Thank you.
Buying a complete set of Beethoven symphonies is not necessarily expensive. A relatively cheap boxed set is on the Brilliant Classics Label. Conductor is Herbert Blomstedt and the orchestra is the Dresden Staatskapelle. Sound is very good and the performances have been praised. I have a few of the Antal Dorati/LSO/ Beethoven performances and on the Mercury Living Presence Label with excellent sound considering when it was recorded. I have noticed some of The Dorati/Beethoven/LSO recording on the Decca Label. I think it is the same performances(Mercury/Decca) but both labels are part of the Universal Music Group(UMG) and there might have been some rebranding of sorts. One performance that has been a reference for many years is the Karl Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic/Deutsche Grammophone. Of course,with streaming you have a huge array of choices. My own personal favorite recording(entire Beethoven cycle) is George Szell/The Cleveland Orchestra. This cycle has been a reference since the 1960ās when it was recorded and has literally never been out of the catalog. There have been recent remastering and Sony Classical has it remastered at 24/96 and it is one of their super affordable boxed sets that they have been releasing. I believe another cheap Sony boxed set is David Zinman conducting the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. This set is a good combination of modern recording(good sound) and the interpretation is a good balance between traditional performances and the āhistorically-informed performanceā (HIP). But,overall,there are soooo many performances and you really canāt go wrong s a ābeginnerā with any major orchestra conducted by any major conductor. You may also want to keep an eye out for any local live performances. Many local/regional orchestra can and do play Beethoven and listening LIVE can be a revelation.
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Good Point. I just checked Discogs, and there are a few copies of the Toscanini 9 Symphony set on CD and many of the LP set for sale at reasonable prices *usedā CDs under $30.
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Thank you very much for all this information. Itās a godsend to a beginner in the classical music genre like myself. It can be and is a little overwhelming at times. Itās such a huge genre to get to grips with.
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it is a YUUUUUGE Genre. Also,if you want to ever get any analysis of any Classical work,just Google(or any search engine) it and you will get a wealth of information. My next suggestion is to listen to Beethovenās Symphony 3(The Eroica-Heroique). It is a milestone not only in Classical Music but of of All Western Music(IMHO,of course). With this symphony,Beethoven said that MUSIC MEANS AND CAN SAY SOMETHING AND THAT MESSAGE CAN ALSO BE IMPORTANT. My recommended recording is George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra(if you can access it). You can certainly listen to it through headphones(although IEMāS would be inappropriate for the fist time). I would recommend standard speakers,amp etc and play it on the loud side for the first time.
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Thanks I will listen to Beethovenās 3rd next. Thanks for the recommendation. With regards iemās, whilst I love my iemās I donāt find them any good at all for listening to Classical music. Relaxing and having it in the background maybe. But for listening and taking notice of the music no itās my overears that I reach for. As for speakers, sadly I donāt have any, problem being I live in a terraced house and it being quite small it just inappropriate. Thank you once again for your time.
Oops I have already done Beethovenās 3rd symphony. So as a recap I have listened to his 3rd and 6th
Apologies for ressurecting this thread. I just couldnāt resist. 
Iāve spent some time reading most of the comments while discovering a few albums to listen. Thanks for that. Btw, listening to Boulezās album as I type. It does have a generous dynamic range.
Dear Google Play Music subscribers ā and I think @pwjazz is one, if Iām not mistaken ā do you have any public playlists to recommend (or radio)?
I mean, before reading this thread everything orchestral, Bach, Beethoven, etc, to me was Classical, but then subcategories emerged and I felt ignorant to the point of start losing interest on it. Ignorance is indeed a bless sometimes. 
I just want to hear some random good āclassicalā music. But at this time ignorance is a burden because I donāt know how to find the good stuff. Analogy here is: teach a regular consumer why (s)he should (or not) buy a Sku||candy headphone. 
Anyway, Iām glad I learned something already. Iām aware this is going to be a long (and slow) process. 
Iām not in a rush anyway.
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Please donāt worry about posting. @pennstac and @frank_gyure2 seem to be amongst our resident Classical lovers Jazz too. @Torq is also very knowledgeable about music too. In fact Iām probably doing a disservice to a lot of the members by not mentioning them. There are probably many who love these genreās. Unfortunately I am only a beginner when it comes to both Classical and Jazz. I love to listen to most anything really from these genres. I am partial to Beethoven.
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Thank you for reviving this thread. Iāll look around for some good playlist info, but your questions made look for a good music timeline. Of course, Wikipedia has several, but I found this site, which looks very good.
https://www.mfiles.co.uk/composer-timelines-classical-periods.htm
The value of a timeline is that you can begin to zero in on what you like, plus you get an appreciation on how music changed. While a random āclassicalā playlist might help, it probably wonāt help you find music thatās NOT on the list to explore.
Iād also look at topics like āmusic appreciationā. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
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Looking up a few messages, I was reading @frank_gyure2 ās post that referenced the radio station WQXR. From about 1970, when my parents moved to State College PA, and cable was available, WQXR was playing almost every day. Now they have an app and streaming. Plus, I think that they have become broader in their scope.
WQXR was New Yorkās āClassicalā radio station. Not a bad place to start. I think Iām going to check out their app. Probably still a good place to get your classical feet wet.
OMG! The App Store! Such a wealth of classical music apps. Never looked here. Thank you, thank you @frkasper for reviving this thread.
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Hi everyone. WQXR is one of the finest,if not the finest,classical radio station in the United States. Their website/app is also very user friendly and they also have a stream for what is know as the Great American Songbook (Sinatra,Ella Fitzgerald but also
now adding James Taylor etc). They have also responded with special efforts during these COVID times. Of course,with internet,quality of reception is not an issue.
