After chatting with Tracey a couple of days ago, I'll post some laid back classical that is ideal for background music when you are reading or relaxing after a hard day.
First is Vivaldi's most famous work, "The Four Seasons". These compositions have been used extensively in all medias, from commercials, to movies to television shows, you have more than likely heard them all at some time in your life, but despite their popularity they still have that magic to attract and hold my interest. These belong in every classical music fans library.
Next up is another piece of music I use to unwind after a stressful/hard day at work. Handel's masterwork and most famous orchestral piece, "Water Music". This piece was commissioned by King George I, and was performed on a barge on the Thames to try and win the people over to the new monarch's side, that is why it's called "Water Music".
Sorry to barge in, Lord, but I HAVE to share this with anyone wanting to investigate instrumental choral music. It is, in my opinion, positively the best album of choral music I have ever heard. The Gorecki "Totus Tuus" and the choral arrangement of Barber's Adagio make this disc worth whatever it's going for these days. The RS Singers are flawless and the recording quality, as is the case with all Telarc releases, is spectacular.
I am a Rach fan too, have been ever since I took piano lessons as a kid and tried to play the 3rd piano concerto. I have concertos 1-3 and the "Vladimir Horowitz plays Rachmaninoff" album with Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor. I have been a big Horowitz fan ever since I heard his piano only version of Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition".
Hey, in case you hadn't noticed, I love Russian music.
__________________ Still crazy after all these years...
I really need to join this thread. Long list of favorite classical stuff. Hopefully I've got sometime soon to make a list.
Ditto. I can't believe this thread has gotten to 2 pages without my even knowing it existed.
Re: Mahler, many people find his work pretty dense and intimidating, particularly the latter symphonies, but I think most people who say they don't like him are just put off by his reputation, or some just haven't made the effort. My wife is a good example. She claims she finds the 1st symphony "inaccessible." The first, can you believe that? It's about as mainstream as you can get. I will admit, I haven't ventured much beyond the 3rd myself, at least not in depth, but I just haven't had the time. Yeah, that's it. Time.
__________________ Hire an architect - an ego is a terrible thing to waste
Always room for more good company in here Craig, and AK.
I like Mahler, but as you said Craig there are never enough hours in a day to really get to everything nowadays. I think Mahler's 5th is my favorite for the moment, I had to laugh reading the liner notes, he wrote that one after getting married and was full of "Passion", when his wife listened to it the first time she commented it seemed a little "Too Lively"...
Add me too to the list of recommendees.
Here's something a little mellow.
George Butterworth's Banks of Green Willow.
A beautiful piece written to celebrate the English countryside.
(Could be anywhere of course). George was killed in WWI.
Been ages since I looked in this thread. Here's a really good set of Ludwig van Beethoven's 9 Symphonies. Played on period instruments by the London Classical Players and conducted by Roger Norrington keeping as close to Beethoven's original time measurements/notations as humanly possible to give them an air of authenticity.
I have 4 different versions of his Symphonies, and these are really worth picking up.
Re: LG's Recommendation Thread 
Back then I was a symphony hall groupie LOL 
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