There are many sites out there that offer help to beginners who wish to start a classical CD collection. Try the Classical Net for a huge amount of information and links to many other sites.

Here's our Top 20 List. Give these CDs a try!

Pachebel's Canon; Vivaldi's 4 Seasons; Albinoni's Adagio (performed by the London Chamber Orchestra under Christopher Warren-Green; Virgin/EMI CUV5 61145-2)

Mozart's Symphony No.40 and 41 (performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein; DG 445 548-2)

Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos.21 and 25 (performed by Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich/London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis; Philips 426 077-2)

Beethoven's Symphonies Nos.5 and 7 (performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Carlos Kleiber; DG 447 400-2)

Beethoven's Emperor Concerto (performed by Stephen Kovacevich/Australian Chamber Orchestra; EMI Eminence CD-EMX 2184)

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 and Violin Concerto (performed by Martha Argerich/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Charles Dutoit and Nathan Milstein/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Claudio Abbado; DG 439 420-2)

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Romeo & Juliet, etc. (performed by Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Sian Edwards; EMI Eminence CD-EMX 2152)

Brahms' and Mendelssohn's Violin Concertos (performed by Anne-Sophie Mutter/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Herbert von Karajan; DG 445 515-2)

Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos Nos.2 and 3 (performed by Byron Janis/various orchestras/Antal Dorati; Mercury 432 759-2)

Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf; Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals (performed by Sir John Gielgud/Academy of London/Richard Stamp; Virgin CU5 61137-2)

Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony (performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim; DG 415 847-2)

Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (performed by Serenata of London; Carlton PCD 861)

Grieg and Schumann Piano Concertos (performed by Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich/BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis; Philips 446 192-2)

Dvorak's New World Symphony (performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Kyrill Kondrashin; Decca 448 245-2)

Beethoven's Moonlight, Pathetique and Appassionata Piano Sonatas (performed by Jeno Jando; Naxos 8.550045)

Chopin Favourites (performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy; Decca 417 798-2)

Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F; Rhapsody in Blue; An American in Paris (performed by Gwenneth Pryor/London Symphony Orchestra/Richard Williams; Carlton PCD 30369 00072)

Handel's Music for The Royal Firworks; Water Music (performed by Paillard Chamber Orchestra under Jean-Francois Paillard; Erato/Warner 2292 45931-2)

Rodrigo's Concierto di Aranjuez (performed by Carlos Bonnell/Montreal Symphony Orchestra/Charles Dutoit; Decca 448 243-2)

Orff's Carmina Burana (performed by San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Orchestra under Herbert Blomstedt; Decca 430 509-2)

Note that the Decca label is known as London in the USA.

There are also many other compilation albums (such as the DG "Mad About" series) that are worth checking out for familiarising yourself with a wide range of music in the mainstream classical repertoire.

Good luck, and enjoy!

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Copyright © 1998 Lionel H Y Choi