# What's your favourite "go to" piece of music?



## Dave Whitmore (Oct 3, 2014)

Whenever I'm feeling stressed out or down, I'm going to play Beethoven's Violin Concerto. That is my absolute favourite piece of music. When the violin swells to hit the high notes it just sounds amazing! The violin seems to sing!

So what's your "go to" piece of music whenever you're feeling stressed or when you need a pick-me-up?


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## Declined (Apr 8, 2014)

Beethoven Symphony 5 conducted by Immerseel. It's such a triumphant piece, it always lifts my spirits.


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## Dave Whitmore (Oct 3, 2014)

Declined said:


> Beethoven Symphony 5 conducted by Immerseel. It's such a triumphant piece, it always lifts my spirits.


You can't go wrong with Beethoven!


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

Good question, I have a few of those pieces that pick-me-up, as you say. These tend to lift my spirits. 

- The absolute entirety of Mahler's 4th is pure sublimity for me, I melt in my chair listening to it
- Mahler's 1st Symphony, Mvt #1 (puts a smile on my face every time)
- Beethoven's 7th Symphony Mvt #1 and #4 (life-affirming)
- Beethoven's Late String Quartets, especially #14, #15, and #13 (the profundity of Beethoven's Late Quartets always evoke certain emotions and me, not the most uplifting music out there, but they are intensely therapeutic for me)
- Bruckner's 9th Symphony, especially Mvt #1, but entire symphony, too.
- Mahler's 6th Symphony, Mvt #1 (the rest of the symphony isn't exactly what I'd a call "pick-me-up music"! lol)
- Beethoven's 5th Symphony, all of it. 
- Mozart 38th Symphony, Mvt #1

There's plenty more, those are the first things that came to mind!


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Elgar's Cello Concerto and Holst's Planets.
Also, a compilation CD featuring:
Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique
Paganini, Violin Concerto No. 2
Beethoven, Symphonies 5 and 9
Schubert, "Trout" quintet
Liszt, Liebestraume No.3
Chopin, Nocturne in E flat major
Some others I can't remember, as well.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

See my signature, of course.


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## AST (Oct 8, 2014)

Has to be Rachmaninoff's Vocalise (in Earl Wild's solo piano transcription)!


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Music is not, for me, anyway, a medicine used to alter or amplify any of my moods.

De facto, if I were to use it in that manner, at my age, with all the music I've come to know and love I would have at least several dozens of pieces to that purpose from which to choose.

If I am in a stressed-out state, or any other state I desire or need to temper, change, or get out of, no music of any sort is ever the solution.


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## Jeff W (Jan 20, 2014)

For me, Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

My number one is always Bach's Leipzig Chorales - lately I've been listening a lot to the set from John O'Donnell on the Melba label. If organ music can lift your spirits, this set is dynamite.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Bach Violin Concerti, especially the slow movement from the double 
View attachment 52858

Mendelssohn and Bruch Violin Concerti
View attachment 52859

Shostakovich and Prokofiev First Violin Concerti
View attachment 52860


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

My response would be close to PeterB's. I have so many albums, all of which I love, that pretty much any one anytime will give me a jolt of pleasure and distraction from the day-to-day. Silence is often the best medicine.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I don't have any consistent go to's that I know of. I mean, lately I've found a lot of comfort in baroque concerti gross; so what's new? But that changes over the years, somewhat. Maybe baroque orchestral and Haydn symphonies, I don't really know.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

Either volume of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, or one of Mozart's piano concertos, or an ensemble from one of his operas.


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Schubert- Galop and Ecossaises, Valses Nobles, Rosamunde incidental music
Mendelssohn- Some of the Songs without Words
Ravel- Sonatine 2nd movement
And if none of those works, Ravel's Piano Concerto in G usually does.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring Suite, Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Three more go to albums. These are pieces that give me comfort because they are so familiar, they make me feel particularly good. I've had them for years, my longest relationship.
Beethoven Symphonies 5&7
View attachment 52868

Sibelius Symphonies 2&5
View attachment 52869

Mahler 5
View attachment 52870


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## teej (Aug 17, 2011)

Anything played by James Ehnes


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Dave Whitmore said:


> ...
> 
> So what's your "go to" piece of music whenever you're feeling stressed or when you need a pick-me-up?


These come immediately to mind:

Haydn Symphony #104 "London"

Holst St. Paul's Suite

Sculthorpe Little Suite for string orch.

