The straightforwardly-named
25 Classical Favorites collects two discs' worth of well-known classical pieces, including
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro Con Brio,
Bizet's Carmen Suite No. 1: Les Toréador,
Strauss' Thus Spoke Zarathustra -- Prelude, and
Rossini's Barber of Seville: Overture, Excerpt. Though the collection focuses on orchestral pieces, choral music is represented by
Gounod's Ave Maria (After J. S Bach) and
Handel's Hallelujah From Messiah. Other highlights include
Pachelbel's Canon in D Major,
Tchaikovsky's Excerpts from "The Nutcracker," Ballet Suite Op. 71A: II. March, and
Strauss' Beautiful Blue Danube, Waltz Op. 314. Pieces by
Chopin,
Debussy,
Dvorak,
Wagner, and
Prokofiev, among others, make
25 Classical Favorites a good general collection for casual classical music fans.