Musically listless? Here's an antidote

For several days I've been meaning to post a follow-up to my last music post, and now that the U.S. is out of the World Cup and Andy Roddick has fallen at Wimbledon, I have a few free moments. I first wanted to answer a question from Paul H., who asked:

I'm looking for a classical music recommendation, and I think that you would be a good person to ask.

Despite my very large and fairly diverse CD collection (though not nearly as large as your collection), I own only a handful of classical CDs. I have Stravinsky's Firebird Suite and Rite of Spring, Beethoven's 5th and 6th symphonies, Mahler's 1st and 2nd symphonies, Shostakovich's 5th symphony, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, and just a few others.

(As you might be able to tell, my choices of classical music have been influenced by my love of progressive rock. For example, Yes used to open their concerts with an excerpt from the Firebird Suite, and ELP recorded a version of Pictures at an Exhibition.)

I'm not looking to greatly expand my classical collection. However I have known for quite some time that I am completely missing two of the best and most essential classical composers, namely Bach and Mozart. Can you recommend a few "essential" CDs of Bach and Mozart for me to buy -- preferably narrowed down to no more than two or three CDs for each composer if that is possible?

I'll give it a shot, although I'm hardly the best guide to Bach and Mozart (come to think of it, I'm not really the best guide to anything, so what's it matter?). If at all possible, you should have access to all of Mozart's Symphonies, as well as Beethoven's, and the "Paris" and "London" Symphonies, at the very least, by Haydn:

• Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 38, 39, 40, 41. English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner
• Mozart: The 5 Violin Concertos. Itzhak Perlman/Wiener Philharmoniker/James Levine
• Mozart: Horn Concertos. Dennis Brain, Herbert Von Karajan; Philharmonia Orchestra
• Mozart: String Quartets K. 387 & 421. Emerson Quartet

• Bach: Complete Cantatas. Ton Koopman; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra
• Bach: Violin Concertos. Anne-Sophie Mutter; Salvatore Accardo: English Chamber Orchestra
• Bach: Orchestral Suites. Christopher Hogwood; Academy Of Ancient Music
• Bach: Cello Suites. Mstislav Rostropovich
• Bach: Partitas. Maria Tipo
• Bach: Goldberg Variations. Simone Dinnerstein, or Glenn Gould

UPDATE: A readers asks why I didn't include any vocal/choral pieces. Good point! Here are a few favorites (keeping in mind that several of these pre-date what is even loosely called "classical"):

• Mozart: Vespers K321 & 339/Ave Verum Corpus. Choir Of King's College, Cambridge, The Hilliard Ensemble
• Mozart: Mass In C Minor, K 427, "Great". Kiri Te Kanawa, Anne Sofie Von Otter, etc. Neville Marriner: Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields & Chorus
• Beethoven: Missa solemnis, op 123. Rundfunkchor Berlin Berliner Philharmoniker; Sir Georg Solti
• Vivaldi: Gloria; Bach: Magnificat: Dawn Upshaw, Penelope Jensen; Robert Shaw: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Chorus
• Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli & Missa Brevis. Choir Of Westminster Cathedral
• Pierre De La Rue, Missa De Feria, Missa Sancta Dei Genitrix. Gothis Voices; Christopher Page
• Carlo Gesualdo: Tenebrae. Hilliard Ensemble
• Thomas Tallis: Lamentations of Jeremiah. Hilliard Ensemble

And a few, specific favorites by some other greats:

• Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 94 ("Surprise") and 96 ("Miracle’). The Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood
• Handel: Water Music. Orchestra of St. Luke’s/Sir Charles Mackerras
• Handel: Suites for Keyboard. Keith Jarrett.
• Beethoven: Violin Concerto. Sinfonie-Orchester des NDR/Nigel Kennedy
• Brahms: Piano Concerto, Nos. 1 and 2. Bernliner Philharmoniker/Alfred Brendel
• Vivaldi: The Four Seasons. Nigel Kennedy/English Chamber Orchestra
• Schubert: "Trout" Quintet. Hetzel/Christ/Faust/Posch/Schulz/Sollscher/Levine
• Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85. Jacqueline Du Pré/Sir John Barbirolli
• Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1. Kissin/Berliner Philharmoniker/Karajan

A couple of books that I've found to be very helpful in learning more about classical music and the best recordings are the Penguin and Gramophone guides (both of which tilt noticeably toward British performances and recordings), and The Essential Canon of Classical Music (North Point Press, 2001), by David Dubal.

Now, as a special bonus, a long-promised list of "An Idiosyncratic List of Instrumental Jazz Albums (By Real Jazz Musicians) For People Who Swear or Think They Do Not and Cannot Like Jazz":

• Miles Davis: Kind of Blue. A timeless masterpiece, worthy of the many accolades. You can't go wrong with Miles up until the late 1960s, when things get, um, electrified.

• Keith Jarrett: The Köln Concert. Improvised solo piano of the highest order. Also see Jarrett's later solo album of standards, The Melody At Night, With You, recorded as he was recovering from a lengthy illness.

• Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage. A concept album and a tone poem of sorts, focused on oceanic themes. Hancock's Gershwin's World and The New Standard demonstrate how gifted he is at interpreting other composer's music.

• John Coltrane: Ballads. An ideal introduction to Coltrane, whose incredible music can often be dense and intimidating (Ascension, anyone?). The collection, Coltrane for Lovers, is an equally good place to start.

