# 10 Favourites of all times



## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

My aim in this thread is to encompass music from different periods and to select pieces I always return to. I just hope our members will discover a couple of works they are not familiar with and contribute outstanding versions of works they are familiar with. i will try to do likewise.
The selected pieces are:
-Cristobal de Morales: Missa pro defunctoris
-J.S.Bach: Well tempered Clavier
-Mozart: Don Giovanni
-Beethoven: SQ op 130
-Mahler: Symphony 3
-Stravinsky: Rite of Spring
-Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
-Scelsi: Konx-om-Pax
-Xenakis: Jonchaies
-Haas: In Vain


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

De Morales: Missa pro defunctoris


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Bach: WTC


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Beethoven SQ 130 Quatuor Ebene


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Mozart D.Giovanni Giulini


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Mahler Symphony 3 orozco-estrada


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Stravinsky Rite of Spring Macelaru


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

scelsi konx-om-pax wyttenbach


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Xenakis jonchaies tamayo


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

G.F. Haas In Vain Klangforum Wien


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Bartok Music for strings percussion and celesta Reiner
Perhaps my favourite because of the exceptional conductor.


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## feierlich (3 mo ago)

Great selection! (Or rather, a very similar selection to what I would've done)

I actually did list my top 10 recordings that I keep listening to before, in an attempt to encompass music from various eras. Here are the corresponding 10 works in chronological order:
Biber: _Battalia à 10_ (1673)
Mozart: Symphony No. 40 (1788)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (1804-08)
Wagner: _Der Ring des Nibelungen_ (1848-74)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (1884-92)
Mahler: Symphony No. 4 (1899-1900)
Schreker: _Die Gezeichneten_ (1915)
Berg: _Wozzeck_ (1914-22)
Schulhoff: _Flammen_ (1929)
Zimmermann: _Requiem für einen jungen Dichter_ (1967-69)


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Just 10? Impossible or, at least, for me this is the case.


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

Beethoven Symphony No. 5

Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2

Elgar Cello Concerto

Brahms Hungarian Dances (orchestrated)

Dvorak Symphony No. 6

Sibelius Violin Concerto

Bach Cello Suites

Grieg Piano Concerto

Kalinnikov Symphony No. 1


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Machaut - Messe de Nostre Dame (Ensemble Organum) 
Cherubini - Medea (Callas / Rescigno, 1958)
Bellini - Norma (Callas / Votto, 1955)
Liszt - Sonata in B Minor (Horowitz, 1932)
Verdi - Otello (Martinelli / Panizza, 1938)
Mahler - Symphony 9 (Abbado, 1999)
Bartok - Bluebeard's Castle (Ludwig, Berry / Kertesz)
Henze - Undine (Knussen)
Saariaho - L'amour de loin (Nagano)
Abrahamsen - Let Me Tell You (Hannigan)


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Bach - Mass in B minor
Bach - St. Matthew Passion
Bach - Leipzig Chorales
Bach - Well-Tempered Clavier
Bach - Goldberg Variations
Mozart - Requiem
Mozart - Great Mass in C minor
Mahler - Symphony no. 4
Weinberg - String Quartet no. 5
Shostakovich - Symphony no.10


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

M.-A. Charpentier – _Médée _(opera)
Bach – Cantata No. 80 _Ein feste Burg_
Schumann – Fantasie in C major (Leif Ove Andsnes)
Brahms – Violin Concerto (Oistrakh w. Klemperer or Szell)
Fauré – Piano Quartet in C Minor (Rubinstein/Guarnari Quartet)
R. Strauss – _Ein Heldenleben_
F. Schmidt – Symphony No. 2 (Vienna Philharmonic/Bychkov)
Ligeti – _Lontano_
Lutoslawski – _Chantefables et Chantefleurs_
J. Schwantner – Aftertones of Infinity


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Considering only classical music -

Machaut : Messe de Nostre Dame
Stravinsky : Symphony of Psalms
Bernstein : Mass
Golijov : Ainadamar
Gershwin : Porgy and Bess
Debussy : Pelléas et Mélisande
Schoeck : Elegie
Schoeck : Notturno
Falla : El amor brujo
Dowland : Lachrimae


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

SanAntone said:


> Considering only classical music -
> 
> Machaut : Messe de Nostre Dame
> Stravinsky : Symphony of Psalms
> ...


