# The "<10 minutes" greatest piece of music ever written?



## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

There's already a thread, started long ago, for the *"Greatest Piece of Music Ever Written"* 

Unfortunately, everyone immediately jumped on the 'length' bandwagon by posting the longest pieces they could think of:

Beethoven's 9th
The Faust Cantata
Das Lied von der Erde
Wagner's Ring Cycle
Mass in B-Minor
Tristan und Isolde
Handel's Messiah
The Marriage of Figaro
Bach's St Matthew Passio
Beethoven's Missa solemnis

 _*Sweet wounded Jesus*_. To listen to everyone's recommendations would take a month or two to listen to. 

So . . . *What is your personal favourite* (or favorite, if you're American), that comes in at LESS THAN ELEVEN MINUTES (I'm thinking that 10:59 will be OK, just to give everyone some _'wiggle room'_)?

*One work only*, if you can't pick something Don't comment that you can't pick one, ok?

Think of it as _SHORT ATTENTION SPAN GREATEST_. :devil:


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

As I said in another thread, the six-part ricercar from Bach's Musical Offering.

PS- honorable mention for saying much in a brief time goes to Chopin's Op. 28 No. 7.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

BACH ~ Johannes-Passion: Chorus "Herr, unser Herrscher" BWV 245


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

I mentioned the longer setting of Vater unser im himmelreich (BWV 682) from Klavierunbung III in the other thread. Certainly short enough to qualify. I can't get my head round the concept of greatest, but it's definitely great.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Perhaps I should add that I am a mathematician by training, so my judgement of great is by reference to how perfectly something covers the ground that it covers, rather than by how much it covers.
Hence, I think the greatest piece of music would need to be concentrated, not expansive. But that's the result of a mathematical background perhaps.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

There's a big difference between "greatest" and "favourite". My favourite, and not a "great" work:


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Bach's Fugue no. 14 in F sharp minor (from WTC, Bk. 2).


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Don't know about "greatest" but there are many great pieces of this length from the Renaissance. I suggest Taverner's Dum transisset sabbatum.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Another contender:




This one also is amazing:


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

if we are talking favorite and not the greatest, then I might well take the adagio of Saint-Saens Organ symphony, I just love the organ. I would like to hear this live one day.






this is my personal favorite piece of classical music


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

consuono said:


> Another contender:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


For those not familiar, the first video above is Prelude no. 9 in E flat major and definitely my favorite prelude from the WTC.


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## Caesura (Apr 5, 2020)

Probably not the greatest, but it is my personal favourite:


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Thomas Tallis: Spem in alium
The Tallis Scholars recording clocks in at 9:57


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Maybe not the greatest, but certainly one of my favorites in the <9 minutes category:


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## Caryatid (Mar 28, 2020)

This thread is a nice idea.

I take it we are not really intended to include individual movements from longer works. So how about:






It's a great performance too.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

MY PICK: 

BARBER: Dover Beach

OTHER CANDIDATES:

BEETHOVEN: Coriolon Overture
BERLIOZ: Roman Carnival Overture
SIBELIUS: Finlandia
SIBELIUS: Swan of Tounela
BORODIN: Steppes of Central Asia
SHOSTAKOVICH: Festive Overture
CHAVEZ: Sinfonia de Antigona
HOVHANESS: Prayer of St. Gregory 
BERNSTEIN: Prelude, Fugue & Riffs 
SCHOENBERG: Survivor from Warsaw
IVES: The Unanswered Question


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Jacck said:


> if we are talking favorite and not the greatest, ...


Based on my limited observation of this forum, that's how threads like this seem to turn out. "I know this is a list for works under 10 minutes, but my vote for greatest piece of all time would be for _Pli selon pli_ by Boulez..."


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Jacck said:


> if we are talking favorite and not the greatest, then I might well take the adagio of Saint-Saens Organ symphony, I just love the organ. I would like to hear this live one day.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great to hear someone else shares my esteem for this work. I remember the last time I brought up the Organ symphony in a thread, people responded that it was a petty and unserious piece of questionable craftsmanship. I wondered if we were hearing the same music.