J. Strauss II Die Fledermaus - Overture

Bernstein Fancy Free - Three Dance Variations (Galop, Waltz, Danzon)

Gershwin Piano Concerto in F

Of course any excuse is a good one to listen to music like this. They do tend to give me a boost though, as do more heavy and serious pieces, but they throw in more darkness before you get that boost at the end (eg. Bruckner's symphonies can be like that).


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

For some reason, I don't tend to turn to classical when I'm in a bad mood or something. I save that for dubstep or something 

Although Jarnefelt's Praeludium does seem to brighten my mood:


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## Balthazar (Aug 30, 2014)

Schubert's 5th Symphony, any recording (I've been listening to Sawallisch/Dresden lately).

Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of the Goldberg Variations.

Or playing Bach or Schubert on the piano.


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Sid James said:


> Haydn Symphony #104 "London"


Now I think about it, just about any Haydn.


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

Bach's Goldberg Variations

Beethoven's Op 130 string quartet

Schubert's D960 sonata

Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
or
Mendelssohn's Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Because I have dear and happy memories linked to both pieces...


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

GioCar said:


> Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
> or
> *Mendelssohn's Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream*.
> 
> Because I have dear and happy memories linked to both pieces...


I heard Mendelssohn's _Hebrides Overture "Fingal's Cave"_ on the radio yesterday, I was very impressed. I think I need to explore some more of Mendelssohn! It was actually the first work of his that I've ever heard. So, I think I'll make the next piece that I'll listen to the _Midsummer Night's Dream Overture_.

I also want to hear Debussy's _Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune_.

I think your post was made specially for me! Thanks for the recommendations.


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## Dave Whitmore (Oct 3, 2014)

This is a cute video and a good rendition of Ode To Joy. I would LOVE to witness something like this.


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

If I'm feeling down or p****d off I don't tend to listen to music. When I do, I play something to match my mood rather than use it to make me lighten up.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

Appalachian Spring (suite). 
Jupiter from The Planets
Le Jardin Feerique from Ma Mere L'Oye
Lever du Jour from Daphnis et Chloe


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Un Giorno di Regno
L'Italiana in Algeri


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## alan davis (Oct 16, 2013)

In moments of triumph, eg. after winning Grand Finals, Beethoven's ninth.
of meloncholy, Ralph Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem or Ross Edwards Da Pacem Domine.
When I have the house to myself for a few hours for the first time in weeks, Wagner or Korngold's operas. 
All the moments in between, anything from my 5000 odd CD's.


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## Musicforawhile (Oct 10, 2014)

Something by Vaughn Williams like Fantasy on a theme by Tallis, or Five Variants of Dives and Lazraus. Also Beethoven's Seventh symphony, mvt II. They are such spell-binding pieces.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

If I need something to dissipate tension, then it has to be something like ... Bellini - La Sonnambula - Maria Callas (the version on Testament from Edinburgh ... until I get the Koln version)

If I just need to unwind in general, then there is more variety, including
Bach - solo violin partitas - Nathan Milstein
or any of Schubert's piano sonatas or works for four hands
or, probably most frequently, Liszt's Schubert song transcriptions


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Headphone Hermit said:


> If I need something to dissipate tension, then it has to be something like ... Bellini - La Sonnambula - Maria Callas (the version on Testament from Edinburgh ... until I get the Koln version)
> If I just need to unwind in general, then there is more variety, including
> Bach - solo violin partitas - Nathan Milstein
> or any of Schubert's piano sonatas or works for four hands
> or, probably most frequently, Liszt's Schubert song transcriptions


Oh are _you_ in for a treat. The two performances are like night and day. She's exhausted in her Edinburgh performance; in the Koln she's at the absolute top of her game.


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Usually Sibelius. The Lemminkäinen Suite or Rimsky's Scheherazade. Nothing demanding I just like to float away sometimes. 
If Im really fed up its Bach Cantatas and whisky till I fall asleep....


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## Muse Wanderer (Feb 16, 2014)

So many to choose from .. here's some quick picks:

Profiev piano concerti - splendid, vivacious, antidepressant music!

Sibelius - any symphony would do but his 4th has a special place in my heart.

Stravinsky The Firebird - marvellous ballet (or the suite in an emergency) with uplifting ending

Schoenberg piano works - especially 3 piano pieces Op. 11, suite for piano op. 25 and the splendid piano concerto. 

