I'd have loved to continue my classical training. Problem is there were few options - I wanted a clarinet and was given a cello - and by the time my mum became disgruntled because the spike made a hole in the carpet and I'd nearly dislocated my shoulder carrying the thing to school I'd had enough. I decided it was far more fun to bash the school Caribbean steel drums and learn to play the vibraphone, and had an absolute blast doing that for the four years I was there. Great times!
I love opera, my very favourites being Carmen and La Traviata. I'm a huge fan of Opera North. Other favourites include Mendelssohn's string symphonies, and violin concerto (Fanny Mendelssohn wrote some great stuff too), Beethoven's second, Verdi's Requiem, Mozart's flute concertos, Saint Sans violin concertos (and who doesn't love Danse Macabre?), moonlight sonata, Brahms' 3rd, Rachmaninov's Piano 2, and I agree with what the poster upthread says about Shostakovich.
My lovely grandfather adored classical and I grew up with it. You could hear him coming down the street from a distance as he was always whistling Vivaldi, the opening movement from 'Karelia' or Strauss's Radetsky March.
In terms of contemporaries I also find Karl Jenkins good to listen to.
Happy, nostalgic memories - thank you so much OP for posting this thread.