This recording sounds awesome. The organ sounds incredible.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Sibelius' Oceanides might just get in under 11 minutes. And it's a real contender.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 - Allegro con brio
Schubert: Military March in D major Op. 51
Debussy: Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune
Tchaikovsky: The Swan Lake Waltz
Williams: pick your favourite. <10 min is a jazzman's home turf


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

flamencosketches said:


> Great to hear someone else shares my esteem for this work. I remember the last time I brought up the Organ symphony in a thread, people responded that it was a petty and unserious piece of questionable craftsmanship. I wondered if we were hearing the same music.
> 
> This recording sounds awesome. The organ sounds incredible.


who cares what people of poor taste think? Such "critics" have been disparaging S-S music for a long time
https://theimaginativeconservative....saens-underrated-master-michael-de-sapio.html


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## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

Bach's Contrapunctus XIV from _The Art of Fugue_. Although, if you choose the Gould version, it clocks in at longer than the allotted time.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Debussy's _Prelude to the afternoon of a faun_ is probably your biggest bang for your <10 minute buck.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

(^the rondo is played a bit fast in this recording. Typical performance of the piece takes around 10:30~10:50)








I don't know, I just felt like posting these here. I think they make an exemplary pair of works representing Classicism and Romanticism.


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## caracalla (Feb 19, 2020)

I wanted to go with Bach's Passacaglia, but it's a bit over. So OK, I'll second Tallis' Spem in alium.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

consuono said:


> Another contender:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just looking at the screen capture takes me back to my high school days when I used to play and compete in Bach "Festivals", so I'd pretty much do exactly this, although it wouldn't be with colors. Mostly circles and arrows.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Caryatid said:


> This thread is a nice idea.
> 
> I take it we are not really intended to include individual movements from longer works.


You know, this very thing crossed my mind when making up this thread.

Using excerpts from larger pieces is fine for this, I think. For instance, the Hallelujah Chorus seems to be a stand-alone piece these days.

I think I refrained from bringing it up originally because I get a bit elitist with edits of Prog Rock tracks, or even edited pop tracks. But in this context, I think it's OK.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

pianozach said:


> *One work only*, if you can't pick something Don't comment that you can't pick one, ok?
> 
> Think of it as _SHORT ATTENTION SPAN GREATEST_. :devil:





Coach G said:


> MY PICK:
> 
> BARBER: Dover Beach
> 
> ...


Funny. You're following instructions and not following instructions simultaneously.

I'm a sucker for the Borodin piece.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

pianozach said:


> Just looking at the screen capture takes me back to my high school days when I used to play and compete in Bach "Festivals", so I'd pretty much do exactly this, although it wouldn't be with colors. Mostly circles and arrows.


It's something else, though. There's not really a wasted note.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

caracalla said:


> I wanted to go with *Bach's Passacaglia*, but it's a bit over. So OK, I'll second Tallis' Spem in alium.


I found one performed by a speed freak that clocks in at 11:08 (most seem to be around 13 minutes). Check out the mohawk and sequined boots.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

How about "most perfect?" Overture to Figaro. (or on alternate days, to Die Zauberfloete)


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Any prelude and fugue from the WTC would suffice. Otherwise I would say Bach's "St. Anne" prelude and fugue which usually runs around 15 minutes or so. Non-Bach, I would point to any Chopin nocturne, Brahms intermezzo, or Webern piece to demonstrate perfection within the realm of extreme distillation and concision; even if I wouldn't call them the "greatest." Also, a real dark horse, but I've always seen this Liszt etude as quite close to formally perfect, and one of the most purely beautiful pieces I know:


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I think my favorite in this category might be - 

Allegri: Miserere mei


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Jacck said:


> if we are talking favorite and not the greatest, then I might well take the adagio of Saint-Saens Organ symphony, I just love the organ. I would like to hear this live one day.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is gorgeous.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Here's a bunch of favorites, greatest, whatever...

Mozart - Ave Verum Corpus





Tchaikovsky - Hymn of the Cherubim





Chopin - Ballade 4 (< 11 min depends on performer )





Scriabin - Fantasie Op. 28





Rachmaninoff - Prelude Op. 32 No. 10


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

A stand-alone piece, and well under eleven minutes: Chopin Polonaise in A-flat major. Some pianist named Horowitz here....


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## pianoville (Jul 19, 2018)

For me it's Mozart's Adagio in B minor. I find it incredible how Mozart is able to express more in less than 10 minutes than some composers are able to do in an hour.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Symphony 8 Finale Alles Vergängliche ist nur ein Gleichnis - Gustav Mahler


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Mozart Horn Concerto No. 1


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

As always, Mahler pulls me strongly, with "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" from the _Ruckert-Lieder_, and of course, the Adagietto (if it's conducted correctly, it meets the time requirement - I never got the Adagietto love until I heard Kondrashin absolutely crush it).

