Peter Grimes is the most incredibly dramatic piece of music ever written. And although I don't really like Pears' voice, he sings Grimes like Britten wanted it to be sung...

This opera is brutally dramatic and bitterly sincere. An incredibly moving and ingeniously composed work – perhaps better on stage than in a CD player, but then buy this until you can get tickets!

Although the Saariaho and Maderna are both good in their own right, the John Cage is the piece that will blow you away…

I considered putting every CD Adès has made onto this list, but I decided to leave it here… But buy ANY of his CDs and you can’t go wrong. They’re all breathtaking – he is a stunningly clever composer

Varèse started interest in electronic experimentation in classical music. I love it - and even if you don’t - it will, at the very least, make you think profoundly about the whole concept of music.

Hilariously fun 20th century wind quintets – very well played and a good range of composing styles (Berio, Hindemith, Carrapatoso, Ligeti, Ibert…)

A fantastic introduction to Arnold Schöenberg’s pre-serialist music – three amazing pieces

Dallapiccola manipulates serialism in the most incredible ways. An inspired combination of music on this CD.

Again, a good introduction to an important composer. Boulez took serialism to another level, and this is a fantastically interesting CD