# Wonderful "moments" in classical music



## Ralphus (Nov 13, 2016)

The liner notes to my recording of Prokofiev's "Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution" describe a moment in the VI. Revolution movement as a 'coup de theatre' when the frenzied orchestra halts and a group of accordions suddenly takes up a jaunty theme, to humorous effect. This term came to me tonight while listening to Nielsen's Symphony #3, where in the 2nd movement a male voice suddenly rises, wordless, from the orchestra, soon to be joined by a soprano: a breathtaking moment and a stroke of genius!

Some more examples for me, as well as simply wonderful moments in classical music are:

* Nielsen Symphony #5 - the snare drum's "be as disruptive as possible" improvisations in the finale
* Mozart Piano Concerto #25 - III. the oboe melody about 4 mins in
* Mahler Symphony #10 - when the flute melody rises up in the finale
* Beethoven String Quartet #13, Op.130 - in the Cavatina, when the wonderful strange disjointed melody appears

Perhaps I'm not explaining myself well, but if you know the works I mention you may well know the moments I'm referring to. I could probably name some more but those are some that come to me just now.

I'm curious to hear some more wonderful moments or _coups de theatre_ that anyone may wish to share.


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

Ach - such moments in Gustav Mahler alone would fill up the rest of the Internet, but I'll try:

#1: The opening of the first movement, with random twitterings against a shimmering dawn.
-The startling use of "Frere Jacques" to open the third movement.
#2: The introduction of the tender second theme in the first movement, and then the tutti chords at 
the climax of that movement.
-The "trumpet trio" in the Scherzo, followed up by the "death scream."
-The "Grosse Appell" in the Finale, and the almost silent entrance of "Auferstehen" by the 
chorus, then, later, the fortissimo explosion of "Auferstehen" in the coda.
#3: The trombone solo in the first movement.
-The climax of the third movement - "The Great and Terrible Pan" (I made that up.)
-"O Mensch! Gib acht!" (The whole fourth movement)
#4: The uptuned violin in the second movement
-The "opening of the gates of Heaven" in the third
#5: The solo trumpet opening.
-The Adagietto.
#6: The second theme of the Andante.
-The final denial of hope at the climax of the finale; the forlorn brass murmurings in the coda; 
and the final shattering blast from the entire ensemble under the bruising battering of the 
tympani.
#7: More cowbell! More mandolin! More witches on broomsticks and bellowing tuba ghosts in the 
Scherzo!
#8: In the right hands, the coda of Part Two can blast the flesh off your bones.
#9: The "fatal arrhythmia" trombones and tuba at the first movement climax, followed by the rather 
_ironic_ funeral march.
Das Lied von der Erde: Damn, take your pick.
#10: THE chord.

-I'm sure I left out a dozen, but there's a taste.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Brahms is full of them, but the first appearaance of the second subject in the opening movement of the G major piano quartet comes quickly to mind.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The emergence of the main theme of the first movement of the Brahms First Piano Trio (revised version, of course) played by the entire trio some one minute and ten seconds after the movement commences.


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Das Rheingold, the moment when the somber theme of the Rheinmaidens' lament for their stolen gold transitions into the majestic leitmotif of Walhalla. That is just one of a hundred I can think of.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

The last 30 seconds of the Mozart's Requiem- just completely mindblowing!


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## malvinrisan (Feb 17, 2017)

The apotheosis from the first act of Parsifal. Transformation music.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Richard Strauss : Four last song, breathtaking form beginning till the end.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

MarkW said:


> Brahms is full of them, but the first appearaance of the second subject in the opening movement of the G major piano quartet comes quickly to mind.


One that comes to mind is the closing of the third symphony, when he quotes the grand opening theme, but now as a shimmering, ghostly memory. It's one of the things that makes the work such a marvelous enigma: what is he really saying here? Or did it just seem like a good idea at the time?

Bartok also tends to have these things. I think, for example, of the transcendent joy of the last movement of his third piano concerto: you simply cannot believe this is the work of a dying man. The same goes for the joyous and frenetic energy of the last movement of the Concerto for Orchestra. And the cold beauty of all those spine chilling sound effects so liberally sprinkled through the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (particularly in the slow movement, of course).

A recently discovered one: the bit in Penderecki's seventh symphony that features a narrator rather than singer. When I first listened to the work I noticed that there would be a narrator, but I had all forgotten about it, so when he suddenly made his appearance, the effect was extra shocking (in a good sort of way!).


