The 100 selections per level in this guide are designed to be listened to once a week but of
course you can listen at your own pace, two or more selections per week or even
one per day. The average listening time per week/selection is about one hour
with some exceptions and the busy listener will spend 5 minutes per work to read
about the work(s) following the links. The composer's name and
the works are
linked to Wikipedia and classical music sites for more information.
This whole idea came to me during the Covid-19 isolation periods in 2020-2021
when I realized that although there were some Internet introductions to
classical music there was no practical and organized listening guide for the novice and
beyond. I
could listen to any work chosen among my 20.000 classical music CDs but what if
one had none or had just listened to the few owned and wanted to explore the
music land of classical music. So, I designed this listening program below by which
one can be introduced to the genre while building a basic classical music
library with the most popular works. Remember, you can just listen for free
and/or buy the music you like. I am not affiliated with any shop or classical
music outlet. I just make suggestions according to my very long experience with
listening and buying classical music.
op. = opus
|
THE
CLASSICAL MUSIC SINFONIAS
WEEKLY
LISTENING HOME CONCERT PROGRAM
Suggested by Demetris Loizos
|
|
WEEK |
COMPOSER AND OPUS TITLE |
TOTAL LISTENING TIME (approx. in minutes) |
|
1 |
Beethoven:
Symphony
no
5 op. 67. |
32' |
|
2 |
Vivaldi:
The 4 seasons,
Concerti RV269, RV315, RV293, RV297 from op. 8. |
42' |
|
3 |
Mozart:
Serenade
no 13 ('Eine kleine Nachtmusik') K525 AND
Symphony no 40 K550 OR
Symphony no 41 'Jupiter' K551. |
46' |
|
4 |
Tchaikovsky:
Ballet Suites -
Swan Lake op. 20
AND The
Nutcracker op. 71 OR
The Sleeping Beauty
op. 66. |
44' |
|
5 |
Beethoven:
Symphony no 9 |
76' |
|
6 |
Strauss,
Johann II:
Waltzes -
The
Blue Danube op. 314 AND
Emperor Waltz op. 437 AND any other selections
from overtures, waltzes, polkas |
60' |
|
7 |
Orff:
Carmina Burana |
60' |
|
8 |
Saint-Saëns:
Le Carnaval des Animaux
AND Symphony no 3 'Organ' op. 78 |
56' |
|
9 |
Beethoven:
Symphony
no 3
'Eroica' |
45' |
|
10 |
Rodrigo:
Concierto de Aranjuez
AND
Fantasia para un gentilhombre |
41' |
|
11 |
Mozart:
Symphony no. 39 K543
AND
Symphony no 40 K550 OR
Symphony no 41 'Jupiter' K551. |
46' |
|
12 |
Mussorgsky:
Pictures At An Exhibition
(orchestral version) AND
Night on
Bald [or Bare] Mountain |
47' |
|
13 |
Beethoven:
Symphony no 4 AND
Egmont Overture OR
Eleanor Overture OR
Coriolan Overture |
42' |
|
14 |
Mahler:
Symphony
no 2 |
92' |
|
15 |
Ravel:
Bolero AND
Le Tombeau de
Couperin (orchestral version) AND
Ma mère l'Oye |
60' |
|
16 |
Gershwin:
Rhapsody in Blue
AND Piano
Concerto AND
An American in Paris |
60' |
|
17 |
Strauss,
Richard:
Also sprach Zarathustra
op. 30 AND
Don Juan
op. 20 AND
Till
Eulenspiegels
lustige Streiche
op. 28 |
67' |
|
18 |
Chopin:
Waltzes |
40' |
|
19 |
Smetana:
Ma Vlast (My
Fatherland) |
75' |
|
20 |
Beethoven:
Piano Sonata no 14, op.
