This is a going to be a difficult poll for some, but the general idea behind it is to list five works that have gone straight to your heart and left an undeniable impression on you. These are works that define your essence.
I'll post my list later.
Classical music has always been a sort of emotional/intellectual hybrid experience, for me. I would suggest works such as Mozart's 20th piano concerto, Beethoven's 7th symphony, the Ring Cycle, the LICHT Cycle, Uaxuctum, Limited Approximations, Metastasis, Le Sacre Du Printemps, and so on... But if I'm to truly name pieces of music that have shaped my heart and soul into what they are today, they would honestly probably just be old rock, metal, or folk songs I used to listen to in infinite loops as an adolescent and young adult. Either that, or I'm just having a moody, pensive morning...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kod9e2BgRA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDyvClUsCJU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64x_RCArfjU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX0JtuhsrwY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwgEOmXNzDE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qC4iVFPJr8
Alphabetical order -
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3
Brahms: Piano Concerto in D Minor (stirs emotions and serves as salve for the pre-stirred)
Janacek: Intimate Letters
Mahler: 6
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8
I'm not good at lists, but works that stand out are Shostakovich's violin concerto no 1, Bach's St Matthew Passion and Cantata no 21, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo and practically all of Beethoven's late quartets.
But like Nathan, there were pop music that had an equally emotional response with me in my formative years, eg Hendrix (I still cannot hear Machine gun without turning th volume to max and getting goose bumps all over my body) and lots of Beatles stuff. But really too much to go into specifics.
Fauré Sicilienne from the Pelléas et Mélisande Suite
Wagner Die Walküre
Havergal Brian Gothic Symphony (especially the Vivace movement)
Elgar Enigma Variations
Mahler Symphony No.6
Quote from: The new erato on January 09, 2017, 11:04:59 AM
But like Nathan, there were pop music that had an equally emotional response with me in my formative years
Yes...Pop/Rock/Soul/Folk/Country also deserve Top 5 lists.
Sarge
For me it would probably be something like.....................
Ligeti: Atmosphères
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Boulez: Dérive 1
Feldman: For Philip Guston
Boulez: Répons
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on January 09, 2017, 12:59:05 PM
Very good thread John! I'm gonna have to think about this.
Is this works that effected yourself in music tastes (essentially) as a listener? or works that give you the biggest emotional impact? :-\
That may be two completely different lists ;)
Another typo brought to you by an Armature Pianist.........I would assume that it is music which has affected you in your musical tastes. I would be surprised if those pieces did not have a big emotional impact. Our response to music is
always an emotional one anyway.
I grew up listening to pop and rock, starting in the 1960s, and did not listen to much classical music until I was 35. So, while my initial responses re: music that gets to my heart involve people like Phil Spector, Bruce Springsteen (pre-1987), Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, the Beach Boys, I will attempt to fashion a classical response.
Mahler 6: top of the list.
Beethoven 7: the Allegretto. I first heard it in some WWII movie. It was playing on the radio of this Jewish home as the Nazis were searching for them.
"Di Provenza." I had a mother like Germont Père. She wasn't happy I was going to marry a Jewish girl. She lost her complete shit when I told her I was going to marry a Jewish boy.
I could cite the "Kramer v. Kramer" movement of Vivaldi's RV 425, but my experiences with "mean girl" classical record clerks over the years make me afraid, still, to mention classical music I found at the movies. (Yes, You-Know-Who at Tower in DC, I'm talking about you.)
I don't usually realize how emotionally attached I am to a piece of music until I experience it outside my living and listening environments. I had a character talk about the third movement of M6 in a play I wrote once, and the theatre used it as the intro music. Talk about verklempt. (Even now, just thinking about it...)
Some good ones, take your pick of 5 ..
Bach, Dona nobis pacem, BWV 654, 659, 662
Faure, Piano Nocturne 13
Bartok, SQ 6
Poulenc, Nocturne 8
Stravinsky, Symphonies of Winds
Webern, Symphony op. 21
Wagner, Parsifal Prelude, Tristan Prelude
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on January 09, 2017, 12:59:05 PM
Very good thread John! I'm gonna have to think about this.
