# Your Favorite Works of All Time



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

For some this will be much harder to do, for me it's easier since my exposure isn't as large, but, here I go:

Rite of Spring
Mozart 40th and 41st symphonies
All Mozart Piano Sonatas.
Mozart's Requiem
Mozart's Fantasia in D.
Dvorak's New World Symphony
Beethoven's 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 9th Symphonies.
Beethoven's Fur Elise and Moonlight Sonata
Beethoven Fidelio
Chopin's Nocturnes
Chopin's Waltzes
Debussy Suite Bergamask (Sp?)
Debussy Pelleas Et Melissande 
Ravel Bolero
Bach Brandenburg Concertos
Bach St. Matthew's Passion
Vivaldi's Four Seasons
Haydn's Piano Sonatas
Satie's Famous Gymnoposieum (sp?)


I think that's it...lots of the more popular works, I know.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Right now:

1. Brahms, Violin Concerto
2. Bruckner, 8th symphony
3. Beethoven, 9th symphony
4. Mahler, 9th symphony
5. Brahms, 1st piano concerto
6. Brahms, 3rd symphony
7. Beethoven, Moonlight sonata
8. Mahler, 5th symphony
9. Brahms, Requiem
10. Beethoven, 5th symphony


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

I tend to go into phases of different composers and pieces I get obsessed with. So right now it's Wagner and Prokofiev.

So right now The Ring Cycle and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet are my two favorite pieces


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## BiscuityBoyle (Feb 5, 2018)

Bartok - The Miraculous Mandarin, PC 1, Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion, String Quartets 4,5
Hindemith - Suite 1922
Mozart - Cosi Fan Tutte, String Quintet in G minor 
Copland - Piano Variations 
Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 30, 32 
Ligeti - Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto, Chamber Concerto 
Kurtag - Kafka Fragments 
Schumann - Symphonic Etudes, Bunte Blatter 
Prokofiev - Symphony 3, Scythian Suite, Piano Sonata 6, Violin Sonata 1 
Bach - English Suite 6 
Debussy - too many to choose any one work


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## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

I am cycling through Schubert's Chamber music at present. Out of that I have to go with the 15th String Quartet; I feel safe somewhat when I hear that opening chord. In a couple of weeks though I could be back on the Bruckner.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Bach - way too many to list.
Beethoven - Cello Sonatas, op. 5 and "Hammerklavier" Piano Sonata.
Chopin - Preludes
Handel - Keyboard Suites
Haydn - String Quartets, op. 20 and Keyboard Sonata no. 58
Mozart - Clarinet Concerto, Oboe Quartet, Requiem and Great Mass in C minor.
Myaskovsky - Violin Concerto


More later when I have the time.


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## Hermastersvoice (Oct 15, 2018)

Guys, please tell us why. We can all read recording catalogues.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Interests change from time to time but here are a few I ALWAYS come back to:

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto - for me its the perfect length, perfect balance between form and expression, perfect range of emotions and styles, perfect amount of virtuosity that is actually derived from the motivic material, and its fun.

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto - beautiful instrument timbre in the clarinet and perfectly composed melodic material that is gorgeous and perfect for development.

Dvorak's Cello Concerto - Gorgeously written and orchestrated, some of the most beautiful melodic material, the story behind the coda of the finale just tears you apart emotionally.

Beethoven's 7th - Wonderful from start to finish. Joyful first movement, haunting second movement, playful third movement, and insanely fast and fun fourth movement. I never get tired of this one.

