Classical music

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What are your favourite classical music cds which you'd recommend to a complete ignoramous? For me, but also to play to my baby due in Sept.

el concierto de aranjuez(the concert of aranjuez) by rodrigo veeeeeeeeery relaxing

Agree with whymummy, that's a lovely relaxing piece...we have a nice Julian Bream recording with other beautiful classical guitar pieces on it too.
I also like Bach (Brandenburg Concertos and Six Suites for Solo Cello are a good introduction to his work, B Minor Mass is a bit more stirring and noisy), vintage recordings of British opera singer Kathleen Ferrier (although if you are feeling hormonal some of the tracks on my Decca recording will make you cry, they are so moving), Mozart (Cosi fan Tutte and the Magic Flute are full of lovely tunes) and, for relaxing again, Vaughan Williams (Lark Ascending, Serenade to Music, Mass in G Minor). Oh, and the wonderful Hildegard of Bingen, Feather on the Breath of God, for serious bath-time chillouts. This last must be a girl thing because every man I know hates this recording. (It's medieval devotional plainchant composed by an abbess, but don't let that deter you). Hopefully someone can recommend you some nice 19th century stuff because my tastes seem to hop straight from baroque to 20th century...
They say that babies in the womb like rhythmic music (baroque, such as Vivaldi, Handel etc) or vocal music (because they can hear vocal frequencies best), but I have no idea if that is true. I sang in a choir until I was 39 weeks pregnant and ds has always shown a marked aversion to the stuff I sang, make of that what you will

Mozart is supposed to be great for babies - my favourites include Symphony 39, Piano Concerto 21, Music for 13 Wind Instruments, Requiem Mass (bit morbid but very moving).

Other faves of mine include Shostakovich (symphonies 5, 9 etc., piano concertos 1 & 2) and Rachmaninoff Piano concertos.

I'm a big fan of French horn music (Richard Strauss, Mozart again) but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Agree with Marina about Bach cello suites and, if you like choral music, his Masses.

Sorry, meant Mozart Symphony no.40 (not 39)

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I was a complete ignoramus as well (some would say I still am). I bought one of those compilation CD's you see on cable TV - it was a really good way of working out what I liked without spending a fortune on mistakes.
Or you could just start listening to Classic fm and note down the composers/pieces that you like

Ah bloss, the Mozart Clarinet Concerto is my #1 fave of all time - maybe because I am a clarinettist!
Would also like to suggest Elgar's Cello Concertos. Everyone has their faves, these are mine.

Pachelbel's cannon is my all time fave. Moves me every time I hear it.

Me too, Meanmum. I once heard it played by a busking quartet at Kings Cross (Piccadilly Line platform) and missed 5 trains asking them to play it three times, and crying each time.

How sad is that?!

Albinoni's (?sp?) adagio is wonderful.

Thank you all for the suggestions - I will print off this message and hot-foot it to the nearest music shop to try a few of these out.

Barber's Adagio for Strings is wonderful, also Schubert's String Quintet and Death and the Maiden String Quartet, although all of these are tearjerkers. The Amadeus Soundtrack is a good Mozart sampler. Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending is a breathtaking piece of music. The popular piano concertos (Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Grieg etc) are all rip-roaring bits of music and v accessible. I think there's a double compilation called something like "The Only Classical Album You'll Ever Need" (ridiculous title I know!) which would be a great place to start

Mozart's Mass in C, Bach double Violin, Aaron Copeland Appalacian Spring, Mozarts Marrage of Figaro, Vaughan Willams fantasia on Greesleeves, and if you have tried the Bach Brandenburg concerto's and you like them, have a listen to Handel's Concerti Grossi.

Anyone know what the music is to the new HP advert???

Bloss, I've sung the Durufle, and it is great fun.

The best introduction to any kind of music is being sung to. We could tell which nursery rhymes dd liked best by about 3 weeks. She had signs for all her favourite songs long before she could talk (eg grabbing my hands to mime rowing for 'Row, row, row your boat' )

She loved Bach when she was tiny and would let me practise my choir music whilst dancing around with her in my arms. Later she would protest and want one of her own tapes, but she's always responded well to things with high soprano parts.

Last week (she's now 4) I tried her with Mozart for Minors and she adores it, wants it over and over & dances to it and expects us to do the same for whole hours at a time.

Best of all, she sings all day and makes up little songs about whatever is in her head at the time.

I wish I could play some classical music ... my DS just has to hear a couple of bars of ANYTHING classical and he dissolves into tears ... he has always been very sensitive to music especially to something that he says sounds sad ... he is not yet 3 and a half yet btw ...
Is anyone else's child like this or is my little boy unique in this????