# Most relaxing classical music



## hapiper

Just a for fun poll to see what music you find yourself listening to when you just want to relax. This comes from the fact I was browsing on Amazon to see what new music they had come in and I saw this one album called something like, "The 10 most relaxing pieces of classical music". I will probably have more come to mind but right now what I am thinking of for myself would be, Beethoven's 6th Symphony and Brahms German Requiem.


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## k1hodgman

Debussy. _Always_ works for me.


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## helenora

for me is Baroque music


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## Guest

As I don't listen to music to relax, I can't offer anything.


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## Art Rock

Gregorian (or Ambrosian) chants.


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## techniquest

Beethoven's 6th symphony (if you pop out to make a cuppa during the storm section).


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## hapiper

k1hodgman said:


> Debussy. _Always_ works for me.


Good one, you are right and that is one I forgot. I, in fact, would put him at the top of my list as well, with Ravel a close second.


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## Pugg

Bach; Goldberg variations, as beautiful as they are


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## Nereffid

I don't go for "relaxing" in the sense of "quiet time". 
"Relaxing" for me means "de-stressing", which means finding an enjoyable thing for my brain to do, which can involve _any_ kind of music.


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## Guest

MacLeod said:


> As I don't listen to music to relax, I can't offer anything.


While this is true for me as well, I have noticed that if I come home really stressed and put on something really loud and aggressive, that will drain the stress right out. Merzbow is very good for that.

I have to add, though, that once I had noticed that, I stopped choosing really loud and aggressive music to calm my nerves, prefering to unwind with alcohol or exercise. (Alcohol is for relatively minor stress; exercise for the more major stuff.) That leaves music for being an active, engaged activity with the focus on the listening to sounds rather than on using the sounds for their therapeutic capacities.

Of course, in my current state of almost total enlightenment (self delusion), I am hardly ever stressed, so....


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Probably _Atmosphères_ by Ligeti is the only piece which I am happy to call 'relaxing.' More often than not, classical music is so diverse in its intended aesthetics and change of pace over time, even within a single work, that space to relax is near impossible. I would think that the descriptor 'meditative' is right for much of the later works of Morton Feldman though, especially my favourite Feldman composition _For Philip Guston._


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## Ingélou

Nereffid said:


> I don't go for "relaxing" in the sense of "quiet time".
> "Relaxing" for me means "de-stressing", which means finding an enjoyable thing for my brain to do, which can involve _any_ kind of music.


Yes, I too don't use music to 'relax' so much as to 'destress'. When I'm feeling nervous I find Rachmaninoff's Liturgy of St John Chrysostom lifts me to a new level of serenity; and a dose of Lully's ballet music also calms me down.
Anything by Handel is also recommended.

When I want to 'relax' in the sense of 'let my hair down' I like a good rousing branle or estampie.


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## johankillen

The most parts of Chopin's nocturnes


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## Xaltotun

Faure's _Pélleas et Mélisande_ comes to mind. But there are different shades of relaxing. There is "dreamy" relaxing (like this piece) and there is "bubbly" relaxing, like, uhh, Haydn's piano trios?


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## DeepR

I don't listen to music specifically to relax but it can be nice when the music I'm enjoying has a relaxing, soothing effect.
Something like Liszt - Consolation No. 3 perhaps?




Well, minus the audience noise..


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## chesapeake bay

Saties Gymnopédies and Pärts Spiegel im Spiegel are very restful I think.


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## HolstThePhone

It depends what kind of relaxation - if we're talking 'winding down before going to bed', it's got to be some of Chopin's Nocturnes, or some of the softer of Mendelssohn's 'Songs Without Words' 

If it's a more happy state of relaxation then maybe some upbeat baroque - Bach's Brandenburg Concerto's are the first things that pop to mind


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## GKC

Shostakovich's 10th symphony, 2nd movement

Bartok's 4th string quartet


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## KenOC

GKC said:


> Shostakovich's 10th symphony, 2nd movement
> 
> Bartok's 4th string quartet


Then the Grosse Fuge, and it's off to dreamland.


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## LHB

Pretty much anything by Ginastera or Xenakis. Don't do Debussy though; he can get VIOLENT!


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## Strange Magic

Respighi's _Ancient Airs and Dances_ always works for me.


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## Beban

Rudolf Matz (1901-1988), himself excellent and prize-winning athlete, was my father's group's coach at a time.. in elementary school (or highschool?).

Concerto for Flute and Strings (1963)

Example


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## PavolBrezina

For me it is Ravel's music


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## corndogshuffle

Whenever I try and listen to music for relaxation I end up listening to it/thinking about it and getting pumped. Doesn't matter what it is. If I really need help relaxing I usually go for a Unisom.