Very interesting list, which ventures off the beaten track, if you permit me the expression. I sincerely encourage more lists like yours which will enlarge our interest for less popular works. Ainadamar might be an evidence to me but might not be for most members. Then it would be interesting to hear more from you about your love of the Swiss composer Shoeck. 
Would you mind writing a short explanation concerning your attraction for this composer and mentioning his other key works.Like always, i am transparent and confirm that I have all his key works in my collection. But overall i am not convinced he is an outstanding composer. So you have a chance to prove me wrong.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Bulldog said:


> Bach - Mass in B minor
> Bach - St. Matthew Passion
> Bach - Leipzig Chorales
> Bach - Well-Tempered Clavier
> ...


All of these are favourites of mine, so there is no argument there. The only possible problem for the members is that you only mention 5 composers. So be me guest if you want to add other composers.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Roger Knox said:


> M.-A. Charpentier – _Médée _(opera)
> Bach – Cantata No. 80 _Ein feste Burg_
> Schumann – Fantasie in C major (Leif Ove Andsnes)
> Brahms – Violin Concerto (Oistrakh w. Klemperer or Szell)
> ...


Very enjoyable list. But in Lutoslawki's case the Fleurs come before the Fables. I just mention so our members can quickly find the work. Thks for posting.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Bach WTC Book 1
Bach WTC Book 2
Bach Goldberg Variations
Beethoven Symphony 3
Beethoven Symphony 7
Beethoven Waldstein Sonata
Brahms Symphony 4
Sibelius Symphony 7
Shostakovich Symphony 8
Prokofiev Symphony 7

I can easily come up with another top 10 list tomorrow. Thankfully, I have many top 10 lists 
For example, it is impossible for me to decide whether I like Beethoven's 7th symphony better than his SQ Op. 131. And equally impossible to decide if I like Brahms' 4th that much more than his 3rd. And so it goes.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

haziz said:


> Beethoven Symphony No. 5
> 
> Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
> 
> ...


Outstanding list of Baroque and Romantic Era. Your choice of Tchaikovsky's symphony no 2 is intriguing. Hopefully it will make many listen to this symphony.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Bach WTC Book 1
> Bach WTC Book 2
> Bach Goldberg Variations
> Beethoven Symphony 3
> ...


All your choices are top notch. So surprise us with a more adventurous list tomorrow.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

I can come up with the most boring top 10 ever, or I can give you this (marginally less boring):

Bruckner - Symphony no. 6
Elgar - Symphony no. 2
Ives - Central Park in the Dark
Mozart - String Quintet in G minor
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit
Rheinberger - Organ Sonata no. 10
Scriabin - Piano Sonata no. 9
Shostakovich - String Quartet no. 9
Sibelius - Tapiola
Wagner - Parsifal


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

RobertJTh said:


> I can come up with the most boring top 10 ever, or I can give you this (marginally less boring):
> 
> Bruckner - Symphony no. 6
> Elgar - Symphony no. 2
> ...


Most of your choices should be favourite listening for all our members.Bruckner's 6 sixth is a less evident choice and Rheinberger's Organ Sonata is a bolt out of the blue.I would be interested to know why you have chosen them.
Plse let us know


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

I have not nearly listened to enough music so this list will absolutely change and probably soon as well. Still have lot to uncover, especially 20th century and contemporary classical music. So it’s a very boring list. But I made sure that of every piece, I absolutely love every movement if it has multiple movements.