When I am feeling very stressed...
Any of Bach's music would do the trick. 
Any volume from Bach's cantata set by Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan through my headphones and I am lost in the music!


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

PetrB said:


> Music is not, for me, anyway, a medicine used to alter or amplify any of my moods.
> 
> De facto, if I were to use it in that manner, at my age, with all the music I've come to know and love I would have at least several dozens of pieces to that purpose from which to choose.
> 
> If I am in a stressed-out state, or any other state I desire or need to temper, change, or get out of, no music of any sort is ever the solution.


I agree with this, for me I need to be in a receptive frame of mind to listen to music.
If I need the endorphins boosting then running is my answer. However once I get back then a Hadyn symphony or Mozart piano concerto will do nicely


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## scratchgolf (Nov 15, 2013)

Der Leiermann said:


> Schubert- Galop and Ecossaises, Valses Nobles, Rosamunde incidental music
> Mendelssohn- Some of the Songs without Words
> Ravel- Sonatine 2nd movement
> And if none of those works, Ravel's Piano Concerto in G usually does.


Your avatar reeks of genius. The Schubert of the 20th century. You are now my best friend, whether you want to be or not.

My go to pieces are typically single movements:

Schubert: SQ14-2nd Mvt, S9-1st Mvt, Rosamunde Overture D644, Trout-Finale
Beethoven: S5-Finale, S6-Finale, S9-2nd Mvt
Bach: Goldbergs 1-5, All VCs-1st Mvt
Mendelssohn: S3-Finale, VC-1st Mvt, All String Symphonies


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## Xenol (Sep 17, 2014)

Beethoven 'Emperor' Piano Concerto No 5


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## revdrdave (Jan 8, 2014)

Vaughan Williams Fifth Symphony, especially mvmts 1 & 4
Bach Cello Suite #1
Sibelius Sixth Symphony
Ravel Piano Concerto in G, mvmt 2
Debussy piano music (almost any of it)
Prokofiev Fourth Symphony, mvmt 1


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

When I need to try and make sense of it all I find the Mahler song Urlicht from his Symphony No. 2 helps a lot.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Ravel's Piano Trio.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Some others:

Bach - Well tempered Clavier (and most of his other music)
Ravel - Most of his music
Ives - symphonies, piano sonatas
Rodrigo - solo piano music, solo guitar music
Bartok - Bluebeard's Castle, Piano concert 2 (and most of his other music)
Debussy - Piano music, Sonata for Flute Viola and Harp


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I keep thinking of more go to pieces...

Brahms - Late Piano Pieces, Symphonies 1 and 4
Gubaidulina - Viola Concerto
Mahler - Das Lied Von der Erde
Schnhittke - Concerto for Piano and Strings
Mozart - Symphony 38
Cage - Percussion Music

edit - there are many others but I'll stop there. =)


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

tdc said:


> I keep thinking of more go to pieces...
> 
> *Brahms - Late Piano Pieces, Symphonies 1 and 4*
> Gubaidulina - Viola Concerto
> ...


You and I share the same opinions on Mozart and Brahms. 

My favorite Brahms symphonies are 1 and 4, and Mozart #38 is rarely brought up as a contender for his best symphonic work. I think it's absolutely monumental.


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

While I'm here, I must add Schubert's _String Quintet_ to my Go-To list!


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

Some classics I really love:

Mahler 4, Das Lied, 3, and 6
Messiaen Quatour, Trois Petites, Des Canyons, Eclairs (especially Eclairs)
Beethoven op. 130+133 and 9th symphony
Palestrina any mass or motet (there's a big selection of stuff on youtube)
Schubert A minor quartet, C quintet, B flat piano sonata, E flat mass, Winterreise and Schwanengesang
Schoenberg string sextet, quartets, and trio, Variations for orchestra, and Moses and Aron (OMG!)


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## Argos (Oct 11, 2014)

Handel Water Music
Handel Messiah
Vivaldi Chamber concerto for lute and 2 violins in D major
Sylvius Weiss partita in G minor (all of his lute compositions really)
Bach lute suites
Mozart piano concerto 1 and 9
Beethoven piano concerto 3


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## poptart (Jul 15, 2013)

I have an album of Finzi pieces, including Severn Rhapsody, Three Soliloques and Eclogue. It restores my soul.


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## Wolfie (Jun 9, 2014)

For me Bach's Chaconne and Beethoven's Große Fuge.


