Here is my non-boring guide:
Start with "music-emotions", not "music-encyclopedia"
No need to rush into Mahler's 9th Symphony right away. Start with something light and sensual. Here are my favorite "entrance doors":
Claude Debussy – Clair de Lune (she is like moonlight on water)
Ludovico Einaudi – Nuvole Bianche (modern, but soulful)
Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake (pas de deux) — magical!
Listen to them alone, with tea or during a walk. No pressure - just for background. Your soul will tell you when the music starts to "work".
Associate music with films.
You have already heard many great works, you just didn't know about it.
For example:
Beethoven - in the film "Love by the Rules and Without"
Mozart - in "Amadeus"
And Bach - in general, a frequent guest in any thriller or drama.
When you associate music with the emotions of the scene, it comes to life. And becomes closer.
Use collections with names like "Classics for Meditation" or "Classics for Love"
Yes, yes! Spotify, YouTube, Yandex.Music are full of playlists for taste, mood and even... for cleaning the apartment with Vivaldi!
Don't try to "understand" - allow yourself to feel.
You don't have to understand a fugue or know what year a concerto was written. Just tell yourself: "I'm sad - I'll turn this on. I'm light - I'll turn this on."
Classics are like a book without words. Every time you read it, you find something new.
And maybe one day it will become your personal story.
Try it! Once - with your heart, not with a critic inside.
And maybe you'll open the door to a world that will listen to you in return.