# Greatest slow movement ever?



## Amfibius

All right, I am kind of undecided. I would have to nominate one of these: 

- Movement #3 from Beethoven's 9th
- Movement #1 from Mahler's 9th
- Movement #4 from Malher's 9th
- Movement #3 (or #2, depending on your version) of Mahler's 6th

What do you think? Restrict your nominations to Concertos or Symphonies, please.


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## Art Rock

Mahler's Adagietto from the 5th symphony.


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## Aramis

- Romance from Chopin's F minor concerto
- Middle movement of Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto
- Last movement of Tchaikovsky's 6th and second of 5th
- Third movement of Mendelssohn's 3rd symphony
- Last of Schubert's Unfinished
- Middle movement of Karłowicz's violin concerto
- Middle movement of Ravel's Concerto in G
- Third movement of Mahler 6th


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## kv466

Out of yours, I like the adagio molto e cantabile from the glorious Ninth!

So many great slow movements...while I see this list filling up, first that came to mind for me was the largo from the f-minor Bach Keyboard Concerto...

...perhaps my favorite of anything is the adagio un poco mosso of the Emperor Concerto by Ludwig van played by the American Symphony Orchestra directed by Leopold Stokowski...


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## Manxfeeder

The top of my list is the adagio from Beethoven's 9th for its transcendence.

Honorable mention goes to the adagio from Bruckner's 7th for how it deals with the death of a friend, quoting the Non Confundar from his Te Deum, and the adagio from his 9th, his resignation and acceptance of death itself. Also, the last page of Mahler's 9th is the greatest depiction of how to die peacefully I've heard.

The last movement of Mahler's 3rd is the greatest depiction of divine love I've encountered.

Also, the adagio of Mozart's 23rd piano concerto is one of the most hauntingly lovely pieces I can think of.


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## FrankieP

this is sort of the same as Amfibius's list with a couple added:

1st and last movements of Mahler 9.
3RD (I will always stand by it being the THIRD movement) of Mahler 6.
3rd mov of Beethoven 9.
1st movement of Górecki 3.
3rd mov of Shostakovich 5.

ohh there are far too many to list!


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## beethovenian

Pardon me if i sound cliche, but i am only answering frankly


Andante K.467
During the night when i listen to this on bed, i would imagine hovering across space and time with images from hubble supplementing my imagination.


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## starthrower

Dvorak-Symphony No. 9, 2nd movement


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## tdc

Aramis said:


> - Middle movement of Ravel's Concerto in G
> - Third movement of Mahler 6th


I would agree with these two and off the top of my head would add:

edit - *I didn't notice we were supposed to limit our choices to symphonies and concertos making my other suggestions obsolete!*


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## Weston

If we didn't have to restrict it to Symphonies and concertos I would choose the Brahms String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 18 movement 2.

Following Amfibius' request I'll have to go with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, movement 2.

Or maybe Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, movement 2 or Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 oft overlooked movement 2, or . . .


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## SuperTonic

So many great ones already mentioned. A couple of more I can think of not already mentioned is the 3rd movement of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 and the 1st movement of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10.


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## Polednice

All of the slow movement from all of the Brahms concertos and symphonies. 

To be more specific (although I propose all of the above genuinely!), I would say the second movement from *Dvorak's Cello Concerto* (although I find his slow movements in general to be somewhat formulaic); the gorgeous second movement from *Grieg's Piano Concerto*, as well as the *Tchaikovsky* already mentioned.


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## Aramis

Polednice said:


> All of the slow movement from all of the Brahms concertos and symphonies.


EHEHEHEH

I always thought they were the worst of his. Like in 4rd symphony where three movements are brilliant and the slow one seems to stay behind their quality. Or in 1st piano concerto where he gets too lenghty and obviously tries to imitate Beethoven (probably movement from 3rd concerto of his which I mentioned in this thread already). Or in 3rd symphony where andante is quite boring in comparison to the rest of symphony. Seems like he could hardly handle movements slower than moderato as good as he did in faster ones HMMM


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## Polednice

Aramis said:


> EHEHEHEH
> 
> I always thought they were the worst of his. Like in 4rd symphony where three movements are brilliant and the slow one seems to stay behind their quality. Or in 1st piano concerto where he gets too lenghty and obviously tries to imitate Beethoven (probably movement from 3rd concerto of his which I mentioned in this thread already). Or in 3rd symphony where andante is quite boring in comparison to the rest of symphony. Seems like he could hardly handle movements slower than moderato as good as he did in faster ones HMMM


:O :O Well, of all the examples you should choose to describe, it was _exactly_ those three that I would have picked as his best!  It was a few years ago that the slow movement of the 3rd Symphony made me realise that classical music doesn't have to be fast to be interesting; and his others are just as wonderful.

The more I hear you people bash him, the more I'm led to believe that _I'm_ the one with something wrong with me!


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## sabrina

MOZART, piano concerto number 21, second movement-very popular, but out of this world


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## SuperTonic

The slow movements from all 3 of Barber's concerti (piano, violin, and cello, the 2nd movements in each) deserve mention as well. The man really knew how to write slow movements.


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## pjang23

Some others not yet mentioned:

Bach Double Violin Concerto 2nd Movement
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 2nd Movement
Lalo Symphonie Espagnole 4th Movement
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto 2nd Movement
Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No.3 2nd Movement
Weber Clarinet Concerto No.1 2nd Movement


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## Nix

YES to that Barber. Also some that haven't been mentioned: 

Mozart: Piano Concerto #20, 2nd movement. 
Mozart: Symphony #41, 2nd movement
Sibelius: Symphony #3, 2nd movement
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto, Passacaglia 
Elgar: Enigma Variations, Nimrod 

Pretty much all of Beethoven 6. 

And racking my brains of slow movements has made me realize there are a lot more good ones in chamber music, so: 

Bach: Cello Suite #6, Saraband 
Schubert: Cello Quintet, 2nd movement
Schubert: String Quartet #14, 2nd movement
Debussy: String Quartet, 3rd movement
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet, 2nd movement
Schumann: Piano Quintet, 2nd movement


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## violadude

How about:

Third movement of Shostakovich symphony 1
Third movement of Mahler 4
1st movement of Elgar's cello concerto (if you consider that a slow movement, I think it is pretty slow.)

Have to run, more to come later


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## clavichorder

I love the slow movement of Tchaikovsky's first symphony, and the slow movement to his Fourth as well. Also, his second has a very catchy slow march of a second movement.


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## MrTortoise

Adagietto from Mahler 5th. Personal fav.


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## joen_cph

Bruckner 8th Symphony, Adagio.


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## mmsbls

There are so many that it's hard to order them, but here's some of my favorites in no particular order. Most have been discussed.

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto 2nd
Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 2nd movement
Beethoven 9th 3rd movement
Mahler Symphony 9 4th movement
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 2nd movement
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto 2nd movement


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## kv466

Always been one of my favorites!


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## Charon

Here are a few. Most of them have probably been mentioned so far, I don't consider this to be a very original list!

Mozart Piano Concerto No.20 second movement
Mozart Piano Concerto No.23 second movement
Mozart Violin Concerto No.3 second movement
Mahler Symphony No.5 Adagietto
Beethoven Symphony No.3 second movement
Sibelius Symphony No.3 second movement
Beethoven Piano Sonata No.23 second movement
Mozart Symphony No.29 second movement
Beethoven Sonata No.8 second movement
Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 final movement


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## Rasa

Poulenc's Piano concerto






I'd like to add that no second movement is great without it's surroundings.


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## itywltmt

So many great choices so far!

My vote would have to go to the Ravel piano concerto in G's slow movement: haunting, simple...

In the "try this" department, I would nominate the Andante movement of Andre Mathieu's 4th piano concerto - also known as "Rhapsodie Romantique".

https://www.analekta.com/en/album/Andre-Mathieu-Concerto-No-4-Orchestral-Works.515.html

(The site streams the complete tracks!)


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## kv466

Largo from Chopin's Piano Concerto in f-minor transcribed for solo piano from The Romantic Master


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## Philip




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## clavichorder

Also, the slow movement to Haydn's symphony no. 88 is top notch.


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## Head_case

Greatest slow movement? 

Gorecki's 3rd symphony. 

Pick any part


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## Amfibius

Great thread! I post the question, then go to sleep. The next time I check in to the thread, there are 3 pages of replies. Most of the suggestions are already in my collection, but I did not think of it at the time. But there are some suggestions here that are new to me. Thanks everyone! Keep them coming!


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Amfibius said:


> All right, I am kind of undecided. I would have to nominate one of these:
> 
> - Movement #3 from Beethoven's 9th
> - Movement #1 from Mahler's 9th
> - Movement #4 from Malher's 9th
> - Movement #3 (or #2, depending on your version) of Mahler's 6th
> 
> What do you think? Restrict your nominations to Concertos or Symphonies, please.


You could also add Beethoven's symphony #7's second movement, although it's an Allegretto. I also like the slow movement from his symphony #6.


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## kv466

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> You could also add Beethoven's symphony #7's second movement, although it's an Allegretto..


Classic example of key competing with tempo!...
...I've always thought of this as an andantino cantabile e lacrimoso


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## Weston

Rasa said:


> Poulenc's Piano concerto
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'd like to add that no second movement is great without it's surroundings.


Goodness me -- what a dull video for such a nice piece of music! I wonder whose channel that is. 

I agree the surrounding movements form the best contrast, and vice versa.


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## Sid James

I don't know why one wants to restrict things to symphonies & concertos, but anyway (if that wasn't the case R. Strauss' _Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings_ would be on my list, it's mainly slow but there are tempo changes).

I like virtually all mentioned so far (incl. Brahms, the slow movt. of his 4th symphony makes me think of the colour gold & a balmy day), but some of the more intense ones are up my alley as well -

*Hindemith* - _Mathis der Maler _symphony: _Grablegung_ (Entombment), 2nd movt.

*Nielsen* -_ Symphony #4 "The Inextinguishable:" Poco adagio quasi andante_, 3rd movt.

*Prokofiev* - _Symphony #5: Adagio_, 3rd movt. (a more effective portrayal of political repression has seldom been penned, imo)

& thanks to *Rasa* for reminding me of Poulenc's _Piano Concerto_, I'm listening to the whole thing now, great piece, haven't heard it for yonks, used to have Cristina Ortiz's recording under Louis Fremaux...


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## regressivetransphobe

Not the greatest slow movement ever, and not even my favorite, but I really like the second movement of Shostakovich's first piano concerto. I enjoy how the whole piece balances beauty and sardonic humor.


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## Couchie

3rd movement from Hammerklavier.

I know it's not a symphony or concerto, but what are you going to do about it?


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## World Violist

Bruckner 8.


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## Curiosity

Beethoven's 3rd, 2nd mov. Also the best movement in music.


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## Xaltotun

Woah, lots to choose from...

Schubert 8th /2,
Sibelius 4th /3,
Beethoven 3rd /2,
Mahler 3rd /last, and the only movement of the 10th,
and ANY Bruckner adagio, really. The 5th and 7th come to my mind immediately, but they are all awesome.


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## elgar's ghost

I'm very keen on the slow movements from most of the Bruckner symphonies - especially those from 7, 8 and 9. One serendipitous aspect of the 9th being traditionally without a finale is that it conveys the feeling that old Anton's spirit is finally taking leave of his body and walking into the light during the slow third movement and a perfect way to bring the curtain down. 

For sheer beauty the melody from the slow movement of Beethoven's 7th is unequalled for me - each time I listen to Smetana's gorgeously lush 'Vltava' theme it strikes me that the Beethoven was virtually a precursor to it.


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## graaf

So many great movements already posted, but I thought to add this one:


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## FrankieP

elgars ghost said:


> For sheer beauty the melody from the slow movement of Beethoven's 7th is unequalled for me - each time I listen to Smetana's gorgeously lush 'Vltava' theme it strikes me that the Beethoven was virtually a precursor to it.


How are you linking Beethoven 7 and Vltava? bit confused!
Speaking of Vltava, anyone heard the Israeli nation anthem?


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## Klavierspieler

Hmmm...

Beethoven - Symphony No. 7, Movement 2
Beethoven - Symphony No. 9, Movement 3
Schumann - Symphony No. 2, Movement 3
Schumann - Symphony No. 4, Movement 3

(Has anyone noticed I like Schumann yet?)


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## elgar's ghost

FrankieP said:


> How are you linking Beethoven 7 and Vltava? bit confused!


The 'big' melody of the slow movement in LvB's 7th always brings to mind the 'big' melody of Vltava for some reason - probably irrational but there we are!


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## itywltmt

elgars ghost said:


> The 'big' melody of the slow movement in LvB's 7th always brings to mind the 'big' melody of Vltava for some reason - probably irrational but there we are!


I don't know that it's irrational. Isn't it that movement is often described as the flow of a river?


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## FrankieP

elgars ghost said:


> The 'big' melody of the slow movement in LvB's 7th always brings to mind the 'big' melody of Vltava for some reason - probably irrational but there we are!


Fair enough - don't hear it myself but each to their own!
I find that Beet7 movement a bit comparable to the first movement of Górecki 3 - perhaps that's a more obvious resemblance though.


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## CaptainAzure

Rachmaninoff 2nd movement of the 2nd Piano Concerto


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## Klavierspieler

itywltmt said:


> I don't know that it's irrational. Isn't it that movement is often described as the flow of a river?


I don't think so, certainly doesn't sound like it to me.


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## kv466

Couchie said:


> 3rd movement from Hammerklavier.
> 
> I know it's not a symphony or concerto, but what are you going to do about it?


Hmmmm, wasn't this about a greatest slow movement?!...I sure hope I didn't mess up again!...well, either way, I've been posting all kinds of solo piano slow movements so they shall have to lynch us both!

Let's see!!!!

Second Movement of Beethoven's 23rd Sonata


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## Polednice

kv466 said:


> Hmmmm, wasn't this about a greatest slow movement?!...I sure hope I didn't mess up again!...well, either way, I've been posting all kinds of solo piano slow movements so they shall have to lynch us both!
> 
> Let's see!!!!
> 
> Second Movement of Beethoven's 23rd Sonata


Oh, well if we're going to play this game of degradation, then I vote for the 5th variation from Brahms's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel!


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## Sid James

Klavierspieler said:


> ...(Has anyone noticed I like Schumann yet?)


Well, now I know! The cat's out of the bag!

I don't blame you, he was great. I'm glad there are many members here on TC who appreciate the man's music. I'd also add his _Cello Concerto_, most of which is in slow tempo, but the final movt. has strong march-like elements. Pity some people skip straight from Haydn's cello concertos to Dvorak's & those around/after him, missing out on the Schumann.

I was previously a member on another forum, where the prevailing attitudes were stuck 60 or so years in the past (the tired old argument that his orchestration wasn't up to scratch, assuming it's because of his psychological problems, spurious judgemental cr*p like that). Well that's been put to bed by the scholars since the 1950's. Seems like even though someone might own thousands of cd's, if they aren't up on the more recent (eg. 50 year old!) scholarship, I wonder why they write things that have been disproven decades ago. Dinosaurs may not exist anymore, but unfortunately some truly "Jurassic" attitudes do!...