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

At exactly 8:15... glorious fanfare, ascending into bliss.


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## Forss (May 12, 2017)

The passage between 2:25 and 3:30 (in this clip) in the second movement of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto is, in my opinion, one of the truly great moments in music.


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## johankillen (Sep 20, 2015)

#1 Beethoven Symphony No 6 V Movement about 3:40 min in when the tune turns to be a a floating river or something like that...
#2 Beethoven Symphony No 9 Movement III about 2:40 min in when the violins is taking over. Magnificent!
#3 Mozart Piano concerto No 25 Movement III about 1:30 min in when the piano doing the dive thing.
#4 Beethoven Symphony No 8 Movement III about 3 min in when the horn is taking the melody. So beautiful. 
#5 Beethoven Piano Sonata No 10 Movement II the last variation of the movement with Brendel. Damn thats brilliant! 
#6 Beethoven Piano Sonata No 23 Movement II the third variation of the movement.

and of course a lot more.. And yes, I love Beethoven..


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## Ralphus (Nov 13, 2016)

Here's Nielsen #3. The voices appear around 18:16. (Better heard in context: the second movt. begins at 12:26.)


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

Walter Piston's Second Symphony's wonderful adagio movement. At about 5:15 in this recording is when it gives me goose bumps.






Another is the Third Symphony of Gosta Nystroem. The third movement "love song" always takes my breath away. It starts at about 17:20 on this recording.


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## Eschbeg (Jul 25, 2012)

Byrd's Mass for Four Voices, Agnus Dei: the intense dissonance starting at around the 2:20 mark, making the line "Dona nobis pacem" ("Grant us peace") sound like the genuinely wrenching plea for help that it was as Catholics were being hunted down in Tudor England.






EDIT: I'm now realizing that "wonderful" is not really the right word to describe this moment.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

hpowders said:


> The emergence of the main theme of the first movement of the Brahms First Piano Trio (revised version, of course) played by the entire trio some one minute and ten seconds after the movement commences.


Love the original one too!


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Tchaikovsky 5th Symphony 2nd Movement
The Horn solo is absolutely stunning.

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto 3rd Movement
When the Cellos play a few bars and go into the next melody. Beautiful


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

Schumann Symphonie no 3 Rheinische 4th movement - ascension . Magical movement. I'm listening to it now.


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

Bruckner symphony 3, first movement, first bars and first theme, amazing tension.


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

Vivaldi Stabat Mater Pro Peccato and beginning of Eja Mater ( strings)


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

helenora said:


> Schumann Symphonie no 3 Rheinische 4th movement - ascension . Magical movement. I'm listening to it now.


Yes one of my favorite pieces ever! (I actually put it as my favorite fourth movement in the thread about favorite movements 1-4).


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

There are so many wonderful moments in music - in fact, that's what it's all about - great composers build their, create the drama, the tension, the climaxes, releases....that's what it's all about..to take the listener on a journey....

Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, Bruckner alone would be worth multi-pages of postings...and of course, other great composers deliver their special moments as well...
so, just two, OTTOMH - one Wagner, one Beethoven -

1. Wagner - Prelude to Meistersinger I - just before the recapitulation [where the tuba solo plays the main processional theme, with basses, bassoons] - just before this, the preceding section is the woodwind march section -with its dotted notes, and sixteenth notes, playing and chattering along...tension builds, and builds, heading towards the recap - then, trumpet III and bass trombone sound forth the opening theme [over chord D-F#-A-C-G] in C major - trombones I/II, celli pick up the tune, the scale ascending up to a high G# -A, then descending, diminuendo to the recap - tuba/bassoons/basses with the opening theme...this is a wonderful passage, if done right - Solti, and Toscanini do it very well - but Reiner/CSO absolutely hits it on the $$....bass tromb/TptIII are most insistent on their entrance, then Reiner has the trombones and celli, start soft and make a great crescendo to the high A - then diminuendo into the recap..perfect, the high "A" just rings forth, and the diminuendo sets up the recap perfectly. I always love this part - if it's done right, so effective.

