I have been playing the cello for almost ten years of my life now, and I do enjoy classical at a deeper level than any other genre of music. Though, like any 'classical' geek, I will say calling all music created by a traditional western-style orchestra "classic" is as heinous of a crime as calling all electronic dance music "techno"
Anyways, my favorite genres are romantic, neo-romantic and modernist. Debussy, Chopin, Shostakovich, Holst, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Mahler, and of course, Beethoven, just to name some.
As for the all-time favorite...TCHAIKOVSKY!! If you've listened to his 4th symphony...mmmm. I have played it in an ensemble and it's changed my life.
I believe my affinity for classical music has greatly influenced my tastes in other music, and definitely 'techno'. Trance naturally became my favorite...I found some familiarity and harmony in its symphonic structuring. As for tiesto's adagio for strings...I'm sorry, it does not hold a candle to samuel barber's originial nbc orchestra recording.