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## Nix

Sid James said:


> I'm glad there are many members here on TC who appreciate the man's music. I'd also add his _Cello Concerto_, most of which is in slow tempo, but the final movt. has strong march-like elements. Pity some people skip straight from Haydn's cello concertos to Dvorak's & those around/after him, missing out on the Schumann.
> 
> I was previously a member on another forum, where the prevailing attitudes were stuck 60 or so years in the past (the tired old argument that his orchestration wasn't up to scratch, assuming it's because of his psychological problems, spurious judgemental cr*p like that). Well that's been put to bed by the scholars since the 1950's.


When was that put to bed? I was under the impression that most conductors and scholars today find his orchestral writing unbalanced and uninspired. I've also been under the impression that Schumann was at his best when piano was involved, which may account for why his Piano Concerto is his only widely successful orchestral work.

As for the Cello Concerto, it's a nice piece with some really great moments- the transition between the 2nd and 3rd movement comes to mind- but as far as the genre goes it really is out of its league when put next to those of Haydn, Dvorak, Elgar or Barber (the latter a supremely underrated piece- with a heartbreaking slow movement I should add).


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## Sid James

It's true that his solo piano music is said to be the best part of Schumann's output, but his orchestral music is highly valued by musicians and listeners, at least judging from the amount of recordings of it since the start of the stereo era (& probably before as well). I have a book on composers written by Aussie musicologist Charles Osborne (he spent a lot of time in the UK, where books like this were published) & he basically says that Schumann's psychological condition did not effect his writing for the orchestra, or anything like that. Brahms & Joachim withheld Schumann's violin concerto, it had to wait until the 1950's to be premiered by Yehudi Menuhin. Obviously, Menuhin thought differently than Brahms, etc. people who had a jaundiced view of psychological illness, wanted to 'protect his reputation,' etc. This kind of muddied things. Eg. it is true that some of Schumann's writing for the orchestra is "wrong," but so is much of that of Charles Ives, and I don't read anything about him being a poor orchestrator, etc. Schumann's orchestration may well be idiosyncratic, but so is for eg. Berlioz's (or Ives'). The Osborne book was written in about 1980. It's been 30 years since then (& more than 50 years since Menuhin first played the VC), so I think it's safe to say that saying things like Schumann was a poor orchestrator is a dubious argument today...


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## Artemis

Sid James said:


> It's true that his solo piano music is said to be the best part of Schumann's output, but his orchestral music is highly valued by musicians and listeners, at least judging from the amount of recordings of it since the start of the stereo era (& probably before as well). I have a book on composers written by Aussie musicologist Charles Osborne (he spent a lot of time in the UK, where books like this were published) & he basically says that Schumann's psychological condition did not effect his writing for the orchestra, or anything like that. Brahms & Joachim withheld Schumann's violin concerto, it had to wait until the 1950's to be premiered by Yehudi Menuhin. Obviously, Menuhin thought differently than Brahms, etc. people who had a jaundiced view of psychological illness, wanted to 'protect his reputation,' etc. This kind of muddied things. Eg. it is true that some of Schumann's writing for the orchestra is "wrong," but so is much of that of Charles Ives, and I don't read anything about him being a poor orchestrator, etc. Schumann's orchestration may well be idiosyncratic, but so is for eg. Berlioz's (or Ives'). The Osborne book was written in about 1980. It's been 30 years since then (& more than 50 years since Menuhin first played the VC), so I think it's safe to say that saying things like Schumann was a poor orchestrator is a dubious argument today...


On the same topic about Schumann's alleged poor orchestraion ...

http://www.talkclassical.com/945-problem-schumann.html


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## Sid James

Thanks Artemis, & the overall opinion of the musician who started that thread corresponds on the whole with what I was saying in my less expert way...


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## Artemis

Sid James said:


> Thanks Artemis, & the overall opinion of the musician who started that thread corresponds on the whole with what I was saying in my less expert way...


I think if you have another look at that thread that the OP was suggesting that there is something a bit dodgy about Schumann's orchestration. This was disputed, with reasons given, but it was resolved amiably and all agreed that Schumann was very good composer and that his alleged poor orchestration ability is not justified.


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## graaf

Artemis said:


> On the same topic about Schumann's alleged poor orchestraion ...
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/945-problem-schumann.html


Great post. Remains me of Celibidache and his insistence to work with relatively small orchestra (Munich Phil.) so that he can rehearse as much as he wants to.


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## elgar's ghost

I wonder if the 'Schumann Question' is still a hangover from his own time? He wrote so brilliantly for solo piano and then did the same for the human voice (1840 was obviously a special year in that respect) so a little later when it came to writing for larger forces perhaps the public were expecting his orchestral forays to soar on the same celestial plane? I have his symphonies and concertos and I enjoy them, so any issues critics may have are assumably on an academic level way above my ken. From what I gather any real ****** in his armour were apparent when he turned to choral writing - although his Szenen auf Goethes Faust and Das Paradies und die Peri seem popular in some quarters I haven't heard many good things said about his liturgical works.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Hey folks, what about John Cage's _As Slow As Possibe_? That's gotta be the greatest of them all because it takes over 600 years to perform? :lol:


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## Nix

Sid James said:


> I have a book on composers written by Aussie musicologist Charles Osborne (he spent a lot of time in the UK, where books like this were published) & he basically says that Schumann's psychological condition did not effect his writing for the orchestra, or anything like that. Brahms & Joachim withheld Schumann's violin concerto, it had to wait until the 1950's to be premiered by Yehudi Menuhin. Obviously, Menuhin thought differently than Brahms, etc. people who had a jaundiced view of psychological illness, wanted to 'protect his reputation,' etc. This kind of muddied things. Eg. it is true that some of Schumann's writing for the orchestra is "wrong," but so is much of that of Charles Ives, and I don't read anything about him being a poor orchestrator, etc. Schumann's orchestration may well be idiosyncratic, but so is for eg. Berlioz's (or Ives'). The Osborne book was written in about 1980. It's been 30 years since then (& more than 50 years since Menuhin first played the VC), so I think it's safe to say that saying things like Schumann was a poor orchestrator is a dubious argument today...


I'm not saying that Schumann was a poor orchestrator due to his mental illness, I'm saying orchestration just wasn't his strong suit- no explanations needed. And the link to the other thread I think actually backs up my claim- like they said, they had to tweak almost every phrase to get a good sound. They refer to it as Schumann having a 'complex' style of orchestration, though I think 'bad' is really a better word. If the conductor has to balance everything himself, then yes, Schumann was bad at balancing the orchestra. This is what makes composers like Tchaikovsky, or Mahler great orchestrators. With Tchaikovsky, everything is more or less the same dynamic, but he balances the instruments so that it sounds great- with Mahler, every instrument is playing different volumes, but he balances it that way so again, it sounds great. It sounds like Schumann does neither.

Being a bad orchestrator does not mean he's a bad composer- Schumann is one of my favorites, and he is certainly one of the most important composers of the Romantic era. And sure, maybe you could even get away with saying in some instances Schumann's orchestrations are acceptable, and not bad. But put his orchestrations next to his contemporaries- Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Brahms- and it's easy to hear that he was not on par with them- even if he was overall a greater composer then Mendelssohn and probably Berlioz. And maybe had he lived longer he would have gotten better, as Liszt did, who had students score his 1st Piano Concerto, but then did wonders with the 2nd Piano Concerto himself.


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## Artemis

Nix said:


> .... I'm not saying that Schumann was a poor orchestrator due to his mental illness, I'm saying orchestration just wasn't his strong suit- no explanations needed. And the link to the other thread I think actually backs up my claim- like they said, they had to tweak almost every phrase to get a good sound... .


 The stories about Schumann's alleged poor orchestration abilities began soon after his death, and were related to the view in some quarters that his later works were the product of a warped mind, since he died in a mental institution. These views persisted for a long time, well into the 20th C, but then some conductors and musicologists began to dispel these ideas by suggesting that when played using a slower and a smaller orchestra the apparent problems disappear. That, I believe, is the main issue to emerge message of the earlier thread, namely that modern orchestras and playing styles are not suited to the style in which Schumann wrote, so that some adjustment is necessary. These adjustments are, to a large extent, made in the better of the modern renditions of his orchestral works, which explains why most people do not hear any problems.


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## samurai

The second movements of both Rachmaninoff's 2nd and 3rd piano concertos.


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## Sid James

I think everyone has made good points about the Schumann orchestration issue I opened up. I am just bitter at what people said on the other forum. They weren't as balanced in their opinions as you guys are. What I'd add is that orchestration came to the fore late c19th, after Schumann's death. It kind of became an art, a real focus for composers. In Schumann's time I think there was less focus on it, but of course it was still there. I think I may start a thread about this issue in general. But suffice to say, I have little time for people who are disproportionately obsessed with orchestration. Inevitably, these people can only enjoy music from say late c19th onwards. Even Mozart or Beethoven (fantastic orchestrators in their own time) aren't good enough for them. I really don't give a cr*p about orchestration, I care more for actual musical substance (whatever that is, a broad catch-all term, I know)...


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## Nix

Artemis said:


> That, I believe, is the main issue to emerge message of the earlier thread, namely that modern orchestras and playing styles are not suited to the style in which Schumann wrote, so that some adjustment is necessary. These adjustments are, to a large extent, made in the better of the modern renditions of his orchestral works, which explains why most people do not hear any problems.


A fair point, though I wonder why there aren't as disruptive problems in the music of his contemporaries. I plan to ask my teachers about this once I get back to school... so Sid a thread about this might be needed!


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## Weston

Regarding Schumann, with themes that epic, who cares about orchestration?


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Maybe a good topic for a new thread is about discussing the importance of orchestration versus theme & variation. That should stir up a few _Irenes_. I have my views but I don't think it belongs here in this thread about slow movements.

You guys are so off-topic! I wanted to discuss "greatest" slow movements, and I think _As Slow As Possible_ is the greatest because of sheer length.


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## jalex

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Hey folks, what about John Cage's _As Slow As Possibe_? That's gotta be the greatest of them all because it takes over 600 years to perform? :lol:


I thought no performance length or tempo was specified? The 639(?) year performance was done 'in the spirit of' John Cage, but it wasn't his idea - it was only thought of five years after he died. Wiki says a typical performance is 20-70 minutes, which is still pretty long considering the actual musical content.


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## Couchie

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Hey folks, what about John Cage's _As Slow As Possibe_? That's gotta be the greatest of them all because it takes over 600 years to perform? :lol:


Not really a great criterion for greatness.

Here:

AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE, AND THEN EVEN SLOWER
Copyright Couchie 2011, all rights reserved

_Performance note: each note has a duration of 100,000 years, except the last note, which is to be held until the universe collapses._
A B A A G flat F E F C D sharp A D

There you go, the greatest slow movement ever, by me.


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## kv466

I'm sure it's been mentioned here but, well...the adagio un poco mosso from the Emperor Concerto by LVB!






*Also, not the slow movement but pertinent to the recording of this magnificent piece*






There truly is nothing wrong with absolute beauty and the perfect rendition of a work...
...it is to be embraced!


----------



## Webernite

Nix said:


> A fair point, though I wonder why there aren't as disruptive problems in the music of his contemporaries.


Well, the orchestral writing of Chopin and Liszt (and sometimes even Brahms) also tends to sound a bit unconvincing when played by a big modern orchestra.


----------



## beethovenian

Couchie said:


> There you go, the greatest slow movement ever, by me.


That isn't exactly slow at all.

*Eternal* would be more fitting.


----------



## Nix

Webernite said:


> Well, the orchestral writing of Chopin and Liszt (and sometimes even Brahms) also tends to sound a bit unconvincing when played by a big modern orchestra.


Liszt I addressed- his orchestral writing got a lot better over the years. Chopin I think is commonly regarded as not a very good orchestrator, with no arguments about it. I mean he only wrote 2 major works with orchestra when he was young, and then stopped dabbling in it after that- very few 20 year olds are genius orchestrators. And Brahms orchestration I've always heard as 'passable' but not his strong point- though I also think it got better over the years.


----------



## Webernite

Nix said:


> Liszt I addressed- his orchestral writing got a lot better over the years. Chopin I think is commonly regarded as not a very good orchestrator, with no arguments about it. I mean he only wrote 2 major works with orchestra when he was young, and then stopped dabbling in it after that- very few 20 year olds are genius orchestrators. And Brahms orchestration I've always heard as 'passable' but not his strong point- though I also think it got better over the years.


OK, but I still stand by the idea that Schumann didn't write that badly for the kind of orchestra available in the 1840s.


----------



## Nix

Webernite said:


> OK, but I still stand by the idea that Schumann didn't write that badly for the kind of orchestra available in the 1840s.


I wonder if there are any period recordings of his symphonies that could put the matter to rest. Also to make up for going very off topic, some more great slow movements:

Prokofiev 1st Violin Concerto- Last movement
Beethoven Missa Solemnis- Benedictus 
Most of Berlioz's Les nuits d'ete


----------



## clavichorder

Aaron Copland's 1st symphony has a fantastic Lento Finale! It should be far better known.


----------



## kv466

Well, as it is the slow movement of his string quartet, op.11...Barber's Adagio for Strings, I think, qualifies!


----------



## Artemis

kv466 said:


> Well, as it is the slow movement of his string quartet, op.11...Barber's Adagio for Strings, I think, qualifies!


 That's a good call. I love that work played in its entirety as the Quartet in B minor for Strings, Op 11. The best version I have is probably the one by the Emersons.

Speaking of Samuel Barber, it reminds me of his Violin Concerto, Opus 14. I love that work too, and probably the most memorable part of it is the "andante" second movement. I especially like the version by Gill Shaham/London Symphony Orchestra/ Andre Previn.

Barber is among my top five 20th composers. I have been building up my collection of his works over the past year and there's a lot of very enjoyable music among this lot. It takes a little while to get used to his style, but once bitten ...


----------



## FrankieP

Ahh the Barber Concerto is delicious!! I'm learning the first 2 movements atm, it's so so so so so good to play! love ittt


----------



## samurai

Having just listened to the 9th Symphony by Antonin Dvorak, I'd like to nominate its second movement as being one of the most beautiful in classical music. I'm sorry if this one has already been proposed in previous postings on this topic.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Nix said:


> I'm not saying that Schumann was a poor orchestrator due to his mental illness, I'm saying orchestration just wasn't his strong suit- no explanations needed. And the link to the other thread I think actually backs up my claim- like they said, they had to tweak almost every phrase to get a good sound. They refer to it as Schumann having a 'complex' style of orchestration, though I think 'bad' is really a better word. If the conductor has to balance everything himself, then yes, Schumann was bad at balancing the orchestra. This is what makes composers like Tchaikovsky, or Mahler great orchestrators. With Tchaikovsky, everything is more or less the same dynamic, but he balances the instruments so that it sounds great- with Mahler, every instrument is playing different volumes, but he balances it that way so again, it sounds great. It sounds like Schumann does neither.
> 
> Being a bad orchestrator does not mean he's a bad composer- Schumann is one of my favorites, and he is certainly one of the most important composers of the Romantic era. And sure, maybe you could even get away with saying in some instances Schumann's orchestrations are acceptable, and not bad. But put his orchestrations next to his contemporaries- Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Brahms- and it's easy to hear that he was not on par with them- even if he was overall a greater composer then Mendelssohn and probably Berlioz. And maybe had he lived longer he would have gotten better, as Liszt did, who had students score his 1st Piano Concerto, but then did wonders with the 2nd Piano Concerto himself.


