Recommend me some classical soundz....

I'm a bit of a classical newcomer but already quite familiar with, and enjoy, the following:

Vaughan-Williams - Thomas Tallis / Greensleeves
Vivaldi - Four Seasons
Holst - Planets Suite
Ravel - Bolero

Could someone recommend more of the same?

I'm looking for orchestral scale and impact rather than long-winded flute solos and the like, and please no Opera

 

Try the beginner's guide in the stickys.

 

Give it time. Preconceptions are not a good idea when approaching any subject.

 

Emusic beginner's classical

If you're possibly interested in legal mp3 downloads of reasonable price and quite good bit rate you could try http://www.emusic.com/lists/showlist.html?lid=28793380

 

Thanks everyone!

 

go onto magnatune.com and browse their classical selection.

 

Good on you . I'll answer accordingly.

Try some of VW's symphonies. These days it's usually easier and cheaper just to buy a box set of all 9 (usually about 7 CDs for around £15ish) - you could start with the 2nd, 3rd or 5th, none of which are too far away from Tallis or Greensleeves stylistically.

There are dozens of other pleasant enough Vivaldi fiddle concertos too, but I'd be inclined to look elsewhere. Make it a priority to chase up the Bach violin concertos (there are three, and you usually get them all together - A Minor, E Major, "Double").

Respighi's "Roman trilogy" is reasonably similar in a lot of respects (three works: The Pines of Rome, The Fountains of Rome, Roman Festivals). [A lot of Holst's other music is worth hearing, but it's mostly not that much like The Planets.]

Ummm, the thing here is that Bolero is a real oddity - there's really nothing very much like it. I could point you in the direction of Ravel's left-hand Piano Concerto or La Valse, both of which are great and would fit your stated requirements, but neither of them bear much resemblance to Bolero.

I suppose you could try something like John Adams' Short ride in a fast machine, which - it could be argued - is a distant relative of Bolero.

If you try any of the above, let us know how you get on - if you hate any of it, let me know what and why and I'll try to suggest something else.

 

Easy continuation from there:

Berlioz, Symphony Fantastique
Berlioz, Funbre et Triomphale
Mussorgsky, Night on a Bare Mountain
Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet
Bethoven, Symphony 3, 5 and 9
Vaughan Williams, Symphony Antartica
Rodrigo, Guitar Concerto
Elgar, cello concerto
Mahler, Symphony 2 (but there are voices and choir)
as above, Verdi Requiem
Stravinsky, Rite of Spring
Saint Saens, Organ Symphony
Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue
Dvorak, New World Symphony

They're all easy, accessible and great music