Is this works that effected yourself in music tastes (essentially) as a listener? or works that give you the biggest emotional impact? :-\
That may be two completely different lists ;)
Works that have touched you deeply --- emotionally, intellectually, spiritually...all at the same time. The reason why I chose to only allow five works to be chosen is because this avoids the whole 'list everything that has ever meant anything to you' kind of mentality and forces one to pick only the works that have meant the most to you and help define your very essence.
Okay, here goes nothing...(in no particular order):
Szymanowski: Litany for the Virgin Mary
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5
Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Viola, & Harp
Stanford: The Blue Bird
These are works that have gone straight to my heart and have never let go. Not even for a second.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on January 09, 2017, 06:45:30 PM
Now I see! 8)
Forget that list I made, that was more a first-milestones list.
I can give a much more accurate list ;)
Looking forward to reading it, Josh. :)
Difficult but interesting thread:
Howells: Hymnus Paradisi (heartbreakingly beautiful - written in memory of the composer's son who died very young)
Vaughan Williams: Symphony 9 - facing the darkness with defiance.
Pettersson: Violin Concerto 2 - I find the last part unbearably moving.
Rootham: Symphony 2 - a recent release - completed at the very end of Rootham's life. The choral/ethereal conclusion is terribly poignant.
Bruckner: Symphony 9 or Shostakovich Symphony 15
Feldman: For Philip Guston
Medtner Piano Sonata Opus 5
Chopin Ballade #1
Mahler Symphony #9
Stravinsky: Rite of Spring
Bach – Partita no. 2 for solo violin
Beethoven – C sharp minor Quartet
Ravel – Piano Trio
Sibelius – Symphony no. 6
Janáček – String Quartet no. 2
Music heard in the formative years does have a better chance of ending up on a list like this:
Britten: War Requiem - the old one conducted by Britten himself.
Verdi: Otello. I was 20, in Paris, bought a 50 FF student ticket to the Opéra for something else (I thought), found myself sitting on the sixth row, totally perfect seating, and little unprepared provincial me was totally swept away. Cried after less than ten seconds.
Purcell, Dido and Aeneas, When I am laid in earth, Anne Sophie von Otter. Very very simple, very powerful. I read The fourth song of the Aeneid, that adds a lot of depth.
Stravinskij, Sacre du Printemps. Scary, profoundly shocking.
Before getting to the most important, I too would like to sneak in a couple of non-classical ones: The water is wide played by Charles Lloyd, Faith played by Joshua Redman, Life on Mars and Starman by Bowie, and one that I really do not know how to classify: Dunwich Beach, Autumn, 1960 from On Land by Brian Eno: Is this even music, or a soundscape?
The most important piece of music in my life, however, is Beethoven's last piano sonata. I thought I knew that piece of music, had heard different versions over twenty-plus years. Then one day I heard Solomon play it, and suddenly, in the second movement, it clicked. I am not at all religious, but the only way I can describe it is that I found myself standing naked before the power and love of God. It was an epiphany, a high. I must admit, I just sobbed.
I often wonder whether I am a nutcase or others have had similar experiences?
Regularly.
I really feel like I should have mentioned Kate Soper's 'Voices from the Killing Jar' but that is something I only discovered very recently. Can it still count? It really did knock my socks off like nothing else has when I first heard it.............
In a way it's not fair to composers not named J.S. Bach. My list could have five Bach compositions depending on my mood. Aside from Bach, let's do this (could change tomorrow!):
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
Beethoven: Hammerklavier sonata
R. Strauss: Metamorphosen
Tallis: Spem in Alium
Brahms: German Requiem
Here are my Bach five:
Mass in B Minor
Partita No. 2 for unaccompanied Violin
Prelude and Fugue in Eb major, BWV 552 (for organ)
WTC Books I and II (is that cheating?)
Orgelbuchlein (cheating again?)
Quote from: Amore di Viola on January 10, 2017, 11:41:02 AM
... The water is wide played by Charles Lloyd...
The most important piece of music in my life, however, is Beethoven's last piano sonata. I thought I knew that piece of music, had heard different versions over twenty-plus years. Then one day I heard Solomon play it, and suddenly, in the second movement, it clicked. I am not at all religious, but the only way I can describe it is that I found myself standing naked before the power and love of God. It was an epiphany, a high. I must admit, I just sobbed.
I often wonder whether I am a nutcase or others have had similar experiences?