You have officially earned my disapproval...


----------



## jalex

Seeing as we've moved away from symphonies and concertos I'm nominating a movement I have just reminded myself of: 63b of the St Matthew Passion, the chorus 'Wahrlich, dieser is Gottes Sohn'. I believe it to be the most astonishingly beautiful passage in all music.


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## mmsbls

samurai said:


> Having just listened to the 9th Symphony by Antonin Dvorak, I'd like to nominate its second movement as being one of the most beautiful in classical music. I'm sorry if this one has already been proposed in previous postings on this topic.


It is certainly beautiful. One author I read stated that the second movement was perhaps the best known movement of classical music to general audiences. I find that rather hard to believe. Nevertheless, it's lovely.


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## clavichorder

This is the organ version of Copland's 1st finale. I don't know which is more popular, but I can't find my recording. This is certainly different.



 I think it maybe muddies up the dramatic effect of the main jarring motif.


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## Llyranor

I love slow movements! Here are some of my favorite ones:
(videos added for some of the lesser-known ones)

- 2nd movement of Bach's Double Violin Concerto
- 2nd movement of Barber's 2nd Symphony




- 2nd movement of Barber's Violin Concerto
- 2nd movement of Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto
- 2nd movement of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony
- 2nd movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony
- 2nd movement of Bruch's 1st Violin Concerto
- 2nd movement of Chopin's 2nd Piano Concerto
- 2nd movement of Dvorak's 2nd Symphony 




- 2nd movement of Dvorak's Violin Concerto




- 1st movement of Elgar's Cello Concerto
- 3rd movement of Elgar's 1st Symphony




- 2nd movement of Elgar's 2nd Symphony
- 2nd movement of Haydn's 1st Cello Concerto
- 3rd movement of Hubay's 3rd Violin Concerto




- 2nd movement of Kabalevsky's Violin Concerto




- 4th movement of Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole
- 4th movement of Mahler's 5th Symphony
- 2nd/3rd (the Andante, whichever it is) movement of Mahler's 6th Symphony
- 2nd movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto
- 2nd movement of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante
- 2nd movement of Mozart's 4th Violin Concerto
- 2nd movement of Mozart's 23rd Piano Concerto 




- 1st movement of Prokofiev's 1st Violin Concerto
- 2nd movement of Prokofiev's 2nd Violin Concerto
- 2nd movement of Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto
- 3rd movement of Rachmaninoff's 2nd Symphony




- 2nd movement of Ravel's Piano Concerto (Violin/Viola)
- 1st movement of St-Saens' 2nd Piano Concerto
- 2nd movement of St-Saens' 2nd Violin Concerto




- 2nd movement of St-Saens' 3rd Violin Concerto
- 2nd movement of Schumann's Violin Concerto




- 3rd movement of Shostakovich's 1st Violin Concerto




- 2nd movement of Sibelius' 1st Symphony
- 2nd movement of Sibelius' 2nd Symphony 
- 2nd movement of Sibelius' 3rd Symphony 
- 3rd movement of Sibelius' 4th Symphony
- 2nd movement of Sibelius' Violin Concerto
- 2nd movement of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony
- 4th movement of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony
- 2nd movement of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto
- 2nd movement of Vivaldi's 'Winter' Concerto

(sorry for the clutter - I got carried away  )


----------



## Xytech

So many choices...
For me, I have found Beethoven slow movements to be simply magical - particularly 1,3,5,6,9. So basically all of them  
Particularly in 1 & 5 there is this certain sense of simplicity like Mozart, but then it gives way to these amazing powerful moments - eg in 5 where the sense of movement and the themes which dominate the whole movement come together with the winds playing wonderful chords and the lower strings pumping out the melody. I know there are recordings which put dynamics into that section - personally my preference is for it to go all out  
1 is similar I think, but less developed. 
3 is of course simply amazing, and full of raw emotion and power. 6 I love too - just so wonderful and conjures up such emotive imagery. 
9 is again great, and I love the placement of it being the third movement - it also adds a real dimension and sense of anticipation as you know the amazing vocals are to come. Having recently heard Furtwangler's 1942 recording of the 9th - I am having to rethink my impressions of it, which is a great experience in itself.

Anyway, bottom line, I could basically write an essay on any of the above mentioned slow movements. I am also a big fan of Mozart Piano Concerto 21 (who isn't?) Also the first movement of his Requiem- not sure if that qualifies as a slow movement though. 

All the Brahms slow movements are amazing too - in particular, I must say i have a soft spot for Symphony 1 - that may be a result of playing it in orchestra with a very accomplished wind section - the wind writing is simply amazing. 

Dvorak cello concerto, as played by Rostropovich/Karajan, has some simply enchanting passages. Whilst the whole movement is great, I think the solo cello stuff towards the end is mindblowing, especially when played by Rostropovich. Where the flute & clarinet enter too... so delicate and so perfect. A wonderful lead in to a third movement of power and passion! 

Bach double concerto - David & Igor Oistrakh - there are a few recordings of this floating around. My favourite is the double CD Deutsch Grammaphone recording paired with the Tchaik & Brahms violin concertos. A movement of indescribable beauty, and this particular CD has very good sound quality, which is at times missing from Oistrakh's recordings. 

In regards to sheer emotional power - you can't go past Shostakovich Violin Concerto 1, linked above, although that is a different recording to the one I am thinking of. I love Oistrakh, and I feel that the Shostakovich is one of those pieces he just makes his own. I have the EMI Oistrakh complete edition, and the recording of the slow movement in that is... spine tingling, always! 

I think I could probably go on forever so I'll stop here! 

Cheers


----------



## Nix

Klavierspieler said:


> You have officially earned my disapproval...


Alas, the woes of life.

I'll add Barber: Knoxville, Summer of 1915. I think that's slow enough.


----------



## clavichorder

The sparse intro to W.F. Bach's adagio and fugue sinfonia in D minor.


----------



## jalex

How about


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## samurai

Please forgive me if this movement has already been mentioned and posted, but having just listened to Dvorak's magnificent *8th* *Symphony, *I would feel somewhat remiss if I didn't place his second movement from that work into consideration, along with all of the wonderful other ones my fellow members have shared: Philharmonia Orchestra - Symphony No. 8 - Adagio


----------



## Taneyev

One of the most beautiful melodies I ever heard is the second movement of Paganini's second v.c.


----------



## Chris

The third movement of Debussy's String Quartet


----------



## Xytech

samurai said:


> Please forgive me if this movement has already been mentioned and posted, but having just listened to Dvorak's magnificent *8th* *Symphony, *I would feel somewhat remiss if I didn't place his second movement from that work into consideration, along with all of the wonderful other ones my fellow members have shared: Philharmonia Orchestra - Symphony No. 8 - Adagio


Thanks for your comment! It inspired me to put on my recording of Kubelik with the Berlin Phil playing that exact movement. And what a movement it is! I remember playing it as one of the very first full symphonies I played when I was about 15... that movement certainly made an impression!


----------



## samurai

IMHO, the 2nd movement from Nielsen's *First* *Symphony* easily merits mention in this thread: Lahti Symphony Orchestra - II. Andante (Ma Non Troppo Lento)


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## samurai

As I just came across Piston's wonderful *Symphony* *No*.*2, *I'd like to share what to me was a highlight of this work, its lyrical adagio movement # 2: Seattle Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 2: Adagio


----------



## Nix

Chris said:


> The third movement of Debussy's String Quartet


This piece deserves more attention. In fact I think there should be a rule that you can only mention the Ravel quartet if you've brought up the Debussy twice.

Debussy String Quartet. (following my own rule)


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## myaskovsky2002

Ignore the picture. This is my favourite Adagio






Prokofiev's 5th. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Martin, very Prokofovian


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## myaskovsky2002

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Ignore the picture. This is my favourite Adagio
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Prokofiev's 5th. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!
> 
> Martin, very Prokofovian


Martin, it is a pity you cannot put a "LIKE" on your own thread! (neither can I) LOL I also love this entire symphony...I think is one of the best Prokofiev's ever.

Nikolai Myaskovsky, your friend


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## samurai

Alexander Glazunov's *Symphony* *No*.*7* *in* *F* *Major {Pastoral"}, *2nd movement: Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov - Symphony No. 7 In F Major, Op. 77, "Pastora'nayal": II. Andante


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## Conor71

There's 3 which I value highly - 3rd Movement of Beethoven's 9th, The Cavatina from Beethoven's SQ #13 and The Adagietto from Mahler's 5th.


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## chalkpie

clavichorder said:


> Aaron Copland's 1st symphony has a fantastic Lento Finale! It should be far better known.


Yes!.....................


----------



## clavichorder

samurai said:


> As I just came across Piston's wonderful *Symphony* *No*.*2, *I'd like to share what to me was a highlight of this work, its lyrical adagio movement # 2: Seattle Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 2: Adagio


I've mostly paid attention to the first movement, so thank your for pointing this out, I'll have to investigate.


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## clavichorder

chalkpie said:


> Yes!.....................


Hi chalkpie, you like it too? Welcome to the forum!


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## hespdelk

Impossible to really choose only one..

but I will nominate the Adagio from Bruckner's 8th symphony. Truly transcendent.


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## hespdelk

Regarding Schumann's alleged orchestrational difficulties... I've never understood it. I've always found his use of colour and timbre to be quite effective, in the 3rd and 4th symphonies, the piano concerto, and the concertos for violin and cello (both of which are wonderful works).

In case anyone hasn't seen this, its a documentary of Karajan rehearsing Schumann's 4th symphony (I've only linked the first part to keep my post less then enormous, the other three are on youtube as well if interested). Karajan's recordings of the work happen to be my favourite, and he really highlight's the expression and colour that the orchestration brings to the music.


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## Sid James

*Re* mention of *Glazunov*, I'm thinking of getting some of his music, esp. the symphonies & maybe some chamber things. I don't have much of his music in my cd collection apart from that famous bit from _The Seasons_.

I'd make the observation that the slow movements of Shostakovich, Prokofiev and other Russians like Tchaikovsky are like the pivots/cores or the heart of their symphonies and concertos.

I have been listening to some of *Joaquin Rodrigo's* music lately, some of his concertos incl. the famous _Guitar Concierto de Aranjuez_, a work I previously dismissed as an earworm. The middle slow movement speaks to me of the tragedy of the Spanish civil war which was at it's height (the killings, etc.) when it was written. As I said on my blog here on TC, you can read books or watch documentaries about this tragedy, or simply listen to this powerful kind of elegy or requiem which talks so strongly what was happening, and you will understand...


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## Lukecash12

> I have been listening to some of Joaquin Rodrigo's music lately, some of his concertos incl. the famous Guitar Concierto de Aranjuez, a work I previously dismissed as an earworm. The middle slow movement speaks to me of the tragedy of the Spanish civil war which was at it's height (the killings, etc.) when it was written. As I said on my blog here on TC, you can read books or watch documentaries about this tragedy, or simply listen to this powerful kind of elegy or requiem which talks so strongly what was happening, and you will understand...


It might be tangential to this thread, but you dug up an interesting anecdote out of my head, when you mentioned the Spanish civil war. My Papa (Grandfather, a guy who loved Spanish culture and was an aficionado of it) told me a long time ago about Don Juan, and told me that his son had been taken by the rebels. When Don Juan last spoke to his son, he simply told him to thank God that he had died for Spain.


----------



## samurai

Please forgive me if I've posted the andante movement from Jean Sibelius and his *Symphony* *No*.*1* *in* *E* *Minor* before. I listened to this work again tonight and was quite taken by the exquisite, almost crystalline beauty of its *2nd* movement: Maurice Abravanel - Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39: II. Andante, ma non troppo lento


----------



## psyclassical

*My favorite is Dvorak's symphony no. 9 movement #2*

I love this piece because it takes the listener on a journey that has not often been explored before in classical music, and you can feel it through the sound and style of the music. Even if you have never heard of this piece or known that it's called the "New World Symphony," you can still recognize how American, how naturalistic, it sounds. It makes one at peace with the nature of America, which in itself is unique. It also has a lot of powerful, memorable melodies, without being predictable sounding at all. How Dvorak managed to create so many original ideas, and yet do so through his effortlessly written melodies, is beyond me.


----------



## violadude

psyclassical said:


> It also has a lot of powerful, memorable melodies, without being predictable sounding at all. How Dvorak managed to create so many original ideas, and yet do so through his effortlessly written melodies, is beyond me.


That's how I feel about Stockhausen and Boulez, but no one believes me.


----------



## opus55

Beethoven Symphony #7's second movement - I imagine never ending waves hitting the beach or pouring rain, I don't know why.


----------



## Conor71

samurai said:


> Please forgive me if I've posted the andante movement from Jean Sibelius and his *Symphony* *No*.*1* *in* *E* *Minor* before. I listened to this work again tonight and was quite taken by the exquisite, almost crystalline beauty of its *2nd* movement: Maurice Abravanel - Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 39: II. Andante, ma non troppo lento


Good choice - love this one too!


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## DavidMahler

violadude said:


> That's how I feel about Stockhausen and Boulez, but no one believes me.


lol

the second mvmt of the Dv9th is a good one tho


----------



## DavidMahler

top 5:

Mahler master of the slow movement.....thread should be called, whats your favorite Mahler slow movement.

5. 4th - 3mvmt
4. 10th - 1mvmt
3. 5th - 4mvmt
2. 3rd - 6mvmt
1. 9th - 4mvmt


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## Igneous01

there is only ONE slow movement that has truly touched me like no other piece of music. Where you are literally awakened to the beauty of nature all around you and a love of all life.

That would be Beethovens Op.135 3rd mov






Bernstein made this the most intimate piece of music for me in all time. This would be for my death as well. The contrast from the surreal beauty - to that dark and cloudy funeral march like middle, makes this something ill never forget.


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## DavidMahler

Hahahaha Bernstein makes it sound like a lost Mahler mvmt, seriously


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## jalex

DavidMahler said:


> Mahler master of the slow movement


*cough*Beethoven*cough*

2nd of the third, 3rd of the ninth, 3rd of Hammerklavier and the slow movements of all his late quartets, especially the 3rd from #15, the 3rd from #16, the 1st from #14 and above all the Cavatina from Op 130 are top for me.


----------



## DavidMahler

my favorite Beethoven slow mvmt is the middle of the 4th piano concerto.

Mahler goes deeper in the emotional landscape than Beethoven, not Beethoven's fault .... but no one's going to convince me that Mahler's slow movements possess the most painful beauty in music.


----------



## Couchie

DavidMahler said:


> my favorite Beethoven slow mvmt is the middle of the 4th piano concerto.
> 
> Mahler goes deeper in the emotional landscape than Beethoven, not Beethoven's fault .... but *no one's going to convince me that Mahler's slow movements possess the most painful beauty in music.*




Yeah, Mahler sucks....


----------



## DavidMahler

Couchie said:


> Yeah, Mahler sucks....


