Great Classical Music Gifts for Christmas

Oh, how I would love to receive one of these for Christmas (hint, hint, wink, wink). The Yamaha Disklavier Grand Piano is the modern version of a player piano... only a million times better. This piano is great not only for piano players, but for those of you who couldn't even find middle C. For piano players, you can record your performances and play them back to yourself exactly how you played it. For composers, you can create and record full orchestrations. For listeners, you can download/stream recordings of famous pianists into the Disklavier and it will play the piano as if the pianist was sitting right there at the keyboard. The Disklavier's list of features goes on and on -- I haven't even begun to scratch the surface!

For those who can read music, listening to Beethoven's symphonies while reading the score is an amazing experience. Visually and aurally analyzing the notes on the page enables the listener to appreciate the genius and complexity of Beethoven's symphonies in an entirely new light. It's one thing to know it works, but it's another thing to know how it works! The full scores for all nine symphonies are separated into three editions: Symphonies 1, 2, 3 & 4 in one book; 5,6 & 7 in another book; and 8 & 9 in the last book.

The perfect companion gift to Beethoven's Symphonies in Full Score as mentioned above. Though many classical music fans may already own several Beethoven symphonies, it is likely they do not own all nine. And even if they do, do they own conductor Otto Klemperer's interpretations of these famous masterworks?

Perfect for any musician, this awesome portable stereo recorder allows you to record rehearsals, jam sessions, music lessons, conferences, meetings, and more in brilliant stereo sound. The H2 comes with earbuds, 1/8 inch stereo to RCA cable, mic clip adapter, tripod stand, USB cable, AC adapter and a 512MB SD card.

This beautifully ornate brass music stand would go great next to the piano or in any music room. You can showcase your favorite scores or even use the stand as you rehearse. This brass music stand adjust from 42" to 55" tall.

Like the movie Amadeus, Farinelli has become a quintessential viewing requirement for any classical singer. Farinelli is the true story of the castrato opera singer, Carlo Broschi. Broschi, under the stage name of Farinelli, captivated audiences during the 18th century and beautifully performed the works of many great baroque period composers. Farinelli won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 1995 and was nominated that same year for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Here's the book's synopsis: "Music lovers will delight in the beautiful color paintings and eloquent prose portraits in The Steinway Collection: Paintings of Great Composers. Chopin, Wagner, Liszt, Beethoven, Berlioz, Mozart, Verdi, Mendelssohn, Handel, and Schubert are among the composers celebrated in this historic book, which was originally printed in 1919 as an in-house publication of Steinway and Sons but has never before been released to the public. The paintings by esteemed American artists and accompanying essays by the brilliant critic James Gibbons Huneker are intended, in Mr. Huneker's words, to "evoke musical visions; for music is visionary, notwithstanding its primal appeal to the ear."

For adults who enjoy fine cocktails, here's a little treat with a classical music reference. Mozart Chocolate Cream Gold Liqueur is made in Mozart's city of birth, Salzburg, Austria. The Mozart Distillery has been producing fine chocolate liqueur for over 30 years. During the production of the liqueur, the company uses a technique called sound-milling to further break apart and mix cocoa particles. What sound do they use? Mozart's music of course! Visit About.com's very own Guide to Cocktails with Colleen Graham to learn more about chocolate drinks.

Ludovico Einaudi's Divenire is a polyphonic masterpiece with the ability to draw the listener inside him/herself wholeheartedly. Its calmness and tranquility are but a few of the many positive attributes of Einaudi's Divenire. When times are crazy, a good CD can calm even the most anxious of nerves!

Perfect for any music collector, this faux leather CD organizer cabinet would look great in almost any decor. With nine CD drawers, this cabinet can hold quite the music collection and keep it neat and tidy. Right now, all of my CDs are on bookcases, perhaps it's time for me to get one of these.