# Most passionate work?



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Listening to Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet made me wonder -- what's the most passionate work in classical music? Yes, I mean urgent, not-to-be-denied, bodice-ripping passion! However refined, of course. 

I can think of a few candidates. Your nominees?


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## ebullient (Sep 21, 2013)

I would nominate Schumann's Piano Concerto and Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The Kreutzer Sonata -- yes, just the sort of thing I had in mind!


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

I nominate Bartók's String Quartet No. 3...


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

It's not supposed to be, but I find the Vaughan-Williams Tallis Fantasia extremely passionate, especially when all the orchestral sections -- um,_ play _together in unison. (I started to write something unintentionally cruder.) It's downright climactic.


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## Copperears (Nov 10, 2013)

Too obvious, to me: Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Poem_of_Ecstasy

and






Have always loved this piece, always will.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Berlioz's Royal Hunt & Storm music from Les Troyens. Even if you didn't know beforehand that Didon and Enee were - ahem - 'sheltering' in the cave after getting separated from the hunting party during a storm you couldn't be blamed for thinking '...and I bet Didon and Enee are going at it in there...'


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

I've always considered Scriabin's 4th and 5th piano sonatas to be very erotic, passionate works

But of course, if you want passion, you can't go wrong with Tchaikovsky. The love music from his Tempest symphonic poem (op. 18) is very passionate, as well as the second movement of his second piano concerto


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

There are many pieces by Rachmaninoff that could fit the bill. The 2nd Symphony is pretty passionate (3rd movement in particular).


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## ticovanzant (Jul 3, 2013)

Wotan's final duet with Brunnhilde in Act III, Scene 3 of Die Walkure.

Also, pretty much all of Tristan ind Isolde.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I second the Poem of Ecstasy, that is... yes...

Also Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony, the 2nd mvmt, as positively passionate. The last movement of Tchaikovsky 6 is negatively passionate.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Tristan und Isolde comes immediately to mind... along with Salome, Elektra, Carmen, Aida... and then I'm listening to _Tu, tu, piccolo iddio_...


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

I'll pick Rachmaninov's "The Miserly Knight" and his First Symphony.
Plus, Bax's Second Symphony and Spring Fire, as well as,
Glazunov's Sixth Symphony (and Mesto movement of the Eighth)
Mahler's Sixth and Ninth Symphonies (the former I just played this afternoon). 
Bruckner's Ninth Symphony
Myaskovsky's Sixth Symphony
Tchaikovsky's Manfred
Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony
Scriabin's First Symphony
Rebikov's Esclavage et Liberte (for piano)


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## waldvogel (Jul 10, 2011)

Ravel's _Daphnis and Chloe Suite #2_ has an amazing climax to its wordless chorus of AHH! AHH!


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

Nielsen's *First, Fourth and Fifth Symphonies 
*Mahler'*s Sixth Symphony
*Shostakovich's* SQ # 8, and Symphonies Nos. 5,7 and 9*


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Listening to Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet made me wonder -- what's the most passionate work in classical music? Yes, I mean urgent, not-to-be-denied, bodice-ripping passion! However refined, of course.
> 
> I can think of a few candidates. Your nominees?


 Ride of the Valkyries


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

Working off the original post...

When I hear passionate, I do think *Tchaikovsky *-- if that's obvious or cliche, so be it. Though I don't immediately go to Romeo and Juliet. I think of the _Fifth Symphony_, particularly the andante, and the _Sleeping Beauty suite_.

Oh, and the Serenade for Strings, I mean, c'mon, it's clear -- just listen to that _Elegie_. I feel like Pytor's mind (or heart) disintegrated, scattered amongst the leaves and dust, and the _Elegie_ is the moment where these fragments are floating through the breeze, slowly finding their way back together -- and the reunion is the _Tema Russo_, into sweet euphoria.

Is that passionate?


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## Reinhold (Nov 24, 2013)

Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy comes to mind.


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

And to keep the discussion rolling, I started to go through some composers, keying in on the _passionate_ theme, but some names just didn't fit the bill. Why is that?

For instance, I think of *Sibelius*, but I don't see _passionate_ works. Or at least, I don't see the sort of evident and distinct forms/sounds of passion. With _swan calls_, I hear power and conviction; with the _Violin Concerto_, I hear longing and throes of love. Sure, this could be passionate, but I don't come to that label when I think of *Sibelius*. Similarly, I don't think of _passionate_ with *W.A. Mozart*. The closest such tone that comes to mind (_sans_ opera) is within his _Dissonance_ S.Q., the andante and allegretto.

Maybe it's all just a wording thing, or just superficial thoughts based on how a composer's personality and life are recounted in books/anecdotes -- e.g. *Tchaikovsky's *love troubles, his death versus *Sibelius's *personality later in life.

By contrast, other composers do have particular _passionate_ works in my view.