That's it, time to throw out all my Mahler recordings!


----------



## jalex

DavidMahler said:


> That's it, time to throw out all my Mahler recordings!


Better: sell them and buy more Beethoven with the proceeds


----------



## DavidMahler

jalex said:


> Better: sell them and buy more Beethoven with the proceeds


LOL, true, but I own triple the amount of Beethoven as I do Mahler.


----------



## Couchie

Glue a stack of them together and carve them into a Beethoven bust.


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## jalex

DavidMahler said:


> LOL, true, but I own triple the amount of Beethoven as I do Mahler.


Ah, that _sounds_ good, but compare:

Beethoven: 172 works with opus numbers and 205 without.
Mahler: 9 1/4 symphonies and some songs. 

I kid.


----------



## samurai

Tonight, I came across this wonderfully evocative lento movement from the *3rd* *Symphony* of Sibelius: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 2, "A London Symphony": II. Lento


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## maxshrek

2nd Movement from Quartet op. 127, Cavatina from op. 130, Last movement of Mahler 9th, slow Movement from op. 135, Adagio from BWV 1042. I forgot Mozart's Andante from Jupitery Symphony.


----------



## vasysm

Mozart - Larghetto from the KV595 piano concerto. Most soothing and exquisite music.


----------



## Webernite

Don't forget the second movement of the _Prague_ Symphony.


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## maxshrek

I didn't forget that but simply is miles far away from Jupiter Symphony central masterpiece, obviously imho. Rather i would vote for an unmatched jewel like the slow movement of Piano Concerto k 456. No one mention it but it's one of the supreme masterpiece in all Mozart. The same should be said about the Quartet k 387, one of the most perfect chamber composition.


----------



## seattle

- all slow movements of Mozart's Piano Concerti
- Mahler's 5th 
- Rachmaninoff 2nd Symphony 
- Brahm's 3rd
- Lots of slow movements from Vivaldi's various concerti, Same goes with Bach's and Handel's
- Beethoven's 3rd, 9th, 7th, 6th
etc etc


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## samurai

*edit* to my post of last night re: the second movement from Sibelius: it should have read the lento movement from the *London* *Symphony* of Vaughan Williams. Sorry.


----------



## samurai

So as to atone for my bone-headed gaffe last night vis a vis misciting Sibelius for Williams, here is an andante movement which is definitely from the former: Maurice Abravanel - Symphony No. 5 in Eb, Op. 82: II. Andante mosso, quasi allegretto


----------



## Vaneyes

Argerich LvB PC2.


----------



## poconoron

This one's right up there:


----------



## samurai

Just came across this tonight while listening to Copland's hauntingly eerie yet beautiful *Symphony* *No*.*1: *Leonard Bernstein;E. Power Biggs;New York Philharmonic - Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: I. Prelude: Andante 6/8


----------



## samurai

I came across this tonight whilst listening to the wonderful *3rd* *Symphony* of Sibelius: Lorin Maazel;Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op. 52: II. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto


----------



## Polyphemus

Two choices for me :-
Mahler 9 last movement
Bruckner 8.

Are we allowed to mention Der Abschied from Das Lied Von Der Erde, if permitted please put it as number 1 fo me.


----------



## TrazomGangflow

Dvorak's 9th Symphony 2nd movement


----------



## science

Polednice said:


> :O :O Well, of all the examples you should choose to describe, it was _exactly_ those three that I would have picked as his best!  It was a few years ago that the slow movement of the 3rd Symphony made me realise that classical music doesn't have to be fast to be interesting; and his others are just as wonderful.
> 
> The more I hear you people bash him, the more I'm led to believe that _I'm_ the one with something wrong with me!


Polednice, count me among your allies in the Brahms war. I love his slow movements.


----------



## teccomin

Bruckner 9


----------



## Itullian

Emperor concerto.


----------



## mleghorn

Mahler 9 - last movement, 4 - 3rd mvt
Beethoven: Emperor Concerto, 3rd, 7th, and 9th Symphonies, all of the slow movements from his last 5 string quartets, including mvts 1 & 2 in op. 131.
Mozart K.467, and several of his other late piano concertos, Jupiter symphony
Barber 1st Symphony
Shostakovich 1st mvt of 6th
Venus and Saturn from The Planets
Bartok 2nd & 3rd piano concertos, 3rd mvt of Music for Strings Percussion & Celeste
Bruckner 8
Wellesz symphony #4 - 3rd mvt.
Prokoviev 5th symphony, 3rd mvt.
Sibelius 2nd symphony, 2nd mvt.


----------



## Oskaar

I dont know "best ever" But Dvorak`s Larghetto from romantic pieces is a stunning slow movement.


----------



## pjang23

Pure bliss:


----------



## jalex

pjang23 said:


> Pure bliss


Yes! I was just about to post a Haydn quartet. The opus 76 slow movements are all fantastic. Other than obvious choice of the Emperor's slow movement, I love this one:


----------



## samurai

This adagio movement from *Symphony* *No*.*60* by Alan Hovhaness: Alan Hovhaness - Symphony No. 60, Op. 396, "To The Appalachian Mountains": III. Senza Misura: Adagio.


----------



## NightHawk

Mozart Piano Concerto #23 - 2nd m
Beethoven 9 - 3rd m
Schumann 2 - 3rd m
Bruckner 8 - 3rd m
Mahler - Das Lied m 6 (if vocal w orch music is allowed)
Shostakovich 5 - 3rd m
Barber - Violin Concerto - 2nd m
(a different day, a different list)


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## samurai

From Carl Nielsen and his *Second* *Symphony: * New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 2, Op. 16 "The Four Temperaments": III. Andante malincolico


----------



## aleazk

Second movement of Ravel piano concerto in G, without a doubt, at least for me.


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## samurai

The andante movement from Nielsen's majestic *First* *Symphony: *Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 7, FS 16: II. Andante


----------



## samurai

The andante movement from Sibelius' *Symphony* *No*.*1: *Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Symphony No.1 in E minor, Op.39: II. Andante ma non troppo lento


----------



## brianwalker

Second movement from Schubert's 9th
Mahler's Adagietto. 
Mahler's 10th, Adagio 
Bruckner's 7th, 2nd movement
Scheherazade, 2nd and 3rd movement 
Mozart's Requiem, Lacrimosa


----------



## pjang23




----------



## Eviticus

I could list sooo many but i'm going to refrain and just state the movement that quite possibly made me get 'into' classical more deeply.

Andante Cantabile - from Mozarts "Jupiter" Symphony. With the right conductor - sublime.


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## samurai

Just listening to Johan Halversen for the first time tonight--thanks to fellow member Kevin Pearson--I was very taken by the second movement of his *Second* *Symphony** {Fatum}: *Trondheim Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 2 (Fatum) In D Minor, Romance: Andante Con Sentimenti.


----------



## samurai

From the *Third* *Symphony* of Kalevi Aho: Lahti Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 3, "Sinfonia Concertante No. 1": III. Lento.


----------



## Scarpia

Brahms, Symphony No 4, second movement.


----------



## tdc

Although not from a concerto or symphony IMO Bach's Final Choir/Movement from St. Matthew Passion is the greatest slow movement of all time. 

Other choices of mine might be the 2nd movement of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G and Ravel's Pavane pour une infante defunte.


----------



## opium

Most certainly the Largo from Shostakovich's 5th symphony.


----------



## Lisztian

Dvorak Symphony 9. 2nd Movement.


----------



## NightHawk

Great list, I would only substitute Mahler 4th Sym m.3 _Ruhevoll_ for the m.3 of Mahler 6th



Amfibius said:


> All right, I am kind of undecided. I would have to nominate one of these:
> 
> - Movement #3 from Beethoven's 9th
> - Movement #1 from Mahler's 9th
> - Movement #4 from Malher's 9th
> - Movement #3 (or #2, depending on your version) of Mahler's 6th
> 
> What do you think? Restrict your nominations to Concertos or Symphonies, please.


----------



## NightHawk

_Der Abschied_, sublime.



Polyphemus said:


> Two choices for me :-
> Mahler 9 last movement
> Bruckner 8.
> 
> Are we allowed to mention Der Abschied from Das Lied Von Der Erde, if permitted please put it as number 1 fo me.


----------



## NightHawk

Well, DM, your iist is fine - it's not my list, but I'm happy to see the _Ruhevoll_ made it into 5th position! 



DavidMahler said:


> top 5:
> 
> Mahler master of the slow movement.....thread should be called, whats your favorite Mahler slow movement.
> 
> 5. 4th - 3mvmt
> 4. 10th - 1mvmt
> 3. 5th - 4mvmt
> 2. 3rd - 6mvmt
> 1. 9th - 4mvmt


----------



## NightHawk

_Les units d'ete _- best thing Berlioz ever wrote - Anne Sophie von Otter, superb.



Nix said:


> I wonder if there are any period recordings of his symphonies that could put the matter to rest. Also to make up for going very off topic, some more great slow movements:
> 
> Prokofiev 1st Violin Concerto- Last movement
> Beethoven Missa Solemnis- Benedictus
> Most of Berlioz's Les nuits d'ete


----------



## peeyaj

The Greatest Slow Movement. Ever.


----------



## samurai

From Carl Nielsen's magnificent *First* *Symphony: *Okko Kamu - Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 7, FS 16: II. Andante


----------



## Lisztian

Liszt: Christus - Stabat Mater dolorosa.


----------



## samurai

I would enter the andante passage from Raff's *Symphony* *No*.*2: *  Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice - Symphony No. 2 In C Major, Op. 140: II. Andante con moto.


----------



## lukecubed

Another vote for the 2nd movement of Brahms' 4th. Can't explain the feelings it leaves in me. Not my favorite version but whatev.






Some others:
Scriabin - Piano concerto
Shostakovich - Piano Concerto 2


----------



## kv466

Hmmm, I gave it a quick glance but saw no mention of the adagio to Mozart's Serenade for Winds no.10 in b-flat, kv361...I've heard it played at least a couple dozen ways and the only way I could ever include such a work into this list would be only if played like this:


----------



## samurai

This really struck me, from Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.2 {"Little Russian"}: 



.


----------



## Stargazer

Wow its really hard to decide lol, but I think that this is probably my favorite!


----------



## edelet

Dvorak's 'New World' Symphony mov.2
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto mov.2 
Both of them will be played in my funeral


----------



## samurai

From Joachim Raff's *Symphony* *No*.*11*: Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice - Symphony No. 11 In A Minor, Op. 214, "Der Winter": III. Am Camin: Larghetto.


----------



## violadude

Pretty soon this thread is going to have every slow movement ever written in it...the greatest one must be in there somewhere, eh?


----------



## jalex

violadude said:


> Pretty soon this thread is going to have every slow movement ever written in it...the greatest one must be in there somewhere, eh?


Yeah, it's here: http://www.talkclassical.com/14693-greatest-slow-movement-ever-3.html#post202117!

But seriously, here's another good'n:


----------



## samurai

From Henk Bading's wonderful symphony overall, its exquisite adagio movement: Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra - Symphony No. 3: III. Adagio.


----------



## teej

Brahms 2nd symphony, 2nd movement. There are no words to describe its beauty.


----------



## Eviticus

peeyaj said:


> The Greatest Slow Movement. Ever.


Ever tried listening to something other than that Schuberts Greatest Hits CD?


----------



## samurai

From Niels Gade's *Symphony No.6 in G Minor: * Neeme Järvi - Symphony No. 6 in G minor, Op. 32: II. Andante sostenuto


----------



## billreynolds

First post!

Beethoven --

2nd movements of 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th symphonies
3rd movement of 9th symphony

2nd movements of 1st, 3rd, 5th piano concertos

1st movements of piano sonatas 12, 14
3rd movements of piano sonatas 29, 30

Missa Solemnis, Kyrie, Benedictus, Agnus Dei



Mozart --

piano sonata 11, K 331, 1st movement


----------



## samurai

From the* 8th Symphony *of Niels W. Gade: Neeme Järvi - Symphony No. 8 in B minor, Op. 47: III. Andantino.


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

One of my favourite single movement of music, whatever the genre, whatever the whatever. Here arranged for a string trio played quite naturally.


----------



## poconoron

Sublime Mozart:


----------



## samurai

From Tchaikovsky's *"Little Russian" Symphony* comes this plucky--yet dignified--passage: Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 "Little Russian": II. Andantino marziale: quasi moderato.


----------



## PetrB

Mozart:
Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550, II - Andante (WITH the repeats: unbearable / bearable tension.)

Piano Concerto No. 22, Eb K. 482, II 0 Andante (a Dark, virtually Grim, One)





Piano Concerto No. 27, Bb K. 595, II - Larghetto
here is a remarkably intelligent, controversially slow, performance; Clifford Curzon, Benjamin Britten (Britten did a wonderful recording of K. 550, with all the repeats, recorded at the Maltings.)





No Beethoven 4th Piano Concerto? The finest and most startling of the five, and overlooked, tsk, tsk.
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4, II - Andante con moto ~ Astonishing. Profound form and dialogue.





Françis Poulenc ~ Concerto for 2 pianos, II - Larghetto. Hallmark Poulenc, a light theme here, some simple triadic motifs here, mildly bitonal, all with a cumulative lovely effect... and charm.





On another facet of the lighter side, more 'pretty' if you will, a perfectly poignant 'Slava-Triste' - which this composer could do so well...
Dmitri Shostakovitch ~ Piano Concerto No. 2, II - Andante





Back to 'beautiful....'
Igor Stravinsky ~ Violin Concerto, III - Aria II Whoever thinks Stravinsky is neither expressive or emotional, put your ears to this movement...





Alban Berg, Violin Concerto, II Adagio (in this link starts @ 17'40'') Flat-out gob-smack gorgeous.





Charles Ives ~ Symphony No. 4, both the first movement, I - Prelude. Maestoso




and the final movement, IV - Finale. Very slowly; Largo maestoso





Samuel Barber ~ Piano Concerto, II - Canzone (to hell with adagio for strings or the violin concerto)... this is a superb example of Barber's ability to write a seemingly near-endless floating melodic line. This one a real beauty with a brooding undertow of a constant foreboding tension - perfectly in balance.


----------



## PetrB

violadude said:


> Pretty soon this thread is going to have every slow movement ever written in it...the greatest one must be in there somewhere, eh?


Oh go ahead, Toss in John Adam's Violin Concerto, II - Chaconne, 'Body through which the dream flows.' You know you like old fashioned 'pretty / beautiful' along with the rest of us


----------



## PetrB

Couchie said:


> 3rd movement from Hammerklavier.
> 
> I know it's not a symphony or concerto, but what are you going to do about it?


From what I've seen in general so far, it will be discounted on that technicality, LOL


----------



## Muddy

This thread has reminded me of Beethoven's absolutely sublime slow movements. For me, nothing approaches the slow movements of the late quartets, or the slow movement of the Hammerklavier or the Arietta of the last sonata. Beethoven is one of the great 3 composers because of his transcendent slow movements. The word sublime was invented for these movements. They take you on a spiritual journey from darkness or struggle to contentment or rest. Bach was the greatest, but he couldn't mine these depths, probably because of Beethoven's deafness. Suffering helped create Beethoven's great slow movements. Schubert couldn't because he died too young! Had he been given 20 more years to live, age and suffer, who knows. He certainly could have created the most moving body of music ever created. As it is, Beethoven holds the slow movement crown. For me, anyway.