Shostakovich's 5th - Composer fighting for his life, intense hidden meanings, amazing contrasts in each movement, amazing finale that never gets old no matter how many times I've heard it.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Prokofiev - Visions Fugitive
Schubert - Piano Sonatas nos. 18/20/21
Schumann - Davidsbundlertanze
Schumann - Kreisleriana
Schumann - Humoreske
Shostakovich - Sym. 10 and Preludes and Fugues, op. 87
Strauss - Alpine Symphony
Weber - Grand Duo Concertant


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## DGH (Nov 18, 2013)

Like everyone I go through moods and cycles, but the pieces that will eternally be most important to me are:

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 8, 14, 15, 17, 21, 23, 29, 32
Beethoven: Symphonies 5, 7, 9
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 3, 4, 5
Beethoven: String Quartets 14, 15, 16
Beethoven: Violin Sonata 5

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 2, 3

Alkan: Grande Sonate
Alkan: Concerto for Solo Piano

Brahms: Piano Concertos 1, 2
Brahms: Piano Trio 1

Godowsky: Passacaglia

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 5, 6
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto 1

Mozart: Piano Concerto 23 (as performed by Pollini with the Wiener Philharmoniker)

Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy

Schumann: Piano Concerto

Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor

Wagner: Parsifal

Faure: Requiem

Mahler: Symphony 8, 10 (1st movement)


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

I chose to select my favorite work per composer, from various composers. There is a lot of famous music for me to discover yet and this list will problably change in the future:

Hildegard: Canticles of Ecstasy
Machaut: Douce Dame Jolie
Josquin: Missa Pange Lingua
Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli
Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine 
Lully: Te Deum
Charpentier: Te Deum
Corelli: Concerti Grossi
Purcell: Funeral Music for Queen Mary
Vivaldi: Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione
Couperin: Office des Ténèbres
Rameau: Pièces de clavecin en concerts
Bach: Mass in B minor
Händel: Messiah
Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
Mozart: Requiem
Haydn: London Symphonies
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
Schubert: String Quintet
Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2
Schumann: Piano Concerto
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto (no. 2)
Berlioz: Te Deum
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Liszt: Années de Pèlerinage
J. Strauss II: An der schönen blauen Donau
Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Grieg: Peer Gynt
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 "Organ"
Delibes: Lakmé
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique"
Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"
Korsakov: Sheherazade
Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition (orchestraded)
Borodin: Prince Igor
Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Debussy: La Mer
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
Holst: The Planets
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess (singed by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald)
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Orff: Carmina Burana
Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony
Khachaturian: Violin Concerto
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras
Pärt: Tabula Rasa
Stafford: Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness (_not_ "Warcraft 2: Beyond the Dark Portal")
Moore: Outcast (1999 version)
Yoshimatsu: Piano Concerto "Memo Flora"
John Williams: Star Wars hexalogy


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Captainnumber36 said:


> For some this will be much harder to do, for me it's easier since my exposure isn't as large, but, here I go:
> 
> Rite of Spring
> Mozart 40th and 41st symphonies
> ...


Did you know that _The Four Seasons _ are the first four violin concertos of a set of twelve from Vivaldi's Op. 8, called _Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione_? Concertos numbers 7, 8, 11 and 12 are very beautiful aswell in my opinion. I'll let a link for the set in case you want to listen to them:


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Hmm, questions like this are difficult to answer, but I think they can be helpful for those looking to explore music. Some that have made a huge impact on me and are engraved on my soul and brain:

Elgar: Enigma Variations
Faure: Requiem
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Stravinsky: Rite of Spring
Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas 6-8
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 1-2
Prokofiev: Symphonies 3, 5-6
Adams: Harmonielehre
Adams: Nixon in China
Barber: Symphony No.1
Barber: Violin Concerto
Sibelius: Symphonies 2, 5
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra
Bartok: Miraculous Mandarin
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No.1
Hindemith: Konzertmusik for Brass and String Orchestra
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Dvorak: Symphony No.9


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## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

Bortkiewicz: Esquisses de Crimee
Borkiewicz: Etude Op.15 No.8
Thalberg: Fantasies on operas by Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini
Liszt: Divertissement sur la Cavatine I tuoi frequenti palpiti
Liszt: Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude.
Scriabin: Sonatas and Etüdes

Everything to honor these great composers and pianists, because no 88 Keys no Joy!


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I don't think I can distinguish my actual favorite works of all time so I'll simply list works from most eras that have profoundly affected me.