Obviously, _Tristan and Isolde_ -- I mean, _that_ is passion, plain and simple. As well, *Ravel's* _Piano Trio_ in whole, though the effulgence in the finale really colors the whole passionate scene. And *Dvorak's* _Romance_ speaks for itself -- in title and tone.

For some lesser performed works, *Faure's* _Pellias and Mellisande_, *Elgar's* _Dream of Gerontius_, and *Debussy's* _Printemps_.

Anyone agree, disagree, think I wrote too much?


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

+1 on the Kreutzer sonata

Also a cliche one here, Beethoven's 5th as well as the finale of his moonlight sonata. 

To throw in another composer, I'd say the opening movement of Brahms' first piano concerto.


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## maestro57 (Mar 26, 2013)

Most "passionate" work to me would have to be the "Appassionata". It's in the name, so it must be.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Tchaikovsky's music is often quite passionate, although some might be uncomfortable with the objects of his passion. Wagner is the undisputed champion of the multiple orgasm, at least in music.

I might mention FDR, even though he is not remembered as a composer. But the Republican motto in his final election was, "No man's good the fourth time!"


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## ebullient (Sep 21, 2013)

I'm glad someone mentioned Fauré. His piano quartet, op. 15 and his violin sonata, op. 13 are very passionate works.


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Mozart's Don Giovanni - The Catalogue aria.

_My dear lady, this is a list
Of the beauties my master has loved,
A list which I have compiled.
Observe, read along with me.

In Italy, six hundred and forty;
In Germany, two hundred and thirty-one;
A hundred in France; in Turkey, ninety-one;
But in Spain already one thousand and three.

Among these are peasant girls,
Maidservants, city girls,
Countesses, baronesses,
Marchionesses, princesses,
Women of every rank,
Every shape, every age.

With blondes it is his habit
To praise their kindness;
In brunettes, their faithfulness;
In the white-haired, their sweetness.

In winter he likes fat ones.
In summer he likes thin ones.
He calls the tall ones majestic.
The little ones are always charming.

He seduces the old ones
For the pleasure of adding to the list.
His greatest favourite
Is the young beginner.

It doesn't matter if she's rich,
Ugly or beautiful;
If she wears a skirt,
You know what he does._

Admittedly, it's less about passion and more about a dude on a Contiki tour; _livin' the dream_.
Oh wait, did you mean _musically_?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

_Pettersson_ (Symphonies 7-6-8-9, 2nd Violin Concerto etc.);
_Schnittke_ (all of it, I guess);
Shosty, Langgaard, Bax, Gorecki and Prokofiev are other candidates for generally very emotionally charged music. But a bit difficult to define of course; the playing style also matters a lot, what the performers invest in the piece; and musical phrasing in more modern, even fragmented works can also be felt as "passionate".


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

How about the first 2 mvmts of the Barber Violin Concerto? They have heaps of what I believe is being defined as "passion" for the purposes of this thread.

Also Strauss, of course - the start of Don Juan and the Dulcinea variation in Don Quixote and the wife theme in Heldenleben are all on the refined spectrum with differing levels of ardor and delusion. Not to mention Salome or Elektra, which are frankly erotic throughout, or the Bavarian "afternoon delight" enjoyed during Sinfonia Domestica (OH NO HE DIDN'T!!). Miraculous Mandarin deserves a mention (just not in a nice way)

Quickly from the opera world - Mon couer s'ouvre a ta voix from Samson and Delilah, Carmen flower song and the whole of Tristan und Isolde? Not a dry eye or seat in the house


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

dgee said:


> Not a dry eye or seat in the house


Was Pee-wee Herman in the audience then?


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

Interpreting passion to suit myself, I'd say the Finale of Beethoven's 5th.


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

Everything from Vivaldi


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Pretty much all romantic and late romantic solo piano music seems charged with passion... I wouldn't know where to begin


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Tristan und Isolde.

I mean... what could be added to Tristan und Isolde to make it _more _passionate?


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

Couchie said:


> Tristan und Isolde.
> 
> I mean... what could be added to Tristan und Isolde to make it _more _passionate?


Lesbians 

................


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## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

Couchie said:


> Tristan und Isolde.
> 
> I mean... what could be added to Tristan und Isolde to make it _more _passionate?


I'd add one of the works that inspired its composition; the symphony dramatique (romeo and juliet) by Berlioz.

The love scene has to have been an inspiration for the liebestod, with its great climax and 'throbbing passions' as Bernstein calls them.






the love scene starts around 16:30


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Scriabin - Fantasie Op. 28






This piece overflows with passion. It sort of pounds you into submission. At first I thought it was too much, but after a while I was able to go along with the ride. These days especially the extended ending gives me goosebumps all over.


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## agglerithm (Dec 7, 2013)

Mahler's first symphony is passionate in the sense that the root of "passionate" is the Latin word for "suffer", and listening to Mahler's First makes me suffer.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

I was just listening to Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony. I had forgotten how passionate some of that piece is. The ondes Martenot really adds a voluptuous quality to the music.