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## jegreenwood

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Probably _Atmosphères_ by Ligeti is the only piece which I am happy to call 'relaxing.' More often than not, classical music is so diverse in its intended aesthetics and change of pace over time, even within a single work, that space to relax is near impossible. I would think that the descriptor 'meditative' is right for much of the later works of Morton Feldman though, especially my favourite Feldman composition _For Philip Guston._


I don't (probably am incapable of) meditate per se, but the closest I get is with a pair of headphones and Feldman's Piano and String Quartet.


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## Brahmsian Colors

Just a few.....
Third movement adagio from Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony
Grieg's Elegiac Melody #2, "The Last Spring"
Debussy's Claire de Lune
Dvorak's Humoresque


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## Sloe

Parsifal by Richard Wagner since I have actually fallen asleep watching that.

I see now this is in orchestral music. But since the OP mentioned Brahms´s German Requiem and Parsifal is accompanied with an orchestra I allow myself to say that.


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## Pugg

Saties Gymnopédies and much of his other works. 
Ten Holt; Canto Ostinato will also do the trick.


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## helenora

very much depends on my mood , but mostly sacred works composed before 19th century


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## Judith

I find some Schubert relaxing, especially his fifth symphony!!


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## lionelherschtel

I found that playlist with a selection of relaxing classical tracks. It is a good playlist to listen after a long day of work or while reading.


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## Pugg

lionelherschtel said:


> I found that playlist with a selection of relaxing classical tracks. It is a good playlist to listen after a long day of work or while reading.


Has to be your taste though.


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## Merl

chesapeake bay said:


> Saties Gymnopédies and Pärts Spiegel im Spiegel are very restful I think.


Wow, I was gonna say both of these plus VW's Lark Ascending.


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## hpowders

If classical music is perceived as relaxing instead of stimulating, then it is either inferior classical music or the problem is with the listener.

If I wrote a piece of classical music and someone exclaimed to me "How relaxing!"after a performance of it, I would feel extremely insulted.


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## Strange Magic

hpowders said:


> If classical music is perceived as relaxing instead of stimulating, then it is either inferior classical music or the problem is with the listener.


I often enjoy listening to inferior classical music, but I don't regard it as a problem.


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## Der Titan

George Gershwin is for me very relaxing. Chopin is relaxing, Friedrich Kalkbrenner ( a not very well known composer who I like). In a way Bachs "Wohltemperiertes Klavier" can be relaxing. Haydns piano sonatas can be relaxing, they are sometimes a bit simple but beautifull. Vaugan Williams 3rd symphony with its beautifull calmness can be relaxing. Some Schubert piano sonatas can be relaxing. Mozarts piano concertoes can be relaxing. Malcolm Arnolds dance suites can be relaxing. I think there is a lot of classical music who can be relaxing, I would certainly find much more music which is relaxing.


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## Der Titan

hpowders said:


> If classical music is perceived as relaxing instead of stimulating, then it is either inferior classical music or the problem is with the listener.
> 
> If I wrote a piece of classical music and someone exclaimed to me "How relaxing!"after a performance of it, I would feel extremely insulted.


This is an interesting point of view and we could start a discussion. I mean the point is: What exactly is meant by "relaxation"? I think you will find less classical music which you find "relaxing" at the first view. But if you know this music better it can be relaxating and stimulating at the same time. It's stimulating as it is good music but it is also relaxating as you know this music very well and you feel "at home" in this music and then a certain music even of high quality can become relaxating in it's way. But of course no classical music is written for the simple purpose of relaxation, for really no music of quality is written as music which only fullfills a certain purpose.


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## Pugg

Der Titan said:


> George Gershwin is for me very relaxing. Chopin is relaxing, Friedrich Kalkbrenner ( a not very well known composer who I like). In a way Bachs "Wohltemperiertes Klavier" can be relaxing. Haydns piano sonatas can be relaxing, they are sometimes a bit simple but beautifull. Vaugan Williams 3rd symphony with its beautifull calmness can be relaxing. Some Schubert piano sonatas can be relaxing. Mozarts piano concertoes can be relaxing. Malcolm Arnolds dance suites can be relaxing. I think there is a lot of classical music who can be relaxing, I would certainly find much more music which is relaxing.


Thank you for reminding me, next on the playlist!


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## chesapeake bay

Hmmm I wonder How Richter's "sleep" would fit into this discussion


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## DeepR

When classical music is perceived as relaxing it doesn't necessarily mean there aren't other worthwhile qualities to the music. Besides there's nothing wrong with music having a relaxing effect. It's simply one of many positive effects that music can have. Some people might particularly enjoy this effect.


