6 (or so) Great Slow Middle Movements to Orchestral Works

[jowcol]

I'm just a stinker, but I had to beat Vandermolen to the punch.   After a rousing opening, the parts that really make me stop and dream at this wistful, elegaic, valedictory slow movements with just a sprinkle of impending catastrophie and hopeless defiance mixed in.   After you are done, you realize this was the best part of the work.
(It this doesn't make sense to all of you, it's okay.)

Miaskovsky is loaded with them.  The Middle movement of the 24th Symphony, and the third movement of the 16th are incredible, really lyrical heartfelt stuff.

For a bit of the creepy, I love the middle movement of Bartok's 2nd Piano Concerto.

The middle movement of Alwyn's Third Symphony.

Middle movement of Atterberg's 5th. 

Second Movement of Braga Santos's 4th.

The Alyesha's Awakening and Dream from the Gayne Suite by Katchaturian.

I'm sure there's more.  There are a couple of interludes from Prokofiev's Chout I really love.  If the Berceuse from the Firebird is eligible, I'd also toss that in!

[Scarpia]

In no particular order:

Bruckner 8
Mahler 6
Mozart, Piano concerto #27
Brahms, Symphony No 4, 2nd movement
Bach, Concerto for 2 violins
Brahms, Symphony No 3, 3rd movement

[Mirror Image]

I'm just a stinker, but I had to beat Vandermolen to the punch.   After a rousing opening, the parts that really make me stop and dream at this wistful, elegaic, valedictory slow movements with just a sprinkle of impending catastrophie and hopeless defiance mixed in.   After you are done, you realize this was the best part of the work.
(It this doesn't make sense to all of you, it's okay.)

Miaskovsky is loaded with them.  The Middle movement of the 24th Symphony, and the third movement of the 16th are incredible, really lyrical heartfelt stuff.

For a bit of the creepy, I love the middle movement of Bartok's 2nd Piano Concerto.

The middle movement of Alwyn's Third Symphony.

Middle movement of Atterberg's 5th. 

Second Movement of Braga Santos's 4th.

The Alyesha's Awakening and Dream from the Gayne Suite by Katchaturian.

I'm sure there's more.  There are a couple of interludes from Prokofiev's Chout I really love.  If the Berceuse from the Firebird is eligible, I'd also toss that in!

Some excellent choices there, jowcol. 

Here are, for the sake of time, 20 of mine and some may consider some choices cliche, but who really cares?

-Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 - III. Romanza (Lento)
-Mahler: Symphony No. 5 - IV. Adagietto
-Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 - II. Andante cantabile
-Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe - Part 3 - Lever du jour
-Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 24 - II. Molto sostenuto
-Arnold: Symphony No. 5 - II. Andante con moto
-Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 - III. Adagio
-Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 - II. Tempo Andante, ma rubato
-Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major - II. Adagio assai
-Rodrigo: Concierto Heroico - III. Largo
-Britten: Simple Symphony - III. Sentimental Sarabande
-Vaughan Williams: Concerto for Two Pianos: II. Romanza
-Villa-Lobos: Choros No. 11 - II. Adagio
-Stravinsky: Violin Concerto - III. Aria II
-Barber: Violin Concerto - II. Andante
-Bloch: Evocations - III. Andante piacevole (Renouveau-Spring)
-Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 - III. Adagio - Langsam, Feierlich
-Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos - II. Larghetto
-Bliss: A Colour Symphony - III. Blue - Gently Flowing
-Finzi: Cello Concerto - II. Andante quieto

[not edward]

There are so many obvious canonical choices out there, so here are seven that spring immediately to my mind (all 20th century, almost all symphonies):

Roussel: Symphony no 4 -- hands down my favourite moment in Roussel's whole oeuvre
Vaughan Williams: Piano Concerto -- in the midst of one of his harshest works, Ravel meets Rachmaninov
Nielsen: Symphony No 3 -- beautiful beyond words, to make a bad joke
Sallinen: Symphony No 5 -- as if the whole symphony is freezing over
Carter: Symphonia -- extraordinarily elegiac
Gerhard: Symphony No 1 -- eerie, spectral, haunted
Honegger: Symphonie liturgique -- goes without saying if you've heard it

[vandermolen]

Excellent John! 

