I am a fan of most of the usual; Bach, Beethoven, most anything.
Of course, I am quite a fan of Tchaikovsky, especially Romeo and Juliet. There's some very powerful numbers, such as "Montagues Et Capulets" (which became the theme for
Caligula). Then again, there's also ones such as The Love Theme, which still today is synonymous with love. Honestly, who can hear that tune and not think of romance?
Debussy is also one I'm fond of, one of my favorite peaces being "Arabesque #1".
Naturally I must mention Erik Satie, whose
Gymnopédies make for terrific listening, especially "Lent et douloureux" and "Lent et triate".
touareg said:
But I more listen to "contemporary" or "modern" classical. Arvo Pärt, gorgeous! And Satie is awesome too. Or Terry Riley, Phillipp Glass, Steve Reich, bla etc. Edit: Don't forget Moondog. Many good ones, but not on the list.
I agree on a lot of counts. Arvo Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel" is something I could listen to endlessly. Philip Glass is also something who I think is a modern master, with his soundtracks to
Dracula and especially
Koyaanisqatsi being beautiful and haunting.
But speaking of modern, one of my favorite modern pieces was done by Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi. His composition "Yumeji's Theme" is a really inspired and mesmerizing work. Shigeru Umebayashi composed for the movie
In the Mood for Love, although he typically doesn't compose classical music if I understand correctly. Nonetheless, I really love the song and would recommend a listen.