Essential Stravinsky

• The Firebird Suite
• Le Sacre du printemps ("The Rite of Spring")
• Les noces ("The Wedding")
  
• Petrushka
• Symphony in Three Movements
• Symphony of Psalms
• The Rake's Progress (opera)

Essential Prokofiev

• Symphonies Nos. 1 "Classical" and 5
• Piano Concerto No. 3
• Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
• Lieutenant Kije Suite
• Romeo and Juliet
• Peter and the Wolf
• Piano Sonata No. 7

Essential Rachmaninov

• Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, and 3
• Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
• Symphony No. 2
• Preludes (Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2; Ten Preludes, Op. 23; Thirteen Preludes, Op. 32)
• Vespers

Essential Ravel

• Piano Concerto in G
• Daphnis et Chloe
• Bolero
• La valse
• Rapsodie espagnole ("Spanish Rhapsody")
• String Quartet in F
• Gaspard de la nuit ("Demons of the night", for piano)
• Le Tombeau de Couperin ("Tombeau for Couperin", for piano)
• Pavane pour une infante defunte ("Pavane for a dead infanta", for piano)

Essential Shostakovich

• Symphonies Nos. 1, 5, 7 "Leningrad", and 10
• Cello Concerto No. 1
• Piano Concerto No. 2
• String Quartet No. 8
• 24 Preludes and Fugues
• Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (opera)

Essential Liszt

• Faust Symphony
• Les Preludes (for orchestra)
• Piano Concerto No. 1
• Annees de pelerinage ("Years of Pilgrimage", for piano)
• Hungarian Rhapsodies
• Piano Sonata in B Minor
• Transcendental Etudes

Essential Mahler

• Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 "Resurrection", 4, 5, 8, and 9
• Das Lied von der Erde ("The Song of the Earth")
• Kindertotenlieder (song cycle)

Reboot

During November of last year, I began posting lists of essential works by some of the more prominent composers. The works I chose were those that appeared at least half the time in the references I consulted; they do not reflect a personal bias (except in the collection of references I chose to consult). In this way, I tried to filter out the "championing" of certain works by different publications while retaining those works which by consensus are important and notable.

I thought these lists would be useful to someone who is approaching certain composers for the first time. As for the accompanying images, I carefully selected ones I felt projected something of the musical essences of the composers they represent here.

In the weeks ahead, I'll continue on posting essential works for several more composers. After this, CMB will return to a style closer to that found in the posts from January through March of 2009.

Essential Debussy

• La Mer
• Nocturnes (for orchestra)
• Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"
• String Quartet in G minor
• Children's Corner (for piano)
• Images, Sets 1 and 2 (for piano)
• Preludes, Books 1 and 2 (for piano)
• Suite Bergamasque (for piano, includes "Clair de Lune")
• Pelleas et Melisande (opera)