BUT, for the purposes of this thread (even though I've already cheated - come on, many of you have done it too), I'm going to go with a tiny masterpiece that I've often said is the best way I know of to spend five minutes of this, our earthly life:

The "Menuet" from Ravel's _Le Tombeau de Couperin_.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Ekim the Insubordinate said:


> Thomas Tallis: Spem in alium
> The Tallis Scholars recording clocks in at 9:57


Wanted to say this but the first recording I saw was 13-something so I figured it wouldn't fit...changing my vote to Spem in alium.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Well if we're going with isolated movements I can think of a couple more. I love this first one because I can play it now:




I don't yet have the technique to play this next, but I'm getting there. This is on four strings but it sounds almost orchestral:


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

my single favorite one is Luonnotar, and I would mention it even without the 10 minutes limit


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

pianoville said:


> For me it's Mozart's Adagio in B minor. I find it incredible how Mozart is able to express more in less than 10 minutes than some composers are able to do in an hour.


Incredible piece. Would also add the A minor Rondo, about 10 minutes.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Totenfeier said:


> As always, Mahler pulls me strongly, with "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" from the _Ruckert-Lieder_, and of course, the Adagietto (if it's conducted correctly, it meets the time requirement - I never got the Adagietto love until I heard Kondrashin absolutely crush it).
> 
> BUT, for the purposes of this thread (even though I've already cheated - come on, many of you have done it too), I'm going to go with a tiny masterpiece that I've often said is the best way I know of to spend five minutes of this, our earthly life:
> 
> The "Menuet" from Ravel's _Le Tombeau de Couperin_.


I'm not really into songs, and like Mahler but am not a passionate fan. However, Ich bin der .... is indeed an absolute gem. Mind you, Strauss' 4 Last Songs are up there. Im Abendrot does it for me.


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

The Transformation Music from Act 1 of Parsifal. Starts around 2 minutes into this video:


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 3 (2nd movement)

:angel:


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## pianoville (Jul 19, 2018)

isorhythm said:


> Incredible piece. Would also add the A minor Rondo, about 10 minutes.


Agreed. The harmonies in that piece are just incredible!


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Mendelssohn Fingal's Cave/Hebrides Overture just under the 11 minute mark:


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## erki (Feb 17, 2020)

Glass: Metamorphosis 1


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## The nose (Jan 14, 2014)

I'll have to go with Webern's orchestral arrangement of Bach's Musical Offering


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

For me it's the _liebestod_ from Wagner's _Tristan und Isolde_. In my perspective this is the greatest climax of all music of all times.


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## erki (Feb 17, 2020)

Paul Giger Karma Shadub
I know his music for 25 years. I have all his records issued on ECM. Once in awhile when I need clear my mind I put these on.






and somewhat longer version with choir but even better


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Grieg: The Last Spring (Elegiac Melody No. 2)


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

A Chopin Nocturne that astounds me every time with its distillation of pathos and structure and the significance of every note:


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## Iota (Jun 20, 2018)

Wagner's Die Meistersinger Overture has always seemed to land squarely in the insanely good category to me.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

How about ONE per time period?

Medieval - Ave Maris Stella
Renaissance - Les Quatre Branles (Susato)
Baroque - Brandenburg Concerto 3 (Bach)
Classical - Overture to Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
Romantic - Slavonic Dance 7 (Dvorak)
Modern - Fanfare for the Common Man (Copland)


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)




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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

Best 2 minutes in the Universe, I would say. But that's just me!


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

AbsolutelyBaching said:


> Best 2 minutes in the Universe, I would say. But that's just me!


That's me too, come to think of it.


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## Bigbang (Jun 2, 2019)

Im Abendrot is my favorite of the four. Szell/Schwarzkopf is my favorite.


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

Something by Chopin. Like this:


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## EmperorOfIceCream (Jan 3, 2020)

Berg piano sonata
Debussy cello sonata
And, if I can sneak in a song from "Correspondances" by Dutilleux, I would like to raise up A Slava et Galina;


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## Gallus (Feb 8, 2018)

The Hebrides Overture. Depending on the performance sneaks in under the 10m mark.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Arguably the best single-movement kyrie:


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

If Chopin's pieces get mentioned, then surely...


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Beethoven Egmont Overture.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Malx said:


> Beethoven Egmont Overture.


An excellent choice. Clocks in just under 10 minutes too.

*Beethoven*, when at his best, could be profound, stunning, emotionally charged, expansive, and universal.

Then there's *Wellington's Victory*. At least no one can legitimately bring it up in this thread, as it always clocks in well over ten excruciating minutes.


