Robert Peters asks:
>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.).
This is a dangerous question because well meaning posters will barrage you
with a list of a million works and you will be none the wiser. Anyway I
tend to be wary of instant formulae, so I will not give you a simple list.
If I did I would be tempted (to the horror of the others on the list) to
mention copious amounts of Boulez, Webern, Gesualdo, Isaac, Josquin,
Ockegehm, Berio and Rihm. Others might insist on some Reger, Rangstroem,
and Atterberg. No, I think the biggest excitement is as much the journey
itself rather than just the discovery. So rather than trying to divert you
to tread down my garden path I think it far wiser to ask where you want to
develop from the point where you stand currently.
So if you liked Winterreise and Dichterliebe, try Mahler's Lieder eines
fahrenden Gesellen, die Rueckert Lieder, or even Kindertotenlieder. Also
if you liked Winterreise you might find you even like Schubert's String
Quartet Nr 14 (Death and the Maiden), or the 8th symphony ('the
Unfinished').
I know little about Britten but given the admiration expressed for him
by Shostakovich, you might like to read some of the discussions on that
composer which occur frequently on the list. I think it might have been
either the 13th or 14th Symphony that was dedicated to Britten.
If you liked Don Giovanni try La Nozze di Figaro, or if you want to stay
in a more sepulchral mood try the Requiem.
Also don't forget to read books on your favourite composers. This will
help deepen your understanding as well as suggest further listening.
But don't try to take it all on at once, and avoid potted tours of the
centuries. You have a lifetime of listening ahead of you so why hurry?
And don't worry even the most knowledgeable amongst us will have BIG gaps.
I must say I find some of the discussions on neglected Scandinavian
composers on this list quite a revelation sometimes.
Satoshi Akima
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