----------



## PetrB

More (my kind of fun, maybe?)

Gerald Finzi ~ Eclogue, for Piano and strings, the slow movement of a concerto which was drafted but never completed. Neoclassical, fine, intelligent, superbly crafted music, quietly unassuming and 'sweet.' (Massively over-exposed in the U.K., I hear...)





Back to the profoundly beautiful...

Olivier Messaien ~ Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine I. Antienne de la conversation intérieure: orchestra, unison women's Chorus, Piano, Ondes Martenot





From an orchestral triptych as cohesive, key related and well-thought out as any Classical era three-movement symphony (_just sayin'_)
Claude Debussy ~ Nocturnes:
I - 'Nuages' 




III - Sirènes


----------



## NightHawk

Of your nominations, no doubt about it...Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, movement three for me. I'll nominate something else later...have to think about it.



Amfibius said:


> All right, I am kind of undecided. I would have to nominate one of these:
> 
> - Movement #3 from Beethoven's 9th
> - Movement #1 from Mahler's 9th
> - Movement #4 from Malher's 9th
> - Movement #3 (or #2, depending on your version) of Mahler's 6th
> 
> What do you think? Restrict your nominations to Concertos or Symphonies, please.


----------



## Barelytenor

Amfibius said:


> All right, I am kind of undecided. I would have to nominate one of these:
> 
> - Movement #3 from Beethoven's 9th
> - Movement #1 from Mahler's 9th
> - Movement #4 from Malher's 9th
> - Movement #3 (or #2, depending on your version) of Mahler's 6th
> 
> What do you think? Restrict your nominations to Concertos or Symphonies, please.


What you said first!


----------



## Dimboukas

I find the _Langsam_ from Schumann's Cello Concerto to be very beautiful. Of course it not _greatest_ in the manner of Beethoven's symphonies slow parts, but it is so lyrical and concise.

And do not forget the _Langsam_ from his Violin Concerto too. It is also lyrical and very melodic but it retains Schumann's melancholy during this last part of his life. I always think of it as a farewell of Schumann towards us. And it is not a human work(!) It was dictated to him by the ghosts of Mendelssohn and Schubert!


----------



## samurai

From Joly Braga Santos' *Third Symphony*: Joly Braga Santos - Symphony No. 3, Op. 15: Lento.


----------



## Muddy

Listening to Bruckner's 7th as I type. Chills, just chills. And this is the only Bruckner I own! That must change.


----------



## gabem

I totally agree with your thoughts on mahler's third. Its beautiful. I need to listen to the ending of mahler's 9th.


----------



## Ellyll

This list is great, there is so much beautiful music here.

I noticed that in 14 pages no one wanted to be "that guy" and say the Sarabande from Bach's first cello suite.

I know it's somewhat over done, but here is a recital on a baroque cello you may like...






Also, I have heard a lot of love for the second movement of Dvořák's 9th.

You may want to check out the late Gerhardt Hetzel playing the violin from about 20:30 to 22:00 in this performance.






One last to add to the list, if it hasn't been already, Jacqueline's Tears by Jacques Offenbach

I have been told that the cellist in this video is not actually Jaqueline Du Pre, but it is still the best version on youtube...


----------



## pablofregoso

Here are some of my favorites that haven't been mentioned before:

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.5 "Spring" - II. Adagio molto espressivo (#1 in my list)

Chopin: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in E minor, op. 11 - II. Romanze. Larghetto

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 in G Minor, Op. 103 - III. Eternal Memory (Adagio)


----------



## Badinerie

Glad to see the *Second movement of Ravel's piano concerto in G *being mentioned. I do love Ravel madly.
Also the Sublime *Bruckner seventh's second movement.*
*Dvorak's ninth, second movement* of course is wonderful although it always makes me break into a Yorkshire accent.

My vote is for, and I suppose it's probably considered passé here, but I have great love for *The Adagio from Grieg's piano concerto in A*

I dont know if it qualifies but *The Swan of Tuonela from Sibelius's Lemminkäinen Suite* for me is one of the most achingly beautiful pieces of music ever! Goosebumps at the mere mention!


----------



## Dustin

Beethoven's Cavatina from the 13th string quartet. How could anything be better than this?


----------



## KenOC

Dustin said:


> Beethoven's Cavatina from the 13th string quartet. How could anything be better than this?


Have to admit I find it a bit overcooked. Beethoven said that he shed tears whenever he thought about it. Well, hey, he's entitled to his opinion... Barber's Adagio is better.


----------



## Ravndal

Second movement from Ravel PC in G


----------



## Kieran

Of course, it has to be Mozart, the Maestro of the Slow Set. Just can't figger out which one of his it is...


----------



## Guest

Kieran said:


> Of course, it has to be Mozart, the Maestro of the Slow Set. Just can't figger out which one of his it is...


K467 "Elvira Madigan" would get the popular vote.

Although I really like the Romance from K466. Parts of it get pretty lively so maybe it doesn't count as slow.


----------



## maestro57

Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, (II) Allegretto

A very enigmatic main melody: triumph/defeat?


----------



## MagneticGhost

maestro57 said:


> Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, (II) Allegretto
> 
> A very enigmatic main melody: triumph/defeat?


Struggle - triumph. Undoubtedly


----------



## DeepR

Scriabin's Piano Concerto, period.


----------



## Kieran

Jerome said:


> K467 "Elvira Madigan" would get the popular vote.
> 
> Although I really like the Romance from K466. Parts of it get pretty lively so maybe it doesn't count as slow.


That's true. Could actually pick from about 15 piano concertos to block-vote the opposition out of business. What about the one in f-sharp minor in #23? No, okay, let's try the one before it, #22. Or the slow movement in K457, the c-minor piano sonata? Or the second movement of the clarinet concerto? Or the adagio in b-minor, K540? Or the adagio in K563? Or...


----------



## julianoq

My vote goes to Bruckner 9th 3rd movement (Adagio). I find hard to conceive that something more beautiful than that exists!


----------



## MagneticGhost

Apologies for not tracking through all the 14 pages.

Slow mvt of Shostakovich's 2nd piano concerto

Slow mvt of Shosta 5

Slow mvt of khatchaturian's Violin Concerto

Mozart's 23rd PC (slow mvt of)


----------



## Picander

Shostakovich, 5th symphony: 3rd movement.
Mozart, Requiem: oro supplex et acclinis + lacrimosa

There are so many...


----------



## LindnerianSea

I tend to follow composers with exquisite command of slow movements. This leaves me with the slow movements in ...:

Bruckner's 8th symphony
Myaskovsky's 17th symphony 
Wetz's 2nd symphony 
Schmidt's 4th symphony
Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony
Kalinnikov's 1st symphony
Elgar's 2nd symphony


----------



## KenOC

Has it been mentioned? Slow movement from Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta...


----------



## CypressWillow

beethovenian said:


> Andante K.467
> During the night when i listen to this on bed, i would imagine hovering across space and time with images from hubble supplementing my imagination.


Oh yes, the beauty and mystery of the 'music of the spheres' seems so close here. So gracious, so self-contained and yet universal. Rubinstein and Wallenstein made magic here:


----------



## Arsakes

Should be found among these:

*Beethoven*'s symphony No.3 - II.'Marcia funebre' & No.7th Allegretto
*Bruckner*'s 5th and 7th symphonies Adagios.
*Dvorak's *1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th symphonies slow movements! There is a reason why he is my most favorite composer.
*Schumann*'s symphony No.3 - IV.'Feierlich', No.2 'Adagio espressivo'

There are many others ... I can't decide!


----------



## LindnerianSea

KenOC said:


> Has it been mentioned? Slow movement from Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta...


yes, of course~! Bartok's so-called 'Night Music' movements are very absorbing.


----------



## eipi

Brahms Piano Concerto #2 (3rd Movement)
Beethoven Symphony #3 (2nd Movement)
Beethoven Symphony #5 (2nd Movement)
Beethoven Symphony #6 (2nd Movement)
Beethoven Symphony #7 (2nd Movement)
Beethoven Symphony #9 (3rd Movement)
Beethoven Piano Concerto #5 (2nd Movement)
Beethoven Piano Sonata #14 (Moonlight) (1st Movement)
Beethoven Piano Sonata #8 (Pathétique) (2nd Movement)
Beethoven String Quartet #14 (1st Movement)
Mozart Clarinet Concerto (2nd Movement)
Mozart Clarinet Quintet (2nd Movement)
Mozart Piano Concerto #21 (2nd Movement)
Mozart Violin Concerto #3 (2nd Movement)
Mahler Symphony #9 (4th Movement)
Tchaikovsky Symphony #6 (Last Movement)


----------



## hpowders

The greatest slow movement ever is the Hymn of Thanksgiving movement from Beethoven's A Minor String Quartet.


----------



## Itullian

Beethoven's 9th
Emperer Concerto
I can't listen to them, too powerful.


----------



## Haydn man

Mozart Piano Concerto No 23 slow movement. Musical heaven
If it does't take your breath away then check your pulse!


----------



## shangoyal

Beethoven's 9th symphony
Mozart's 41st symphony


----------



## schuberkovich

One word: cavatina

It's difficult to pin-point exactly what makes it so incredibly beautiful and moving. It doesn't have a drop-dead gorgeous melody like the 2nd movement of Dvorak's American Quartet. It doesn't have the astonishing sense of purity and release of the Heiliger Dankgesang or the deep melancholy of the first movement of the op.131 or the scope of the last movement of Mahler's 9th. Yet somehow... I give up. I don't know what I'm trying to say.

I will suggest though that you reserve judgement on the cavatina until you hear the version by Quartetto Italiano:


----------



## nightscape

LindnerianSea said:


> Myaskovsky's 17th symphony


Credit to you for knowing this. One of my favorite symphonies in general, and a great lento movement.

I'll mention Piston Symphony No. 2 - Movement II since I don't believe anyone has yet.


----------



## EDaddy

Too many good ones to pick but one! So here are but a few:

* Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No.1 In F, BWV 1046 - 2. Adagio
* Bizet - L'Arlésienne Suite No. 1: III. Adagietto. Adagio
* Bruckner - Symphony No. 7 in E Major: 2. Adagio. 
* Holst - The Planets: Venus, The Bringer of Peace from (Not really an Adagio but certainly Adagio'ish) 
* Dvorak - Symphony No. 8 in G, Op. 88: II. Adagio
* Mozart - Concerto No 21 In C, for Pno & Orch, K467 'Elvira Madigan' ii Andante
* Mozart - Serenade in G Major, K. 525 "Eine kleine Nachtmusik"/II. Romance. Andante
* Mahler - Symphony #5 In C Sharp Minor: Adagietto (the only part of his symphony #5 I really care for)

Alright... making myself stop. Could go on... and on...


----------



## shangoyal

Slow movements from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi are personal favourites.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Beethoven's Ninth, 3rd Movement, is the most beautiful slow movement I ever heard.


----------



## shangoyal

Florestan said:


> Beethoven's Ninth, 3rd Movement, is the most beautiful slow movement I ever heard.


It _is_ as simple as that - that movement is pure beauty itself.


----------



## Notung

I think that the Funeral March from Beethoven's Eroica could be the most intense, profound, and effective in the literature. It has an unfulfillable longing and searing feeling that culminates in a wound-up, tense climax. Definitely the death of the hero.


----------



## hpowders

The Shostakovich 5th slow movement is as fine as any ever composed.


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Gorecki's 3rd, 1st Mvt


----------



## shangoyal

Another big contender must be the Largo from Dvorak's 9th symphony. It is so singular in its all-encompassing beauty. It certainly has the magic touch - reaches some inner recesses of your mind and body and puts you at a peace which is so rare.


----------



## Muddy

schuberkovich said:


> One word: cavatina
> 
> It's difficult to pin-point exactly what makes it so incredibly beautiful and moving. It doesn't have a drop-dead gorgeous melody like the 2nd movement of Dvorak's American Quartet. It doesn't have the astonishing sense of purity and release of the Heiliger Dankgesang or the deep melancholy of the first movement of the op.131 or the scope of the last movement of Mahler's 9th. Yet somehow... I give up. I don't know what I'm trying to say.
> 
> Schuberkovich
> 
> I will suggest though that you reserve judgement on the cavatina until you hear the version by Quartetto Italiano:


Schuberkovich, you are right. There are no words for the Cavatina. This is one of those impossible examples of music transcending music. This is our Creator comforting our old, exhausted, suffering souls. I mentioned in a recent thread that I want the Cavatina played on my deathbed. There are other great slow movements, but there is only one Cavatina.


----------



## Muddy

On a side note, I typed Cavatina in Google, and the primary response was the beautiful Deer Hunter piece. That has always been one of my favorite compositions in movies. A heartbreaking little piece.


----------



## Muddy

Muddy said:


> Schuberkovich, you are right. There are no words for the Cavatina. This is one of those impossible examples of music transcending music. This is our Creator comforting our old, exhausted, suffering souls. I mentioned in a recent thread that I want the Cavatina played on my deathbed. There are other great slow movements, but there is only one Cavatina.


I submit another great performance of the Cavatina, from the Lindsay Quartet. I prefer this exquiste version:


----------



## schuberkovich

Time to revive this thread! Right now I can't find another piece of music as powerful. It somehow seems to resonate with me so much...


----------



## hpowders

The greatest slow movement I've ever experienced, was the Greek football team's effort in playing Colombia.

Those guys either needed some concentrated energy drinks or cattle prods!!!


----------



## AdmiralSilver

*Shostakovich 2nd mov: Moderato. from cello concerto 1*

Dvorak 2nd mov: Poco adagio. from 4th piano trio

Schubert 2nd mov: Andante con moto. from 2nd piano trio

Brahms 2nd mov: Adagio. from PC1


----------



## Dustin

What about the slow movement of Beethoven's 5th Cello Sonata? I'm listening to this again right now and it contains a mountain of emotion. Instant chills up the spine.


----------



## Stavrogin

Not the "greatest", but the slow movement (IV. Larghetto) from Dvorak's Serenade for Strings is certainly something worth listening.


----------



## DeepR

I have a soft spot for Dvorak 9


----------



## omega

The Adagio of Mahler's Third Symphony.

The slow movement of Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony (No.3).

The Second movement of Sibelius' Fifth Symphony.

The Third movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

The Second movement of Brahm's First Piano Concerto.

Among many, many others...


----------



## AnotherSpin

Slow movements from:
- Last three symphonies of Bruckner 
- Beethoven 3rd Piano concerto 
- Mozart's 9th concerto 
- Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and 5th symphony


----------



## dzc4627

Aflred Schittke: Concerto grosso No. 1: III. Recitativo


----------



## dzc4627

or maybe the Cadenza


----------



## hpowders

The adagio from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony when conducted by Furtwängler, Karajan or Wand.


----------



## poconoron

The 2nd movements of:

Mozart piano concerto 22, 
Mozart piano concerto 23
Mozart clarinet quintet
Mozart clarinet concerto
Mozart violin concerto #3
Mozart violin concerto #5


----------



## DiesIraeCX

Ladies and gentlemen, there are too many superlatives being thrown about in this thread. Don't you know that that's a big no-no. So let's stop being human and quit with those evil superlatives, mmkay?