Mendelssohn violin concerto
Beethoven symphony no. 3
Beethoven symphony no. 5
Schubert symphony no. 8
Mozart Requiem
Mozart sinfonia concertante
Saint saëns symphony no. 3
Dvorak symphony no. 7
Brahms symphony no. 4
Vaughan Williams Tallis Fantasia

Still found it very hard. Had to leave out a lot of favourites


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

justekaia said:


> Rheinberger's Organ Sonata is a bolt out of the blue.I would be interested to know why you have chosen them.


It's a piece I once performed myself at an organ recital, I recently revisited it and was again impressed by it: a stunning integration of Bach's spirit in a rich, romantic setting. It's certainly one of his greatest sonatas - thecomplete set of which is to me the absolute highlight of 19th century organ music.


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Palestrina - Missa Papae Marcelli
Gesualdo - Madrigali, Libro VI
Bach - Die Kunst der Fuge
Beethoven - String Quartet no. 14
Schumann - Davidsbündlertänze
Brahms - Clarinet Quintet
Bartók - String Quartet no. 4
Messiaen - Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Carter - Night Fantasies
Gubaidulina - In Tempus Praesens


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

justekaia said:


> All of these are favourites of mine, so there is no argument there. The only possible problem for the members is that you only mention 5 composers. So be me guest if you want to add other composers.


There's no problem. You asked for my 10 favorite works, and that's what I gave you.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Bulldog said:


> There's no problem. You asked for my 10 favorite works, and that's what I gave you.


you are quite right.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Highwayman said:


> Palestrina - Missa Papae Marcelli
> Gesualdo - Madrigali, Libro VI
> Bach - Die Kunst der Fuge
> Beethoven - String Quartet no. 14
> ...


all of them exeptional choices


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Very interesting thread. I'll list only one favorite work (as of today) per composer, chronologically, together with favorite recording of it at the moment:

Bach: Mass in B minor - Richter, Fischer-Dieskau, Münchener Bach O (1961);
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte - Böhm, Fischer-Dieskau, Berlin PO (1964);
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor "Choral" - Toscanini, NBC SO (1952);
Schubert: String Quintet in C major - Rostropovich, Melos SQ (1978);
Berlioz: Les Troyens - Colin Davis, Vickers, Covent Garden O (1969);
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde - Furtwängler, Fischer-Dieskau, Flagstad, Philharmonia O (1952);
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor - Karajan, Berlin PO (1963);
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor - Furtwängler, Vienna PO (1944);
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor "Pathétique" - Ormandy, Philadelphia O (1960);
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde - Klemperer, Wunderlich, Ludwig, Philharmonia O (1966);
Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E-flat major - Barbirolli, Hallé O (1964).
All these are desert island choices for me.

Ok, I cheated - there are eleven choices here - but I can't live without these recordings anymore. ; )


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

I don't know tons of music from _all times _but I've noticed a few patterns in modern works I enjoyed. (1) None really stand out as clearly being better or worse than similar ones (2) A lot of works are similar to one another (3) Any I find pretty decent haven't been recommended by anyone (4) Those actually recommended by others I haven't found very decent.

The only composers that wouldn't seem to fit the above criteria would, ironically, not be similar to _modern_ music but similar to classic music, by essentially doing what Dvorak or Brahms did: bring back old popular styles with a new twist. In the case of Dvorak and Brahms, they often brought back degrees of the catchy pop form and counterpoint of the 18th century, and reorchestrated it.

My question is, have any pieces recently done more of what Brahms/Dvorak did, instead of John Williams, in preserving actual form, but with new kinds of orchestration--keeping the classic catchy form? Williams has some rather advanced new orchestration, but didn't always preserve the whole form like Dvorak or Brahms. How about modern works with the more broad forms of Wagner or Bruckner?

Generally, I have answers to these questions, because I have a list of modern composers to work with. There are interesting threads such as 'greatest orchestrators' one can read about. Though I thought I'd just illustrate my question to the public and see what tonalists like.


