Hello to everybody!  I am a novice to this list.  Having watched it now
for two weeks and being very pleasantly surprised by the jovial tone and
obvious sophistication of the lists members, I put a step forward with a
humble request.

I am in the process of building up a classical CD collection.  Having a
well-paid job now (yes, in Germany teachers are actually well-paid), I am
able to buy CDs now, whereas in former times I lent them from the library
or just listened to the classic radio.

Up to now I have just bought CDs following a kind of accidental scheme.  I
am growing dissatisfied with this and crave to have a stock of must-works,
or, as I would like to coin it, I want to have CDs that represent the inner
core of classical music.

So this is my question:  Which, say, 25 works, do you think are absolutely
essential for every serious classical CD collection? The works should be
of every period (from the Middle Ages to the present) and from every genre
(opera, Lied, symphony, chamber music, concert, etc.).

Not being an expert in classical music and not having a paramount view,
I nevertheless say that I have already built up a kind of list of my
favourite works from the material I know and already bought:  it would
mean pain to me missing Schuberts "Winterreise", Brittens "War Requiem",
Schumanns "Dichterliebe", Mendelssohns "Midsummer Nights Dream", Mozarts
Piano Concert Nr.  27 (which helped me a lot during a operation under local
anesthetics), Bizets "Carmen", Mozarts "Don Giovanni", Ravels "Pavane pour
une infante defunte", Pergolesis "Stabat Mater", Mussorgskys "Pictures of
an exhibition", Beethovens 9th Symphony.

You see, my knowledge of classical music is really in a gappy state.  I
hope you are willing to help me filling the gaps.

Thanks in advance,
Robert Peters <[log in to unmask]>