Richard Tsuyuki <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>1) You might relate what got you into classical music in the first place.
>For example, a specific work or concert that you loved? That might help
>pinpoint a direction to start from.
>
>2) Did you pick your list with the intention of focusing on 20th century
>works? As has been mentioned by others, this is a somewhat unusual starting
>place, but there's no reason why it can't work for you.  But the "easier"
>music is usually earlier (Classical and Romantic periods).

Good points...  most contributors to this thread (myself included,
admittedly) simply advised to generally pass for now on that list
of 20th century works and just start with the usual
Bach/Brahms/Beethoven/Mozart/Tchaikovsky...  however, if you really
are brand new to classical music (as I'd assume since you referred to
"Classical Music for Dummies") yet somehow simply heard works by Ives or
Varese or some other ultra-modern and immediately and whole-heartedly
clicked...  then I guess, by all means go the modern route, buy up and
enjoy their works, and to heck with our advice.

On the other hand, of course, if you chose that list because, simply by
the composers contemporariness to our times you assume they would sound
more familiar and land more easily on the ear...  nooo way!!  Then I'd
say forget that list and go back to our advice.

That list, anyway, aside from simply singling out more influential
composers of the 20th century, otherwise names completely unrelated things.
Other than as a dry historical naming, I feel this "starter collection"
list to be VERY poorly conceived and a poor way to send new collectors into
the fray...  the more traditional Mahler/Ravel/Strauss is worlds away from
the (to my ears) modern but easily approachable Adam's Harmonielere...
which is worlds away from Ives/Varese/Webern (whom I lump together simply
because they are worlds away from anything I could begin to like!;-).

Albie