27 no 2 'Moonlight' AND
Piano Sonata no 23, op. 57 no 2 'Appassionata'
AND Egmont
Overture OR
Eleanor Overture OR
Coriolan
Overture |
57' |
|
21 |
Mahler:
Symphony
no 5 |
70' |
|
22 |
Mozart:
Clarinet Concerto K622
AND Oboe
Concerto K314 AND
Bassoon Concerto K191 |
68' |
|
23 |
Albinoni:
Adagio (?) AND any concertos
from op. 5, op.7, op.9 AND
Pachelbel:
Canon |
60' |
|
24 |
Bach, J.S.:
The Brandenburg
Concertos nos 1-2-3 |
40' |
|
25 |
Bach, J.S.:
The Brandenburg
Concertos nos 4-5-6 |
47' |
|
26 |
Liszt:
Piano Concertos no 1 AND
Piano Concerto no 2 |
43' |
|
27 |
Shostakovich:
Symphony no 10 |
60' |
|
28 |
Mozart:
Serenade
no 6 K239 'Serenade Notturna' AND
Posthorn
Serenade K320 |
53' |
|
29 |
Tchaikovsky:
Piano Concerto no 1 AND
Violin Concert in D
op. 35 |
70' |
|
30 |
Beethoven:
Symphony no 7 AND
Symphony no 8 |
61' |
|
31 |
Liszt:
Hungarian Rhapsodies
(any 6, preferably including no 2, no 6, no 10, no 12, no 14) for piano
or for orchestra |
60' |
|
32 |
Rimsky-Korsakov:
Scheherazade |
50' |
|
33 |
Haydn:
Symphony no 22 "Der
Philosoph" AND
Symphony no 63 "La Roxelane" AND
Symphony no 80 |
62' |
|
34 |
Brahms:
21 Hungarian Dances for
orchestra |
48' |
|
35 |
Debussy:
La Mer AND
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune AND
Images pour orchestre |
75' |
|
36 |
Bach, J.S.:
Any
Great Organ Works
selected from BWV 525–582) |
60' |
|
37 |
Berlioz:
Symphonie Fantastique |
56' |
|
38 |
Mozart:
Serenade no 7 K250 'Haffner' |
61' |
|
39 |
Beethoven:
Piano Concerto
no 1 AND
Piano Concerto no 2 |
60' |
|
40 |
Brahms:
Symphony
no 3 AND
Symphony
no 4 |
78' |
|
41 |
Ravel:
Daphnis et Chloé
(ballet) |
56' |
|
42 |
Grieg:
Peer Gynt Suites 1-2 AND
From Holberg's Time (Holberg Suite) op 40 (for piano or orchestra) AND
Sigurd Jorsalfar,
3 orchestral pieces op. 56 |
70'
|
|
43 |
Elgar:
Cello Concerto op.85
AND Enigma Variations |
63 |
|
44 |
Mozart:
Serenade no 10 K361 'Gran Partita' AND any
Marches |
60' |
|
45 |
Bach, J.S.:
Orchestral
Suites nos 1-2-3-4 |
78' |
|
46 |
Britten:
The
Young Person's Guide to
the Orchestra AND
Four Sea Interludes
op. 33a from 'Peter Grimes' AND
Cello
Suite no 2 op. 80 |
53'
|
|
47 |
Prokofiev:
Romeo & Juliet
Suites op.64 (selections) |
60' |
|
48 |
Haydn:
Symphony no
94 'Surprise' AND
Symphony
no 96 'Miracle' |
50' |
|
49 |
Beethoven:
Symphony no l AND
Symphony no 2 |
60' |
|
50 |
Mozart:
Sinfonia Concertante
K364 AND
Violin Concerto 1
AND
Violin Concerto 2 |
76' |
|
51 |
Sibelius:
Finlandia AND
Symphony
no 2 |
54' |
|
52 |
Beethoven:
Symphony
no 6 AND
Egmont Overture OR
Eleanor Overture OR
Coriolan Overture
AND (optionally) Overture
The
Creatures of Prometheus AND Overture
The Ruins of
Athens |
50'
|
|
53 |
Dvořák:
Symphony
no 8 AND
Slavonic Dances op. 46 (selections) |
60' |
|
54 |
Vivaldi:
Choose any 9 from Wind
Concerti
for flute or oboe or trumpet, preferably among RV 428, RV 433, RV 439,
RV 446, RV 447, RV 450-455, RV 457, RV 461, RV 463, RV 500, RV 504, RV
534, RV 536, RV 537 |
60'
|
|
55 |
Handel:
Music for the Royal
Fireworks AND Water Music Suites
1-2-3 |
65' |
|
56 |
Tchaikovsky:
Symphony no 6 op. 74 'Pathetique' AND
Romeo and Juliet Fantasy |
66' |
|
57 |
Beethoven:
Piano Concerto no 4 AND
Piano Concerto no 5 'Emperor' |
75' |
|
58 |
Rachmaninov:
Piano Concerto no 2 AND
Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini |
60' |
|
59 |
Dvorak:
Violin Concerto AND
Serenade op. 44 |
60' |
|
60 |
Bach, J.S.:
Concerto
for Violin no 1 BWV 1041 AND
Concerto
for Oboe BWV 1059 (Reconstructed) AND
Concerto
for 2 Harpsichords BWV 1060 AND
Concerto
for 3 Harpsichords BWV 1064 |
60' |
|
61 |
Mozart:
Symphony no 35
K385 'Haffner'
AND
Symphony no 36
K425 'Linzer'
AND
Symphony no
38
K504 'Prague' |
73' |
|
62 |
Shostakovich:
Symphony
no 5 AND
Jazz Suite no 2 |
70' |
|
63 |
Schumann:
Piano Concerto
AND Kinderszenen |
47' |
|
64 |
Chopin:
Piano Concertos
no 1 AND
Piano Concerto no
2 |
63' |
|
65 |
Schubert:
Symphony
no 3 AND
Symphony no 4 |
50' |
|
66 |
Dvorak:
Symphony
no 9 'From The New World' AND
Slavonic Dances
op. 7 (selections) |
70' |
|
67 |
Haydn:
Symphony 100 AND
Symphony 101 |
55' |
|
68 |
Vivaldi: Any 8 concertos
from the 12 concerti
L'Estro Armonico
op. 3
(RV 549, RV 578, RV 310, RV 550, RV 519, RV 356, RV 567, RV 522, RV 230,
RV 580, RV 565, RV 265) |
60'
|
|
69 |
Mahler:
Symphony no 1 |
60' |
|
70 |
Chopin:
Etudes, op. 10 AND
Etudes, op. 25 |
56' |
|
71 |
Mozart:
Piano Concertos no 20 K466 AND
Piano Concerto no 21 K467 |
60' |
|
72 |
Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony
op. 110a (orchestral arrangement of
String Quartet No. 8) AND
String Quartet no 9 op. 117 |
53'
|
|
73 |
Brahms:
Piano Concerto no 2 |
50' |
|
74 |
Liszt:
A Faust Symphony (either
version, with or without chorus) |
61' |
|
75 |
Britten:
Cello Symphony
op. 68 AND
Sinfonia
da Requiem op. 20 |
50' |
|
76 |
Tchaikovsky:
1812 Overture AND
Symphony no 2
|
56' |
|
77 |
Dvorak:
Cello Concerto AND
Scherzo Capriccioso op. 66 |
53' |
|
78 |
Bach, J.S.:
Violin Concerto no 2 BWV
1042 AND
Concerto for two violins ("Double") BWV 1043 AND
Harpsichord
Concerto no 1 BWV 1052 |
60' |
|
79 |
Mendelssohn:
Symphony no 3 AND
Symphony no 4 |
70' |
|
80 |
Haydn:
Symphony
no 78 AND
Symphony no
102 |
50' |
|
81 |
Bach, J.S.:
Goldberg Variations BWV
988 (selections) |
60' |
|
82 |
Rachmaninov:
Symphony no 2 AND
The Isle
of The Dead |
50' |
|
83 |
Chopin:
Piano Sonata no 1 AND
Piano Sonata no 2 |
50' |
|
84 |
Beethoven:
Violin Concerto
AND
Violin Romance no 1 AND
Violin Romance no 2 |
65' |
|
85 |
Mozart:
Flute Concertos
no l K313 AND
Flute Concertos
no 2 K314 AND
Flute & Harp Concerto K299 |
70' |
|
|
86 Liszt, Années de pèlerinage |
|
|
|
87 Elgar, Pomp and Circumstance 1 & 4 |
|
|
|
88 Vivaldi:
Choose any 9 from
Concerti RV 402-403, RV 405, RV 407, RV 409, RV 411, RV 414, RV
416-418, RV 420-421 RV 423-424 |
60' |
|
|
89
Britten:
Simple Symphony |
|
|
|
90
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras |
|
|
|
91
Bartok:
Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta |
|
|
|
92
Shostakovitch: Symphony no 11 |
|
|
|
93
Barber;
Adagio; Symphony 1 |
|
|
|
94
Mozart:
The Violin Concertos
3,4, 5 |
|
|
95 |
Guitar
Anthology (any
works from any musical period that were either written or transcribed
for guitar) |
60' |
|
|
96
Rachmaninov:
Piano Concerto No.3 |
|
|
|
97 Ives:
Three places in New England; The Unanswered Question; Symphony no 1 |
|
|
|
98
de Falla:
The three-cornered hat; El amor brujo |
|
|
|
99
Sibelius: Symphony no 1 |
|
|
|
100
Copland: Appalachian Spring; El Salon Mexico; Rodeo; Danzon Cubano;
Symphony 3 |
|
|
|
|
|