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Woowā¦ Thanks a million. It does look like a lot to catch up. 
Btw, apologies if I created confusion when I wrote the āradioā word. I didnāt mean actual Radio Stations but to a feature in Google Play Music (GPM):
Iām listening to this album as I type and if I click in the Radio link, AI from GPM is engaged and a playlist starts with āeverythingā they have related to the author, genre, etc. Notice the double quotes. Iād guess the AI is still not up to the expectations of the refined tastes I can see in this forum but it will eventually get there.
Thanks again for your help.
Cheers.
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No, no confusion. Very familiar with internet radio AND with āRadio Stationsā like GPMās, and TIDALās and before that AOLās. They have some different algorithms (Not the birth control method used by Bill Clintonās VP). Some start with everything tagged as a genre, others work with hand ācuratedā (hate that word) playlists, and many work with āBased on Your Previous Choices, We Think You Would Like THISā.
That last method is bad, particularly if you didnāt actually plan on your earlier choices, or chose something randomly, or because of the hot chick in the orchestra. ROON, if you have or are willing to afford it, does a nice job, because it has a very good database, and can cross-correlate musicians, composers, orchestras, conductors.
But really, when you said āRadioā it made me -and @frank_gyure2 (in my mind, I keep thinking Frank Gruyere, kind of cheesy in a good way) think about actual radio stations. And how the best of them do a WONDERFUL job of curating for you. The hosts are knowledgeable, tell you about the music, and give you information you wouldnāt otherwise get. They make very careful selections. Better even than Radio Paradise does for modern popular genres. Better than the best progressive rock stations I recall.
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Hey Everybody! Letās Build a Timeline Playlist for @fkasper and others!
Iām going to get the easy part. Iām going to start just with a few composer names. Maybe the rest of you can fill in gaps or suggest a work or recording.
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
JS Bach (1685-1750)
Handel
Telemann
Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791)
ā how could I forget? Edit thank you, Percy ā
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Franz Shubert (1797 - 1828)
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Igor Stravinsky (1882- 1971)
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
There! Iāve thrown down the Gauntlet! (sanitizing hands after touching gauntlet) I put Handel and Telemann down as they are Bach contemporaries, and this is a very interesting time in music.
---- edit below to attract attention ----
Is nobody picking up the gauntlet? (spraying Clorox on gauntlet). @Torq, @pwjazz, @TylersEclectic, @prfallon69, @Carmantom, @SenyorC, @Resolve, @ProfFalkin, @ValentineLuke? Shameless name calling, I know, but hey, itās a gauntlet.
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I like Wagner. Invocation of Albrect and the Gods into Valhalla, I think is the title.
I prefer Mariner, or Solti.
Did I do this right?
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There is no right. There is no wrong. But we do want to provide a bit more info for new listeners to classical / orchestral western music. I know that Wanger oops Iāll leave that typo, WAGNER is the composer. And that he does orchestra with voices, ummm Opera?
And I like Solti. Please add some dates and a quick description of where Wagner fits and why.
But hey this is just me talking. Itās not like Iām curating this gauntlet. And THANKS! for helping.
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Richard Wagner (1813-1883) His most famous work is whatās referred to as The Ring cycle ( 4 operas).
The piece Iām referring to is performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy.
Das Rheingold. Canāt find the album on any streaming services.
Also, I prefer it without the singing, like the album Iām referencing.
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Boulezās recording of Totenfeier.
Beethoven should be on list too, I like the Kleiber recordings of the 5th and 7th.
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One problem I encountered in trying to discover and delve further into classical music was its sheer enormity. Itās all too easy to get overwhelmed. Iāve found it rewarding to start out with a specific piece of music that has made a strong impression. Itās worth listening to it a bunch of times, until you get a sense of what it is that you find appealing and, from this basis, you can then go exploring in several directions, depending on what strikes your fancy: you might go looking for other works by the same composer (letās say Tchaikovsky, since romantic era works are being mentioned here); other pieces of music of the same type (e.g. a piano concerto); other works by the same performers (say, pianist Martha Argerich); and other composers whose music belongs to the same traditions.
Before long, youāll find points of convergence: Argerich performing piano concertos by Chopin or Liszt. Hereās a timeline for these pieces, albeit working backwards: Tchaikovskyās Piano Concerto No. 1 (1875); Lisztās Piano Concerto No. 1 (1849-55, depending on the date it was written or when it premiered); Chopinās Piano Concerto No. 1 (1830).
This can still make for a lot to keep track of, though. I find it helpful to keep my research more manageable by exploring similar types of music, as with the piano concertos. Take Rachmaninovās wonderful Isle of the Dead (1908) as another example: itās a tone poem (or, put another way, a symphonic poem); others like it include Sibeliusās Finlandia (ca. 1899) and The Swan of Tuonela (for this latter, see his LemminkƤinen Suite, 1895), as well as Richard Straussās Don Juan , Don Quixote , and his famous Also sprach Zarathustra (1897 and then working backwards to 1889).
Hereās a nicely written and great idea along similar lines, albeit for jazz: https://www.gramophone.com/blog/let-miles-davis-help-you-build-your-jazz-collection
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Yes yes yes. Tonight, I couldnāt sleep, thinking of this thread. And Bachās Inventions. For me, those are the beginning point. On TIDAL, I search āBach Inventionsā and in addition to some fine recordings, there is a set of wonderful videos by Simone Dinnerstein discussing how she started learning them at age 9, and then came back to them later when she recorded them. Below are three of the short videos. Instructive in many ways.
And I still love listening to them, even more than the major works. So simple and yet so complex. Truly foundational.
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