Fascinating about the Charles Lloyd. Several months ago I heard parts of his LP (still, only available on LP)
Big Sur Tapestry played on a local radio station. I hunted it down and played it on New Year's day. I was blown away in a way I have never experienced. It was almost as if I have finally found peace. Buy a damn turntable if you have to, but get this!!!! I am eager to check out
The Water is Wide.
The Solomon observation is also interesting. He is one of my favorites. His
Hammerklavier Sonata and Brahms Sonata No. 3 are untouchable and both are as profound as music-making gets. Honestly, I prefer Michelangeli in the Op. 111.
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on January 11, 2017, 09:20:41 PM
In a way it's not fair to composers not named J.S. Bach. My list could have five Bach compositions depending on my mood. [...]
I recognize that. ;)
I decided to pick only one piece by Bach.
Here's my alphabetical list of 5 pieces that always go straight to my heart and, well,
almost always can move me to tears, or at least to less dry eyes.
Bach: Aria "Zerfließe mein Herze, in Fluten der Zähren" from the
Johannes-Passion BWV 245.
Byrd: "Agnus Dei" from the
Mass for 4 voices.
Mahler: The final chorus of his
Symphony no. 2 in C minor.
Poulenc:
Salve Regina.
Rachmaninov: "Blagosloven yesi, Gospodi" (Znamennïy Chant) from his
All-Night Vigil AKA
Vespers.
Beethoven Op. 131 & Bartók Quartet No. 3, performed in Rome in... 2001?
Schubert, Piano Sonata D. 960, II. Andante sostenuto, Artur Schnabel
Berio, Laborintus 2, performed in Cambridge in 2010
Bach, St Matthew Passion, No. 57 "Komm, süsses Kreuz", Dietrich Henschel, Christophe Coin, Harnoncourt & the Concentus Musicus Wien
Feldman, Neither, performed in New York in 200...9 or something idk
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on January 11, 2017, 09:20:41 PM
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
R. Strauss: Metamorphosen
Two extremely good choices there. When I was still into late romantic orchestral repertoire (don't listen much to it these days) these were extremely important to me.
I think I was more deeply impressed as a relative beginner 25-30 years ago, so such a list would probably be almost only Beethoven if completely honest (I think the first piece I was completely obsessed with was his 5th symphony).
Bach: St Matthew, especially the first chorus, also "Wahrlich, dieser ist Gottes Sohn gewesen" as well as "Erbarme dich" and "Mache dich, mein Herze rein"
Beethoven: Quartets op.131 and 132, 9th sympony, Missa solemnis
Haydn: Quartet op.76/5, especially the slow movement
Schubert: Winterreise
Mahler: Der Abschied from das Lied von der Erde
There must be others, typically triggering a temporal obsession with composers I had almost ignored until then but I don't remember now.
The first work that comes to my mind is Giya Kancheli's Lament - Mourning music in memory of Luigi Nono (whose only youtube version is, unfortunately, this poor quality live recording --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac_X3j0rQkQ <-- of an otherwise very fine performance - which funnily enough, early in the video, shows the composer himself in the audience as he turns back with an angry look at the guy who is recording and speaking way too loudly).
It is a 40 min musical journey through conscience passing through extreme pianissimos and fortissimos.
For other works I'd have to think a bit more, there would probably be Mozart's Requiem and Efrim Menuck's 13 Angels Standing Guard 'Round the Side of Your Bed --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcMJNCAIwqA
For me, there's probably more than 5. And more so in the early years of listening when music was coming new and afresh. Saying all that, these do remain pretty high on the 'impact' list.
Vaughan Williams : Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Gorecki : Symphony No.3
Mahler : Symphony No.2
Strauss : Four Last Songs
Chopin : Prelude No.4, E Minor
I guess a lot if it is sadness with a touch of elation.
The Tallis Fantasia is the one to take with you when you are away from England, everything English (to me) is there in this one work. I am sure each persons, from each of their own Countries (has a work close to heart like this is to me).
Gorecki 3, love it or not. The impact of this work was chilling on first hearing. Mahler 2, does what it says on the tin for me. Urlicht is a great pre finale moment and the last movement can have a non believer, believing. Strauss' 4 Last Songs are one if not my favourite song cycle. Faultless IMHO.