• Jan Garbarek: Twelve Moons. This is recommended for those who like melancholy music with a strong sense of Nordic bleakness. By the way, Garbarek and Jarrett have recorded several albums together, including Belonging, which is an up-tempo, joyous set.

• Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus. There is a lot to choose from with the prolific Rollins, but this classic album has "St. Thomas," a bouncing calypso piece that simply cannot be resisted. A more recent album with the same upbeat sound is Global Warming.

• Brad Mehldau: The Art of the Trio, Vol. 1. It's impossible to do wrong by Mehldau (I've seen him perform live twice, and he is a stunning pianist). For those looking for an eclectic, cross-over sound, check out Largo; for those who like cinematic, epic pieces, find the recently released Highway Rider.

• Joshua Redman: Joshua Redman. Redman's later work has become more dense and intricate, so begin with his debut album, which is big, fun, and more straight forward.

• Bill Evans: Sunday At The Village Vanguard. It's hard to imagine anyone disliking this beautiful set of music from one of the greatest jazz trios. Also see The Best of Bill Evans.

• Wynton Marsalis: Standard Time, Volume 5: The Midnight Blues. Marsalis has a vast body of work, but I think nearly everyone will enjoy this mellow, gorgeous album. And Joe Cool's Blues, a tribute to "Peanut's" music recorded with his father, Ellis, is a very fun disc.

• Branford and Ellis Marsalis. Loved Ones. An emotional, reflective album of duets by saxophone-playing son and pianist-playing father. Melodic and memorable.

• James Carter: Gardenias For Lady Day. This tribute album to Billie Holiday is one of my more "out there" picks, from a venturesome and versatile young saxophonist. Something for everyone.

• Kurt Rosenwinkel. Heartsong. Another gamble, but I come back to this album, by an exceptional young guitarist, on a regular basis. For a more traditional, mellow sound, see Rosenwinkel's recent release, Standards Trio: Reflections.

• Weather Report. Heavy Weather. I'm not much for fusion, but Weather Report is the exception, as their signature tune, "Birdland," demonstrates. The Best of Weather Report also works.

There are many others worth mention, but that is a start. Speaking of jazz, Mercatornet.com has a new piece, "Farewell to All That Jazz", by Thomas C. Reeves, that is worth checking out.

Coming soon: "My Favorite Sinatra Songs", "Van Morrison's Greatest 25 Songs", and "Rock Songs for Those Who Think All Rock Music Is Stupid, Dull, and Philistine."

Comments

[Kmbold]

What! No opera? Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and "Marriage of Figaro". "Magic Flute" later. In spite of any possible negative comments try Beethoven's "Fidelio", preferably with a German soprano in the title role.

[Carl E. Olson]

I've tried and tried (and tried) to enjoy opera, but have had no success so far. There's something about it that leaves me completely cold. Help?

[Christopher Lake]

Carl, I listened to classical music almost exclusively for a couple of years in college. Sadly, I think that in the years since that time (more than a decade), I have allowed the internet to damage my attention span—leading me back, largely, to shorter forms of music. I do love rock music, in its many different forms/styles (not indiscriminately or without discernment though). However, your list of classical and jazz here is inspiring, and I think that I will use it as a springboard to dive back into the those great waters! Thanks so much!

(I've been meaning to write you again with an update on my formal re-entry into the Church. There have been some logistical difficulties, but they can be overcome. I'll send you an update tonight or tomorrow.)

[Manuel G. Daugherty Razetto]

Carl, about opera...
Rumpole of the Bailey's famous british series, based on John Mortimer's books is worth being quoted thus:

"Someone said Wagner is not as bad as it sounds"

seriously, Opera is and always will be an acquired taste.

[Nathaniel]

A recording of the Beethoven violin concerto I would recommend is Yehudi Menuhin's, with Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting. And I would recommend Ted Libbey's helpful book "The NPR Guide to Building a Classical Music Library".

[David K. Monroe]

Early Music You Must Hear NOW!

Sequentia: Symphoniae - Spiritual Songs
One of the earliest and greatest presentations of the music of Hildegard von Bingen.

Sequentia: Philippe le Chancelier - School of Notre Dame
All of Sequentia's recordings are exceptional, this is their greatest non-Hildegard recording in my opinion.

Sarbande: Llibre Vermell
The Red Book of Montserrat is a legendary collection of Spanish folk songs in honor of the Virgin. There are many recordings, this one will transport you.

David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London - Music of The Gothic Era
No early music collection is complete without the father of the genre, the brilliant David Munrow. This is the last record he produced before his untimely death. This is one of the most captivating recordings of polyphony I have ever heard.

[Matthew K]

For a total neophyte, it might be interesting to create a Pandora channel based on the above recommendations and see what rotates in. This applies to any genre, really.

[Kmbold]

If you can't get to the Met in NYC during the opera season find a comfortable chair at home (alone), read through the libretto with English translation to get an idea of the the "plot", put on the 33 LP (oops, CD), and crank 'er up. You are sure to come across an aria or quartet that attracts you. Second and third time around you realize you had missed that divine duet. Er, don't look at the pictures of the singers.

[Brian J. Schuettler]

Try Mozart's piano concertos...wow.

Beethoven's 7th

Mahler's anything

Opera almost has a female gene requirement (sorry...my opinion!)

[Brian J. Schuettler]

I left out ....tchaikovsky's symphonies and ballet (music)...superb

in fairness to opera, there are some stunningly beautiful arias that can be purchased together on CD or downloaded