Essential Richard Strauss

• Don Quixote
• Also Sprach Zarathustra ("Thus Spoke Zarathustra")
• Don Juan
• Ein Heldenleben ("A Hero's Life")
• Eine Alpensinfonie ("An Alpine Symphony")
• Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche ("Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks")
• Four Last Songs for Soprano and Orchestra
• Der Rosenkavalier (opera)
• Elektra (opera)
• Salome (opera)

Essential Chopin

• Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
• Piano Sonata No. 2 (includes "Funeral March")
• Ballades
• Etudes
• Mazurkas
• Nocturnes
• Polonaises
• Preludes
• Waltzes

Essential Vivaldi

• Flute Concertos in D, RV428, Op.10 No.3, ("Il Gardellino") and F, RV433, Op. 10, No. 1 ("La Tempesta di mare")
• L'estro armonico (twelve concertos)
• Mandolin Concerto in C, RV425
• The Four Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter)
• Gloria in D

Essential Wagner

• Der Ring des Nibelungen (Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung) (four-opera cycle)
• Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (opera)
• Lohengrin (opera)
• Parsifal (opera)
• Tannhauser und der Sangerkrieg auf Wartburg (opera)
• The Flying Dutchman (opera)
  
• Tristan und Isolde (opera)
  

Essential Mendelssohn

• Symphonies Nos. 3 "Scottish" and 4 "Italian"
• Violin Concerto
• A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture and Incidental Music
  
• Hebrides Overture "Fingal's Cave"
• Piano Trio No. 1
• String Octet
• Songs without Words, Books 1 through 8 (for piano)
• Elijah

Essential Verdi

• Requiem Mass
• Aida (opera)
• Falstaff (opera)
• Il trovatore (opera)
• La traviata (opera)
• Otello (opera)
• Rigoletto (opera)
• Un ballo in maschera (opera)

Essential Schumann

• Symphonies Nos. 1 "Spring", 3 "Rhenish", and 4
• Piano Concerto in A Minor
• Piano Quintet in E-flat
• Carnaval (for piano)
• Fantasy in C, Op. 17 (for piano)
• Kinderszenen ("Scenes From Childhood") (for piano)
• Kreisleriana (for piano)
• Symphonic Etudes (for piano)
• Dichterliebe

Essential Dvorak

• Symphonies Nos. 7, 8, and 9 "From the New World"
• Cello Concerto in B Minor
• Slavonic Dances (for orchestra)
• Piano Trio No. 4 "Dumky"
• String Quartet No. 12 "American"

Essential Handel

• Music for the Royal Fireworks
• Water Music
• Messiah
• Julius Caesar in Egypt (opera)

Essential Tchaikovsky

• Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, and 6 "Pathetique"
• Piano Concerto No. 1
• Violin Concerto in D
• 1812 Overture
• Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
• The Nutcracker
• The Sleeping Beauty
• Swan Lake
• Eugene Onegin (opera)

Essential Haydn

• Symphonies Nos. 93, 94 "Surprise", 95, 96 "Miracle", 97, 98, 99, 100 "Military", 101 "Clock", 102, 103 "Drumroll", and 104 "London" ("London Symphonies")
• Trumpet Concerto in E-flat
• String Quartets Nos. 60, 61 "Fifths", 62 "Emperor", 63 "Sunrise", 64, 65 ("Erdody Quartets")
• The Creation
• Mass No. 11 in D Minor "Nelson Mass"

Essential Schubert

• Symphonies Nos. 8 "Unfinished" and 9 "The Great"
• Piano Quintet in A, D. 667 ("The Trout Quintet")
• String Quartet No. 14 "Death and the Maiden"
• String Quintet in C, D. 956
• Piano Sonatas Nos. 20 in A, D. 959 and 21 in B-flat, D. 960
• Fantasia in C, D. 760 ("Wanderer Fantasy")
• Die Schone Mullerin
• Winterreise

Essential Brahms

• Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4
• Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
• Violin Concerto
• Variations on a Theme by Haydn
• Clarinet Quintet
• A German Requiem

Essential Bach

• Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
• Orchestral Suites Nos. 1, 2, 3 (includes "Air"), and 4
• Double Violin Concerto
• Cello Suites Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
• Violin Partita No. 2
• Goldberg Variations
• The Well-Tempered Clavier
• Cantata No. 140, "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (includes "Sleepers, Awake")
• Mass in B Minor
• St. Matthew Passion

Essential Beethoven

• Symphonies Nos. 3 "Eroica", 5, 6 "Pastoral", 7, and 9 "Choral"
• Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5 "Emperor"
• Violin Concerto in D Major
• String Quartets Nos. 7, 8, and 9 ("Razumovsky"), 13, 14, and 15
• Piano Trio No. 7 "Archduke"
• Violin Sonata No. 9 "Kreutzer"
• Piano Sonatas Nos. 8 "Pathetique", 14 "Moonlight", 21 "Waldstein", 23 "Appassionata", 29 "Hammerklavier", and 32
• Missa Solemnis
• Fidelio (opera)

Essential Mozart

• Symphonies Nos. 38 "Prague", 39, 40, and 41 "Jupiter"
• Piano Concertos Nos. 20, 21, 23, and 24
• Clarinet Concerto
• Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra
• Clarinet Quintet
• String Quartet No. 19 "Dissonance"
• String Quintet in G Minor, K. 516
• Serenades Nos. 10 "Gran Partita" and No. 13 "Eine kleine Nachtmusik"
• Requiem
• Don Giovanni (opera)
• The Magic Flute (opera)
• The Marriage of Figaro (opera)