And imagine hearing Chopin's Prelude for the first time....on a scale of 1 to 10....how feckin' sad and heartbreaking is this?
[I was going to add the Chopin before I had read Tony's post, for the record 8) ]
I worry about how few of you have been touched deeply by Joy . . . .
How to answer this question, anyway? It's all figurative (Touched You The Deepest), as it must be . . . must the answers favor music heard earlier, which have receded deeper into our musical memory? Must the answers favor larger pieces which (figuratively) reflect the fact that larger physical objects sink deeper?
Having begun to point out the Problems, I'll go ahead and play a hand . . .
In no particular order:
JS Bach: Eb Prelude from Book I of the WTC
Stravinsky: Symphonies d'instruments à vent
Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet
Chopin: b minor Prélude
Chick Corea: Spanish Fantasy
Quote from: AnthonyAthletic on January 12, 2017, 03:03:31 AM
Chopin : Prelude No.4, E Minor
And imagine hearing Chopin's Prelude for the first time....on a scale of 1 to 10....how feckin' sad and heartbreaking is this?
I don't have to imagine...I remember. I first heard it in the film
Five Easy Pieces: it is the "easy piece" Bobby ( Robert Eroica Dupea, Jack Nicholson's character) plays for Catherine (Susan Anspach) to demonstrate his inability to feel emotion. But of course the Chopin
is sad and heartbreaking.
Sarge
A most interesting thread, though I feel a conflict between John's "touched you the deepest" and "defines your essence." Not everyone defines themselves by their emotional core, indeed, some might argue that such could be a mistake, a serious one perhaps. In any case, to clarify, these are among those works that touched me the deepest, there's maybe 25-30 of them; I'd be reluctant to say they defined my essence. That'd prob. be another Liszt (sic) ...
VW: 5
Schubert: Winterreise
Bax: Tale the Pine Trees Knew
Prokofiev: Violin Sonata Numero Uno
Liszt: Nuages gris
The Fauré Requiem is my lagniappe.
There is no way to pick only five --- unless I pick the very first five works I have heard. I was 14 at the time and they indeed touched me deeply and lastingly; although I basically know them by heart, each time I hear them again I feel enraptured.
Edvard Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor op. 16 (the first complete work I have ever listened to; that timpani roll and that entry of the piano sold me instantly on classical music and changed my life for ever)
Bizet - Carmen (Zefirelli´s movie, with Domingo and Migenes-Johnson - saw it in cinema twice iin the same week, next week I urged my parents to join me for a third session).
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor op. 23 (the opening never fails to send me on another emotional galaxy and the rest just keeps me there)
Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G minor KV 550 (my top five Mozart works is ever changing except this one)
Chopin - Polonaise in A-flat major op. 53 (Was so excited and touched by it that I barely slept that night)
Apart from that, the five composers whose works have touched me the most and the deepest are first and foremost Schubert followed by Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Rachmaninoff
Quote from: Florestan on January 12, 2017, 06:24:40 AM
There is no way to pick only five --- unless I pick the very first five works I have heard. I was 14 at the time and they indeed touched me deeply and lastingly; although I basically know them by heart, each time I hear them again I feel enraptured...
Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G minor KV 550 (my top five Mozart works is ever changing except this one)...
Now
that work would go into the list of titles that defines my essence!
Quote from: Ghost Sonata on January 12, 2017, 06:41:47 AM
Now that work would go into the list of titles that defines my essence!
I should have added that
Mozart is in a league of his own in my list of favorite composers. :)
Live performance carry a lot more emotionnal content. Here are some of the memorable ones
1) Complete Beethoven string quartets, Guarneri performance
2) Faust Gounod, with the full original ballets: they make a big difference. Opera de Paris
3) Horowitz in a live performance
4) Brahms clarinet quintet, live performance
5) Zeffirelli Traviata movie: Theresa Stratas was unsurpassable.
Quote from: Ghost Sonata on January 12, 2017, 05:03:23 AM
A most interesting thread, though I feel a conflict between John's "touched you the deepest" and "defines your essence." Not everyone defines themselves by their emotional core, indeed, some might argue that such could be a mistake, a serious one perhaps. In any case, to clarify, these are among those works that touched me the deepest, there's maybe 25-30 of them; I'd be reluctant to say they defined my essence. That'd prob. be another Liszt (sic) ...