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## Lisztianwagner (2 mo ago)

It's not simple to choose only ten works at all, but my choices could be:

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen 
Liszt - Années de pèlerinage 
Mahler - Symphony No. 6
Beethoven - Symphony No. 9
Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6
R. Strauss - Eine Alpensinfonie
Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro
Holst - The Planets
Ravel - Piano Concerto for the left hand


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Alright, I'll give this a shot, but I know I'll fail...and this will be in correspondence to my 'Top 10' favorite composers:

Debussy: _Images, Books I & II_
Mahler: _Symphony No. 6_
Strauss: _Vier letzte Lieder_
Sibelius: _Symphony No. 4_
Bartók: _Bluebeard's Castle_
Ravel: _Miroirs_
Stravinsky: _Orpheus_
Tchaikovsky: _Symphony No. 6, "Pathétique"_
Shostakovich: _Violin Concerto No. 1_
Berlioz: _Les nuits d'été_


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Xisten267 said:


> Very interesting thread. I'll list only one favorite work (as of today) per composer, chronologically, together with favorite recording of it at the moment:
> 
> Bach: Mass in B minor - Richter, Fischer-Dieskau, Münchener Bach O (1961);
> Mozart: Die Zauberflöte - Böhm, Fischer-Dieskau, Berlin PO (1964);
> ...


I agree with your last sentence. The pieces you have chosen for each composer are all exceptional. Out of interest i would like to know why you prefer old recordings.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

EvaBaron said:


> I have not nearly listened to enough music so this list will absolutely change and probably soon as well. Still have lot to uncover, especially 20th century and contemporary classical music. So it’s a very boring list. But I made sure that of every piece, I absolutely love every movement if it has multiple movements.
> 
> Mendelssohn violin concerto
> Beethoven symphony no. 3
> ...


All your choices are favourites of mine too, especially the Mendelssohn and Mozart's sinfonia concertante which are not so often played.


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## juliante (Jun 7, 2013)

In broad genre order with the standard caveat this could be 10 different ones tomorrow  (But these would always be in top 30 i guess)

Schubert - Piano Sonata d960
Bach - Cello Suites
Ravel - Piano Trio
Beethoven - SQ 14

Mozart - Sinfonia Concertante 
Brahms - Piano Concerto 2 

Josquin - Missa Pange Lingua

Mahler - 9
Vaughan Williams - 5
Mozart 41


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

It would seem that the title of the thread has been read in two different ways:


*1. Your 10 all time favourite pieces of music, pieces you always return to, one per composer*
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no. 5
Mozart: Symphony no. 40
Beethoven: Piano Sonata no. 15 in D
Schubert: String Quintet
Liszt: Piano Sonata in B Minor
Brahms: Symphony no. 4
Mahler: Symphony no. 3
Sibelius: Symphony no. 3
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Kokkonen: Symphony no. 3


*2. Your 10 favourite pieces of music from different times/eras, pieces you always return to, one per composer*
Thomas Tallis: Spem in Alium
Bach: Concerto for 2 Violins
Mozart: String Quintet in G minor K516
Beethoven: Symphony no. 9
Schubert: Piano Sonata in A, D 959
Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture
Chopin: Ballade in G minor
Brahms: Piano Quartet no. 3
Debussy: La Mer
Sibelius: Symphony no. 7
------------------------------- Objection -- there are more eras than 10!
Ligeti: Continuum
Saariaho: Stilleben
Salonen: LA Variations


A LOT had to be left out in every way. But that´s the name of the game!


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

justekaia said:


> I agree with your last sentence. The pieces you have chosen for each composer are all exceptional. Out of interest i would like to know why you prefer old recordings.


No special reason. I just enjoy them more. Perhaps they have more character, more personality, more _feeling_ than the new ones? I don't care so much about sound quality as long as I get an outstanding performance.