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

pianozach said:


> An excellent choice. Clocks in just under 10 minutes too.


I would recommend AAM conducted by Hogwood if you don't already know it.


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## Bourdon (Jan 4, 2019)

*Nothing as changeable as man, with this in mind this is my choice*


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

At about 9 minutes, Vaughan Williams’ Overture to “The Wasps.” Brilliant, lively, compact. I love it. Try Handley/London Philharmonic Orchestra, 1983, Chandos.


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## Beebert (Jan 3, 2019)

Chopin's Barcarolle


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Beebert said:


> Chopin's Barcarolle


Excellent choice - one of Chopin's best.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Beebert said:


> Chopin's Barcarolle


Yes! I never fail to be astonished by it. I've been learning to play it for several months now and I've come to the conclusion that no performance could ever possibly unlock all its secrets.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> no performance could ever possibly unlock all its secrets.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Here are my nominations at this time.

For an indescribable emotional sensibility.






For a piercing optimistic imagination.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Well, if individual movements from larger works also count I would certainly add (among many others):


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## DLOinQUEENS (Nov 22, 2018)

The Blue Danube for sure.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Or:




Or many more Bach chorale preludes. This one is only two-and-a-half minutes:


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

pianozach said:


> So . . . *What is your personal favourite* (or favorite, if you're American), that comes in at LESS THAN ELEVEN MINUTES (I'm thinking that 10:59 will be OK, just to give everyone some _'wiggle room'_)?


The _Judex Crederis_ from Berlioz's _Te Deum_ is to me one of the most magnificent sacred choral music finales I have ever heard, and is one of the pieces to be considered in this thread in my opinion (sorry for the bad quality sound in the link, but I really love this performance):


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## perempe (Feb 27, 2014)

Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre
Ravel: Pavane


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

pianozach said:


> Funny. You're following instructions and not following instructions simultaneously.
> 
> I'm a sucker for the Borodin piece.


Borodin's _Steppes_ is a bit baffling. Listen to it analytically and there's really not that much to it. But switch off the analytical brain and just let it wash over you and it's wonderful.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

“Nimrod“ of Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. The most beautiful and moving few minutes ever.


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## Andante Largo (Apr 23, 2020)

My choices are: 
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 108
Ottorino Respighi - Poema Autunnale, Op. 146
Jean Sibelius - Two Serious Melodies for cello and orchestra, Op.77
Jean Sibelius: Two pieces for organ, Op.111
Henryk Wieniawski - Legende in G minor, Op. 17
Frédéric Chopin - Berceuse in D flat major Op.57
Mieczysław Karłowicz - A Sorrowful Tale (Preludes to Eternity), Op. 13
Frederick Delius - The walk to the Paradise Garden


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## TalkingPie (May 15, 2020)

I guess it's a pretty obvious pick, but still...






(I picked a performance that was under 10 min)
I'd picked the 4th ballade, but it's a bit longer than 10 minutes alas!


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

TalkingPie said:


> I'd picked the 4th ballade, but it's a bit longer than 10 minutes alas!


There is a performance that satisfies the restriction ( t < 10:59 , as stated by the OP ) alas!


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

This one's short, and not his best, but it cracks me up every time


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## ThankYouKiwi (May 2, 2021)

Scriabin sonata 4 is only about 8.5 minutes but it packs such a punch. What magical music!


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Debussy - Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

I'll fully admit to mainly being interested in opera for overtures, and arias (and pantomines/ballets, when they show up as well)

That said, this overture is absolutely tremendous, by a composer who's never gotten his proper due.

(Renditions of this in the 9 minute range exist- but this one's Kleiber, so I picked it)


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## zikarus (May 3, 2021)

That's an easy one, especially this recording - play loud...


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## BeatriceB (May 3, 2021)

How about just the opening?


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

LOL.

So the Opening of *The Rite of Spring* is called "_*Opening*_"? 

Surprisingly enough, the opening is called "_*Introduction*_", followed by *Les Augures printaniers* (Augurs of Spring)


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## Beebert (Jan 3, 2019)

Maybe I have said it already but then I say it again: Chopin’s Barcarolle, Op 60


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## zikarus (May 3, 2021)

This one qualifies (if the Rezitativo is left out) for the two beautiful Arias which surround it:


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

On a second thought, the _Meistersinger _prelude might be the most magnificent self-contained 10 minutes-long work out there. If symphonies were subjected to tonnage limits like warships once were, this would be the German pocket battleship.


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