Reply #6: First impulse [View All]

[SnowGoose]

Bach's Suites for solo cello:

definitely get the one by Mstislav Rostropovich (I'm not one of those who can typically hop on a particular performance as more accomplished than others, but this is an exception. This is my favorite classical recording of all time, even though it's not my favorite piece of all time). You can hear snippets at Amazon.com.

If you want something not too interruptive (as Tom Waits would say), you might like Allegri's "Miserere". The story often told (who knows if it's true) is that the Vatican was going to clamp down on this newfangled polyphony thing, but that when the pope heard the beauty of this piece, it saved the day for the advancement of western music. I have three versions of this composition, and the best one is actually one of the cheaper ones, performed by King's College Choir. It's a choral masterwork - really nice.

If the office is full of adventurous folks, you might try something like Kronos Quartet (Black Angels is a good first try). Some people find it grating, I find it does for me what the Ministry album you mentioned does. It grates me (pleasantly).

If, on the other hand, the office is more like a typical office, you might be better off with things like Handel's Watermusic, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos.

If it's somewhere in between, maybe Stravinsky would be a good choice. Everybody's heard the "Firebird".

Try your local library for risk-free listening. There's usually a decent number of classical CD's, and they're often "in stock" as there seems to be less demand for this music in most places.

OK, one last recommendation. This is my favorite classical piece of all time. Weber's Andante & Hungarian Rondo. It was originally written for cello, but is more popular in a transcription for bassoon. It's not that well known, but everyone I've played it for has reacted positively (to varying degrees of course). To my ears, it's pretty much perfect, but to be honest, I've never met anyone else who feels that way. It's very pretty and non-challenging, but has an emotional depth in places that just speaks to me. No accounting for taste. It's usually paired with some plesant double reed concerto, and would be unlikely to raise any hackles.

Best of luck.