A request to help a newbie (me).

I always wanted to get into classical music, but where should one start? I see this partly as education. What does one have to know? What are the must haves? What do I have to be looking for in terms of who is playing the music (certain orchestras).

Currently I am thinking about Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner but feel somehow reluctant to buy a random CD of one of those. Anyone willing to give me an introduction to classical music?

Thanks

How about getting a textbook like Roger Kamien's Music - An Appreciation, and from there you can get an idea what pieces you can listen to (you can easily find any classical pieces on youtube or spotify)

Re: "I always wanted to get into classical music, but where should one start? I see this partly as education. What does one have to know?"

If you mean "get into" as a listener (rather than as a player), you don't have to know anything. Just listen.

Re: "Currently I am thinking about Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner but feel somehow reluctant to buy a random CD of one of those."

Start with the real thing: attend a concert. See your local symphony. (Recordings are only facsimiles of music.)

If you are taking classical music as a part of education then a professional classical music teacher can help you better.