Thread: Favourite pieces of Classical music?

Another long, long list here--classical and church music were what I grew up on, and if I name a few favorites, I'll think of a dozen more in minutes.

But high on the list, always, is Barber's Adagio for Strings.

Another vote for Die Meistersinger, and I'll mention the Ring cycle as well. (Iron butt music, but worth it.)

Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (I'm usually kind of an original-language purist, but I sang this and learned to love it in English).

Brahms's Deutsches Requiem, especially "Wie Lieblich Sind Deine Wohnungen"--that would be what I'd want sung at my own service, if I still knew a bunch of singers and thought I had lived a life deserving a good funeral.

Randall Thompson's Frostiana cycle, especially "Choose Something Like a Star."

And of course that incomparable glee-club classic, Grieg's "Brothers, Sing On".

Among many, many others ...

~Rich

Gentlemen:

Such great choices of classical music. Thanks to our English friend Stuart for bringing up the subject.

Which reminds of a little story from the great British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham, known for his acerbic humor, who said, "The English may not like music, but they absolutely love the noise it makes."

Sir Thomas also gave a great description of the harpsichord. He said it "Sounds like two skeletons copulating on a corrugated tin roof."

Stuart, the Rachmaninoff piano concertos 2 and 3 are gorgeous. So is the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, which I assume is the one you mean. Symphony No. 2 is moody and lush piece of music. It's stunning.

JimmyHAD: Ah, yes, you can't go wrong with the great Beethoven. And the Bach solo cello suites I often listen to early in the morning. Also, I love the sonatas and partitas for solo violin. All good stuff.

Proraso Man: Mahler's music is simply glorious. So moody and introspective. Mahler was a troubled man, since childhood, and all those emotions appear in his music. That Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" is worth listening to over and over again. The Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 is one of the most lush and the moodiest pieces of music I have heard. By the way, the piece was used extensively in the movie "Death in Venice," based on the novel by Thomas Mann. Great movie.

Ah, Alembic: The Bach Brandenburg Concertos, all six, are masterpieces of orchestration. Bach was in Berlin, shopping for a harpsichord, when he received the commission for them from the Margrave of Brandenburg. He combined new pieces with some he had already written and created the concertos. He presented them to the Margrave, who subsequently put them on the shelf and never heard them. Great music, though.

Bruce: The great Chopin was not the powerhouse pianist that Liszt was. Chopin's style was more intimate and luscious, and more suited for the salon than the big concert hall. Heavenly music, I might add. He is one of my favorite composers. By the way, the second piano concerto was written first and the first written second; however, they were published in reverse. Chopin's body is buried in Paris, but his heart in a church near Warsaw.

Max: I tip my hat to you, sir, for the Mendelssohn E-Minor and the Brush No. 1. Jascha Heifetz premiered the Mendelssohn at age 11. During the performance he lost his bow. Without falling apart, he reached over and took the bow from the concertmaster and resumed playing. Great stuff here.

Bladerunner: "Vienne Malika," the "Flower Duet" from Leo Delibes' opera Lakme is delicious. TV commercials especially love it. Also, if you listen carefully to the Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from Khachaturian's Ballet Spartacus, it has an incredible similarity to "Stormy Weather," the pop tune Lena Horne made famous. Great music.

Gentlemen, there is so much magnificent music. My own favorites are many. Some that come to mind immediately are:

Brahms: everything he wrote.
Beethoven: especially the string quartets.
Mozart: the quartets and the piano concertos. Also his operas.
Schumann was the height of early romantic music. I'll take everything he wrote.
Bach: everything he wrote. When Bach died, hardly anyone paid attention to his death.
Vivaldi: much of his music.
Ravel and Debussy: almost everything they wrote.
Many of the Spanish composers: Albeniz, Manuel de Falla, etc.

Ah, there is so much more, plus what you gentlemen have listed so far. If I were to list all my favorites, I'd spend half the day here.

Regards,
Obie

I have always been partial to Cello...

YouTube - Tanya's Bach