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## Dirge (Apr 10, 2012)

_Underlined links are to YouTube …_

JOSQUIN des Prez: *Missa “L’homme armé” super voces musicales* (late 1490s ?)
:: Turner/Pro Cantione Antiqua [Archiv ’76]

J. S. BACH: *Chaconne* _from_ *Partita No. 2 in D minor for violin solo* (c. 1720)
:: Grumiaux [Philips ’60/’61]

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: *String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130/133* (1825–26)
:: Budapest Quartet [Library of Congress/Bridge, live ’60]

Franz SCHUBERT: _*Winterreise*_, D. 911 (1827)
:: Anders & Raucheisen [DG ’45]

Pyotr TCHAIKOVSKY: *Serenade for Strings* (1880)
:: Steinberg/Pittsburgh SO [Capitol ’53]

Igor STRAVINSKY: _*Petrushka*_ (1911)
:: Stokowski/Leopold Stokowki Symphony Orchestra [RCA ’50] ~ Naxos Classical Archives
_The link provided here is not to YouTube but to the recording’s product page at eClassical.com. Playback of the complete audio sample automatically pauses every 30 seconds but will resume when one clicks on the Play button, so the persistent listener can hear the entire performance with 64 clicks on the Play button._

Béla BARTÓK: *String Quartet No. 3* (1927)
:: Juilliard Quartet [Columbia, 1949] Sony France

Benjamin BRITTEN: *Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings* (1943)
:: Brain, Pears, Britten/Boyd Neel String Orchestra [Decca ’44]

Alberto GINASTERA: *Violin Concerto* (1963)
:: Accardo, Bonaventura/Hopkins Center Orchestra [Dynamic ’68]

György KURTÁG: _*Kafka Fragments*_ (1987)
:: Csengery & Keller [Hungaroton ’90]


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Waehnen said:


> It would seem that the title of the thread has been read in two different ways:
> 
> 
> *1. Your 10 all time favourite pieces of music, pieces you always return to, one per composer*
> ...


The intention of this thread is that members are free to choose works from the beginning of classical music until today.
That being said iI think your second list is more interesting and I don't mind if you bend the rules a bit. As always my purpose is that members share their passion for works that might be unknown to others.
The idea was also to let our members choose their favourite performance of the chosen piece.
Anyway thks for posting.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier (Rübsam, Levin, etc.)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (VPO/Kleiber)
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Buchbinder/Harnoncourt/RCO)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (Saarbrucken RSO/Skrowaczewski)
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (Bavarian RSO/Kubelik)
Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (Ajemian, Vandré, etc.)
Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (Steve Reich and Musicians)
Riley: The Harp of New Albion (Riley)
Ten Holt: Palimpsest (Doelen Ensemble)
La Monte Young: The Well-Tuned Piano (Young)


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Not personal favo(u)rites of mine but these prison inmates within my music collection are all serving *time*:

1904 Four Rag*time* Dances by Charles Ives
1970 The Triumph of *Time* by Harrison Birtwistle
1981 Dream*time* by Tōru Takemitsu
1986 *Time* and Again by Tristan Murail
1993 Sudden *Time* by George Benjamin
1994 *Time* Frozen by Gloria Coates
1994 "Of *Time* and the River" Symphony No. 4 by John McCabe
1997 The Shadows of *Time* by Henri Dutilleux
2000 From *Time* to *Time* fantasias on two Appalachian folksongs by Anthony Iannaccone
2001 *Time*scapes by HK Gruber


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Prodromides said:


> Not personal favo(u)rites of mine but these prison inmates within my music collection are all serving *time*:
> 
> 1904 Four Rag*time* Dances by Charles Ives
> 1970 The Triumph of *Time* by Harrison Birtwistle
> ...


I would not mind spending time with these prison inmates.Anyway a very original quality list. Thks for posting.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

tortkis said:


> J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier (Rübsam, Levin, etc.)
> Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (VPO/Kleiber)
> Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Buchbinder/Harnoncourt/RCO)
> Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (Saarbrucken RSO/Skrowaczewski)
> ...


