Classical Music Pieces
I was hoping you could name 5 of your favorite pieces of classical music with a brief explanation of why you chose that piece. Hoping some of the answers have a philosophical bent to them, but even if they don't that's ok. I'll post mine below.
Comments (37)
4. Bach - Cello Suite #1 Prelude - There's a singular beauty to Bach's lone cello exploring this musical territory on its own. It is the awakening of the human voice without, of course, an actual human voice.
3. Tristan und Isolde - Prelude to Act I - Many say that this piece, featuring the infamous Tristan chord, is the birthplace of modern music with its tonal non-resolution. Conveys the, unresolved desperate longing of a person like no other piece I know.
2. Glass - "Lightning" - Classical piece or pop song? To me, the line is completely obliterated and reveals that sometimes our labels and classifications just do not matter. Music is music, and good music is good music.
1. Reich - Music for 18 Musicians - Without a doubt my favorite classical piece. Almost an hour of totally transfixing music. Minimalism reveals the breadth and depth humanity can achieve while working with the most limited of raw materials.
Palestrina - Kyrie - Missa Papae Marcelli
I grew up on this stuff. It's the closest to my heart in a way that's hard to describe. The shear beauty of the harmony is something so treasured, so divine...in a post-post-modern technocratic world...this is like alien sounds...it's truly other-worldly because it's not of the world that we know in the year 2017. There are oh so many arcane arguments for and against the existence of God on this forum. But if we could all simply "understand" this piece of music...I digress...
Debussy - Arabeseque No. 1
Debussy both sealed off the romantic era and subsequently ushered in the symbolist movement with this piece, as far as I'm concerned. There is no out of place note in this piece. It's a perfect piece of music, but also a perfectly tonal piece of music. What better postlude to tonality?
Ravel - Gaspard de le Nuit - Ondine
Ravel is the proto-modernist; the proto-minimalist. Most people wouldn't agree with me on that, but just listen to the opening figure of this piece. Mechanical, menacing, neurotic. Everything that modernity brought to art. The emotional depths that are plumbed in this piece are just riveting and shocking. Not to mention that Ravel's piano music is the most pianistic and challenging of all. Just try following the score...
Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring
I don't need to say much here. Research this piece if you're not familiar with the mythology. The only thing I'll mention is the absolute heavy metal moment at 20:30.
Steve Reich - The Four Sections (Section IV): Full Orchestra
Not a well-known Reich piece, but the hypnotic, emotionally seductive nature of this movement is everything I ever could have wanted in minimalism; this piece to me is the emotionally destructive conclusion of minimalism as a movement. This music is spiritual in the purest sense of the term. You're looking to spar philosophical about the concept of "spirituality"? This piece of music is my rebuttal.
Wonderful observation on one of the most emotionally visceral pieces of music in existence.
Quoting Brian
Not my favorite Glass, but definitely important.
Quoting Brian
Certainly one of my favorite Reich pieces, but The Four Sections is my favorite, as I listed above. Do you know John Adams? Post-minimalism has surprisingly deep layers...
Or Andrew Norman's Music In Circles from just a few years ago, performed by yMusic, my favorite new classical ensemble:
1: The Flower Duet by Leo Delibes
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I like the Flower Duet because it has impeccable harmony and just sounds beautiful. They're singing in french, a language which I speak, but I don't try to distinguish what they're singing about and instead just listen to the sounds (they're singing about boring old flowers mostly)
2: Pearl Fishermen Duet - By Bizet from "Pecheurs de Perles" (fishers of pearls)
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Much for the same reasons as above, this song to me sounds more pleasant than most others I've heard.
3: Vocalise - by Sergei Rachmaninoff
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This song actually is more than just pretty sounds, it's also got it's own emotional arc which starts low and doesn't aim very high. I find it to be quite relaxing in addition to being beautiful...
4 : Piano Concerto No. 2, Op 18, Moderato. - By Sergei Rachmaninoff
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Another Rachmaninoff piece (yes he is my favorite composer), and this time in addition to being beautiful and relaxing, it also has a bit of action and excitement. I like to listen to this song if I want to actually feel something in addition to being relaxed by something beautiful; an emotional distraction.
5: Gallows Pole - By Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter
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This isn't classical music, but rather classic folk. Leadbelly was well loved by 30's and 40's audiences for his energetic singing, sophisticated guitar playing, and his lyrics/stories that were steeped American and Black American culture. I love the authenticity that most ledbelly songs show, even though they were packaged for mass appeal at the time. In addition to sounding beautiful, being relaxing, and making me feel something, songs like this also make me think (in this case offering a direct audio channel into a culture of the past).
1. Beethoven's String Quartet in A minor Opus 132, especially "Molto Adagio; Andante", the 3rd movement.
2. Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op 109 and Op 111
3. Schubert's String Quintet D.956, especially the 2nd movement, the adagio. Oh, and Schubert 's Piano Sonata D 960 in b-flat major.
4. There is just so much of Bach... But Erbarme Dich from Mattheus Passion. And his Well Tempered Clavier. And Goldberg variations.
5. Chopin's 4th Ballade Op 52 and Nocturne Op 48 no 1
Now there is so much more than just this. We have Mozart too... and many others. I realize I cheated and mentioned more than 5 pieces...
1. Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.
Day, night and everything
is against me,
the chattering of maidens
makes me weep,
and often sigh,
and, most of all, scares me.
O friends, you are making fun of me,
you do not know what you are saying,
spare me, sorrowful as I am,
great is my grief,
advise me at least,
by your honour.
