Favorite openings

[offbeat]

oh dear another list thread must only nominate one or else will be here all night 
Has to be opening of Sibelius no 6 - completely heavenly and other worldly........

[DavidW]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP8TUe993uo

Hahaha that was hilarious!

[Air]

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé

There you go.  That's my response.

[Brahmsian]

Like Wanderer already mentioned:

Wagner - Das Rheingold and Die Walkure.

Both polar opposite beginnings in terms of mood, but both outstandingly effective and hair raising! 

[greg]

Wagner - Das Rheingold

Another good one.

[Renfield]

All of Bruckner's symphonies are engineered to have memorable openings, after Beethoven's 9th. But I think he nailed it with the 9th, appropriately. And since another opening that never fails to 'work' for me is of a Mahler symphony similarly numbered, I can vote:

Beethoven/Bruckner/Mahler's 9th symphony.

[Brahmsian]

Mahler's 3rd and 6th symphonies!

[abidoful]

The Grieg SQ opening!

[knight66]

The shimmering, nature filled opening to Schoenberg's Gurrelieder.

The proclamation of, 'Veni Creator spiritus' from Mahler's 8th Symphony.

R Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra.

Mike

[cliftwood]

Mahler Symphony # 7

Saint-Seans Piano Concerto # 2

Brahms Piano Concerto # 1

Hindemith Symphony in E Flat

Shostakovich Symphony # 5

[mahler10th]

All of Bruckner's symphonies are engineered to have memorable openings, after Beethoven's 9th. But I think he nailed it with the 9th, appropriately. And since another opening that never fails to 'work' for me is of a Mahler symphony similarly numbered, I can vote:

Beethoven/Bruckner/Mahler's 9th symphony.

Clearly a fan of Dominant 9^ths then.   
I agree!
I like how Atterberg, Rangstrom and their like open their symphonic works.  Melody is always clear and present.