A list that is close to my heart and a nice mix of classics and new classics. Well done.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

My current favorite ten works of classical music created after the 1950s and by composers born after Shostakovich would be:

Arnold: Symphony No. 5 (1961)
Bernstein: Mass (1971)
Górecki: Symphony No. 3 "of Sorrowful Songs" (1976)
Williams: Star Wars - A New Hope (1977)
Pärt: Tabula Rasa (1977)
Elfman: Batman (1989)
Stafford: Warcraft II - Tides of Darkness (1995)*
Moore: Outcast (1999)**
Shore: Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Penderecki: Symphony No. 6 "Chinese Poems" (2017)

I don't have favorite performances of these works yet.

*: Not _Warcraft II - The Dark Portal_. I don't like the new tracks.
**: The original OST of 1999, not the remastered one with cuts of 2017.


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## PeterKC (Dec 30, 2016)

So I will make this assumption. 10 pieces I come back to again and again.

Bach: Suites for Cello
Couperin: Keyboard Music (as played by Marcelle Meyer)
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas (as played by Claude Frank)
Brahms: Cello Sonatas (Starker/Sebok)
Schumann: The 3 Piano Sonatas
St. Saens: Piano Concerto #5
Wol-Ferrari: Il Campiello
Medtner: The Piano Quintet
Ives: Symphony #4
Barber: 3 Essays for Orchestra


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## verandai (Dec 10, 2021)

I'll also start with the 10 works I most often return to. I tried to spread the composers to different eras, but as I'm f.e. new to contemporary music, I don't often return there yet ;-)

Ravel: La valse
Dvorak: 9th symphony
Franck: Violin sonata
Stravinsky: L'Histoire du soldat (music part)
Mahler: 8th symphony
Chopin: 3rd sonata
Bruckner: 8th symphony
Rachmaninov: 2nd piano concerto
Bach: English suite No. 2
Beethoven: 6th symphony


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## haydnguy (Oct 13, 2008)

justekaia said:


> The intention of this thread is that members are free to choose works from the beginning of classical music until today.
> That being said iI think your second list is more interesting and I don't mind if you bend the rules a bit. As always my purpose is that members share their passion for works that might be unknown to others.
> The idea was also to let our members choose their favourite performance of the chosen piece.
> Anyway thks for posting.


Thank you for starting this thread. I can discover a lot here.


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

I thought I'd come at this from a slightly different angle - a string quartet list:

Beethoven, String Quartet Op 95 'Serioso',
Schubert, String Quartet No 13 'Rosamunde' D804,
Janacek, String Quartet No 2 'Intimate Letters',
Bartok, String Quartet No 2,
Bridge, String Quartet No 4, 
Shostakovich, String Quartet No 8,
Weinberg, String Quartet No 6,
Britten, String Quartet No 3,
Maxwell Davies, String Quartet No 3,
Ligeti, String Quartet No 1 ' Metamorphoses nocturnes'.

More accurately described as my 10 favourites of recent times, in a few months time the ten will be different but these selections will not stray far from the top of my personal quartet league.


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

I feel I need to post a list of ten concentrating on the modern. Some of the works might be the same as on my previous lists (cannot be bothered to check).

These are the kind of modern works I enjoy very very much! All are masterpieces. 7/10 are Finnish, I just noticed.

*Kokkonen: Durch einen Spiegel
Ligeti: Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano
Ligeti: Athmospheres
Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony
Saariaho: Stilleben
Saariaho: Lichtbogen
Tapio Nevanlinna: Foto
Harri Vuori: Ylitse kuun, alitse päivän
Erik Bergman: Birds in the Morning
Paavo Heininen: Musique d´ete*


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## PeterKC (Dec 30, 2016)

Have to post one more. Villa-Lobos : Bachianas Brazilieras #4.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Malx said:


> I thought I'd come at this from a slightly different angle - a string quartet list:
> 
> Beethoven, String Quartet Op 95 'Serioso',
> Schubert, String Quartet No 13 'Rosamunde' D804,
> ...


