Classical Gems (Recommended Listening)

There's an abundance of great classical music out there... where to start? how to learn and appreciate?

In New York, I listen to WQXR a lot - the selections are generally really good and not just the typical "Brahms, Beethoven and Wagner" bill of fare. They play a good amount of obscure older and new stuff and usually have some interesting tidbits to share about the composer. I've been surprised quite often by hearing something delightful for the first time.

The list below is more like an "assignment" list for me. Many pieces I haven't heard (or at least devoted the time to listen intently and study the music). The selections are all considered "top shelf" compositions representative of the composer's style. The list is by no means complete - it's only a starter but visitors may find it useful.

Composer	Music Compositions
Albeinez	Iberia Suite Espanol
Béla Bartók	Concerto for Orchestra (Sz. 116, BB 123) [five-movement musical work] Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
Alexander Borodin	In the Steppes of Central Asia Polovetsian Dances (Prince Igor - Kismet)
Aaron Copland	Quiet City
Debussy	La Mer (tone poem)
Antonín Dvorák	New World Symphony Slavonic Dances (#4 ) "American" String Quartet Cello Concerto in B minor Minatures Requim (choral)
Faure	Apres un Reve (?) Ballade for Piano & Orchestra Pavanne Requim
Gounod	Funeral March of the Marionettss (Hitchcock theme)
Grieg	Peer Gynt Suite Piano Concerto in A
Gustav Holst	St. Halls Suite The Planets
Janacek	Sinfonetta
Kodaly	String Quartet (?)
Lizst	Hungarian Rhapsodies
Felix Mendelssohn	A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture Fingal's Cave (also known as the Hebrides Overture) Scottish Symphony (Symphony No. 3)
Modest Mussorgsky	Night on Bald Mountain (orchestral tone poem) Pictures at an Exhibition (piano) Dawn on the Moscow River
Prokovief	Symphony #1 in D minor (Classical Symphony)
Ravel	Pavanne for A Dead Princess Mother Goose Suite Bolero
Respigi	Adagio (viola? ) Three Botticelli Pictures (great woodwind writing)
Rimsky-Korsakov	Capriccio Espagnol Russian Easter Festival Overture Scheherazade (symphonic suite) Second Symphony
Saint-Saens	Allenz (Opus #83 – Gypsy-like)
Satie	Trois Gymnopédies (of course!)
Alexander Scriabin	Fourth Symphony Piano Etude in C# Minor
Shostakovich	Symphony No. 5 Jazz Suite #2 (Cello)
Sibelius	Finlandia (tone poem) Second and Fifth Symphonies
Smetana	The Bartered Bride
Igor Stravinsky	Rites of Spring Firebird Symohony of Psalms Duo Concertante (1932)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky	6th Symphony (Pathetique)

Interested in Classical Composers?

This is a nice site to get started with:
Know Your Composers: Famous People of Classical Music