Building my Classical CD Collection

Classical CDs

By the end of the millennium (2000), approximately, I had about 5,000 classical CDs in my collection. Though I also love soft jazz, and variety of pop music for easy listening, I doted mainly on the works of the world's greatest classical composers. 

My classical CD collection sets out to include what I consider the most important or the best known works of my favourite composers, but I've also included lesser known composers, with the aim of widening new areas of interest. I have my favourite operas in my collection, though I mainly mention samples of arias and choruses.    

In time, more CDs will be added to this collection...  6 January 2007 

 

Bach, Johann Sebastian:

Brandenburg Concertos 1, 2 & 3, 4, 5 & 6; "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", Orchestral Suites Nos. 1 & 2, 3 & 4; Violin Concertos; Organ Favourites; three Preludes and Fugues and the great D minor Toccata and Fugue. 

Bartok:

Concerto for Orchestra & Music for Strings

Beethoven:

Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" & Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 9 "Choral", Moonlight, Pathetique & Appassionata Sonatas, Emperor Concerto & Piano Concerto No. 2; Eroica Symphony & Symphony No. 8; Violin Concerto & Romances Nos. 1 & 2; Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4; Spring & Kreutzer Violin Sonatas

Bizet:

Suites from L'Arlesienne & Carmen

Boccherini:

Cello Concerto in Bb

Borodin:

In the Steppes of Central Asia & Polovtsian Dances; String Quartet No. 2  

Brahms:

Piano Concerto No. 2; Hungarian Dances; Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 1 & 3 

Britten:

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Bruch:

Violin Concerto No. 1 

Bruchner:

Symphony No. 4 "Romantic"

Chopin:

Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Nocturnes & Waltzes; Piano Sonatas nos. 1, 2 & 3

Delibes:

Coppelia, Sylvia

Debussy:

Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune, Nocturnes & La mer

Dvořák:

New World Symphony & Symphonic Variations; Cello Concerto; Slavonic Dances; Serenade

Elgar:

Cello Concerto; Dream of Gerontius, Enigma Variations "Nimrod" 

Faure:

Requiem 

Gershwin:

Rhapsody in Blue, Piano Concerto & An American in Paris

Grieg:

Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 & 2, Piano Concerto

Handel:

Music for the Royal Fireworks & Water Music; Messiah

Haydn:

Surprise, Clock & Hen Symphonies; Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Emperor, Fifths & Sunrise String Quartets

Holst:

The Planets & Suite de Ballet

Janacek:

Sinfonietta, Taras Bulba & Lachlan Dances

Kreisler, F:

Romantic Violin favourites melodies

Liszt:

Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Mahler:

Symphony No. 4 & 8

Mendelssohn, Felix:

Violin Concertos; Italian Symphony & A Midsummer Night's Dream; Scottish Symphony, Hebrides, Calm Sea & Prosperous Voyage & Ruy Blas Overtures

Mozart, Wolfgang A:

Eine kleine Nachtmusic & Serenata Notturna, Requiem, Bassoon Concerto & Horn Concerto, Oboe Concerto & Clarinet Concerto, Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5, Adagio & Rondo, Symphonieis Nos. 40 & 41; Coronation Mass, Laudate Dominum, Ave verum corpus & Exsultate, jubilate; Mozart Overtures, ranging from his early Apollo et Hyacinthus to The Magic Flute overtures and La clemenza di Tito; Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 21, K.466 & K.467    

Note: Like any Mozartian, including me, I have my own list of Mozart music I consider my best (or favourites). Here's one list from classicfm.com - The 15 greatest pieces of classical music by Mozart.

Mussorgsky:

Pictures at an Exhibition & Night on the Bare Mountain 

Orff:

Carmina Burana 

Paganini:

Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Prokofiev:

Peter & the Wolf; The Love for Three Oranges, Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella; Classical Symphony & Symphony No. 5

Rachmaninov:

Piano Concerto No. 2 & 3, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Ravel:

Bolero, Daphnis et Chloe (Suite No. 1)

Respighi:

Symphonic Poems 

Rimsky-Korsakov:

Romantic Violin Favourites - Song of the Volga Boatmen, Londonderry Air

Rossini:

Overtures, including William Tell

Saint-Saëns, Camille:

Organ Symphony; Carnival of the Animals  

Scarlatti:

Piano Sonatas

Schubert:

Trout Quintet & Adagio, Impromptus, Piano Sonatas D 960 & 958, Rondo Concertante; Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished", Symphony No. 5 & Rosamunde Ballet Music No. 2; String Quartet "Death and the Maiden" 

Schumann, Robert:

Piano Concerto; Carnaval, PApillons & Scenes of Childhood 

Shostakovich:

Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9

Sibelius:

Finlandia, Karelia Suite, The Swan of Tuonela & Valse Triste; Violin Concerto

Strauss, Johann II:

Waltzes

Strauss, Richard:

Also sprach Zarathustra, Salome's Dance & Waltzes from Der Rosenkavalaier

Tchaikovsky:

Piano Concerto No. 1, Symphony No. 5 & 6 "Pathetique", 1812 Overture, Capriccio Italien, Romeo & Juliet; Violin Concertos; Francesca da Rimini; Nutcracker & Swan Lake; Sleeping Beauty

Telemann:

Three Violin Concerto, Viola Concerto, Two Horn Concerto

Verdi:

Opera Choruses - from the chorus of Hebrew slaves in Nabucco to the gypsies of La Traviata and Il Trovatore and the patriotic march & chorus from Aida.

Vivaldi:  

The Four Seasons & Concerto alla Rustica

Wagner:

The Flying Dutchman, Tannhauser & Lohengrin

Miscellaneous:

Guitar Concertos - Rodrigo, Tarrega, Villa-lobos, Ponce

Invitation to the Dance - C. M. von Weber's Invitation to the Dance, Adam's Giselle, Ponchielli's  Dance of the Hours

 

(c) January 2007. Updated May 2024. Tel Asiado. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.