Classical/operatic music virgin requires help!

[MavisEnderby]

I don't know much about it!So far on my I-pod I have Barbers Adagio for strings and the Opus Dei from the same CD which are both beautiful.I also have a CD of popular opera arias and have added some of these mainly Puccini,"O mio babbina caro" and "Un bel di vedremo".I quite like Delibes Flower Duet too.I am totally uncultured and require help.

TIA if you can suggest some lovely calming music for me to listen to!!

I absolutely love Bach's Cello suites - you'll recognise most of them Try

I just find an unaccompanied cello the most beautiful, warm, mellow sound.

Oh, and from Tosca

Thank you Poledra that is beautiful.

It must be so wonderful to be able to play an instrument well!!

How about ? Maybe it's the lapsed Catholic in me, though............

And a little with Yehudi Menuhin, to finish off.

I'll let someone else get a word in edgeways

Poledra,the Monserrat Caballe stuff has taken me back to warm sunny days when I was a child!!My dgm now well into her 80's is a huge opera fan and caballe fan,I am sure I have heard that in her house as a child.I have never really "got" opera but love all kinds of music and feel I should try to add it to my listening and have recently tried to broaden my musical tastes!!Lovely thank you:)

awesome piece of music

Sibelius: Tapiola and teh Lemminkainen. You can hear the forests

Also a bit of Kullervo to get things going

Try a bit of Gilbert and Sullivan (D'Oyly Carte recordings, look for the name 'John Reed' in the artists) - English light opera. The music's just as lovely but it's all in English so you know what they're on about

Mozart is a safe bet - but check out especially the horn concertos, clarinet concerto & any good compilation of 'highlights' from his operas.

Can I suggest some lovely Brahms? Try (which you may recognise if you have daughters who like Barbie and the Diamond castle or which is very exciting.

My DD2 was born to the sound of Brahms 4 and my son was born to a Mozart opera. Anything to calm me down in theatre. They both adore music and love it when I play "their" pieces.

La Traviata (Verdi) is wonderful.

I'm currently really into Baroque music, especially slightly lesser "popular" options such as Hummel, Gluck and Telemann.

I've always found that I listen to more variety if I find a performer that I like. I recently discovered a French trumpeter from a while back called Maurice Andre. Here he is playing . There is just something about his playing that catches me, which most trumpeters don't do.

Try the Elgar Cello Concerto
Mozart Concert Arias sung by Kathleen Battle

If you want something really different, try a CD called "Feather on the breath of god" - the composer is Hildegard of Bingen - it's absolutely haunting.

CDs by "The Sixteen" are good too - very beautifully sung religious music.

totally agree with Elgar Cello concerto - ravishing music

also, Vivaldi - four seasons

Elgar, Sea Pictures, sung by Janet Baker are gorgeous.
Vaughan Williams, variations on a theme of Thomas tallis.
Faure, Requiem
Mozart, Mass in C Minor