Oh, and the "Heiliger Dankgesang" of the Op. 132 String Quartet is _absolutely_ and _utterly sublime_.


----------



## hpowders

The adagio from Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony when conducted by Haitink or Bernstein.


----------



## Skilmarilion




----------



## hpowders

Brahms Fourth Symphony, second movement, especially as performed by the Boston Symphony under Charles Munch.


----------



## aeschylus

The slow movement of Mozart's A major piano concerto no 23 K488; it is extraordinary in its ability to surprise, its invention.

For sheer beauty, the slow movement of Bach's concerto for two violins in D minor.


----------



## vis756

The funeral march of Beethoven's third symphony. Nothing I have ever heard can possibly compare with it.


----------



## Marsilius

Slow movement of Balakirev's symphony no.1, preferably as recorded by Beecham (second choice: Karajan).


----------



## fjf

I'd like to add the 2nd movement from Tchaikosky's 4th symphony.


----------



## Lodewijk

Can anybody help me identify the following slow movement:

E E F# G G | D D E F F | E E E E E | E D C B A

The second and third notes of each phrase are eighth notes, rest are quarter notes, played really slowly. I really hop this makes sense and that someone can help me 

I think this is one of the most beautiful slow movements....

Mod: my apologies for posting in this forum. Please could you move to appropriate forum.


----------



## Pat Fairlea

I'm sure I have said this before on TC......
2nd movement of Shostakovich's 2nd Piano Concerto out-lovelies all competitors by an order of wonderfulness.


----------



## jailhouse

Mahler 5 adagietto. I mean come on now


----------



## DeepR

Bruckner 8, no contest. 
This rendition to be precise:


----------



## Stavrogin

I love these "no contest", "come on now", "by an order of wonderfulness"-type of comments. That's what I call a positive indication! Thanks.


----------



## DavidA

DeepR said:


> Bruckner 8, no contest.
> This rendition to be precise:


How can there be a 'no contest' in such a highly subjective thing? I could say 'no contest' to the sublimity of the slow movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto but I won't!


----------



## pcnog11

There are so many to choose from but Beethoven piano concerto no.5 comes to mind first.


----------



## Stavrogin

DavidA said:


> How can there be a 'no contest' in such a highly subjective thing? I could say 'no contest' to the sublimity of the slow movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto but I won't!


Well I'm guessing that there is no contest about what DeepR's favourite slow movement is?


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## pcnog11

Mozart piano no. 2 middle movement is a forgotten gem. Not a popular piece but nicely written and rarely played.


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## Bettina

I apologize for breaking the rules, but I need to do a top five list. There are so many slow movements that I love. (I'm interpreting "greatest" as "favorite.")

1. Beethoven, Cavatina from String Quartet Op. 130
2. Mozart, Adagio from Piano Concerto No. 23
3. Haydn, Adagio from Piano Sonata Hob. XVI:52
4. Beethoven, Adagio un poco mosso from the Emperor Concerto
5. Beethoven, Largo e Mesto from Piano Sonata No. 7


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## Francis Poulenc

Adagio from Mahler 3 is the greatest slow movement of all time. 

How someone can go unmoved by that is beyond me.


----------



## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

The Flight of the Bumblebee, played at 1/10 normal speed.


----------



## ST4

I think [insert popular opinion everyone will agree on] is the greatest slow movement ever, hands down! :tiphat:


----------



## Rhinotop

In this post wins Bruckner with his 7th Symphony (2nd mov.) or his 8th Symphony (3rd mov.)


----------



## Brahmsian Colors

This is the toughest question I have encountered in my short time on this site. It was easier for me to list some of the most beautiful pieces I have ever heard. Even then, there were (are) too many more to mention. I invariably derive much more pleasure from adagios and andantes relative to other movements, especially those of Brahms, Dvorak, Mahler and Schubert. I just can't leave out Debussy either.


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## hpowders

Any slow movement from the following Mozart solo keyboard concertos: 9, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.

Masterpiece after masterpiece.


----------



## Pugg

Francis Poulenc said:


> Adagio from Mahler 3 is the greatest slow movement of all time.
> 
> How someone can go unmoved by that is beyond me.


Great choice...................


----------



## Haydn man

My vote will go to Mozart PC 23 slow movement
Just sublime


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## hpowders

Haydn man said:


> My vote will go to Mozart PC 23 slow movement
> Just sublime


Yes. I voted for that one too a while back.


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## DeepR

DavidA said:


> How can there be a 'no contest' in such a highly subjective thing? I could say 'no contest' to the sublimity of the slow movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto but I won't!


These hyperbolic comments shouldn't be taken too seriously of course, but if I may speak for the others as well: these comments simply show how enthusiastic and passionate we are about our favorite music.


----------



## Francis Poulenc

DeepR said:


> These hyperbolic comments shouldn't be taken too seriously of course, but if I may speak for the others as well: these comments simply show how enthusiastic and passionate we are about our favorite music.


Your post is the best in the thread. No contest.


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## Francis Poulenc

delete (.............)


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## Amadeus Tentacles

How hasn't anyone written down Rachmaninoff 2nd movement of his Piano Concerto no 2 ESPECIALLY his last chords being played in unison with the symphony at the last minute. That is probably one of my most favorite slow movements ever. Listen to it if you haven't.


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## Pugg

How about Brahms second piano concerto, with the gorgeous clarinet playing.


----------



## Barbebleu

I haven't read through all the posts so apologies if someone has already nominated this. The second movement from Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez.


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## EdwardBast

Has anyone given the obvious answer yet?: No such thing! Just ask "What is your favorite slow movement?" and it will magically seem less silly.


----------



## Bettina

EdwardBast said:


> Has anyone given the obvious answer yet?: No such thing! Just ask "What is your favorite slow movement?" and it will magically seem less silly.


I agree. In fact, in post #265, I explained that I was interpreting "greatest" to mean "favorite." That might not be the interpretation that the OP intended. But it's the only interpretation that allows for a meaningful response.


----------



## Tchaikov6

Beethoven Hammerklavier Sonata, Adagio Movement.


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## Richard8655

Beethoven 9th, 3rd movement.


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## pcnog11

hpowders said:


> Any slow movement from the following Mozart solo keyboard concertos: 9, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.
> 
> Masterpiece after masterpiece.


hpowders, do you like the slow movement in Mozart Piano Concerto no. 2? So rarely performed, so simply and beautiful from a youngster that has not even reached his teenage years!


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## SixFootScowl

I don't know about the greatest slow movement but the slowest slow movement has to be 4'33"


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## Sloe

Florestan said:


> I don't know about the greatest slow movement but the slowest slow movement has to be 4'33"


The first and the second movements are slow but the third movement is really fast.


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## ronaldgeorge

Beethoven 7th
Ravel, Piano Concerto in G
Mahler, 9th
Barber, Piano Concerto, 2nd Symphony
Rautavaara, Clarinet Concerto 2nd


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## Pugg

Mozart piano concerto no 17 is also very moving.


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## Judith

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto 2nd movement
Beethoven 7th Symphony 2nd movement

Those are the two that come to mind that are really beautiful.'


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## Brahmsian Colors

placed in wrong thread


----------



## Mohayeji

Ashkenazy's recording of Larghetto from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27


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## Mohayeji

Florestan said:


> I don't know about the greatest slow movement but the slowest slow movement has to be 4'33"


Very funny!!! :|


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## hpowders

Still the adagio that begins Mahler 10. A requiem for humankind.


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## Brahmsianhorn

Bruckner 8th, followed closely by the finales of Mahler's 9th & Das Lied von der Erde and the Marche funebre from Beethoven's Eroica symphony

Some other great ones - 

Beethoven: 7th & 9th, Moonlight, Pathetique & Hammerklavier sonatas, SQ 14, Emperor concerto

Mahler: 3rd & 5th

Dvorak 9th

Barber Adagio

Bruckner 7th & 9th

Brahms: 3rd (3rd mov), piano concerto no. 2, clarinet quintet, Requiem mov. 4

Mozart: clarinet concerto, piano concertos 20, 21, 23 & 27, flute & harp concerto, Lacrymosa from the Requiem

Rachmaninoff: 2nd symphony, 2nd & 3rd piano concertos

Ravel piano concerto

Schubert Death and the Maiden Qt

Schumann 4th symphony

Prokofiev Field of the Dead from Alexander Nevsky

Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade middle movements

Shostakovich 5th symphony & 8th SQ

Tchaikovsky 5th & 6th (finale)


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## Pat Fairlea

Beethoven; Hammerklavier slow mvmnt 
Shostakovich; 2nd piano concerto slow mvmnt


----------



## Botschaft

Judith said:


> Beethoven 7th Symphony 2nd movement


I'm inclined to agree, but how slow is allegretto, though?


----------



## St Matthew

The slow movements in most Messiaen works are all next-level beautiful, the only thing I can compare their powerfulness to, is Mahler.


----------



## DiesIraeCX

My favorite slow movement has been and still is the the 3rd Mvt of Beethoven's 15th String Quartet, Op. 132

Molto Adagio: Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart" (Holy song of thanksgiving of a convalescent to the Deity, in the Lydian Mode)


----------



## Pat Fairlea

Improbus said:


> I'm inclined to agree, but how slow is allegretto, though?


That's a good example. A 'slow' movement can be a gentle Allegretto if, as in LVB's 7th, the other movements are driven along with force and energy.


----------



## Tchaikov6

hpowders said:


> Still the adagio that begins Mahler 10. A requiem for humankind.


Yup, that nine note build up in dissonance and then the resolution is simply breathtaking.


----------



## Skilmarilion

A great one, here. (@ 17:12).

*Martinů*: Symphony No. 4
_III. Largo_


----------



## Phil loves classical

Tchaikovsky Symphony 5 for me. Just listened to it earlier today. Dutoit's version is the most beautiful.


----------



## MusicSybarite

Two overwhelming slow movements from Bruckner's 7th and 8th symphonies.
Shostakovich's Violin concerto (Passacaglia). It's a profound meditation, kind of similar to the Symphony No. 5 3rd mov.
Bach's Double concerto for two violins. I've always liked the gentle beauty of this slow movement.
Finzi's Cello concerto. A personal favorite. Gorgeous!
Mahler's 6th symphony. This is the best slow movement by Mahler imho.
Schubert's Piano trio No. 2 and String quartet No. 15.
Beethoven's Piano sonata _Hammerklavier_ and Piano sonata No. 32.


----------



## Daniel Atkinson

Beethoven's 7th for me, is hard to forget



Daniel


----------



## Isiah Thanu

Barbers violin concerto, Harvey's guitar concerto are late discoveries , as good if not better than the usual Romantics already listed.
But really, there are so many truly wonderful second movements.


----------



## mathisdermaler

BRUCKNER 8 :angel::angel::angel:


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## hpowders

One of the finest slow movements I have ever heard is the andante second movement of Mozart's F Major Keyboard Sonata, No. 15, K.533. One of Mozart's most adventurous slow movements.

My favorite performance is by Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano. 13'30" of ethereal bliss.


----------



## derin684

Bach should've been mentioned more:

Maybe not the best but, surely one of the greatest: The second movement of BWV 1052.


----------



## Steve Mc

The _Air_ from the 3rd Orchestral Suite definitely has to be mentioned.

Also, the third movement of Bruckner's 9 is absolutely sublime.


----------



## Kollwitz

Bruckner 8. Incredible from beginning to end. The coda and few minutes before are so brilliant they possibly elevate it above the adagio from Bruckner 9 (tough call though). Bruckner 5's adagio has some sublime moments (the entry of the second theme in the lower strings) but maybe doesn't develop or resolve as well as 7, 8 or 9.

Mahler 6 is my favourite Mahler slow movement.

Myaskovsky 27's slow movement is very beautiful.


----------



## PlaySalieri

Many many Mozart slow movts - the 2nd mvt of pc 20 knocks spots off every other pc middle mvt I have ever heard. 

Mozart's fast mvts are his forte - but slow mvts are his specialty.


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## Steve Mc

The 2nd movement of the 23rd Piano Concerto is my favorite part of his entire oeuvre.


----------



## Mozart555

The 6th movement of Mahler's 3rd.


----------



## vgvalkyrie

Movement #6 from Mahler's 3rd


----------



## Jacck

I am not a big fan of slow movements, but I quite like the slow movement from *Chopin's piano concerto 1*


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## kyjo

Jacck said:


> I am not a big fan of slow movements


 Slow movements are the heart and soul of classical music!


----------



## Urban Strata

Another vote for the 6th movement of Mahler 3.

Is someone compiling the votes so we can pronounce the "definitive" winner? :lol:


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## Steve Mc

kyjo said:


> Slow movements are the heart and soul of classical music!


Yes they are!! For the most part....


----------



## Rogerx

Beethoven Triple Concerto, 2nd movement.


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## MusicSybarite

What about the slow movement from the Brahms' String Sextet No. 1? I love it. Really intense and sad.


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## Brahmsian Colors

Favorite is second movement _andante_ from Brahms' Symphony #3


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## kyjo

MusicSybarite said:


> What about the slow movement from the Brahms' String Sextet No. 1? I love it. Really intense and sad.


It's great indeed - such depth of feeling and richness of texture. I especially love the variation where the two cellos play ascending and descending scales in octaves!


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## kyjo

Haydn67 said:


> Favorite is second movement _andante_ from Brahms' Symphony #3


It's very nice - but for me, it can't surpass the third movement's poignant elegiac beauty.


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## kyjo

Greatest ever? Probably the finale of Mahler 9 for me - some of the most heartbreakingly poignant music ever written. Also, two lesser-known chamber works I've discovered recently have the most lovely slow movements - Vaughan Williams' Piano Quintet and Taneyev's Piano Quartet.


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## AfterHours

These are the best 25 I came up with quickly (so I'm sure I missed a number of others that are as worthy, or not far off). 

1. 1st Movement - Symphony #9 - Mahler
2. 5th Movement (Chaconne) - Violin Partita #2 - JS Bach
3. 3rd Movement - String Quartet #15 - Beethoven
4. 2nd Movement - Piano Sonata #32 - Beethoven
5. 1st Movement - Symphony #8 - Schubert (if this qualifies)
6. 4th Movement - String Quartet #14 - Beethoven
7. 2nd Movement - Symphony #15 - Shostakovich
8. 3rd Movement - Piano Sonata #30 - Beethoven
9. 1st Movement - Symphony #6 - Tchaikovsky (if this qualifes; bookends as an Adagio)
10. 4th Movement - Symphony #15 - Shostakovich
11. 2nd Movement - Symphony #9 - Dvorak
12. 3rd Movement - Symphony #8 - Schnittke
13. 4th Movement - Symphony #9 - Mahler
14. 2nd Movement - Symphony #3 - Beethoven
15. 1st Movement - Symphonie Fantastique - Berlioz
16. 2nd Movement - Symphony #9 - Schubert
17. 4th Movement - Symphony #6 - Tchaikovsky
18. 1st Movement - Piano Sonata #21 - Schubert
19. 2nd Movement - String Quintet - Schubert
20. 2nd Movement - String Quartet #14 - Schubert
21. 3rd Movement - Piano Sonata #29 - Beethoven
22. 2nd Movement - Piano Sonata #21 - Schubert
23. 2nd Movement - Piano Sonata #20 - Schubert
24. 6th Movement - Das Lied von der Erde - Mahler
25. 2nd Movement - Symphony #8 - Schubert


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## Guest

Sibelius 4th
Haydn 99th
Mahler 6th


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## Alkan

Schubert, in his final year or two, wrote slow movements I believe are the most profound:

from Piano Sonata in Bb
from Piano Trio in Eb
from Symphony #8
from String Quintet


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## Manxfeeder

MusicSybarite said:


> What about the slow movement from the Brahms' String Sextet No. 1? I love it. Really intense and sad.


