Your favourite classical pieces

As the title implies, I suggest we show what our favourite classical pieces happen to be.



Mine happen to be the following:


For Symphonic Band
Ludwig Van Beethoven's Symphony Number 5 in C Minor, Opus 67, Allegro, 2nd Movement.

Oh the sweet, powerful song this particular piece weaves! The thunderous 5th has always arrested me in its force and ability to shake my soul.

As a side note, this song is of particular interest when on LSD.


For Piano
Clade Debussy's Clair De Lune

This is of no surprise - Clair De Lune is an instantly recognizable piece, and happens to be a truly beautiful piece of work. Some of Chopin's, Bach, and Sibelius' works contend for this position as well, but I feel none of them can quite match the light, beautiful rhythms found within Clair De Lune. Well, maybe Chopin's Prelude in D Flat, Op. 28 No. 15 - Allegro Molto, but this has a much grander, sombre timbre to it.


For Orchestra
Barry Wordsworth's Fantasia On A Theme

The sheer strength that this song pulls on your emotional strings is unmatched, I believe. To hear Thomas Tallis move his heart through the lone, weeping cello is, simply put, unreal.

At the moment, Lacrymosa and Ach, Ich Fuhls by Mozart.

I've always loved The Planets by Gustav Holst. Specifically Jupiter - Bringer of Jollity, Venus - Bringer of Peace and Neptune - The Mystic. I've always loved the song I Vow To Thee, My Country which is what the middle part of Jupiter is. The way Neptune just fades out into the nothing right at the end is just so hauntingly brilliant. I was lucky enough to see a live performance of it back in February and it was one of the best things I've ever had the luck of attending. Utter brilliance. I'm not really up on my classical music, but The Planets is hard not to like.

Having mentioned one patriotic tune already (I Vow To Thee My Country), I think Jerusalem deserves mentioning. Such an utterly powerful piece of music. When it's sang properly with real feeling it's one of those songs that always makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I love it. Originally a William Blake poem (And Did Those Feet In Ancient Time) but put to music by Parry and orchestrated by Elgar. Would be so much better as a national anthem than God Save the Queen.

Another rather predictable piece that I like is Erik Satie's Gymnopédie No.1. So calm and utterly delicately beautiful.

My favourite for quite a while has been Die Maldau from Ma Vlast by Bedrich Smetana. Other favourites include Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Min (also sounds awesome on bass), Mars from the Planets, The Peer Gynt suite by Elgar(?) and Orff's Carmina Burana. Also Pagannini's caprices are great practise pieces for electric guitarists, just check out what players like Steve Vai have done with them.

Also i agree Jerusalem would be better than God save the Queen.

BTW, thanks, this thread has just reminded me to check when the programme for this years Proms is out and it turns out its just come out. Better go see what i fancy going to see this year.

Pacabel's canon in D

Moonlight Sanata

Fanfare for the Common Man

Claude DeBussy's Clair De Lune is one of my favourites too. I enjoy most versions of Maple Leaf Rag by Choplin, but I think thats me after listening to that when I was young. Newmans stuff is incredable... most mellow classical really.

Arvo Pärt's "Fratres" is divine, as is Henryk Górecki's Symphony no. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs".

Schubert's Ellens Gesang III, D839, Op 52 no 6, 1825. Otherwise known as Schubert's Ave Maria.

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Originally Posted by blim

My favourite for quite a while has been Die Maldau from Ma Vlast by Bedrich Smetana.

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Ooh. Great Choice.

My favorite symphonic piece is Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Nothing tops "The Great Gates of Kiev".

For Piano, I love Chopin's "Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2".

Vocal pieces I like "O Mio Babbino Caro".

Those are the ones off the top of my head.

I think my favorite classical piece is Dvořák's From the New World, 2nd Movement.

Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherezade is awesome as well.

Reqiuem: Lacrisoma - Mozart is one of my favorites.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumble Bee".

I'm a big fan of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, as well as Mozart's Requiem.

I've been listening to a lot of Bach lately.

But I always prefer piano pieces over the rest. Except for a select few.

For some reason Für Elise has just been stuck in my head for the past couple of days. Think it's because I've been pretty nostalgic for the past week or so.

btw, 1st song I learned on piano. Then I did Chop Sticks.

