Classical Music For Absolute Beginners: DG's entrée Series

Below is extracted from the introduction on DG's official entrée site, I like the Chinese restaurant parable, and I hope Spotify starts to offer ad-supported free food service soon:)

"Think of eating at a Chinese restaurant. You can't read Chinese, but the menu is in Chinese only - and there are 150 different dishes from which to choose. You need help from someone so you can decide what to eat. The food arrives. Do you like it? Do you like it a lot? Maybe next time you'll have something similar? Or experiment further by trying a completely different dish? Perhaps you ordered the wrong thing - we've all done it! Chances are you'll find something that appeals next time.

entrée offers you more than 40 world-famous dishes on a plate, building a classical library that anyone would be proud to own. And the covers - striking black and white photographs - are really classy.

Like anyone starting to paint or fish, or learning a foreign language, the first steps are a daunting prospect. Once you've taken the plunge, though, you quickly realize the rewards. Bit by bit, you find out more and more. A little knowledge enhances your enjoyment and appreciation. It's just the same with classical music, and the booklets with the new entrée series provide the perfect introduction to each composer and the music on the CD. Nothing academic. No technical language. Just engaging, informative, and friendly."

Here's the Spotify playlist: DG: Entrée Series (453 tracks, total time: 1 day). If you are not familiar with most of the works here, congratulations, enjoy your first adventure into a lifelong journey. And if you do, it is still a wonderful collection of execllent performences of the core repertoire.