Hey, anything that can make a Vulcan cry is notable. (At 2:23)


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## Tallisman

Bruckner 7 Adagio

Honourable mentions:
Ravel Piano Concerto in G Mvmt 2
Mozart: 21st Piano Concerto Mvmt 2
Beethoven 4th Mvmt 2
Beethoven: Heiliger Dankgesang
Beethoven: Slow movement from 16th string quartet
Bruckner 6 Mvmt 2
Bruckner 8 Mvmt 3

I also love that little 2nd movement andante from Mahler's Resurrection. The slow movement from the 6th is lovely too, but doesn't reach Brucknerian metaphysical heights, nor Beethovenian nobility.


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## Tallisman

hpowders said:


> Still the adagio that begins Mahler 10. A requiem for humankind.


Good shout, actually.


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## Guest

I see I am not alone in putting Bruckner 8 up at the top rank. Beethoven 7, Brahms 4, Mozart PC 25, Brahms Sextet No 1 also come to mind. Some very find slow movements from Martinu, the 4th symphony mentioned above is probably a good representative of his style. I want to mention something by Saygun but I can't quite put my finger on which would be the best choice. I can't pretend to pick the best or make a ranked list.


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## Tallisman

Beginning at 17:18, almost sent me into a weeping ecstasy at several times. Great performance of one of the hardest symphonies to pull off well. The slow movement is divine, and almost reaches some of the same heights as the 7th.


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## Tallisman

EdwardBast said:


> Has anyone given the obvious answer yet?: No such thing! Just ask "What is your favorite slow movement?" and it will magically seem less silly.


Just go along with it and your '_there is no objective answer_' response will magically seem less boring.


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## Guest

Tallisman said:


> Beginning at 17:18, almost sent me into a weeping ecstasy at several times. Great performance of one of the hardest symphonies to pull off well. The slow movement is divine, and almost reaches some of the same heights as the 7th.


That is also one of my very favorites, much higher in my personal pantheon than the 7th.


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## GeorgeMcW

Really - any Beethoven slow movement. The stillness. The sublime.
Ravel Piano Con in G- slow movement
Chopin both piano concerto's slow movements
All Mahler slow movements, but esp in 3rd, 6th 9th and 10th symphonies
Strauss Metamorphosen - is there (apart from Mahler) a more devastating piece of music? 
Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht .. and in that case, could I add the Tristan Prelude and Parsifal???


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## Mecc

Definitely the Adagietto from Mahler's Fifth Symphony but from that list I personally prefer Beethoven


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## DaveM

The Bruckner 2nd Andante has to be on the short list:


----------



## SONDEK

Not my absolute favourite slow movement, but a truly great one that's yet to be mentioned. (I don't think...)

*SHOSTAKOVICH*
Nocturne from the Gadfly Suite
Op. 97A

My favourite version - got several - is by *Andre Kostelanetz & His Orchestra* (Circa 1965). You'll find it here...









It's immaculately played and recorded and definitely worth hunting-down a copy...


----------



## Eusebius12

Beethoven 9, Schumann 2, the adagio from the Hammerklavier, Mozart piano concertos 22-24, Elgar cello concerto. Also Rachmaninov piano concerto no.2. It is a bit wet, but it is still gorgeous, a piece to win over any non-classical-lover. What about Nacht un Traueme? Der Doppelgaenger, Ach ich fuehls, the Crucifixus of Bach's B Minor mass, Erbarme Dich? Plenty of 'slow movements' from the world of vocal and choral music


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## Eusebius12

yes that's my favourite easy listening Shostakovitch


----------



## geralmar

Kalinnikov Symphony #1, 2nd movement. Snow falling in the moonlight deep in the forest. (Sorry; but some music affects me pictorally.)






Also, Mahler Symphony #10, purgatorio.


----------



## leonsm

Slow movements from:

Mahler's 6th
Bruckner's 3rd; 8th
Atterberg's 2nd; 3rd; 5th; 6th; Cello Concerto
Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major
Arnold's 5th
Beethoven's SQ no. 15
Prokofiev's Violin Concerto no. 2
Schnittke's Cello Concerto no. 1 (mvt. IV)
Villa-Lobos' 3rd (mvt. III)


----------



## BiscuityBoyle




----------



## Pure Fool

The adagio to Bruckner's 8th, especially the 1971 recording by Rudolf Kempe with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra.


----------



## endelbendel

Adagio of the Waldstein Son., and LVB Q #16 fugue.


----------



## distantprommer

The slow movement of the Shostakovich 2nd Piano Concerto.


----------



## Cristian Lee

Kurt Atterberg - Symphony No. 5 in D minor "Sinfonia funèbre"


----------



## Botschaft




----------



## RogerWaters

The slow movement in:

Bach - Brandenburg Concert 1 (the Adagio)
Bach - Sonata for Viola Da Gamba and Harpsichord BWV 127 (the Andante)
Bach - Double Violin Concerto BWV 1043
Bach - Goldberg Variations (the aria)
Bach - French Suite 1 (the Saranbande)
Bach - Partita 1 (the Sarabande)
Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 3, 17, 29 and 31
Beethoven - Piano Concerto 5 
Beethoven - Symphonies 3 and 7
Brahms - Piano Concerto 2
Brahms - Piano Sonata 3
Bruckner - Symphonies 7 and 8
Mozart - Clarinet Concerto
Mozart - Clarinet Quintet
Mozart - Divertimento K.136
Mozart - Notturno in D K. 286
Mozart - Violin Sonata K.377
Sibelius - Symphony 1
Schubert - Piano Trio 2


----------



## Phil loves classical

My single favourite slow movement has to be the Adagio to Corelli's Christmas Concerto. I recently heard the slow movement of this on the radio and have gotten hooked to it. Starts at 3:11


----------



## jdec

Phil loves classical said:


> My single favourite slow movement has to be the Adagio to Corelli's Christmas Concerto. I recently heard the slow movement of this on the radio and have gotten hooked to it. Starts at 3:11


Wrong video? Not Corelli's Christmas concerto.


----------



## hammeredklavier

jdec said:


> Wrong video? Not Corelli's Christmas concerto.


"I recently heard the slow movement of *this* on the radio and have gotten hooked to it. Starts at 3:11"

by "this" Phil means the J.C. Bach symphony, and the slow movement starts right at 3:11.


----------



## hammeredklavier




----------



## Phil loves classical

jdec said:


> Wrong video? Not Corelli's Christmas concerto.


For Corelli's Christmas Concerto Adagio check out Cantelina's version. It's not on Youtube, but found it on Spotify.


----------



## fbjim

Does an andante count? Schubert 9/ 2. Andante might be my favorite orchestral movement of the early 19th century.


----------



## Phil loves classical

fbjim said:


> Does an andante count? Schubert 9/ 2. Andante might be my favorite orchestral movement of the early 19th century.


Agree. That's a great movement. I think easily my favourite thing by Schubert.


----------



## DeepR

For solo piano: Scriabin - Piano Sonata 3 - Andante


----------



## 59540

Beethoven Op. 109 third movement, Beethoven Op. 111 second movement, Mahler 9th/ movt 4, Bruckner 7th (movt 2) and 9th (movt 3).


----------



## Merl

What a shame we can't nominate the slow movements of string quartets. Some SQ slow movements beat orchestral movements hands-down, IMO.


----------



## 59540

Merl said:


> What a shame we can't nominate the slow movements of string quartets. Some SQ slow movements beat orchestral movements hands-down, IMO.


Yes, the first movement of Beethoven's Op. 131.


----------



## fbjim

Merl said:


> What a shame we can't nominate the slow movements of string quartets. Some SQ slow movements beat orchestral movements hands-down, IMO.


kind of a famous one, but i adore the droning cello lines in Shosty 8./1


----------



## Calipso

For me, second movement of Beethoven Eroica is much better than third movement from his 9th symphony. Mahler Adagietto is incredible boring, I cant realize why is so popular. For example, Barber Adagio for strings is more powerful and emotional. Tchaikovsky wrote many wonderful slow movements. Slow movements from Mozart piano concertos are beautiful.

Third movement from Prokofiev 5th symphony is amazing. Larghetto from his 5th piano concerto is wonderful and very interesting. Also, andante from his Violin sonata 1 is marvelous piece.


----------



## Calipso

Middle movement from Beethoven 4th piano concerto is remarkable, too.


----------



## Calipso

Middle movement from Beethoven 4th piano concerto is remarkable, too.


----------



## Kreisler jr

Merl said:


> What a shame we can't nominate the slow movements of string quartets. Some SQ slow movements beat orchestral movements hands-down, IMO.


Yes. The 10 greatest or so are mostly string quartets, all of late Beethoven + op.59,1+2 +op.18,1 + late Haydn, + Schubert string quintet etc.

Concerto:

Bach, Violin concerto E major
Mozart, Piano concerti K 271, 453, 456, 482, 488, 491, 595
Beethoven, piano concerto #5 
Brahms, piano concerto #1
Saint-Saens, violin concerto #3
Dvoraks, cello concerto
Bartok, piano concerto #3

Symphony:

Haydn, symphony #86, 88, 102
Beethoven, symphony #3,#9
Schubert, symphony b minor, Great C major (although neither is very slow)
Schumann, symphony #2
Brahms, symphony #4
Dvorak, symphony #7
Bruckner, symphonies 7,8,9
Mahler, symphonies #4, #6, #9
Bartok, music for strings, percussion, celesta


----------



## PuerAzaelis

How about Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 Adagio sostenuto


----------



## Cristian Lee

Another great slow movement: Kurt Atterberg's cello concerto.


----------



## RussianFlute

The Andante (3rd mvmt) in Schnittke's symphony No.0 (A work that he never officially published) is so good. Sometimes it makes me wonder what music he could've made if he stuck with the more conventional style.


----------



## Phredd

It's only been mentioned a couple of times, but I really like the 3rd movement of Rachy 2 (Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony, for those of you not into "cool" speak).


----------



## Pat Fairlea

As this thread has come around again, how about the Epilogue that ends RVW's 6th Symphony? Slow, sustained pianissimo. Bleak, in the right hands.


----------



## Calipso

It is quartet, but last movement from Prokofiev first string quartet is great.


----------



## sfrobcurry

*Greatest slow movements*

So so many (I'm sure to kick myself after posting, when I remember huge favorites)…those that send me to heaven.
Mahler 2 (Urlicht), 3, 5 (yeah I know it's a cliche)
Bruckner 6, 7 & 8
Schumann 2nd symphony and Violin concerto (almost too painfully tragic to bare)
Rachmaninov symphony 2 & 3, piano concerto 1, 2, 3 & 4
Ravel G major piano concerto 
Beethoven symphony 9, piano concerto 4 & 5
Bach…pretty much every 2nd movement of every concerto 
Ives symphony 2
Sibelius, Brahms, Bruch, Wieniawski 1 Violin concerto
Wagner Siegfried Idyll (am I allowed that one? I guess not!)…apropos of cheeky ones that probably don't qualify…Schoenberg's Verklaerte Nacht and Strauss's Metamorphosen
Liszt piano concerto 2 (no slow movement technically, but rather the deliciousness of the "slow movement" section with cello)
Shostakovich piano concerto 2 (delightful in its simplicity)
Mendelssohn piano concerto 1
Chopin piano concerto 2
…if we're allowed piano sonatas, this list will get positively Proustian!!!!


----------



## sfrobcurry

Oh absolutely! Heaven!


----------



## sfrobcurry

Apropos of Prokofiev. If we’re allowed sonatas. The 2 nd movement of his 7th sonata is, for my ears, profoundly moving.


----------



## Neo Romanza

To anyone who is questioning whether they can include slow movements from chamber or solo piano works, remember this quote from the OP:



Amfibius said:


> Restrict your nominations to Concertos or Symphonies, please.


----------



## MusicSybarite

From a concerto:

*Shostakovich - Passacaglia from his Violin Concerto No. 1*

From a symphony:

*Bruckner - Symphony No. 9 (III)*


----------



## sfrobcurry

You’re absolutely right. Apologies. I forgot the initial criteria…got carried away.


----------



## hammeredklavier

Kreisler jr said:


> Haydn, symphony #86, 88, 102


----------



## Taplow

Might I nominate the Adagio from Bach's Brandenburg No. 3 in G, which I present here in its entirety:


----------



## Beethoven fanatic

I think the second movement of Sibelius's Violin Concerto is a bit underrated. Personally, it's my favorite slow movement.


----------



## Rogerx

Beethoven fanatic said:


> I think the second movement of Sibelius's Violin Concerto is a bit underrated. Personally, it's my favorite slow movement.


And that form a Beethoven Fanatic , gracious, welcome by the way .


----------



## Anankasmo

Far too few mentions of the ravishingly beautiful and incredibly scored Poco Adagio from Saint-Saens 3rd symphony.


----------



## Aries

Some of the best in chronological order:

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3: II. Adagio
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4: II. Andantino
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5: II. Andante
Bruckner: Symphony No. 5: II. Adagio
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8: III. Adagio
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade: II. Lento
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2: II. Andante
Mahler: Symphony No. 9: I. Andante
Mahler: Symphony No. 9: IV. Adagio
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2: II. Andante
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7: III. Adagio

As the very best I choose the Adagio of Bruckners 8th and the Adagio of Shostakovichs 7th.


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## hammeredklavier

Perhaps not the greatest, but worth a listen (the harmonies at 1:56~2:10 , 2:26~2:40 , for instance):


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## Phil loves classical

This is really beautiful to me:


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## Waehnen

The Adagio of Sibelius’s 7th Symphony is the most beautiful slow movement I have ever heard. (Everything until things really start to speed up.)


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## RobertJTh

1. The adagio from Bruckner's 6th. To me it's the most beautiful thing Bruckner ever wrote, but I guess that opinion may be controversial.






2. Elgar's 2nd, larghetto






3. Mahler 6, andante moderato. This movement really grew on me. Never thought much of it, but the more I listened to it, the more I realized that it's one of the most perfectly shaped slow movements from the late romantic/early modern era.


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## Rogerx

Piano Concerto 5 "Emperor" "Adagio Un Poco Mosso" gets my vote


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## golfer72

slow movement form Elgar Violin Concerto


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## ORigel

Mahler 9 movement IV is surely a top contender for the "greatest" symphonic slow movement.


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## ORigel

For concertos...I pick the second movement of Bach's Double Violin Concerto, and the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 27


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## Shea82821

The greatest ever? Now that is one hell of a challenge.