*Goes Plays*

I've always been in love with classical music so pretty much everything on my list is marked as favorite.
The ones i've been listening lately as a maniac though are:
Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major -- Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring -- Bach
The Revolutionary Étude -- Chopin

Not actually from the classical period, but Igor Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring pwns like everything.

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Originally Posted by I'm my own MILF

I think my favorite classical piece is Dvořák's From the New World, 2nd Movement.

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Hell yes. In fact, that whole symphony is valid.

I love classical music almost as much as I love rap music. Got a few GB of it on here, the best include:

in no particular order

Gymnopédie No. 1 - Erik Satie
The Blue Danube - Johann Strauss
Adagio for Strings - Samuel Barber
Piano Concerto 21 - Mozart
Preludes 4+7 - Chopin
Cavelleria Rusticana - Intermezzo - Pietro Mascagni
Piano Sonatas 14+15 - Mozart
Fantasia in D Minor - Mozart
Danse Macabre - Saint-Saens
Fur Elise - Beethoven
Clair de Lune - Debussy
Morning - Edvard Greig
Nimrod - Edward Elgar
Piano Concerto no. 2 - Sergei Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto no .1 - Tchaikovsky
Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2 - Liszt

Can't be bothered to write any more

Oh...too many. Way too many.

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Originally Posted by DMKA

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumble Bee".

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That piece makes me happy...

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Originally Posted by blim

The Peer Gynt suite by Elgar(?)

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It's by Grieg. :)

Let's see...In no particular order:

Elgar's Cello Concerto in E-
Haydn's Cello Concerto in C
Pachelbel's Canon
Vivaldi's Seasons Concertos
Mozart's Jupiter Symphony
Elgar's Enigma Variations
Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D
Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suites
Gabriel Faure's Elegy and "After a Dream"
Schumann's Cello Concerto in A-
David Popper's "Dance of the Elves"
Cesar Franck's Violin Sonata in A
Vivaldi's Double Cello Concerto in G-
Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B-
Saint-Saëns' "The Swan" from the Carnival of the Animals

There are WAY more, but I don't feel like remembering all of them.

Piano: The Minute Waltz. This tune makes me very happy each time I hear it.

Orchestral/Symphonic/whatever the proper term would be: That really fast part of the Nutcracker Suite that I don't know the name of.

Pretty much the entirety of Mozart's Requiem.

Now, which people like classical music and which just like to think of themselves as the type of people who like classical music? :bigsmile:

Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata.

The best, no questions.:mog:

Händel's Concerti Grossi, Op. 3, Nos 1-6

Manus pretty much nicked everything I was going to say.

I like a lot of Eric Whitacre stuff :jess:. My favorite piece of his right now is "Lux Aurumque."

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Originally Posted by Roto13

Now, which people like classical music and which just like to think of themselves as the type of people who like classical music? :bigsmile:

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Hah, I know exactly what you mean. Personally, I can't claim to know much about classical music, but I ruddy love some of it.

Some of it, like all genres, is pants. :(

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Originally Posted by Roto13

Pretty much the entirety of Mozart's Requiem.

Now, which people like classical music and which just like to think of themselves as the type of people who like classical music? :bigsmile:

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I like classical music, but I do not spend much time studying it. I prefer stuff from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, especially when I am reading or cooking.

eroika and sympthony no.9! i grew up on that stuff. my dad loves it!
i will say i love the song time to say good bye whan its sung as an opra

My ultimate favorite is Bach's 2-Part Invention in F Major, but I'd second Fur Elise and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.

Once in a while some Brahms (Ungar Tanz #5 in particular) is nice, but 90% of the classical music I like is Bach.

EDIT: I guess it's Two-Part Invention No. 8 in F Major, not just Two-Part Invention in F Major. BWV 779.

There are three songs which I used to play on piano that send shivers down my spine:

Alla Turca, third movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata 11 in A major.
Moonlight Sonata, third movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata 14 in C# minor (well I tried to play this one :p).
Pachelbel's Canon.

Singing in Handel's Messiah is good fun.


I forget the names of most pieces. They should make the names more catchy.