Tallis - Spem in alium. The first time I heard this work it stood out from other Renaissance works. The 40 voices create a complex ever shifting, layered sound. When all voices are fully represented, they create a glorious, lifting experience.

Bach - Concerto for two Violins. The whole work is wonderful showing Bach's expert fugal and counterpoint technique, but the second movement always stands out to me. The interplay between the two violins playing heart wrenching themes is some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard.

Mozart - Maybe here I have to name two works - Piano Concerto 20 and Symphony #41. The 20th piano concerto is my favorite piano concerto not only of Mozart's but of anyone. Possibly the minor key contributes since my second favorite is likely the 24th. I have adored Symphony #41 ever since the first time I heard it, but more recently I have tried to get a better feel of the amazing 4th movement with its five-part invertible counterpoint. There is a youtube video that steps one through this incredible movement. I'm continuously stunned that music so complex can be so beautiful.

Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto. While many enjoy this work, TC members appear to like many other violin concertos more. I have a very personal attachment to this piece since when I first lived with my wife she was working on it. I got to know the violin part quite well. A few years later I saw Elmar Oliveira play the piece with my wife's orchestra. The work seemed to fly by in a matter of moments. It was magical for me.

Berg - Violin Concerto. I disliked this work for quite awhile. I simply could not make sense of the music, and it sounded like random notes. Eventually I was able to hear it differently, and now it's my favorite 20th century violin concerto. I hear exquisite yearning throughout the last several minutes.

Beethoven - Symphony 9. Simply my favorite work of all. No other work engages me so completely through such a long time. Each moment seems a perfect joy to hear.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Arnold Symphony 7 (but like all his 5-9). I think Arnold was the last great Symphonist.
R. Strauss Salome (shocking for its time, and to me still now, musical heaven)
Bartok Mikrokosmos Vol. 5 and 6 (Contains the germ of his music and 80% of Modern music)
Bartok Quartets 4 and 5 (mesmerizing)
Berlioz Fantastic Symphony (original and addictive)
Victoria Requiem (most beautiful piece of music of all time to me)
Monteverdi Vespers (pure music and drama)
Haydn Nelson Mass (dunno why exactly, but prefer this to any mass afterwards until Faure's Requiem)
Debussy Orchestral and Piano works (absolutely original)
Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (most amazing single work written by a human)
Liszt's Trancedental Etudes (most trancedental piano music)
Prokofiev War Sonatas (no words to describe)


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Too many, but here's a short list:

Beethoven Appasionata, Pathetique, Op. 109 sonatas
Stravinsky The Firebird
Bach Prelude & Fugue in d minor
Ligeti violin concerto
Bartok string quartet no 1, Concerto For Orchestra
Schoenberg Erwartung
Wagner Parsifal
Mahler no 9
Sibelius no 4
Berg Lyric Suite, 7 Early Songs, 3 orchestral pieces


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Some of my favorite works:

J.S. Bach - The Well Tempered Clavier, BWV 1004
Ravel - Piano Trio, Miroirs
Brahms - Op. 116-119, Symphony 2
Debussy - Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp, La Mer
Mozart - String Quintet in G minor, Cosi fan tutte
Rodrigo - 3 Spanish Pieces, Invocacion y danza
Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 2, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste
Ives - Concord Sonata, Symphony 4
Monteverdi - L'Orfeo, Vespers of 1610
Prokofiev - Symphony 2, Piano Concerto 2
Mahler - Das Lied Von der Erde
Bruckner - Symphony No. 9
Partch - Delusion of the Fury
Takemitsu - From Me Flows What You Call Time
Gubaidulina - Viola Concerto
Schnittke - Concerto for Piano and Strings
Buxtehude - Jesu Membra Nostri
Biber - Rosary Sonatas
Albeniz - Iberia
Vivaldi - 4 Seasons
D. Scarlatti - k 380
Falla - Nights in the Gardens of Spain

There are many more I could list, but that is enough for now...


