Sibelius' Andante Festivo
One of my gigs right now is doing database work with a record company that specializes in classical and jazz recordings. The couple of days each week when I'm onsite with these folks I have access to a huge archive of music that I can check out and scratch pretty much any listening itch that might present itself. Now, that would be cool in and of itself especially since they've got a very deep jazz catalog.
However, what I am especially grateful for here is that as the major record labels close down or atrophy some of their more knowledgeable classical folks have come to work for this company. So a few feet away from me sits a guy who is like a walking "genius" button for my classical playlists. I come across something I like and walk over and ask him what else is like this and he gets me a list and a good dose of education every time. As I learn more about classical, I see how inadequate iTunes is at suggesting classical music using the genius functionality so having a real genius or two nearby is pretty sweet.
One particular piece that I have not yet tired of is Sibelius' Andante Festivo. Do not listen to it on your crappy laptop speakers. The double bass on the bottom part of the melody is fantastic so you'll need real speakers or nice headphones to hear it. Have a listen:
