# Magical Moments in Classical Music



## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

What are those moments in our genre that make you think life was worth living if just to hear that great juncture? Bits that you rewind over and over. It can be a whole section, one phrase, one bar, one beat, one chord progression, a coda or any snippet of a piece. Just not whole movements or pieces. 

For me it is:

The Coda of the first movement of Bruckner's 6th.

The Coda of the first movement of Dvorak's 3rd and his 7th, first and last movements, the endings. 

I could go on and on but it would be interesting to see other's opinions and give me more scope to listen to. 

Ta.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

The entry of the chorus in Brahms' Alto Rhapsody

The violin section sounding like a chorus of soprano voices in the climax of the slow movement of Schumann's Symphony No 2 (Kubelik/DG)

Three climactic moments in Vaughan Williams' Symphony No 2 - climax of first , second and last movement

When the sun finally bursts through at the end of Nielsen's Symphony No 5

I could go on. Though I seldom actually rewind any of these - the magic is usually in getting there.

(Two I have replayed - the frenetic conclusions to Prokofiev's Symphony 5 and Beethoven's 9th. Sometimes they just BEG to be heard again.)


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## CypressWillow (Apr 2, 2013)

Two that immediately come to mind for me have a certain similarity. They are descending phrases of beauty and poignancy that just grab my heart every time.

Here in the Chopin Cello Sonata, Du Pre just _sings_ it twice in the first movement, from about 7:44-7:55, and then again at the end of the movement, from about 10:45 until it concludes:






Hear it? Sad, of course, but so achingly lovely.

And then in Schubert's "Who is Sylvia?" In this version, which Bjorling takes at quite a slow tempo, we get three hits of the magic moment: from 1:00-1:09, again from 2:20-2:30, and finally from 3:39-3:53. *sigh* Rapture.






And for a contrast in tempo, here's Dame Janet Baker's Sylvia. Listen from 0:37-0:46, again from 1:30-1:39, and finally from 2:22-2:31.






These are such quiet, subtle moments, yet they hit me with the impact of a thunderbolt.
Music!


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## revdrdave (Jan 8, 2014)

The transition from minor to major in the last several minutes of the last movement of Vaughan Williams' Fifth Symphony.


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## Whistler Fred (Feb 6, 2014)

Several I can think of offhand, and probably much more if I gave it some more thought. So we'll go with the offhand:

Vaughan Williams "Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis" and particularly that final resolution at the end - a burst of pure radiant sunshine!

The coda of Bruckner's 5th Symphony - pure majestic glory!

The final section of Feldman's "Rothko Chapel" where the fog momentarily lifts and the simply folk like tune is allowed to break through.

The first movement of Nielsen's Wind Quintet - one of the most "Spring" like pieces of music I can image.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

The beginning of the third movement of the Waldstein sonata, the first emergence of the theme.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

That's tough, because I have many handfuls of those! Here are just some

-The middle section of the third movement of Mahler's 2nd. The one that begins at 4:20 in this clip:




After all that's happened before, it sounds like pure bliss
-The beginning of Wagner's Tannhauser overture, when the first melody is replayed as a great brass chorale while the strings play that descending ostinato. So much power!
-The prelude to Das Rheingold. You can _feel_ the music building into it's inevitably epic climax
-The "heroic" melody (so I call it) from Liszt's Faust symphony, played the first time. Very optimistic and noble, 11:00 in this video




-The finale of Mahler's 5th forever and always
-The finale of Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto (it's kinda sappy, but still gold)
-And the first appearance of this grandiose melody from the last movement of Bruckner's 9th (38:40 in this video)


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## rrudolph (Sep 15, 2011)

Final entrance of the timpani at the very end of JS Bach's B minor Mass. It's especially great when I get to be the one who plays it. Goosebumps every time!!


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

The _Lever du Jour_ section of *Daphnis et Chloe*. It is my idea of what heaven must sound like. :angel:


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

beetzart said:


> *Magical Moments in Classical Music *
> What are those moments in our genre that make you think life was worth living if just to hear that great juncture? Bits that you rewind over and over. It can be a whole section, one phrase, one bar, one beat, one chord progression, a coda or any snippet of a piece. Just not whole movements or pieces.


So you mean ... like ... not all of Mozart?

I've long thought of Bruckner symphonies as works in which the composer struggles to stare into the Heavens and every once in a while opens a glimpse by which we can all share in the vision. My favorite moment in Bruckner occurs in my favorite Bruckner symphony, No.7, in the Scherzo at measures 153 through 156, which is a little turn for the woodwinds with the flutes predominating -- dum da da ta ta, da da ta ta, da da ta ta, da da tum. Simply magical, especially in Max Rudolf's recording with the Cincinnati Orchestra.

Bruckner has many such moments.

Another favorite is in the François-Adrien Boieldieu Piano Concerto in F major, mvt. 1. _Allegro_, at about eleven minutes into the work, near the end of the first movement when the piano goes solo. A heavenly moment if ever there was one.






A very interesting concept for a thread. Thanks for posting.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Too many to list


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

The opening moments of the violin concerto of Sibelius
The beginning of the coda to Sibelius's second symphony.
The very end of the Dvorak Cello concerto after you think it's all over and the music has died away, the glorious ending in B major
Reaching the very highest notes of The Lark Ascending of RVW
The opening blast of brass in Mahler's Fifth Symphony
The glissandi from Nights in the Garden of Spain, Da Falla
The entire final movement of the Second Piano Trio of DSCH
The slow section of the third movement to Grieg's Piano Concerto
The main theme of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings
The end of the phrase where both violins play in unison from the slow movement of Bach's Double Violin Concerto
As the tenor finished, the choir starts singing at the end of Puccini's Nessun Dorma

These bring a rush of chemicals through the brain resulting in bliss and relief, like a shot of morphine. Everything is okay.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

The magic of the faster G major theme played by the Viola and orchestra back and forth in the first movement of Berlioz's Harold in Italy is what I'm currently obsessing over.


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

The opening chord of Beethoven's 7th symphony and also the introduction that follows for about 3 minutes.

Chopin's Nocturnes Op. 37


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

That short moment in the Adagio from Ravel's Piano Concerto in G after the climax, where the mood shifts from tense to serene. The climax itself I also find magical.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The modulation back to B Flat Major in the slow movement "Romanze" of Mozart's Piano Concerto #20 after the stormy g minor episode. Mozart. What an incredible master of modulation! Simply breathtaking!


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

The beginning of the prelude of Pfitzner's Palestrina, and perhaps also the begging of the first act (5:40 in this video).


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

For me, after the soft whispers of the strings in the adagio movement to Mahler's Fourth Symphony die away and then the beautiful, gentle beginning of the final movement about heaven begins with the clarinet. So beautiful. The contrast is pure magic.
In my opinion to make the most of this magical moment, the fourth movement should be performed "attacca", that is with no pause after the third movement.


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

1.the beginning of Die Moldau of Smetana

listening to this, I travel...

on the flowing waters of the river, having no desire to land anywhere


2. Gabriel Faure, Pavane Op. 50

also the beginning, pure elegance

it brings to me two specific emotions, melancholy and nostalgia for something that I have not even met with...


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## schuberkovich (Apr 7, 2013)

senza sordino said:


> The opening moments of the violin concerto of Sibelius
> The beginning of the coda to Sibelius's second symphony.
> The very end of the Dvorak Cello concerto after you think it's all over and the music has died away, the glorious ending in B major
> Reaching the very highest notes of The Lark Ascending of RVW
> ...


Second the Dvorak cello concerto ending. Absolutely amazing.


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## Droogie (Jul 10, 2014)

I have had moments of bliss whilst listening to Classical pieces, However the peak of these moments I must confess is Beethoven 9th symphony.The whole thing.
It is as though Jove himself sprinkled gold upon Beethoven's manuscripts,It instills me with a seamlessly endless sense of joy and heightens my sense of being.When I hear the booming Ode To Joy I am no longer in a room surrounded by four walls,I have receded into my mind where the music provides such definite pictures of grandiosity.
Sometimes other Beethoven works acheive this for me.
Also whenever I come across Requiem by Mozart it almost terrifies me yet strangely I have a strong unyielding sense of nostalgia.It is a strange reaction to such a work .


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

The entire _Le jardin feérique_ by Ravel, the final moment of _The Poem of Ecstasy_ by Scriabin, the climax of the first movement of Rachmaninov's _Piano Concerto No. 2_...the final 8 minutes of Mahler's _Symphony No. 2_...moments like that convince me that no matter how much I enjoy other genres (and I do), classical will always be superior in mind.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Some of my magical moments have already been mentioned. I'll add a few:

The joyful bit with brass in the last movement of Bartok's Concerto for orchestra.
The huge orchestral outburst, with thunderous piano accompaniment, at the end of the last movement of Prokofiev's second piano concerto.
The last big scene in Mendelssohn's third symphony.
More or less the entirety of Tallis' Spem in alium, which always leaves in a state akin to religious ecstasy.
And speaking of Mr. Tallis, Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on one of his themes has pretty much the same effect.

But as others have mentioned, there are too many of these magical moments to mention.


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

There's quite a few but this one is at the top I think. Respighi Pines of Rome, Pines of the Janiculum The whole movement actually but this moment when the Clarinet plays the melody, (At 12 mins in) the Cello finishes it then the strings repeat in a beautiful swell. Sublime. By the the end of the third movement I'm usually getting a bit teary! this whole performance btw is very good!


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

- The dark, brooding minor key middle section of Beethoven's 4th piano concerto, 1st movement
- The heavyweight return of the opening theme towards the end of Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio
- The opening of Bruckner's 8th
- The final dissonant tugs of strings, and the ensuing silence, to end Tchaikovsky's 6th
- The gorgeousness of the second theme of Schubert's Quintet, 1st movement
- The cadenza from Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto
- The entry of the violins in the slow movement of Shostakovich's 7th
- The coda of the 1st movement from Mendelssohn's 2nd piano trio
- The entrance of the piano in the slow movement of Tchaikovsky's 2nd piano concerto
- The second variation of the main, 'cello' theme of the slow movement from Beethoven's 5th
- The clarinet-led darkness that opens Tchaikovsky's 5th

- and this moment (from 2:47) in the lied from Mahler's 4th:


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## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

I feel blissful when I hear the opening of Chopin's first piano sonata, and E minor piano concerto. That start is so powerful. I know Chopin hated that sonata but I find it incredible and at the time quite original. There is a lot of mathematics behind it, I think. 

The coda of Bruckner's F minor first movement Study symphony is incredible. 

The last thirty bars of Clementi's piano sonata in G major Op 37 No 2. Very clever, and powerful ending. 

The beginning of Dussek's piano sonata in F minor Op 76 or 79 gives me goosies. 

The coda of Brahms' 4th symphony is tear inducing, and the opening of his first is out of this world. 

The opening of Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

It's very true that music is mostly about moments for me, and in between the moments is about getting to them.

I have mentioned a few before, but they bear repeating:

In the fourth movement of Beethoven's 9th (perhaps two thirds of the way through) the choir sings "Alle Menschen, Alle Menschen, Alle Menschen . . ." in descending motifs. The second time they do this they are interrupted by the four soloists belting out a slow harmony (but I've never really figured out what they are singing here) seemingly much louder than the entire choir. For me this is a nod to the triumph of the individual even though "all men are brothers." I'm sure that's not what Beethoven really had in mind, but it works for me.

Later in the fourth movement is that wonderful surprise section where two hitherto unrelated themes are played simultaneously in counterpoint and they fit together perfectly, albeit in a rhythmically complex manner. That section always send chills up my spine even though I know it's coming.

In Vaughan Williams' Tallis Fantasia, also about two thirds of the way though, all the strings seem to come together almost in unison or at least in a chorale-like harmony with no contrary motion, very loudly. All the themes seem to have been wandering around trying to find something before that moment, and it is like two lovers finally coming together after a lifetime of seeking. (I know the intent is nothing so prosaic, but again it's what works for me.

And I'll add one more:

In Joaquín Turina's Piano Trio in F, somewhere along the way one suddenly realizes _every movement utilizes the same unifying theme_ in the same way Beethoven's 5th Symphony uses the same motif in every movement. And it's a wonderful theme. So this is an example of an entire work with no specific moment, but in a way it is one moment, just undefined. One might say these are just variations on a theme, but they're not just that.

Movement 1.
Movement 2
Movements 3 and 4

But I could pick the opening of the 4th movement as the specific moment when the theme seem to shine forth in all its intended glory.


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## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

Dare I say it, these 'moments' are like orgasms. That is how to write music, ten minutes of build up just for one brief but euphoric moment. And yet only a few people out of billions can do it well. Why is that?

Two very good examples of orgasmic music would be:

Mahler's 2nd sym 1st mov the end of the development into the recapitulation.

Tchaikovsky's 6th 1st mov as above. 

I've also noticed very clever techniques composers use when they want to set up a modulation in the recap to get back to the home key. That always throws up some surprises.


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## Brad (Mar 27, 2014)

Sometimes I replay the coda of the finale of Tchaikovsky's 4th several times in a row..it never gets old. I love the energy he infuses into many of his codas. Same goes for his Festive Overture on the Danish National Anthem.


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## revdrdave (Jan 8, 2014)

Weston said:


> And I'll add one more:
> 
> In Joaquín Turina's Piano Trio in F, somewhere along the way one suddenly realizes _every movement utilizes the same unifying theme_ in the same way Beethoven's 5th Symphony uses the same motif in every movement. And it's a wonderful theme. So this is an example of an entire work with no specific moment, but in a way it is one moment, just undefined. One might say these are just variations on a theme, but they're not just that.
> 
> ...


Yes! Turina is one of my favorite composers (and, for me, always a candidate for Most Neglected Great Composer) and the Piano Trio in F was my introduction to the beauties of his music. I completely agree with Weston's comments.








And, while we're at it, his Trio, Op.35 is equally gorgeous...


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## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

I love the opening to Beethoven's first piano sonata, simple yet setting out a statement of intent. 

The main theme in Schubert's 1st symphony 4th movement, always been a favourite of mine. 

There are a few bars near the developement section of A.Rubinstein's 4th symphony 1st movement that make me tingle.


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