I love your angle since i am a devoted fan of string quartet music. All your choices are spot on. Few people can single out the best Weinberg or Maxwell Davies as they have written quite a few.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Waehnen said:


> I feel I need to post a list of ten concentrating on the modern. Some of the works might be the same as on my previous lists (cannot be bothered to check).
> 
> These are the kind of modern works I enjoy very very much! All are masterpieces. 7/10 are Finnish, I just noticed.
> 
> ...


Thks for this list. I am sure we will all benefit from the selection of an expert. I never heard about Nevanlinna for example. I am looking forward to listen.


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

Too tough to create a list of ten favourites. So much beautiful music. What I do have is a list of pieces that were not highly recommended in my 'journey' listings (not top-three levels), but I found to be excellent, under-rated and I play them often. Pure coincidence there were ten of them, and they spread reasonably neatly across eras and genres.

Monteverdi, Claudio: Scherzi Musicali cioè arie et madrigali esp. Zefiro Torna e di soavi accenti, SV 251










Kapsberger, Giovanni Girolamo: Libro Quarto d'Intavolatura di Chitarrone esp. Canario










Zipoli, Domenico: Elevazione for Cello and Oboe










Beethoven, Ludwig van: Violin Sonata No. 5 "Spring" Op. 24










Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai: 4 Songs, Op. 40 esp. No. 1. Kogda Volnuyetsya Zhelteyushchaya Niva










Massenet, Olivier: Thaïs esp. Meditation










Shostakovich, Dmitri: 24 Preludes & Fugues










Górecki, Henryk: Symphony No. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" esp. II. Lento e Largo - Tranquillissimo










Pårt, Arvo: Spiegel im Spiegel










Glass, Philip: String Quartet No. 3 "Mishima" esp. I. 1957 Award Montage


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I could never really narrow it down to just 10. There many other choices I could have on this list.

Elliott Carter - Concerto for orchestra
Bartok - Music for strings, percussion and celesta
Berg - Violin Concerto
Charles Wuorinen - 4th piano Concerto
Joan Tower - Concerto for Orchestra
Penderecki - Violin Concerto No. 2: _Metamorphosen_
Harrison Birtwistle - Earth Dances
Ligeti - Violin Concerto
Magnus Lindberg - Concerto for Orchestra
Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring

I could easily have other Carter, Ligeti, Bartok, Wuorinen, pieces on my list. Not to mention pieces by: Bruno Maderna, Per Norgard, Sofia Gubaidulina, Unsuk Chin and others could have also made my list.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Neo Romanza said:


> Alright, I'll give this a shot, but I know I'll fail...and this will be in correspondence to my 'Top 10' favorite composers:
> 
> Debussy: _Images, Books I & II_
> Mahler: _Symphony No. 6_
> ...


Here's an alternate 'Top 10' without any thought given other than works that have moved me deeply through the years (in no particular order):

Vaughan Williams: _Symphony No. 5_
Szymanowski: _Litany to the Virgin Mary_
Koechlin: _Le buisson ardent, Parts I & II_
Diamond: _String Quartet No. 3_
Panufnik: _Autumn Music_
Britten: _Christ's Nativity_
Schnittke: _Cello Concerto No. 1_
Honegger: _String Quartet No. 2_
Malipiero: _Sinfonia No. 6, "Degli archi"_
Casella: _Sinfonia (Symphony No. 3)_


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

I'm not much into early and avant-garde/contemporary music, so my list doesn't span a huge period of time:

*Beethoven: Missa Solemnis, String Quartet No. 7
Nielsen: Symphony No. 5
Janacek: String Quartet No. 2
Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio
Puccini: Turandot
Brahms: String Quintet No. 2
Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand
Alwyn: Concerto for harp and strings 'Lyra Angelica'*


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