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## garywigan (Oct 17, 2014)

I'd normally go to Bruch's violin concerto number 1. Although that may make you reflect more, rather than cheer you up !
To cheer me up - Brandenburg number 2 perhaps.


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## Guest (Oct 19, 2014)

I like to mention thee pieces,first An die musik,second this cd with the parley of instruments with joyful music and a toccata by Georg Muffat.


















I have this toccata prima in d three times but ik like this one on lp the most.


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## chesapeake bay (Aug 3, 2015)

I would have to say much of Beethoven would work but in specific it would have to be the 7th symphony.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Always Prokofiev Piano Concerto #3; Cliburn/Hendl/CSO.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Lately I have been very drawn to Mozart Symphonies and Concerti. It feels like I go on adventures, with the likes of Sibelius, Mahler, or whatever more intense, grandiose, unstable, or simply esoteric music I am interested in exploring, and then Mozart, Italian baroque(Geminiani, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Corelli), Bach, and others, and even Beethoven, are waiting for me for respite and comfort. Curiously I also find a second region of stability in the "classically informed" of the late romantic, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Bizet. And sometimes I get a hankering for the mysteries of older music and find myself at home on the frontier of English and Italian late renaissance music.

Man...I just listed a bunch of composers. Right now I am going to listen to some Chabrier, a very underrated late French romantic and proto impressionist along the lines of Bizet. I deeply love Pierces Pictureque by Chabrier and Carmen by Bizet, and just remembered recently how wonderful Swan Lake is by Tchaikovsky.


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## EarthBoundRules (Sep 25, 2011)

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. It's just so cheerful!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Shostakovich Symphony No. 4

Copland Appalachian Spring

Ives Concord Piano Sonata

Bach Pasacaglia for Organ in c Minor

Persichetti Piano Sonata No. 10

Schuman Symphony No. 6

Sibelius Violin Concerto

Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2

Bartók Violin Concerto No. 2

All favorite "go to" pieces. Impossible to choose just one.

Of course if I was dyslexic, I might have asked for a hamburger to go.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Beethoven bagatelles; Glenn, of course~


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## Richard8655 (Feb 19, 2016)

For me, Handel Concerti Grossi (both op. 3 and 6).


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

kv466 said:


> Beethoven bagatelles; Glenn, of course~


Hello kv466, seems like years since I have seen a new post of yours and I probably already said that!


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

It has been, my old friend!


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

kv466 said:


> It has been, my old friend!


As usual, I hope you are continuing to have an awesome and musical life!


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## polyesterkatz (Apr 26, 2016)

Iggy Biber, Andy & Joe Gabrieli, Baroque Trumpet, Rossini crescendos, Mozart's Ah, perdona al primo affetto from La clemenza di Tito & Serenata Notturna.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Scriabin's Etude Op. 42 No. 5 as played by Horowitz. Always gets me going.





Same for Ravel's orchestrated Prelude to Le Tombeau de Couperin.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Could be the Goldberg variations or Mozart adagio kv 540  Ok, it is, but I like "to go" new places too.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

polyesterkatz said:


> Iggy Biber, Andy & Joe Gabrieli, Baroque Trumpet, Rossini crescendos, Mozart's Ah, perdona al primo affetto from La clemenza di Tito & Serenata Notturna.


I do like those new members presenting themself in old topic's


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## TwoPhotons (Feb 13, 2015)

Very hard to decide, but the Alpine Symphony by R. Strauss (cond/ Karajan) is one of my favourites:






Once I begin listening to it I'm set for the next hour.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

TwoPhotons said:


> Very hard to decide, but the Alpine Symphony by R. Strauss (cond/ Karajan) is one of my favourites:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Can't go wrong with that piece :tiphat:


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## Templeton (Dec 20, 2014)

I would struggle to pick just one, as much depends upon my mood at the time.  These are the main ones though and are always with me in the car.

Beethoven's 7th (Kleiber or Fricsay)
Beethoven's 6th (Böhm)
'Ein Heldenleben' by Richard Strauss
Smetana's 'Má Vlast ' (Levine or Fricsay)
Bruckner's 3rd and 9th Symphonies 
Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis 
Brahms's 1st Symphony, particularly the 3rd movement (Levine and VPO)
Franz Schmidt's Symphony No 2

If I really had to pick just one though, it would be Beethoven's 7th.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Templeton said:


> I would struggle to pick just one, as much depends upon my mood at the time...
> If I really had to pick just one though, it would be Beethoven's 7th.