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## Rach Man (Aug 2, 2016)

Olias said:


> Interests change from time to time but here are a few I ALWAYS come back to:
> 
> Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto - for me its the perfect length, perfect balance between form and expression, perfect range of emotions and styles, perfect amount of virtuosity that is actually derived from the motivic material, and its fun.
> 
> ...


I like these threads that remind us, or educate us, about great pieces of music. I'm especially happy with this post, Olias. These are pieces that I like, but sometimes forget to listen to. So I have each of these on my list to listen to sometime this week.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Rach Man said:


> I like these threads that remind us, or educate us, about great pieces of music. I'm especially happy with this post, Olias. These are pieces that I like, but sometimes forget to listen to. So I have each of these on my list to listen to sometime this week.


Cheers! :tiphat:


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## Zhdanov (Feb 16, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Your Favorite Works of All Time


none of your business.


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## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

Also, Cesar Franck's Violin Sonata, arguably the greatest ever written. Only thing that comes close is Beethoven's Kreutzer sonata, I think anyway.


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

Here are a few of my selections, and I'll say something about each(which I'm sure will be ripped apart). 

*Paganini's six violin concertos* - These are not very popular here at TC nor in today's concert hall outside Italy, I believe(you can correct me if I'm wrong), but I shudder to think what life would be without them. I couldn't pick a favorite. They follow the standard pattern made famous by Vivaldi, fast-slow-fast, as well as the 1st movement starting off with an orchestra section followed by the soloist. They are so similar yet so different. The 5th starts off with a melody played by the orchestra, followed by the soloist playing the same melody. The 4th , on the other hand, starts off with a melody that you never hear again. I thought I'd never like the 6th, when I first heard the 1st movement of the 6th I gasped, aggggh! Modernism! But the more I listened to it, I found it very melodic.

*Mozart's 41st symphony and his five violin concertos* - Hard to believe he composed all five VCs in one year 1775 at age 19(argumentatively, the five violin concertos were re-dated several times , e.g., the year of composition of the fifth concerto "1775" was scratched out and replaced by "1780", and later changed again to "1775"). People say, the 3rd,4th, & 5th are the best, but I find the first two just as good. The first, IMO is a perfect violin concerto. Starts off with A then A' , the third movement is sort of an A '''.

*Tchaikovsky's three ballets* - The melodies in these are soooo beautiful. This is music that one can listen to anytime anywhere, anyone at any age. Without these works, I doubt that ballet would exist today, at least in its current form. One might wonder why Peter "bothered" with ballet music-at the time the money/fame/prestige was opera. And after all, Beethoven didn't write much ballet music, Mozart and Johann Strauss II wrote a lot of dance music, but only composed one ballet each (by the way if you haven't heard Mozart's ballet "Les petits riens", KV 299b , what are you waiting for?). Tchaikovsky originally had a rather negative opinion of ballet music until he studied it in detail, being impressed by the nearly limitless variety of infectious melodies their scores contained. He most admired the ballet music of such composers as Léo Delibes and Adolphe Adam. He would later write to his protégé, the composer Sergei Taneyev, "I listened to the Delibes ballet 'Sylvia'...what charm, what elegance, what wealth of melody, rhythm, and harmony." Tchaikovsky most admired Adam's 1844 score for Giselle, which used the Leitmotif technique: associating certain themes with certain characters or moods, a technique he would use in Swan Lake, and later, The Sleeping Beauty.

*Bach's double violin and the Brandenburg concertos* Bach is a synthesis of many different things. It's hard for me to believe sometimes that he actually walked the earth. He brought together the many diverse national styles, most notably French, Italian and, of course, German, that were current in his lifetime. He combined those with awesome techniques using his spiritual power and amazing expressivity that created music of great complexity but great technical clarity. He's original within the context of a pre-existing series of styles that he brings together as a singularity under the umbrella of his genius. (Ok, I got the last few sentences from a popular CM professor) I would give him the first prize as the most important composer in the history of music. Without him, would we still be in the Baroque era? I'm not so sure.


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