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## Der Titan

Pugg said:


> Thank you for reminding me, next on the playlist!


Some words to Friedrich Kalkbrenner. I have at home the 20 CD box "The golden age of the romantic piano concerto". This box is from Brilliant classics. It was very cheap, as it was a Brilliant box. Now it's pretty expensive as it's sold out, and I don't think it's worth this high price any longer. This box contains old Vanguard recordings of less well known composers of piano concertoes. The earliest pieces belong to the classical era and the latest to the first half of the 20th century, I think even Gershwin. The box is fascninating. Some performances are acceptable, some on the other hand are really awfull, bad orchestras, lousy performed, although the pianists themselves are always fine.

The Kalkbrenner CD of the 1st piano concerto is really fine, so I later bought the 2 CDs of Hyperion, and I must say, I was not disappointed, wonderfull music. I also bought Litolff of whom I was less impressed, although the piano concerto in the Brilliant box is really fine. But I haven't heard Litolff that intensely up to now. Moscheles from Hyperion is even worse, although the concerto in the Brilliant box lead me to decision to buy a Hyperion CD. The Hyperian CDs are of course of high standard and they are expensive whereas the Vanguard recordings are only pioneer recordings, somtimes good sometims awfull.

So I must say that of all these "unknown" composers in the Brilliant box, Kalkbrenner was really the greatest discovery.

Of Kalkbrenner exists also a CD "Romantische Klaviermusik-- Romantic piano music", which I enjoyed also a lot. It's something for rainy autumn days, nice piano pieces. The special charme for me in this CD is that it's performed on a fortepiano but this old instrument sounds much more smooth and more near to the modern piano than some of the even older instruments. At least Kalkbrenner was a composer of the early romantic era. The piano player is a certain Krücker.

What is astonishing in the piano concertoes is that although they are in their own style this style is near to Chopin. And Chopin is kind of a pupil of Kalkbrenner. And if somebody would ask me, I like Chopin, is their something simililar to Chopin, the closest what you can get is Kalkbrenner.

Why Kalkbrenner was so completely forgotten I don't know. He may not be one of the very best composers but he is very good. And then you have all this mockery about the vanity of Kalkbrenner. But I don't know, what is vanity after all. Kalkbrenner saw himselve as the greatest composer after Beethoven. He may not be this, but I would not call it vanity, I would call it a selfconfidence which is a bit exeggerated, but after all he is a good composer.

Then I have also a CD with the Grand Septuor and Grand Quintetto, chamber music with rare ensembles, which is enjoyable, but not great music. It's Tanski with the Consortium Classicum.

I think there is also a new CD with piano sonatas but I haven't got this yet. I think that's all of Kalkbrenner available in the moment.


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## FDR

To be quite honest I think that the whole "Classical music is relaxing" topic comes from the fact that most "popular music" is actually too tense, stressing and annoying in a not always too conscious way to us humans. 

When people who listen to this type of popular music (be it Rock, RnB, Hip Hop, House, Electronic or just regular Pop) listen to Classical music it usually sounds relaxing in comparison. When classical music is full of energy the listeners usually finds it confusing and annoying because it does not follow the same repetitive rhythm patterns of "popular music" and (s)he goes out to search for some other more "relaxing classical music". 

Just something that came to my mind. I am not hating on "popular music", there can be some hidden gems there too (both when it comes to quality and relaxation) but it's not all that common.

My favorite relaxing music would probably be listening to Nocturnes before going to sleep, be it Chopin's or John Field's work.


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## Flamme

Calms me down in an complete and profound way...


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## hpowders

When I'm dead, I will relax. Since I am alive, I prefer to be stimulated. Life is too short to relax.


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## Kjetil Heggelund

I believe it is slow.


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## Flamme

Puts you in a beta phase of complete, sweet oblivion...


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## SiegendesLicht

hpowders said:


> When I'm dead, I will relax. Since I am alive, I prefer to be stimulated. Life is too short to relax.


I will raise a toast to that!


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## hpowders

SiegendesLicht said:


> I will raise a toast to that!


To life!!!! :cheers::cheers::cheers:


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## Pat Fairlea

Chopin's Op.57 Berceuse. Pure relaxation, de-stressing and aaaahhhhh....just the thought of it sends me into a gentle, comfortable place. Or the medication's kicking in.


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## Mal

Haydn's Opus 20 Quartets (and later...) - Lindsays
Bach's violin concertos played by Grumiaux et. al.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Marriner & ASMF
Vaughan Williams Lark ascending - Kennedy
Walter's version of Beethoven's Pastoral (and Bohm's)
Beecham's Delius


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