Getting into and learning to appreciate classical music can often be a daunting task, given the hundreds of years of music there is to listen to and enjoy. This being said, my aim in this article is to provide a brief taste of the different flavours of classical music there are, recommending some cornerstone works and recordings to help introduce the genre. There are pieces from different periods (mainly drawing from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic), a variety of instruments and forms and, have no fear, no mammoth recordings have been included (no 3-hour choral Passions today!) and almost all are less than 10 minutes long. For each piece I’ll recommend a recording on Spotify and one on YouTube, that is either regarded as a seminal interpretation, or is simply one of my favourites!
Handel’s Keyboard Suite in B♭ Major
We begin in the Baroque period with Handel’s Keyboard Suite in B♭ Major. The Suite begins with a prelude full of flowing arpeggiated chords, then a lively sonata before a set of variations and a sentimental menuetto. In the variations, Handel writes an initial aria, or ‘theme’, which he then iterates upon (hence ‘variations’). Notably, a century later Johannes Brahms came back to this aria, using it as the theme for his ‘Variations and Fugue upon a Theme by Handel’.
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB1atm__LTY
If you’re interested in Brahms’ adaptation of Handel’s theme, Jonathan Fournel played his variations to first place in the 2021 Queen Elisabeth competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQDMIZgtCpU.
Prélude in G Major
In the early 18th century, JS Bach wrote his 6 Suites for Solo Cello, a winding journey through G major, D minor, C major, E♭ Major, C minor and finally D major. The solitary nature of these unaccompanied suites has led to numerous interpretations; Yo Yo Ma himself has recorded the suites on 3 separate occasions. Cellist Colin Carr describes the suites as resembling different stages of a child’s development; Steven Isserlis relates them to episodes in the Passion of Christ. Either way, every journey needs its starting point and this one comes from Yo Yo Ma’s third and most recent recording.
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/track/5mRrklQD0rvuN6sV10HfPn?si=fa566e0b8e2e4d3c
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1prweT95Mo0
March from the English Folk Song Suite
Vaughan Williams’ English Folk Song Suite is written in the classic English style, pastoral and full of folk tunes. This march from the Suite is lively and energetic, incorporating three different tunes. See if you can spot the ABCBA ‘arch’ or ‘palindrome’ form, as the different themes are repeated in reverse order.
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/track/33iVCAbfbhQq5O4ekHgt9G?si=6f64af35a5ea433d
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UunMdT8gFe0
Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor
Rachmaninoff wrote 24 preludes for piano across all the major and minor keys, but this is by far his most popular. Interestingly, its popularity grew so great that it eventually annoyed Rachmaninoff, as he was asked to play it whenever he performed and he remarked: “many, many times I wish I had never written it”. Nevertheless, it remains a part of the regular piano repertoire with its dark brooding chords.
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/track/3mJjhRKV3rcIatqx2MGDzW?si=ea682436fbb14542
YouTube (played by Rachmaninoff himself!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcG-DnGdWRw
Dies Irae
Dies Irae comes from Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, his unfinished final work before his death in 1791 at the age of just 35. A dramatic, driving vocal line with an aggressive brass section, the choir sings: “dies irae, dies illa, solvet saeclum in favilla” (Day of wrath, that day will dissolve the earth in ashes). Portraying a fiery day of judgement, Mozart breaks from his usual cheerful melodies to - as Annilese Miskimmon remarks - let “everything rip”.
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/track/626peQkFbOk8MSaY4qR58P?si=ddab4737b950471f
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVc9G36uxPc
Candide Overture
Now for something slightly more modern: the legendary American conductor Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Candide Overture’. Perhaps most well known for composing the music for ‘West Side Story’, fans may spot similarities in this overture, particularly with the Latin influence. You may also note the larger orchestra with a greater variety of instruments than previous periods.
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/track/47r7pm0fWKmneTjjbVKlCW?si=840755eee3884c59
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haYuPdKZKYc
Vltava
Bedrich Smetana’s ‘Vltava’ comes from Má Vlast (My fatherland), a series of patriotic pieces dedicated to his beloved Bohemia. Vltava is the longest river in modern day Czechia, and Smetana’s piece traces its course. The origin of the river is in two small springs, the Teplá Vltava and the Studená Vltava and Smetana creates two melodies representing these two sources, as they dance around each other before coalescing into one melody, one current which then flows through the rest of the piece.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5Pnd0eiE1g3KWr2sZatm2i?si=5f2398a943674472
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G4NKzmfC-Q
Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto
The only longer piece I’ve included (lasting around 30 minutes) on this list, but not without good reason. Composed at the turn of the 19th century, this beautifully Romantic piano concerto is one the most popular in the UK and the musical world, often voted top of Classic FM Hall of Fame polls. There’s not too much for me to say about this concerto. Listen to it.
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/album/5lVqgXqdoIH3W1wUM2hzPx?si=JuDUG9eOSbeYGdfpCWh3ZQ
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEGOihjqO9w
With classical music, it often takes a couple of listens to get used to and enjoy a piece. Try to note anything that stands out to you on a first listen and then tune into it on subsequent listens to see if it gets developed, as composers will often pick a theme and iterate upon it throughout their music. I’ve tried to include a wide variety of music here, so if there’s a particular instrument or period you especially enjoy, explore it more! ‘Classical music’ isn’t a monolithic genre; it encompasses centuries of music. No one enjoys every period and style, and there really is something for everyone. Happy listening!