VW: 5
Schubert: Winterreise
Bax: Tale the Pine Trees Knew
Prokofiev: Violin Sonata Numero Uno
Liszt: Nuages gris
The Fauré Requiem is my lagniappe.
Interesting Bax choice. Must listen again to it.
Quote from: Jay F on January 09, 2017, 04:44:14 PM
"Di Provenza." I had a mother like Germont Père. She wasn't happy I was going to marry a Jewish girl. She lost her complete shit when I told her I was going to marry a Jewish boy.
And I think that's totally sweet.
I may come back to this, but for a start:
Bach, B minor Mass
Verdi, Requiem
Beethoven, Missa Solemnis
Beethoven, the 3rd movement of op. 130
And since the thread nowhere insists these all have to be
musical works,
Shakespeare, King Lear
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 09, 2017, 06:59:57 PM
Okay, here goes nothing...(in no particular order):
Stanford: The Blue Bird
You are referring to the Partsong (op 119, No. 3)? Beautiful that one. What is your favorite recording of it?
Quote from: mc ukrneal on January 17, 2017, 07:38:56 AM
You are referring to the Partsong (op 119, No. 3)? Beautiful that one. What is your favorite recording of it?
Yep, that's the one. My favorite performance of it comes from this recording:
(http://media.rarb.org/images/albums/351-big.jpg)
Lumen Valo are a Finnish vocal ensemble. I've been meaning to check out more of their work. In this particular version of the Stanford, there is a female soprano used instead of a boy soprano.
Interesting post!
In no order:
Janácek: Glagolitic Mass
Schubert: String Quintet (2nd movement has no rivals)
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
Beethoven: 3rd movement from String quartet Nr. 15
Respighi: San Gregorio Magno from Vetrate di Chiesa
Bonus track: Bantock's A Celtic Symphony (this is a real gem!!)
Another one: Ravel's Piano concerto for the left hand
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on January 11, 2017, 09:24:44 PM
Fascinating about the Charles Lloyd. Several months ago I heard parts of his LP (still, only available on LP) Big Sur Tapestry played on a local radio station. I hunted it down and played it on New Year's day. I was blown away in a way I have never experienced. It was almost as if I have finally found peace. Buy a damn turntable if you have to, but get this!!!! I am eager to check out The Water is Wide.
Thanks for the tip! The hunt is on, when I find it I'll take it to the jazz room 8)
I still have my perfectly functioning turntable, never could throw it out, and today never would.
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on January 17, 2017, 04:20:43 PM
Interesting post!
In no order:
Janácek: Glagolitic Mass
Schubert: String Quintet (2nd movement has no rivals)
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
Beethoven: 3rd movement from String quartet Nr. 15
Respighi: San Gregorio Magno from Vetrate di Chiesa
Bonus track: Bantock's A Celtic Symphony (this is a real gem!!)
Another one: Ravel's Piano concerto for the left hand
The Celtic Symphony is indeed wonderful. It was a great privilege to hear it live in London. I like the 'Church Windows' by Respighi too although 'St Gregory the Great' is my favourite of its movements.
Quote from: vandermolen on January 20, 2017, 04:10:35 AM
The Celtic Symphony is indeed wonderful. It was a great privilege to hear it live in London. I like the 'Church Windows' by Respighi too although 'St Gregory the Great' is my favourite of its movements.
The movement is bombastic (maybe many people do not like that), but it reaches a level of ecstasy quite impressive, that music raises the spirits to anyone. Bantock's work has moved me a lot, such a level of beauty leaves me perplexed. You are very fortunate to be able to listen to it live 8)
This thread is about autobiography, I guess. Wel then:
Dvořák, Polednice (The Noon Witch)
Vaughan Williams, A Pastoral Symphony
Debussy, La Mer
Respighi, Trittrico botticelliano
Pierné, Divertissements sur un thème pastoral
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on January 20, 2017, 02:13:39 PM
The movement is bombastic (maybe many people do not like that), but it reaches a level of ecstasy quite impressive, that music raises the spirits to anyone. Bantock's work has moved me a lot, such a level of beauty leaves me perplexed. You are very fortunate to be able to listen to it live 8)
Yes, I am fortunate indeed. The Hebridean and Pagan symphonies are my other favourites by Bantock.