There are a few very obvious contenders. The Adagio's from Bruckner's 9th, Mahler's 9th, Tchaikovsky's 6th, and of course we cannot forget the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th. But I also can't forget the Allegretto in Beethoven's 7th, and the Marche Funebre in the Eroica.

And then there are more personal contenders for the greatest. Such as the Adagio in Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor. Or the Lento in Malcolm Arnold's 9th - which I find to be one of the most emotionally painful movements of any recent symphony. Similarly, the closing of Pettersson's Symphony no.7. More a _slower section_ than a slow movement per-se - I think only the 3rd, 8th and 12th are in more than one movement - but my God it is a powerful point of catharsis. Not without trouble though. It's just like the final chord of Arnold's 9th: a release of uneasy resettlement. Beautiful in it's own right to my ear, even if some may concur.

Oh, and I almost forgot: the opening hymn to Hovhaness' Symphony no.66. Maybe the best of his late-period mountain chorales, outside the opening of Symphony no.50.


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## SONDEK

Greatest symphonic slow movement ever? That's tough...

I've arrived at a list of slow movements; a list that I can prioritize no further...

BEETHOVEN, PIANO CONCERTO NO. 5, Adagio Unpoco Moto
CHOPIN, PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2, Larghetto
DEBUSSY, PRELUDE A L'APRES-MIDI DUN FAUNE
HOLST, THE PLANETS, Venus (Bringer of Peace)
MAHLER, SYMPHONY NO. 5, Adagietto
RAVEL, PIANO CONCERTO IN G, Adagio Assai

Honourable Mentions...
DVORAK SYMPHONY NO. 9 (New World) Adagio
LISZT, FAUST SYMPHONY, Gretchen
LIST, PIANO CONCETO NO. 1, Quasi Adagio
MAHLER, SYMPHONY NO. 4, Ruhevoll
PROKOFIEV, SUMMER NIGHT SUITE, Serenade
TCHAIKOVSKY, NUTCRACKER, Coffee Arabian Dance
TCHAIKOVSKY, SYMPHONY NO. 5, Andante Cantabile

And were Chamber Music included in the survey...
BORODIN, STRING QUARTET NO. 2 In D, Nocturne

I've greatly appreciated the earlier recommendations on this thread - many of them new to me - but to my ears, nothing I've heard displaces these works.

Whilst my list lacks obscure pieces, I do hope someone finds something new to enjoy here.


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## Heck148

ORigel said:


> Mahler 9 movement IV is surely a top contender for the "greatest" symphonic slow movement.


Right, same with Mahler #3/VI, and Bruckner #7/II


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## RobertJTh

ORigel said:


> Mahler 9 movement IV is surely a top contender for the "greatest" symphonic slow movement.


The first movement is far superior, in my opinion.


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## Kreisler jr

But Mahler 9,i is not really a slow movement. Marked "andante", it's a moderately paced "first sonata movement", so I would not count it as a slow movement in the usual sense.


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## Heck148

Kreisler jr said:


> But Mahler 9,i is not really a slow movement. Marked "andante", it's a moderately paced "first sonata movement", so I would not count it as a slow movement in the usual sense.


Right, M9/I isn't really a "slow" movement...for the reasons you cite....also, it doesn't really function as a "slow" movement in the symphony...


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## Aries

Heck148 said:


> Right, M9/I isn't really a "slow" movement...for the reasons you cite....also, it doesn't really function as a "slow" movement in the symphony...


But doesn't the fourth movement function as Finale?

What is a real slow movement?


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## PlaySalieri

Mozart Clarinet Concerto.


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## bz3

Bruckner 7 is my vote.


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## RollOvaMozart

Gorecki's 3rd 1st Mvt


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## RobertJTh

Kreisler jr said:


> But Mahler 9,i is not really a slow movement. Marked "andante", it's a moderately paced "first sonata movement", so I would not count it as a slow movement in the usual sense.





Heck148 said:


> Right, M9/I isn't really a "slow" movement...for the reasons you cite....also, it doesn't really function as a "slow" movement in the symphony...


I always considered Mahler 9 a symphony with two slow movements sandwiching 2 fast ones. Maybe that's a simplistic view, but the first movement is far from a typical sonata form opening, it's a complex hybrid of sonata and variation form.
What do you think about the first movement of the 10th then? The whole symphony is formally almost a carbon copy of the 9th, with some extra weirdness (in the form of the "Purgatorio" movement) in the middle.


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## RollOvaMozart

I discount Mahler 10 albeit not as much as I discount Beethoven 10 ... 9 was a good number for both imho


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## Heck148

Aries said:


> But doesn't the fourth movement function as Finale?
> 
> What is a real slow movement?


for me, the Finale is the slow mvt, same with Sym #3.


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## ORigel

I will list the composers that composed my favorite slow movements:

1) Mozart-- slow movements of Piano Concertos 20, 21, 22, 24, and 27

2) Beethoven-- several slow movements from his symphonies (3, 5, 7, 9), piano sonatas (29, 30, 32), string quartets (7, 9, 12, 13, 14/6, 15, 16), and concertos (Emperor, Violin)

3) Schubert-- slow movements of Symphony 9 "Great", String Quartet 14 and 15, and String Quintet

4) Bruckner-- Symphonies 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9

5) Mahler-- DLVDE movement 6, Symphony 9 movements 1 and 4


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## Kreisler jr

It's not mainly the position but the type of movement. In Mahler's 3rd the finale is the main slow movement and clearly a "typical" slow movement despite its position as finale and the alto solo as a shorter earlier slow movement. In his 4th the first movement and song finale are/start moderately slow but they are not slow movements, partly because of their form and faster sections, partly because there obviously is another huge slow movement. The clearest parallel (because it extends to the inner movements, one "waltzy" and one "brutal" scherzo-type) is for me Tchaikovsky's 6th with the slow movement as finale and although his first movement is faster, it has slow sections (the famous second theme goes to almost half tempo of the allegro and it also ends slowly).

"Andante comodo" is not slower than "Bedächtig. Nicht eilen" (unhurried) of the 4th (actually, if one goes by the German indications in the 4th all movements are moderately slow or very slow... nevertheless the first two movements are still recognizable as "sonata allegro" and "scherzo"). And in bar 92 of 9,i it says "a tempo (Allegro moderato)", which is a bit strange because I hadn't seen any "allegro moderato" before (probably the speeding up to "etwas frischer" "more lively" in bar 80?).

In Bruckner, Schubert, sometimes Beethoven and Haydn (some quartets from op.9+17 have "moderato" first movements) we also have moderate sonata form first movements that are not slow movements, although an "allegretto" or "moderato" could be also a slow movement (such in Beethoven's 7th)


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## HenryPenfold

I can't choose between LvB 9 and Bruckner 8


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## Vahe Sahakian

Finale from Mahler 3rd
Bruckner 8th
Shostakovich 11th, first movement
Elgar sym #1, slow movement


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## szabomd

My two favorites are Mozart piano concerto 23 and Tchaikovsky symphony 1 2nd movements


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## KevinW

Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 second movement, and Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 second movement. Brahms Violin Concerto Second movement is also excellently beautiful!


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## hammeredklavier

Kreisler jr said:


> It's not mainly the position but the type of movement. In Mahler's 3rd the finale is the main slow movement and clearly a "typical" slow movement despite its position as finale and the alto solo as a shorter earlier slow movement. ..........


+,
20:05


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## SanAntone

Debussy: String Quartet - iii.

Brahms: Clarinet Sonata in F Minor, Op. 120, No. 1 - ii.

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G - ii.


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## Heck148

Vahe Sahakian said:


> Finale from Mahler 3rd
> Bruckner 8th
> Shostakovich 11th, first movement
> Elgar sym #1, slow movement


Shostakovich definitely gets some contenders into the mix-
Sym #11/III
Sym #8/I
Also Syms 1, 5, 7 are all have excellent slow mvts


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## dko22

clavichorder said:


> I love the slow movement of Tchaikovsky's first symphony, and the slow movement to his Fourth as well. Also, his second has a very catchy slow march of a second movement.


The slow movement of Tchaikovsky 1 was my first great love in classical music and is still important. Nowadays, top has to be Bruckner — perhaps no. 6 though virtually a toss up with 9


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## DeepR

Obscure as it is, Siegmund von Hausegger - Nature Symphony, 2nd movement, would be a serious contender for me.


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## dko22

I'm always on the lookout for new late Romantic symphonists and had never come across von Hausegger. It's interesting that this Nature Symphony was completed in the same year (1911) as work on the Alpine Symphony started as I'm sure many will draw a comparison even if on the surface they might not have that much in common. In the end, when I'm comparing a beautiful and finely written movement like this with what my absolute favourites are, it comes down to little more than melodic distinctiveness and that is so subjective! Anyway, I much appreciate the tip!


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## Markbridge

Aramis said:


> - Third movement of Mahler 6th


Aramis, I know what you did there. Bravo!


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## Markbridge

I did go through all of the entries, but I'll add the 2nd movement to Bruckner's 4th.


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## Markbridge

While cutting the grass I thought of two more movements I would add as the "Greatest slow movement ever" category: Nielsen's 3rd symphony, 2nd movement & Vaughan Williams 2nd symphony, 2nd movement.


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## GMB

HenryPenfold said:


> I can't choose between LvB 9 and Bruckner 8


I favour the Bruckner, but it is a toss up between the two for me!


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## MusicSybarite

For me, it has to be the _Andante moderato_ from Mahler's Sixth (Karajan/BPO recording). There is something ineffable here that words fail to explain.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

Without a doubt, the slow movement of Brahms's Clarinet Sonata Op. 120 no. 1.


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## marlow

I don’t think anyone can really pick out the ‘greatest’ but this is mesmeric!


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## RobertJTh

Don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but the adagio from Schumann's 2nd is one of the most beautiful romantic symphony movements I know.


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## Scherzi Cat

Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez, Movement II


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## EvaBaron

Mozart piano concerto no. 23 2nd movement, it was played at my grandpa’s funeral and that was the first time I ever heard it. I almost never listen to it for that reason but I know it’s the most beautiful thing ever composed. I feel like Mozart produced the most happy and most sorrowful and beautiful music. Still feel like he is underrated compared to Beethoven


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## justekaia

EvaBaron said:


> Mozart piano concerto no. 23 2nd movement, it was played at my grandpa’s funeral and that was the first time I ever heard it. I almost never listen to it for that reason but I know it’s the most beautiful thing ever composed. I feel like Mozart produced the most happy and most sorrowful and beautiful music. Still feel like he is underrated compared to Beethoven


Here we have several points of agreement. mozart's piano concertos are a treasure of humanity. beethoven two first piano concertos are derivative of mozart. beethoven's third concerto is great, but his fourth is marred by the inadequate second movement which does not fit in the overall structure. the fifth is great if played by the right pianist.
with mozart every piano concerto is near perfect, some are closely related to his operas and really superlative. plse also listen to the proto-beethovenian fantasia in D minor K 397 preferably by zacharias. I am sure beethoven must have known this piece. the thing is that mozart is superior to beethoven in his piano concertos, his clarinet music, his operas, his sacred music. regarding the symphonies i think beethoven went farther than mozart, but some of mozart's symphonies are magical like the prague and the jupiter. Beethoven was superior in his chamber music because of his unbeatable string quartets. so we are very much talking about equals if we consider their overall output.


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## justekaia

Ravel's second movement of his Concerto in G played by the fiery, unpredictable and lovely Martha Argerich.


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## Andrew Kenneth

*Anton Bruckner* - 7th symphony - adagio


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## Nate Miller

for me its the 2nd movement of Beethoven's 7th


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## Neo Romanza

It would be impossible to narrow down favorite my favorite slow movement since there are a plethora of them that I love.

In the spirit of this thread, here are a few that I love unequivocally and in this list I'll only list symphonies (I'm going to probably end up doing multiple lists) --- in no particular order:

Mahler: _Symphony No. 6 - III. Andante moderato_
Mahler: _Symphony No. 5 - IV. Adagietto_
Mahler: _Symphony No. 9 - IV. Adagio_
Mahler: _Symphony No. 4 - III. Ruhevoll, poco adagio_
Mahler: _Symphony No. 3 - VI. Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden_
Bruckner: _Symphony No. 9 - III. Adagio (Langsam, feierlich)_
Bruckner: _Symphony No. 6 - II. Adagio. Sehr feierlich_
Bruckner: _Symphony No. 8 - III. Adagio: Feierlich langsam; doch nicht schleppend_
Sibelius: _Symphony No. 2 - II. Tempo andante, ma rubato_
Sibelius: _Symphony No. 4 - III. Il tempo largo_
Shostakovich: _Symphony No. 5 - III. Largo_
Shostakovich: _Symphony No. 7, 'Leningrad' - III. Adagio_
Shostakovich: _Symphony No. 13, 'Babi Yar' - IV. Strachi (Fears): Largo_
Vaughan Williams: _A Pastoral Symphony - IV. Lento_Shostakovich: _Symphony No. 13, 'Babi Yar' - 
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 - III. Romanza
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 6 - IV. Epilogue: Moderato
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 8 - III. Cavatina: Per stromenti ad arco
Martinů: Symphony No. 2 - II. Andante Moderato
Honegger: Symphony No. 3, 'Liturgique' - II. "De Profundis Clamavi" - Adagio
Roussel: Symphony No. 1 'Le Poème de la forêt' - III. Soir d'été - Très lent
Roussel: Symphony No. 3 - II. Adagio
Milhaud: Symphony No. 6 - III. Lent et doux_

I'm sure I can think of some more later._ _


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## Brahmsianhorn

1. Bruckner 8th (iii)
2. Mahler 9th (iv)
3. Brahms 3rd (iii)
4. Beethoven 3rd (ii)
5. Mahler 5th (iv)
6. Rachmaninoff 2nd (iii)
7. Beethoven 9th (iii)
8. Brahms 2nd piano concerto (iii)
9. Beethoven 7th (ii)
10. Ravel piano concerto (ii)


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## CLASSICAL LOVE

01. Ravel - Piano concerto G-dur (Argerich / Abbado / Berliner) - II movement: adagio assai
02. Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto n. 2 (Richter / Warsaw P.O. / Wislocki) - II movement: adagio sostenuto

Cheers.


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## maestro267

Korngold - Symphony (III)
Mahler 3 (VI)
Tchaikovsky 6 (IV)
Beethoven 9 (III)
Dvorak 9 (II)


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## brahmsderonincourt

Aramis said:


> Romance from Chopin's F minor concerto
> Middle movement of Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto
> Last movement of Tchaikovsky's 6th and second of 5th
> Third movement of Mendelssohn's 3rd symphony
> Last of Schubert's Unfinished
> Middle movement of Karłowicz's violin concerto
> Middle movement of Ravel's Concerto in G
> Third movement of Mahler 6th


-Third movement of Beethoven's Hammerclavier Sonata
-Middle movement of Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata
-Middle movement of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata
-Third movement of Schumann's 2nd Symphony 
-Second movement of Bizet's youthful Symphony in C (always sounds really exotic; should be more well-known).


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## Pat Fairlea

Two piano concerto slow movements that I absolutely love are from Shostakovich's 2nd PC and Rachmaninoff's 1st.


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