Bill Pirkle wrote: >If you had to select 10 compositions to introduce someone to classical >music which ones would you choose? Remember, you don't want to turn >them off with works that are hard to understand. They should include >symphonies, concertos, and trios, quartets and piano works. As most no-classical-listeners say about classical music: "It is good when you are about to sleep", I wouldn't focus on such pieces, which are good when you are about to sleep. (For me, very different kinds are good for sleeping, but thats not what they mean). * Khachaturian: Sabre Dance * Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King * Bizet: Les Toreadors * Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata * Wagner: Walkuerenritt * Haendel: Water- or Fireworksmusic * Monteverdi: Toccata & Moresca from "L'Orfeo" * Tjajkovskij: Dances from Swan Lake Suite * Mahler 1st Sinfonie, 4th Movement * J.Strauss [Sohn]: Highlights from the Operettas I have made my list after my believes about introducing CM to a person in my age or younger. I presume the person in question not just don't know any classical except from ..._ etc, but also even has a belief that he dislikes CM. Most of pieces I have chosen are very short, and I think just a too lengthy piece may cause dislike, even if the music is good. Remember most pop/rock songs are shorter than 3 minutes, and I think about five minutes is the limit of pain for a person with the belief he dislikes CM. Mahlers 1st, 4th movement seems to be the fish among the marmots or how to say it. But I have once got a guy, who had no clue about CM, to confess he liked it with corrupting him with Mahler 1:4. Mats Norrman [log in to unmask]