Beethoven 5th, 3rd and 4th movement...So good.
If you are getting into classical music, especially the romantic era, there are a few key classical composers that stand out in my mind.
My favourite is by far Franz Schubert. He was one of the first to introduce program music (music that tells a story). I find his work to be simply incredible. Trout Quintet and Unfinished Symphony are some of his best works.
Liszt is high up there as well on my list. A lot of his pieces are so complex that only a few highly skilled people can play his works. This is because Liszt had quite oversized hands and could run up and down the scales quickly. I think he often uses 1/32 notes in his pieces. Les Preludes is quite a popular piece created by him.
Other great composers are both Mendelssohn's, Schumann, Wagner, Chopin, Brahms, and Tschaikovsky.
Just buy a few "best of" cds from HMV, you can get them 3 for $20. You definatly will not regret it.
- Marc