Bach's Prelude No.6 --------> Living in a bin on a Sunday night.

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Originally Posted by Rantzien

Arvo Pärt's "Fratres" is divine, as is Henryk Górecki's Symphony no. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs".

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Fratres is mindblowing, as is the whole set of recordings on ECM's Tabula Rasa release from 1984.

Still have to hear some Gorecki myself.

My current favorite classical pieces (mind you that I haven't been exploring it for too long) -

Gustav Mahler - Symphony no. 5

Claude Debussy - La Mer

Igor Stravinsky - La Sacre du printemps ("The Rite of Spring")

Maurice Ravel - Bolero

Arvo Part - Tabula Rasa


I need to get my hands on some Beethoven symphonies. I've been eye-balling a really good deal on Karajan's 1960s cycle with the Berlin Philharmonic on Deutsche Grammophon, but even though it's only $25, something keeps staying my hand. Probably the fact that 9 symphonies would be more than I could digest in a reasonable span of time.

Does this count? XD

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Originally Posted by Heath

I've always loved The Planets by Gustav Holst. Specifically Jupiter - Bringer of Jollity, Venus - Bringer of Peace and Neptune - The Mystic. I've always loved the song I Vow To Thee, My Country which is what the middle part of Jupiter is. The way Neptune just fades out into the nothing right at the end is just so hauntingly brilliant. I was lucky enough to see a live performance of it back in February and it was one of the best things I've ever had the luck of attending. Utter brilliance. I'm not really up on my classical music, but The Planets is hard not to like.

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You lucky son of a gun! xD

I love The Planets! And you're right, Neptune is definitely a beautiful piece. An eerie kind of ambiance that mystifies you!

Listening to Uranus-The Magician right now!

I also love how the entire series is entirely astrologically based! :bigsmile:

I don't really know the names of many classical pieces, but I love the orchestra version of You're Not Alone.

i havent listened to classical music for a while but a tune i'll always enjoy will be Two-part intervention in C minor by Bach

Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven would be the only one I can think of right now, mainly because I love a "solo" piano playing on its own slowly.

Tried learning it on the guitar but its too difficult for someone that only plays chords.

Well, I wasn't going to mention Bach since he's baroque and not classical, but the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is pretty much my favorite composition of all time.

But that's just me being pedantic.

I guess Handel's Sarabande and Chopin's Prelude No.15 are some of my favourites.

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Originally Posted by Denmark

Well, I wasn't going to mention Bach since he's baroque and not classical, but the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is pretty much my favorite composition of all time.

But that's just me being pedantic.

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When the common person refers to classical, it's usually an umbrella term for music from the Baroque period, from the Classical period, from the Romantic Period, etc etc. Those who want to refer specifically to Mozart-era style will probably say "music from the classical period". So it's OK for the sake of this thread to call Bach classical :p

And yes, Toccata and Fugue is friggin excellent.

Oh god , where to start...
I've loved everything of Tchaikovsky's that I've heard.
Beethoven - Fur Elise
Ravel - Bolero
Stravinsky - Firebird Suite
Wagner - Ride of the Valkyires
Schubert - Ave Maria
Mozart's Requiem
And nearly everything on Manus's list..:)

In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt)- Grieg
Der Hoelle Rache (Die Zauberflote)- Mozart
Entry of the Queen of Sheba (Solomon)- Handel
O Fortuna (Carmina Burana)- Orff
The Lost Chord- Sullivan

Speaking of Sir Arthur Sullivan, I'm not sure if G&S counts as classical, but I absolutely love their stuff, especially the Mikado and HMS Pinafore.

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Originally Posted by Roto13

Now, which people like classical music and which just like to think of themselves as the type of people who like classical music? :bigsmile:

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I really do wish to expand my knowledge of classical music, but it's proving to be harder than it was to expand my knowledge of things like death metal.

And I don't know much about classical, but I'm partial to the Moonlight Sonata, most of Paganini's Caprices, Mozart's Requiem and Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain.

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Originally Posted by Rengori

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Originally Posted by Roto13

Now, which people like classical music and which just like to think of themselves as the type of people who like classical music? :bigsmile:

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I really do wish to expand my knowledge of classical music, but it's proving to be harder than it was to expand my knowledge of things like death metal.

And I don't know much about classical, but I'm partial to the Moonlight Sonata, most of Paganini's Caprices, Mozart's Requiem and Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain.

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I agree that it's very difficult to approach classical in this day and age. It's not very popular among younger people (teens and 20s) so it isn't talked about much and can be hard to find recommendations. Not only that, but once you have finally found composers you feel you enjoy, they all have dozens and dozens (sometimes hundreds) of compositions that span many diverse ends of the musical spectrum - from violin sonatas to trombone concertos to operas to ballets and symphonies. It's so hard to get a handle on all of that!

As if that weren't difficult enough, actually *acquiring* good classical can be a very time-consuming and money-intensive process. It's difficult to just go about randomly downloading classical music like you could with any other genre (as you suggested, death metal). You have to first pick a piece you're interested in, and then seek out a quality recording with a reputable conductor and orchestra (and/or soloist), which is often difficult to do while browsing p2p or other filesharing methods, so... one has to spring the cash and actually purchase the stuff to truly get what they want / know what they're getting.

Oy.

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Originally Posted by Chzn8r

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Originally Posted by Rengori

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Originally Posted by Roto13

Now, which people like classical music and which just like to think of themselves as the type of people who like classical music? :bigsmile:

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I really do wish to expand my knowledge of classical music, but it's proving to be harder than it was to expand my knowledge of things like death metal.

And I don't know much about classical, but I'm partial to the Moonlight Sonata, most of Paganini's Caprices, Mozart's Requiem and Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain.

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I agree that it's very difficult to approach classical in this day and age. It's not very popular among younger people (teens and 20s) so it isn't talked about much and can be hard to find recommendations. Not only that, but once you have finally found composers you feel you enjoy, they all have dozens and dozens (sometimes hundreds) of compositions that span many diverse ends of the musical spectrum - from violin sonatas to trombone concertos to operas to ballets and symphonies. It's so hard to get a handle on all of that!

As if that weren't difficult enough, actually *acquiring* good classical can be a very time-consuming and money-intensive process. It's difficult to just go about randomly downloading classical music like you could with any other genre (as you suggested, death metal). You have to first pick a piece you're interested in, and then seek out a quality recording with a reputable conductor and orchestra (and/or soloist), which is often difficult to do while browsing p2p or other filesharing methods, so... one has to spring the cash and actually purchase the stuff to truly get what they want / know what they're getting.

Oy.

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Gonna add it doesn't help that it seems a lot of classical pieces are just called what kind of piece they are and a number (ex Caprice No 5).

I know what you mean. When I mention In the Hall of the Mountain King, I get blank stares, but if I hum a few bars, everyone recognizes it. It's particularly popular in trailers for movies with slapstick humor that builds to a crescendo.

What I find interesting is that classical pieces were pop songs in their day. That's one detail that Amadeus gets right. That's the best movie I've seen about classical composers and their work. It's a great introduction to the works of Mozart and Salieri.

Try entering the titles that intrigue you into YouTube. I've been able to get hits for most pieces that I tried.

Also attending live performances is good. Most major cities have some symphonic orchestra. I've heard a lot of good music that way.

The third way, which is strictly local for me, is a public art installation in the summers in my city called Waterfire, which features interesting and intriging atmospheric music. If I hear a tune I like I go and snag a playlist.

I would see live performances of classical if I had a bit more time/money/opportunity. I'm at a university with a good music school and good rates for student tickets, but I just never know which ones to go see, or often don't know about something until it's already happened. Or there's conflicts with other things in my schedule... school life is busy.

Back home in Chicago, I'd see stuff like the CSO more often if it was cheaper =/ I dunno. I figure later on in life I will have more time/opportunity to spend some of my leisure time on attending live classcial performances.

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Originally Posted by Rantzien

Henryk Górecki's Symphony no. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs".

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A ton of Chopin, but my favorite recently has been Piano Concerto No. 2.

Gustav Holst's Mercury.

And, while it was written in the last decade, I LOVE Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

I think you mean century, and if so, how does that make it really any different? Lots of the best classical music is from the 1900s.