Thread: Recommended first pieces?

Relatively, I am new to classical music in general, as I only really started listening seriously a year ago.
I have only come across two or three pieces from ballet's, would anybody be ale to suggest some good pieces/composers/ballets to explore?

Stravinsky- The Firebird; Petrushka
Prokofiev-Romeo and Juliet
Ravel-Ma mere l'oye; Daphnis et Chloe
Rimsky-Korsakov-Scheherazade
Szymanowski-Harnasie

While they were not intended as ballets, Tchaikovsky's 4 Suites for Orchestra have been choreographed many times because they are almost as balletic as his big 3 ballets. Try the 4th Suite - Mozartiana to begin with. Some ballet music which is perfect for dancing, is a bit less perfect for concert listening, but that tends to be a very personal opinion.

Originally Posted by Becca

While they were not intended as ballets, Tchaikovsky's 4 Suites for Orchestra have been choreographed many times because they are almost as balletic as his big 3 ballets. Try the 4th Suite - Mozartiana to begin with. Some ballet music which is perfect for dancing, is a bit less perfect for concert listening, but that tends to be a very personal opinion.

Another work not originally created for ballet, but serving as the basis for two dance masterpieces is Mendelssohn's Overture and Incidental Music for "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Mid-summers Night Dream, Giselle all have great music.

Three ballets by Aaron Copland are excellent, both as the actual, danced ballets, but also as the suites of music extracted from them: Biily the Kid, Rodeo, Appalachian Spring. Very fresh and "American".

Stravinsky, Rite of Spring.

"Judith" by William Schuman:

https://play.spotify.com/track/5IC8Ygk63CSSoQZLDjJXXq

Bleak, often intricate, and would be interesting to see someone dance it, though honestly I don't see a difference between that ballet and his late symphonies, other than that they are called different things.

The sound world is polychordal and basically atonal, but the music doesn't strike me as terribly chromatic compared with something like late Schoenberg. I think it's a good gate-way drug to more avant-garde stuff. And I think Schuman has a sound of his own, qualifying him as great in my book.

I also find that full scores are not ideal for listening, but my main interest is orchestral music, so ballet fanatics might differ! That said, I find some ballet music to be essential listening. One approach, is to listen to extended highlights. Make sure to seek out good performances. Tchaikovsky:Sleeping Beauty conducted by Ermler, Royal opera House Covent Garden orchestra is a favourite of mine:

51lehj-GlwL.jpg

Originally Posted by jegreenwood

Another work not originally created for ballet, but serving as the basis for two dance masterpieces is Mendelssohn's Overture and Incidental Music for "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

A great highlights disk of that, with his third symphony, is Maag conducting the LSO:

71LA6JWiuGL._SX425_.jpg

The third symphony is easy, beautiful, music which sits well beside the "ballet" music.

Originally Posted by Mal

A

The third symphony is easy, beautiful, music which sits well beside the "ballet" music.

...and which was used by George Balanchine for his 1952 ballet Scotch Symphony