2. Beethoven - the great Leonore Overture #3 - one of Beethoven's very greatest works...after the first Adagio section - we come to the Allegro, with its famous and wonderful upward directed syncopated theme - C-E-G-A - pianissimo in Violin I and celli, over the insistent throbbing of the bass. soon the dotted rhythm of the woodwinds is added - the entire passage marked "crescendo poco a poco"...louder and louder they play, then the brass and timpani join the fray and the 4 bar crescendo explodes into the main theme - leaping forth in a great eruption, an orgasmic blast that is unprecedented in music, TMK....this great dam-burst of sound hurtles ahead, unchecked, with hardly a breather, until the first trumpet call, many, many measures later....
The great crescendo leading into the cosmic eruption is definitely one of the great moments in music, IMO....nothing like it before Beethoven, and he didn't often match it...
When done right, it is really thrilling - Szell/Cleveland do it beautifully, tremendous outburst, so do Bernstein and Solti - but I think one of the best is Toscanini/NBC - the 1939 recording - the crescendo is cosmic, the orchestra really screaming forth into a tremendous eruption - this must have been something in the live concert hall...I've never heard any other orchestra from that era play with such ferocious fortissimo intensity!!

I played this work with Walter Hendl, at school - and he had studied it with Reiner...knew exactly what he wanted, and rehearsed rigorously to get it just right...the strict, demanding rehearsal paid off, it really came together at the concert, a great thrill to be part of it...


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Opening of Vaughan Williams' _Sea Symphony_. Majestic stuff!


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## JeffD (May 8, 2017)

Obvious one: The moment the organ comes in, after much teasing and build up, in Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3. Finally, after being mocked by the crowd, the monster steps in and wreaks havoc, getting the long deserved respect the entire work was building towards. 

Or something...


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Adding: Mahler 4 movement 4.
Out of this world.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

The buildup and brass outburst just before the march in the Finale of Maher 2 as played by Bernstein/NY Phil (starts at about 1:02:05 till 1:05:40). So epic!


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Rachmaninoff - Isle of the Dead
The climactic outburst somewhere 3/4 along the way. Awesome moment.


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## T Son of Ander (Aug 25, 2015)

Dawn in the Prologue to Götterdämmerung when the sun rises and the orchestra erupts (echoed later in the funeral march).

Sibelius' 3rd Symphony right at the beginning. It starts in the cellos/basses and works its way up and gets to the upper strings.


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## T Son of Ander (Aug 25, 2015)

There are so many, it's hard to think of them off the top of my head.

Again, the Sibelius 3rd, second movement. The main theme is playing and the pizzicato underneath starts playing triplets (I think it's triplets, or at least syncopated to sound off the beat).

Sometimes, it's the transition to a new movement. Tchaikovsky 6th, when the first movement ends and the second begins; such a change in mood. Or Holst, after the last chord of Mars fades off and the horn starts Venus.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Tchaikov6 said:


> Yes one of my favorite pieces ever! (I actually put it as my favorite fourth movement in the thread about favorite movements 1-4).


Schumann 3/IV is very beautiful...also a real "nervy" spot for trombone I....sits tacit for some 40', then comes in on solo line that goes to high Eb....


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

DeepR said:


> Rachmaninoff - Isle of the Dead
> The climactic outburst somewhere 3/4 along the way. Awesome moment.


Yes. Definitely.

Also that glorious passage in Sibelius' Night-Ride and Sunrise when dawn breaks in layers of brass.


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## Ralfy (Jul 19, 2010)

The Tristan chord:


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Ralfy said:


> The Tristan chord:


Great, thank you for sharing this video. My wife does not like Wagner but big fan of Fry, this actually might work!


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## alan davis (Oct 16, 2013)

The final ten minutes of Frederick Delius' "a Village Romeo and Juliet."


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Azol said:


> Great, thank you for sharing this video. My wife does not like Wagner but big fan of Fry, this actually might work!


_Everyone_ is a big fan of Fry.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

OP: When the Public Radio announcer says, "we are canceling/cancelling the Dvorak piece scheduled for this time slot and will be playing a Bach Unaccompanied Violin Sonata instead."


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## Omicron9 (Oct 13, 2016)

Oh my... so very many... the first three that come to mind:

-- The first couple of minutes of the first movement of Shostakovich 4. Heilig scheisse! Goosebumps every time and often swearing. In a good way.

-- The first chord of Act II of Berg's "Lulu." I want that to be a physical mist, fill a room with it, and I want to live there.

-- The opening chord of Berg's "Lyric Suite." Same mist/room effect.


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## T Son of Ander (Aug 25, 2015)

Several moments in each movement of Respighi's Trittico Botticelliano.


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