Orchestral Music CDs

Composers need to expand their minds by experiencing different styles of writing. An expanded mind is an enlightened mind. An enlightened mind is a sensitive mind. A sensitive mind knows when enough is enough. That’s why I’m moving on to the next paragraph.

One of the best ways to broaden your musical horizons is to listen to the music of other composers of the past and present who wrote for symphony and string orchestras. Orchestral works offer a huge selection of repertoire that demonstrates style, orchestration techniques and a variety of musical forms.

Some of the most skilled orchestrators of the past are included in this select list of CDs. Berlioz and Mahler were known to be innovators in their orchestral arranging skills. Mahler even went so far as to re-orchestrate compositions of great masters of the past, including the likes of Robert Schumann.

Here’s a list of some wonderful recording selections for orchestras. I’ve chosen a variety of styles from various eras, as performed by first-rate composers.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart Symphony No. 40, Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

Berlioz: Complete Orchestral Works

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Johannes Brahms: The Symphonies

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no 4, 5, & 6 / Karajan, Berlin PO

Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)

Dvorák: The Symphonies