If the 'go to' situation necessitates uplift and recalibrating my mood, then Beethoven 7 usually gets it. Or Arnold's Concerto for 2 Pianos.


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## Katya (May 3, 2016)

Everytime I feel I can't breathe, I listen to this wonderfull piece...


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Bruckner 8: Adagio






After this I can take on the world.


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## UnauthorizedRosin (May 5, 2016)

I tend to listen to the Four Seasons by Vivaldi, particularly summer or winter. I also tend to go to Ave Maria, Roman Carnival Overture, or 1812 Overture.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Katya said:


> Everytime I feel I can't breathe, I listen to this wonderfull piece...


This is such an iconic work. To me, it is emotions expressed in music because they can't be expressed in words.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Strauss, Four Last Songs. Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde or Ruckert Lieder. Sibelius 5th Symphony. Shostakovich 7th Symphony.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Lately its been
Brahms Symphonies (Klemperer)

Also 

Bach Chaconne (transcribed for guitar)
Ravel Prelude (transcribed for guitar)
Rodrigo Tiento Antiguo

Those last three when I play them myself. Not that I necessarily think I play them exceptionally well or anything, but sometimes I am able to get deeper into the music by playing it.


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## jdec (Mar 23, 2013)

Lately it's been the Ring cycle (HvK).


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## Dave Whitmore (Oct 3, 2014)

I have several. If it's just a beautiful piece of music I need to hear it'll probably be Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. Others include Dvorak's 9th Symphony, Beethoven's 5th Symphony, Mozart's Piano Concerto 21, or Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto. If I'm in need of upliftment there's nothing better than Beethoven's 9th.

Top of the tree now though is Beethoven's Emperor Concerto! I just can't get enough of that!


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I can't believe I went a year and half before responding to this thread. Maybe it's because I never quite settled on what would be my go to pieces. Oh, I have favorites, but that's not quite the same thing. I listen mostly at random because I never know or can guess what is going to strike a chord with me. I may go to pieces in another sense of the phrase, but musical pieces come to me.


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## Jordan Workman (May 9, 2016)

La Campanella by Niccolo Paganini.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Mozart clarinet concerto
Haydn piano trios, cello concerti


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Mahler's 7th symphony and Messiaen's Turangalila Symphonie. They never fail to lift my spirits.


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## Zlatorog (May 31, 2014)

Sometimes I want to match my melancholy, other times counter it. Here are some of each:

Vaughan Williams: Tallis, or Serenade in A Minor, particularly the prelude
Schubert: Impromptu D935, No. 1 or a Piano Sonata (recently it's been D959 and D784)
Various concertos or other pieces by Vivaldi, Tartini, or Boccherini (like los manolos)
CPE Bach's symphonies
Haydn: Surprise or Miracle or London or Drumroll
Brahms 4th
Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Debussy: Suite Bergamasque
Too much Beethoven to list...


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I may listen to a few minutes of:

Raymonda
The Bolt
Swan Lake
Some random Prokofiev ballet

Those would kick-start my day. Considering they're such long works, it's easy to find one excerpt at a time and not wear them out to quickly.


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## Jean (Mar 19, 2016)




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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

There are two for me: Bach's WTC and Mahler's 4th Symphony.


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

Greetings. It looks like this is going to be my first post on this forum. I have one of those moods right now, so it looks like appropriate post for today. There are usually two types of moods when I need some musical comforting.

For an escapist mood - Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture, Faure Pavane (with choir), Medtner Night wind piano sonata and any other Medther piano pieces till the mood lasts.

Another go to is a longer list. 

Gluck - Dance of the Blessed Spirits, aria ' O mio dolce ardor' (T.Berganza) from Paride ed Elena
Mozart - Piano concerto 23 Adagio, Piano Concerto nr. 20, Requiem 
Schubert- Fantasia for Two Pianos d 940 (Perahia/Lupu), Sonata d 960(Arrau usually), 
Schubert lieder - Winterreise, Schwanengesang (Güra/Schreier/Souzay/Diescau), Allerseelen (Ernman);
Bach - Erbarme diech (Scholl)
Handel Giulio Cesare (Minkowski) - Empio, diro, tu sei; Alma del gran Pompeo and other Mijanovic arias mostly 
Mozart - Queen of the Night aria (Dessay)
Vivaldi - Nisi Dominus (Scholl/Bowman) 
Philip Glass - Satyagraha, Akhnaten.







