Mahler's Das klagende Lied

Late in his career, Gustav Mahler told his critics, "My time will come," but his unique vision and unmistakable sound were evident in his very first composition: the epic cantata "Das klagende Lied."

Handel's Messiah

However you like your Messiah - big or intimate, modern or period, authentic or interpreted—when you listen you become part of an almost 300-year tradition of what may be classical music's most beloved masterpiece.

Bruckner's Symphony No. 7

An often criticized social misfit during his time in Vienna, Bruckner's success with his Symphony No. 7 came as a happy and restorative surprise to the composer, described by his friend Gustav Mahler as "half simpleton, half God." Speaking to today's audiences with sin­gular directness, Bruckner 7 remains the most loved of his nine symphonies.

Brahms' Symphony No. 2

Brahms's Symphony No.2 is generally thought of as his most lighthearted, but it's actually built on the contrasts between light and dark, between sunshine and clouds. Kind of like life.

Debussy's Jeux

Claude Debussy's ballet Jeux was almost completely ignored after its premiere in 1913, but it's now considered one of the fundamental works of 20th-century music.

Dvořák's Symphony No. 7

Considered at first to be a composer of popular music and not a great symphonist, it was Brahms who believed in Dvořák enough to set him up with an important publisher. Written for the London Symphony, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 is a personal catharsis and a masterpiece in tragedy.

Mozart's Symphony No. 29

Even Mozart realized that his 29th Symphony was something special. In many ways, it's the work in which Mozart became "Mozart."