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Classical intrumental Guidance please

That is nigh on impossible to answer without at least a little narrowing of the field, so this is a complete stab in the dark...

Assuming you are coming from a rock/pop background, in my opinion the single most rock’n’roll piece in the classical oeuvre is Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. So try that and who know what might follow!
 
I know it's a big ask :),

I was actually looking for a departure from the blues/soul/rock/electronic stuff I normally listen to, I suppose something a little more sophisticated & engaging. at this point, I feel I need a change of direction,
 
There is a sub section for Classical in the Music section. There would be a better place to ask the question.
 
Amazon is full of CD's and DVD's explaining classical music to children. If you can swallow your pride, that's the way to go. I can still remember the basic musical education I got at school and this opened me many doors.

Otherwise, if you happen to see an old Penguin Guide at the flea market, buy it. Excellent as a bedside book and you'll learn what this music is about. The rules apply to many other music styles, in fact.
 
Radio 3. And some would add Classic FM for introductions to famous repertoire.

Local music society?
 
One of my favourite pieces of music from any genre is Mozart k.525 Serenade for strings in G Major "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" - it is unique in his catalogue in that it has no known commission/patron/reason to exist (other than that he wanted to write it down).
 
know this well, it is stunning.

I agree, genre aside, one of the best pieces of music full stop.
 
Michael J said:
One of my favourite pieces of music from any genre is Mozart k.525 Serenade for strings in G Major "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" - it is unique in his catalogue in that it has no known commission/patron/reason to exist (other than that he wanted to write it down).
Click to expand...

I've always heard and read he wrote his final 3 symphonies 39-41 with no known reason but did not know it was the same same for K. 525. Thanks for that Michael J. I love these nuggets of information.
 
Graham H said:
Radio 3. And some would add Classic FM for introductions to famous repertoire.
Click to expand...

Classic FM is definitely the place to start as they play excerpts from lighter, more popular pieces although this can be a bit misleading with some pieces as it is usually the best bits they play. Radio 3 is more serious stuff & could as easily put you off as attract you.

You have to get your mind around the fact that pieces can vary from 15 minutes to 4 hours (for some operas). Also the variety of the many different types is mind boggling. I have listed a few pieces which I would recommend you to try. They are the copies I have got but plenty of other versions to choose from.

Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique - Royal Concertgebouw c Colin Davis - 55m
Beethoven - Symphonies nos. 5 & 6 - Berlin Philharmonic c Hebert von Karajan - 1hr 4m
Dvorak - Symphony no.9 "From the New World" - Baltimore Symphony Orchestra c. Marin Alsop - 1hr 5m
Handel - Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks & other - Academy of Ancient Music c Christopher Hogwood - 2 disc CD set
Holst - The Planets - London Symphony Orchestra c Colin Davis - 50m
Orff - Carmina Burana - Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra c Marin Alsop - 1hr approx. - I call this the "Druid Song" - something a bit different.
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition - original is a piano piece (very rare) but Ravel orchestrated version is much more popular with wide choice
Rimsky-Korsakov - Sherherazade & other pieces - Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra (Kirov) c Valery Gergiev - I hr 2m
Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture - often with March Slave, Capriccio Italien & others
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker - Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra c Valery Gergiev - This is a ballet but music is a favourite of mine - 1hr 20m
Verdi - Requiem Mass - Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus c Carlo Maria Giulini - 2 disc CD set with others
Vivaldi - Four Seasons - Europa Galante c Fabio Biondi - 2 disc CD set with others - but also extremely wide choice of other versions

I am sure you will have heard excerpts from some of these although you may not have been aware at the time what they were from. They are in alphabetical order of composer but they are all very listenable - in my opinion.
 
Gareth Malone's 'Music for the People' also functions as a good introduction to the ins and outs of the classical genre
 
Try the Ravel string quartet. He only wrote one, so it's not hard to find the right one... It's usually paired with the Debussy quartet, he only wrote one as well.
 
It was in the main music area, I moved it to here!

PS Random listening to Radio 3 can be a very productive use of time IME. It is one of the best and most useful things on the BBC.
 
Try Faure's Requiem. The Barenboim version is my favourite. Play it, enjoying the dynamics and textures until you know it. Then try living without it.
 
People can be a bit snooty about Classic FM, but if you are starting out in classical music, it may be more approachable than Radio 3. They tend to play shorter pieces or single movements, but the range is quite broad if rather conservative (you won't find much Webern or Schoenberg). The advertisements are rather tiresome, but depending on who is the presenter, it can be worth listening. I tend to listen mainly when driving or doing some tedious job in the house if there is nothing I particularly like on Radio 3.
 
A message from pedant's corner: in the classical music world, instrumental usually means a single instrument, rather than no-singing. Classical music (especially in shops) is usually divided thus:
• Concertos/concerti: one instrument as soloist with an orchestra or larger group of instruments accompanying
• Orchestral: symphonies, overtures, tone-poems etc
• Chamber: smaller ensembles from 2-8(ish) musicians, eg trios, quartets, violin&piano, etc
• Instrumental: solo piano, violin, organ....
• Vocal: Songs, Choral music
• Opera

The rough guide to classical music is an excellent book to have, mixing as it does both information about the composer, his most famous works and recommended recordings of them:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1843532476/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Have fun!
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
If you are coming from a modern pop/rock stance you could start with the Romantic music like Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, mentioned above somewhere. Easier to start this way. Romantic music is orchestral music that often tells a story rather than the more abstract and 'mathematical' classical music of say Bach or Mozart that takes a theme and inverts/twists /bends/ shifts and ends up back where it started. Aformentioned Symphonie Fanstastic tells a story - read it on the liner notes as you listen - you will 'get' it.

Then you can move on to Mahler (any 2nd or 3rd perhaps) - which will also give your system something to think about - It has been said that Mahler only became properly popular with the advent of decent Hifi systems - over an old Radiogram you could not hear it all. After that you can roam free for ever with orchestral music.

Some bits of Shostakovic are more brutal than most metal...

Bits of Debussy will suddenly be familiar as used in pop songs.

For a more gentle bridge to orchestral music try some Renaissance - Turn of the Cards - prog rock from classical roots. Early Emerson Lake & Palmer and The Nice also pillaged orchestral music. ELP also did a very good rock version of Pictures at an Exhibition. So did the Japanese electronics guy Tomita. Play that then find the orchestrated version and then find the original piano version.
 
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