Your beautiful face,
makes me weep a thousand times,
your heart is of ice.
As a cure,
I would be revived
by a kiss.
2. John Dowland, Now O Now I Needs Must Part
3. Happy We by G. F. Handel
4. Haydn Te Deum in C Major - Hob.XXIIIc:2:
5. Vladimir Martynov - Come In!
Schubert's String Quartet No. 14, Death and the Maiden
Any of Beethoven's Late String Quartets, op. 131 if I must chose one of them
Brahms' Symphony No. 1
Haydn's Trumpet Concerto
Beethoven Piano Sonata op. 106
first place is Samuel Barber's Adaigio for Strings (and Coral version) view them equal is first myself (thank you "Homeword" PC game for including the latter BTW).
2nd.
Prokofiev's 4th - i.e. prodical son theme (seems forgotten today sadly)
3rd
Musgorcksay(sp) pictures at an exibition.
4th.
Satie's work - forget the name - sorry.
5th some of Bach's and Batoveen(sp) works..................though the norwegain;'s Hall of Mountian King is also equal.
One of these?
And for something totally stylistically different that plays by similar rules:
Bach is the (unrequited :P) love of my life, and the solo cello and violin works are at the top of my list. I never tire of hearing them and replaying them in my head.
Sorry, I can't say anything "philosophical" here - I am a complete savage when it comes to art.
Why create such a false dichotomy? :) Given a desert island situation, I'll take a few albums vs. a few philosophy tomes.
I have a terrible memory for names, but there's this silly old joke that helps me remember Orff's. Do you know the one?
Oh god... musical orgasm!
You must love the opening movement of Beethoven's 5th piano concerto, am I right?
Claudio Monteverdi - Duo Seraphim
It touches me in ways I really can't explain. I guess that there is a part of me that wants to just hide away, to read and learn until I die. It makes me feel sad at how pleasing that idea actually feels.
Vivaldi - Summer Presto (Four Seasons)
I am a fan of baroque art and it reminds me of my time in Venice. I am astonished how each interpretation of my favourite part of the four seasons can vary one from another and so drastically. Despite the reasoning behind the piece, I like it because there is a sense of passion and energy that - especially when you listen to it live - puts you at the edge of your seat.
Toss between Mozart Symphony no. 25 and Lacrimosa from Requiem. Its Mozart, do I need to give an explanation?
Tomaso Albinoni - Adagio
It has its place in my heart when I nearly thought I lost it; I forgot how important classical music and art was to me, how I became fond of it at a very young age and when I heard this, it reminded me of how easy it is to fall prey to society that you literally forget who you are.
Beethoven, Symphony 7 Alegretto
Listen to this full blast while lying down on the floor, the climactic moment is almost orgasmic (probably stop around 3 mins in, though, unless you like having a smoke afterwards :-O )
It goes like this: (Tutti: )Taaaah! (Solo:) Parapapa tatata parapapapa, parapapa tatata parapapapa, parapapa taratatatatata tilitilti tilitili tilitili titatata titatata titatata titatata titatata titatata titatata brrrrrrrrrrr... etc.
Barman: Sorry, dogs aren't allowed.
Man: But it's not an ordinary dog, it is a talking dog!
Barman: Oh yeah?
Man: Let me show you (to the dog): What's the outside of a tree?
Dog: Bark!
Barman: Yeah, I see where this is going...
Man: Wait, here's another: What's on top of a house?
Dog: Roof!
Barman: OK, you've had your fun...
Man: Why don't you try?
Barman: Fine. Who is the greatest 20th century composer?
Dog: Orff!
Barman: Get out of here, both of you, and don't come back!
The man and the dog turn to leave. At the door the dog turns around and says: You think it's Shostakovich?
I'll let the music speak for itself.
...speaks to my heart like nothing else does
Indeed. It made my day.
Of Course... It is among The best music ever created
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8vfxcJf3HM
For me:
Piano - Piano Cto No. 5 in E Flat by Beethoven
Symphony - No. 7 by Beethoven
Organ - Toccata by Widor, Symphony No. 5 (I follow that closely with Handel's Organ Cti)
Solo Voice (male) - Russell Oberlin, Bach's Canatata "Wiederstehe Doch der Sunde"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFgxED6eIWE
Solo Voice (female) - Emma Kirkby, "Laudate Dominum" by Mozart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUrcLzk5oKE
Polyphony - Tallis, "Spem in Allium." (Huelgas Ensemble)
Solo Violin - Nathan Milstein performing Bach's Allegro Assai, Sonata No. 3 (at age of 80).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mYVT6CeAec
My favorite composer is still just plain old Beethoven though. lol.
This recording was produced with a single microphone suspended high above the stage. When I listen to it, I imagine soaring like a bird above the endless green expanses, with waves of music rising warmly towards me, mixed with the moist aroma of the earth.
Petrushka, Stravinsky - because it's exquisite as music and as ballet
Matthäus-Passion, Bach - I have a strong personal connection to it
The Four Seasons, Vivaldi - one of my first classical loves
Kontra-Punkte, Stockhausen - best integral serial piece ever written
Erwartung, Schoenberg - horrorshow music, what's not to love?
Great! I discovered this aria a couple years ago, through watching the very same YouTube video, and was blown away by the richness and boldness of the harmonies. Bach is quite the master, but this aria is remarkable even by his own standards. Few composers would dare opening a piece with such a chord for a century to come. And Gould is my favorite pianist...
Russell Oberlin's performance is quite good but I like Andreas Scholl's rendition even better.
Ooh, that was great! :up: