Your Top 5 Favorite Pieces

[allegroamabile]

First of all, I hate elitism as well. I even posted a topic about elitism in classical music world. I was interested to find out how you got acquainted with those Arthur Penn pieces, I was not in any way trying to ask "Who the hell do you think you are?" I don't know how you could think I came across that way, if you think I did, I'm still not sure. Just remember, these are all written in text. Things can be misjudged easily.

I might be a loner on this one, but I like Wellington's Victory. It might have some weak parts, but the tunes are definitely enjoyable for me. Plus, Beethoven composed it in a small amount of time and probably wrote it to remove the image that he was pro-Nepoleon. It also some great effects in it. The sad thing is that it gives the wrong image about war. War is not supposed to be majestic in any way, and I think Beethoven potrayed it in that way.

When I describe something as being deep, I say it has serious and dark atmosphere. The opposite of this would be lighthearted, which the Sullivan is and all of the pieces I listed there besides the Chorale by Franck. I think we can all agree that the Brahms Clarinet Quintet is a deep work.

[allegroamabile]

I love classical music as much as anyone here, even if I'm not as conversant in it as most of you.

I really like that comment. There are people who are so advanced at playing a musical instrument who don't even like listening to classical music, and I find that sad. So keep on liking music Sean, and trust me, you are a nice addition to the forum so please don't leave us.

Anyways, who said deep music is better than other music? It is all subjective.

Regards

[Yagan Kiely]

Plus, Beethoven composed it in a small amount of time

TBH, Mozart wrote his… erm... 39th (?)… in ?3 days and it is a masterpiece. Half the Beethoven isn't his melody.

War is not supposed to be majestic in any way, and I think Beethoven potrayed it in that way.

To me he portrayed is a tacky, even more tacky than 1812.

[allegroamabile]

Well, Wellington's Victory is definitely not written well, but still can be enjoyable. Pineapple Poll can be enjoyable, it is just not my taste.

[allegroamabile]

When I said "deeper" music, I meant in a specific connotation. I didn't mean superior in any way. I can see how that can be misinterpretated. I used it in a response to a comment that said I had no soul, so I was defending my "honor" so to speak. I didn't intend in any such away to convey the idea that the music I like is better than the music you like. I felt that the comment that complained I had no soul was meant in that way. Sorry for the misunderstanding and I will pay more attention to that. I even feel kind of ashamed that I did not catch that and empathize before I wrote it.

Arrogance is sadly a musical tradition though. Just look at Brahms, especially in the Hans Rott story I told in the Mahler thread. Another incident is the comment Brahms made when somebody came up to him after a performance of his First Symphony and said that the theme in the last movement reminded that person of the melody in the last movement of Beethoven's 9th. Brahms responded with even an a** could tell that.

[ZacPB189]

I have to do nine, because these are very close....

9. Mahler: Symphonies 3 and 4 (I consider them twins, as they have the most in common with each other...because the ideas from the fourth, grew from it's finale, which used to be the finale of the third, which is why alot of th themes are from the third....etc, etc, etc.... )
8. Havergal Brian: Symphony No. 1
7. Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
6. Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
5. Hans Rott: Symphony in E-Major
4. Mahler: Das Klagende Lied (the 3 movement version)
3. Bruckner: Te Deum
2. Mahler: Symphony No. 2
1. Mahler: Symphony No. 8

[SeanMartin]

Allegro, dont sweat it. Water under the violin bridge.

I was having a really rotten weekend. We'll chalk it all off to experience all around, okay?

:: offering plate of cookies ::

[Notnd]

My Top Five (A top 50 list would be better )
1. Holst -- Jupiter (from The Planets Suite, Op.32)
2. Rachmaninov -- Vocalise (Op.34 No.14)
3. Saint-Saens -- Danse Macabre
4. Britten -- Simple Symphony
5. Holst -- St. Paul Suite

[SeanMartin]

Okay, guys, but to re-iterate the question Yagan asked earlier: *why*? Why are these your favrouties? What is it about them that should make me want to track them down and listen?

C'mon, let's see more than just lists. This is a discussion forum, remember?

[dwil9798]

Well, I've always thought Wagner's music as the most consistently perfect music out there. Every instrument in the Ring is used as it should be, the libretto is perfectly worded, allowing you to peer into the deepest parts of every character's soul, the vocal parts are interesting and beautiful, and the staging (when done right) can be the most awe-inspiring part of the opera. Parisfal is probably Wagner's supreme achievement of orchestration. The music, though less powerful than the Ring's, is equally as interesting. Tristan und Isolde is probably Wagner's most interesting from a music standard. The traditional cadence is destroyed and replaced with Tristan chords and other unusual chords. The longing and desire theme that opens up the opera paved the way for composers like Schoenberg and Berg, which makes it probably the most important moment in modern musical history. I've always that even if the staging is terrible, if the leibestod is done right, it makes it all worth it.

As for Lulu, all the beauty and love as redemption is destroyed. The music though, is so beautiful and so interesting, any chance I get to see it live (even the suite) I try to.

As for the Messiaen, it took me a while to listen to the entire opera. The enormous orchestra (with 7 clarinets!) supports a cast featuring just one soprano, 8 males, and a huge chorus. I've always found Messiaen's harmonies particularly interesting as well as his use of percussion. The angel especially has many beautiful moments.

I'd also like to mention Schoenberg's Moses und Aron, a very interesting piece of music. It exemplifies Schoenberg's more advanced usage of the 12-tone technique. It contains some of Schoenberg's most interesting, beautiful, raucus (the orgy around the calf espescially), and bizarre (the Zwischenspiel between acts 1 and 2). I'd recommend it to any Schoenberg lover, like myself.

[wurlitzer153]

1. Beethoven - 7th Symphony - Driving rhythms, powerful brass, and an ending that guarantees a standing ovation.
2. Bach - "The Great" organ Fugue in gm, BWV 542 - BEST FUGUE EVER
3. Beethoven - 5th Piano Concerto finale - More great rhythms, whole orchestra in top form.
4. Beethoven - 5th Symphony finale - C major and lovin' it.
5. Saint-Saens - "Organ" Symphony no. 3 - There are few great orchestral works that feature the king of instruments, this is one of them.

There are a lot more...

[Sieglinde]

1. Billy Budd - if I'm not stopped, I tend to write pages about it. It's simply perfection to me. I can't stop love all three leads. And thank good, no divas, only men... in uniform. And it made me love tenors too.
2. Don Giovanni - want to be in his catalogue. And the music is just demonic.
3. Ring - so mighty and yet so much fun. I began to love it when I saw the Chéreau Ring on dvd.
4. Il trovatore - my first opera ever. Am in love with Luna since '97. Glasses for Leonora!
5. Tosca - Callas/Gobbi to me. Good ol' Scarpia was my favourite villain for years, then Hagen and Claggart simply took his place. He's kinda mad now. No use - nobody's coming close to Claggart.

[jjw119]

In my selection of top five favorite compositions, I have normally excluded symphonies from my top five because I place them in a separate category and call it "the top five symphonies." Anyway, my top five compositions include:

1) Hebrides Overture by Felix Mendelssohn
2) Concerto for Orchestra by Bela Bartok
3) Daphnis et Chloe by Maurice Ravel
4) Carnival Overture by Antonin Dvorak
5) Prince Igor Overture by Alexander Borodin

Yes, as anyone can tell, I love overtures. I love symphonies too. And...if I wanted to formulate my top five symphonies, they would probably go like this:

1) Symphony no. 5 by Gustav Mahler
2) Symphony no. 4 "Italian" by Felix Mendelssohn
3) Symphony no. 4 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
4) Symphony no. 9 by Antonin Dvorak
5) Symphony no. 35 "Haffner" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

[allegroamabile]

In my selection of top five favorite compositions, I have normally excluded symphonies from my top five because I place them in a separate category and call it "the top five symphonies." Anyway, my top five compositions include:

1) Hebrides Overture by Felix Mendelssohn
2) Concerto for Orchestra by Bela Bartok
3) Daphnis et Chloe by Maurice Ravel
4) Carnival Overture by Antonin Dvorak
5) Prince Igor Overture by Alexander Borodin

very good taste in music...

[Vivaletour]

1. Bach b minor mass
2. Bach wedge fugue
3. Bach passacaglia and fugue in c minor
4. Bach "St. Matthew Passion"
5. Bach Orchestral suite # 1
5. Mozart's requiem mass.

In that order