo in Maschera * Alla vita che t’arride
* baritone
Wagner * Tristan and Isolde * Liebestod * soprano |
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