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

Um, I just heard _Ein Deutsches Requiem_ for the third time through, in 24 hours. _*I AM PASSIONATE.*_


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Avey said:


> Um, I just heard _Ein Deutsches Requiem_ for the third time through, in 24 hours. _*I AM PASSIONATE.*_


George Bernard Shaw was also passionate about Brahms' Requiem: "I do not deny that the Requiem is a solid piece of musical manufacture. You feel at once that it could only have come from the establishment of a first-class undertaker."


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

waldvogel said:


> Ravel's _Daphnis and Chloe Suite #2_ has an amazing climax to its wordless chorus of AHH! AHH!


The complete ballet is a game changer.


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## worov (Oct 12, 2012)

Well, Bach's Passions. What else ?


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

First movement of Brahm's violin concerto.
Second movement of Brahm's second piano concerto.


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## Piwikiwi (Apr 1, 2011)

KenOC said:


> Tchaikovsky's music is often quite passionate, although some might be uncomfortable with the objects of his passion. Wagner is the undisputed champion of the multiple orgasm, at least in music.
> 
> I might mention FDR, even though he is not remembered as a composer. But the Republican motto in his final election was, "No man's good the fourth time!"


Wagner is the master of the delayed orgasm. He is so good at it that it is going to chafe long before the climax


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

At least we have one thing in common.


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## DaDirkNL (Aug 26, 2013)

The Mattheus Passion is THE most passionate work ever written. Bach at his most dramatic.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

In your opinion. I find it boring.


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

Bernard Herrmann's take on Wagner, the "Scene d'amour" from Vertigo and his score to Obsession.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

ticovanzant said:


> ...pretty much all of Tristan und Isolde.





StlukesguildOhio said:


> Tristan und Isolde comes immediately to mind...





Couchie said:


> Tristan und Isolde.
> I mean... what could be added to Tristan und Isolde to make it _more _passionate?


As far as I'm concerned, the race is for 2nd place---

Among passionate works in the _twentieth_ century- I'll mention Schoenberg's _Verklärte Nacht_.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Chi_townPhilly said:


> Among passionate works in the _twentieth_ century- I'll mention Schoenberg's _Verklärte Nacht_.[/COLOR]


And I'll add Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez." I'm especially moved by the way Julian Bream plucks at the heart strings.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Chi_townPhilly said:


> Among passionate works in the _twentieth_ century- I'll mention Schoenberg's _Verklärte Nacht_.


A work which was written in 1899....


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2014)

Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas: Dido's Lament "When I am laid in Earth"

G F Handel: HWV 68 - Theodora "As with rosy steps the morn"

Franz Schubert: D 776 "Du bist die Ruh"

Robert Schumann: Op 42 - "Frauenliebe und-leben" 

Felix Mendelssohn: Op 34, 2 - "Wings of Song"

Johannes Brahms: Op 53 "Alto Rhapsody"

Richard Strauss: "Four Last Songs"


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## clara s (Jan 6, 2014)

KenOC said:


> Listening to Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet made me wonder -- what's the most passionate work in classical music? Yes, I mean urgent, not-to-be-denied, bodice-ripping passion! However refined, of course.
> 
> I can think of a few candidates. Your nominees?


refined passion is difficult to be found

if it could be controlled, it would not be passion 

believing that I see what you mean, i would say

Ravel's Bolero

Mahler's Symphony no 5 Adagietto for cello and piano

Chopin's first nocturno

R. Schumann's Kinderszenen

Scriabin Poem of Ecstasy

and of course Prokofiev's Dance of the knights


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Hmmm... Scriabin's Vers la Flamme? I recently saw Feltsman perform this in concert and it blew one of my shoes off. Anyway, here's Horowitz:


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Certainly not the _most_ passionate, but it's the first that came to mind:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

How could I leave out the first movement of Brahms Piano Trio Number One in B Major, one of the most passionate statements ever written.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Tristan
Walkure


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

maestro57 said:


> Most "passionate" work to me would have to be the "Appassionata". It's in the name, so it must be.


"the _Appassionata_ was not named during the composer's lifetime, but was so labeled in 1838 by the publisher of a four-hand arrangement of the work.

The Appassionata was considered by Beethoven to be his most tempestuous piano sonata until the twenty-ninth piano sonata [_Große Sonate für das Hammerklavier_], being described as a "brilliantly executed display of emotion and music" ~ Wiki


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

hpowders said:


> How could I leave out the first movement of Brahms Piano Trio Number One in B Major, one of the most passionate statements ever written.


This is really a special piece for me and I forgot about it as well. I heard this for the very first time at a live performance in San Antonio by the Morgenstern Trio as an encore. I normally don't get chills on the first listen of a piece, it takes time to get to know it. But this movement sent shockwaves through me. Those three signature powerful chords where all the instruments combine(don't know the musical term for this part of the work) is INTENSE. Probably a top 10 moment in all of music for me.


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