Something that gets you singing. Nothing too introspective. Some Gershwin, perhaps..

 

It's cliché but some Beethoven wouldn't go amiss, the first and second symphonies would do nicely. Dynamic, stimulating, but still familiar music that won't overtax in the morning.

 

The other day it was Copland for me. Enigma Variations was sort of putting me to sleep. Even love Cecilia Bartoli got all of her albums. Some good suggestions, I had some Gershwin on the other morning!

 

I like Dvorak's Slavic Dances.

 

Night on Bare Mountain always does the trick for me.

 

Shostakovich's 11th, 4th movement. With the exception of the quiet English horn solo, that's sure to wake you up.

 

I actually do not enjoy listening to classical on the way to work. In fact, I don't listen to much classical in the car at all. I feel like I can't give it the attention it deserved. I listen mostly to talk radio in the car.

 

I'm the way. In fact, I don't even listen to the radio in the car. When I'm driving, I focus on driving, nothing else.

I see people trying to do too many things when they drive. Saw a woman on the road the other day, she was talking on her cell phone (which should be outlawed), putting on lipstick, smoking a cigarette, and turning around talking to her kids. Needless to say, I think she needs to be locked-up.

 

Recently, the Biber Mystery Sonatas, and now I'm working my way through a series of Haydn quartets - I find introspective works are a great way to deal with the frustrations of driving. Last thing I need is anything to increase the amplitude of my emotional reaction - listening to anything at all aggressive or even expansive is a bad idea, for me anyway.

 

Definitely this is me... lug my iPod touch or iPod Classic with me on the bus and Trax ride to downtown every single day. It's a blessing!

 

You know you're pushing actually active threads off the front page when you revive all these long dead threads for a one-sentence response directly to the OP, and ignoring all other content - right?

 

Huapango by Jose Pablo Moncayo

 

I can't see anyone normal listening to classical music on a bus or train commute.
Once the other passengers hear what's coming through the ear pods, you will be sitting alone, as they move away...far, far away.

 

That's only if I bring my Grado open-can earphones and pump my Wagner out on the Trax very loudly. And actually I have played classical music before in my earphones and had some people come up to me and ask, "Who's that?" "Wagner" and then I get a chance to chat with them all about it. Good edification there indeed.

 

Retired now, but when I was driving to work I usually put on string quartet cd's.

 

I used to plug in my iPod as well but found it time consuming and potentially distracting selecting music during the drive. I'm now quite content to listen to Martin Goldsmith (Symphony Hall) make the picks for me on SiriusXM. I don't like every selection of course, but his voice and manner have become almost as welcome a part of my day as the music.

 

Actually I admit that I was using Pandora a lot two years using an iPhone but then I just realized that it was easier and less of a battery hog to load up my iPod classic and spin music that I wanted to hear instead. Plus I can mix things up a lot more accurately without any worries of being stuck with interjecting advertisements in between pieces.

 

I make a new playlist for my iPod each day. My bus commute is just over an hour. I then have 20 minutes or so in the office to listen before anyone else gets in. I don't always go for the lively wake-up kind of music, but if I'm expecting a tough day then Beethoven always helps.
I do hear other things over the music but that happens most of the time. Only at home with my Sony headphones on - rather than the iPod earbuds - can I block out all other sounds.

Today's playlist is Angela Hewitt playing Chopin, John Lill and the BBC SO playing Tchaikovsky, Eva Knardahl playing Grieg, Tatiana Nikolayeva playing Haydn with the Lithuanian State Chamber Orchestra. The latter is as good a defence against a cold foggy morning on the bus as I can imagine

 

C.P.E. Bach
Comodo from M3
Overture from the Flying Dutchman or any Rossini

 

It won't wake you up so much but you'll be too scared to close your eyes again.

 

Another really good commute music that gets me going is Bach's cello suites which I know has been very upbeat and keeping me energetic.

 

I walk to work, it's just down the block from me. But if I have to go into town, I've found that a classical music radio channel helps keep me awake.