When asked what one thinks of when they hear the words "classical music", many may say it is boring, repetitive or only good for background music. (Ironically, I am presently listening to Verdi as background music writing this.) However, if you like music, chances are there is some classical music right down your alley, but you are not aware of that presently. I hope my following list will help you see how classical music can be enjoyed by everyone. My only requirement is you approach it with an open mind and listen to it for more than twenty seconds. (I purposely picked pieces that were under ten minutes, except for two of them.)

Before I begin however, I will quickly note that while I use the term "classical", the music listed below is not strictly classical music. Classical music is technically music that is written between 1750 to about 1820-1830, but in this list, I have included music that was written later, but is still orchestral/instrumental music. Without further ado, I present my list for all music lovers:

Upbeat and Fun:

Sviridov -The Snowstorm Waltz

Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 5

Tchaikovsky - Pas de Deux

Dark and Ominous:

Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre

Prokofiev - Dance of the Knights

Mussorgsky - Night On Bald Mountain

Mozart - Lacrimosa

Sweet and Lovely:

Saint-Saëns - The Swan

Debussy - Clair de Lune

Bach - Air on the G String

Faurè - Pavane, Op. 50

Sad and Reflective:

Chopin - Funeral March

Barber - Adagio for Strings

Ravel - Pavane pour une infante defunte

Simply Beautiful:

Grieg - Holberg Suite

Dvorak - Humoresque no. 7

Wait, this is classical?

Khachaturian - Sabre Dance

Copland - Hoedown from Rodeo

Wagner - Ride Of The Valkyries

No matter what music you normally enjoy, I hope you will give these pieces a try and see why classical music has so much to offer.