Quote from: Christo on January 20, 2017, 03:47:04 PM
This thread is about autobiography, I guess. Well then:
Dvořák, Polednice (The Noon Witch)
Vaughan Williams, A Pastoral Symphony
Debussy, La Mer
Respighi, Trittrico botticelliano
Pierné, Divertissements sur un thème pastoral
Great picks, Christo. The only work I need familiarize myself more with from your list is the Pierne.
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 21, 2017, 07:05:25 AMGreat picks, Christo. The only work I need familiarize myself more with from your list is the Pierne.
I was talking about a 15 years old; first loves that left an everlasting imprint. BTW, there's one performance of the Pierné that beats them all: Jean Martinon's.
For me: Bruckner Symphony No. 4 (my introduction to classical music, aged 15 I love the ending), Shostakovich Symphony No. 4, Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3 (somehow both got me thinking about Russia's history when I lived there, reflecting foreboding and personal tragedy, respectively), Vasks Violin Concerto 'Distant Light' (to me, there is something deeply spiritual and hopeful, yet contemporary about this piece) Sibelius Symphony No. 7 (seems to me to stand above and beyond the vagaries of human experience, yet at the same time brings hope).
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 09, 2017, 09:08:38 AM
This is a going to be a difficult poll for some, but the general idea behind it is to list five works that have gone straight to your heart and left an undeniable impression on you. These are works that define your essence.
I'm not sure I agree with that last sentence. Actually, some works that have touched me deepest are
against my essence. That's why they trouble me, shake me, sometimes revolt me. I guess we each have our personal definition or understanding of the term "to touch").
In no particular order:
-
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius. Especially in the interpretation of Jon Vickers. A true voyage of cosmic proportions. Contrary to the accepted sniffdom, I
love Cardinal Newman's text.
-
Mahler: the 9th symphony, provided that the interpretation makes the work come out as defiant, angry, uncomforting, disconsolate. Maderna, Ludwig and Klemperer are good examples, each in their own way.
-
Pettersson: the 2nd violin concerto (original version,
not the easier on the ear revised one - accept no substitute !). The essence of angst, anger and bitterness.
-
Bruckner: the 8th symphony. Whether it's a fast and furious cyclone or a vast and anxious behemoth of a performance, the work's dimensions (never fully encompassed in any single performance) defy understanding. Maybe that's why I have trouble "getting" a 4-movement 9th symphony: it might rival that pinnacle.
- For the last, I'm simply going for a decades old favourite,
Vaughan-Williams' A Sea Symphony. Possibly the most arresting opening stanza in all orchestral/choral music. Of course it helps that the Whitman text floors me every time.
Keeping the same very personal definition in mind, I could have added
Bach's
Chaconne,
Wagner's
Die Walküre. If I had to choose in
Mozart's output, I'd probably go for K.379: the introduction to I makes my jaw drop every time. Not forgetting
Sandström's Requiem, an extraordinarily upsetting work.
This is going to be based primarily on thinking about which works are the ones where there's a particular emotional reaction to the mere mention of them. In a couple of cases I've forced myself to choose only 1 per composer, with a couple of pieces trying to challenge.
Faure - Piano Quintet No.1
Brahms - Clarinet Trio
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit
Chopin - Ballade No.4
Rachmaninov - Etudes-Tableaux, op.39
I must add Sibelius' Violin concerto to my picks.
Possibly the single work that contributed the most to my classical music passion back in the days.
I remember being totally overwhelmed by the poetry of the most harrowing violin passages in the first movement.
Quote from: Androcles on January 26, 2017, 11:16:22 AM
For me: Bruckner Symphony No. 4 (my introduction to classical music, aged 15 I love the ending), Shostakovich Symphony No. 4, Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3 (somehow both got me thinking about Russia's history when I lived there, reflecting foreboding and personal tragedy, respectively), Vasks Violin Concerto 'Distant Light' (to me, there is something deeply spiritual and hopeful, yet contemporary about this piece) Sibelius Symphony No. 7 (seems to me to stand above and beyond the vagaries of human experience, yet at the same time brings hope).
Interesting post. The Vasks Symphony 2 I find very moving, especially the ending. I have the Ondine recording with the excellent VC.