Although I appreciated symphonies and operas as a university student, I didn't start buying classical recordings in large numbers until I was in my mid thirties. The triggering event was an evening in chess café Gambit in Amsterdam in 1993.
By the way, I'm a terrible player, and the café, a truly bohemian (and therefore civilized) hangout, closed in 2005, when the owner had died.
https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-oldest-che-caf-in-amsterdam
That night, the piece playing in the background fit the ambiance perfectly!
I'm listening to it again now, and it again has the effect of gradually sucking me in as a listener.
I remember the owner saying "Mooi hè?" ["Beautiful, isn't it?"]. Yes it is!
https://youtu.be/8iyH4eBoRys
[Beethoven Violin Concerto]
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Roland van Gaalen
Amsterdam
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