In


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## chesapeake bay (Aug 3, 2015)

Marinera said:


> Greetings. It looks like this is going to be my first post on this forum. I have one of those moods right now, so it looks like appropriate post for today. There are usually two types of moods when I need some musical comforting.
> 
> For an escapist mood - Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture, Faure Pavane (with choir), Medtner Night wind piano sonata and any other Medther piano pieces till the mood lasts.
> 
> ...


Welcome to the forum  nice choices!


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## GodNickSatan (Feb 28, 2013)

Gershwin always puts me in a good mood lately.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

10 hours of the Super Mario Bros 2 Overworld Theme should fix any problem.


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

Thank you :tiphat:


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

GodNickSatan said:


> Gershwin always puts me in a good mood lately.


He's quite indispensable when driving on the sunny day, very unique composer. Although after reading your post I put Doris Day - Blue skies on. Not very classical, I know...


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## chesapeake bay (Aug 3, 2015)

Almost any Beethoven piano sonata but probably no 30 as the best "go to" and much as I hate to admit it Elgar's enigma variations, Nimrod in particular.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

DeepR said:


> 10 hours of the Super Mario Bros 2 Overworld Theme should fix any problem.


Ahhh...memories. :tiphat:


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

DeepR said:


> 10 hours of the Super Mario Bros 2 Overworld Theme should fix any problem.


10 hours of anything that short on a loop would drive me to the brink of insanity. It would become a vexation...


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## Clairvoyance Enough (Jul 25, 2014)

_Weia! Waga!
Woge, du Welle,
walle zur Wiege!
Wagala weia!
Wallala, weiala weia! _

For awhile I could joyfully eat up 30 minutes of a work day humming those opening lines of Rheingold over and over; if I was ever feeling melancholy I would just hum that sailor's call at the start of Tristan. There are several such snippets of Wagner that I'd take to a desert island over whole works that I like a lot.

I have to resist writing a grandiose Amadeus-style diatribe about how awesome it's been to collect seemingly inexhaustible moments from this music; every time I revisit a favorite scene I feel like I've just downed a giant cup of magical pixie-dust optimism coffee and I start involuntarily giggling with happiness at how much I like it.


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## R3PL4Y (Jan 21, 2016)

Sibelius violin concerto or symphonies 5 6 and 7 are always nice


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I keep coming back to Nielsen 5 and 6, and this has been an 8 month pattern.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

DeepR said:


> Ravel's orchestrated Prelude to Le Tombeau de Couperin.


Also Ravel's Toccata as orchestrated by Zoltan Kocsis.





Once I tried really hard _not_ to get goosebumps at the end, but I failed.


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## billeames (Jan 17, 2014)

I match the music to the depression a lot of the time. 
Brahms Symphony 1 Kempe, Ozawa or another
Messiaen Turangalila symphony (Rattle is not as forceful it seems, which is what I seem to like)
Mahler 7 is nightmarish enough to help. 
Die Walkure when my father died. 
Shostakovitch 4 when I need a shock treatment. 
Beethoven Lenore 3 when I want to gain energy. 

Thanks, Bill

Bill


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## Vronsky (Jan 5, 2015)

Hector Berlioz - Requiem, Symphonie fantastique
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem 
Igor Stravinsky - Le Sacre du Printemps, Petrushka
Robert Schumann - Symphony No.4


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

After much thought I think I could say I return to the nostalgia of my youth for comfort, mostly with music that appeared in the film 2001: a space odyssey.

For stress: Ligeti's Lux Aeterna
For sorrow: Khachaturian's Gayane's Adagio (with this piece you can really wallow in the sorrow)
For relief from the the rigors of the mundane world: Ligeti's Requiem or Atmospheres


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

billeames said:


> I match the music to the depression a lot of the time.
> Brahms Symphony 1 Kempe, Ozawa or another
> Messiaen Turangalila symphony (Rattle is not as forceful it seems, which is what I seem to like)
> Mahler 7 is nightmarish enough to help.
> ...


Nice first post Bill, welcome to Talk Classical :tiphat:


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## geralmar (Feb 15, 2013)

Possibly because I have severe OCD I need music that calms me down:

Arabian Dance ( Tchaikovsky)
Arabian Dance (Grieg)
Ravel's Bolero (except the world ends)


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## wzg (Jun 17, 2013)

Shostakovich 10. If I'm feeling down a little, I listen to the fourth movement; If I'm stressed out completely, I listen to the whole piece...


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