OK, here goes;

Bruckner: Symphony No 9 (actually the last movement)
Simonsen: Hellas Symphony
Bax Symphony No 1 (looming catastrophe)
Khachaturian: Symphony No 2 (great use of Dies Irae theme)
Miaskovsky (for it is he) Symphony No 8, Symphony No 16, Symphony No 27 (wonderfully valedictory)
Vaughan Williams Symphony No 6 (impending catastrophe)
Moeran: Symphony
Berkeley: Concerto for Two Pianos.
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No 1
Honegger: symphonies 2 and 3
Prokofiev: Symphony No 5
David Diamond: Symphony No 3
Walter Piston: Symphony No 2
Atterberg Symphony No 5
Walton Symphony No 2 (not No 1 for a change)
I like the choice of Vaughan Williams's Piano Concerto - a wonderfully poetic section.

[Octo_Russ]

Here's a dozen slow movements that i adore,

Beethoven / Piano Concerto 5 - A genius of a composition.

Saint-Saens / Symphony 3 - Slow and serene, so melting.

Bruch / Violin Concerto 1 - One of the best Violin Concerto slow movements, reaches the high notes that tug at your heart.

Rodrigo / Concierto De Aranjuez - Very easy to fall in love with, so sunny and happy.

Mahler / Symphony 4 - Mahler's best slow movement, achingly sad and happy at the same time.

Rachmaninov / Piano Concerto 2 - I'm a sucker for dreamy romantic music.

Sibelius / Violin Concerto - Nice and soothing after the icy first movement.

Beethoven / Symphony 3 - The funeral march is Beethoven's greatest slow movement in my mind, it twists and turns in inventiveness, but always has this idee fixe.

Bruckner / Symphony 8 - The great Adagio is mesmerising, especially the heavenly coda at the end.

Grieg / Piano Concerto - One of the very best Piano Concerto slow movements.

Ravel / Piano Concerto in G - Starts off as a piano solo for a few minutes, an inspired idea.

Vaughan Williams / Symphony 5 - The Romanza, mysterious yet breathtaking.

[karlhenning]

Can't believe you folks are leaving it to me to mention the Largo from the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony.

[vandermolen]

Can't believe you folks are leaving it to me to mention the Largo from the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony.

It's really good but I am over familiar with it - Bruckner's 8th is another choice I'd agree with.

In addition - Saygun Symphony No 2 - very haunting and memorable. Tovey: Symphony.

Rubbra's slow movements have a special quality - I'd opt for that in Symphony No 5.

[abidoful]

hmm...best orchestral slow movements?
J.S. Bach Air (in D) from a Branderburgian concerto
Mozart has many beautiful slow movements, the so called "Elvira Madigan" slow movement is beautiful
Beethoven-2nd movement from  Concerto no.5 in E-flat, slow movement from the 9th Symphony
Chopin- Romance from Concerto op.11
Schumann- Slow movement from the 2nd Symphony
Brahms- Intermezzo from the 3rd Symphony
Tsaikovski- Slow movement of the 5th Symphony, 2nd movement of the Concerto no.2 in G
Grieg- slow movement of the Symphony in c-minor
Mahler- Adagietto (in F) from the 5th Symphony
Sibelius- 2nd movement of the 1rst Symphony (ok. more or less all the slow movements from symphonies 1-4)
Rahmaninov- 3rd movement of the 2nd Symphony op.27

[Brahmsian]

Mahler - Symphony No. 6 (as 3rd mvt) 

Bruckner - Symphony No. 4

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4

Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1

Mozart - Clarinet Concerto

Grieg - Piano Concerto

[Cato]

Can't believe you folks are leaving it to me to mention the Largo from the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony.

And to me to mention the Largo from Dvorak's Ninth!!!   

The slow movement from any Bruckner symphony is of course a winner!   0:)

[abidoful]

The slow movement from any Bruckner symphony is of course a winner!   0:)

How could I miss Anton?!? 
Yeah, especially the slow movements of symphonies 7-9

[Conor71]

These are very fine I think :

Bach: Concerto For Violin, Oboe, Strings & Basso Continuo In C Minor, BWV 1060R, "Double Concerto" - II. Adagio
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125, "Choral" - III. Adagio Molto E Cantabile
Elgar: Variations On An Original Theme, Op. 36, "Enigma" - X. Nimrod
Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39 - II. Andante
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 In A Major, K 488 - II. Adagio
Ravel: Piano Concerto In G Major - II. Adagio Assai

[Ten thumbs]

Here's something I find really beautiful: the slow section in the final part of Medtner's 3rd Piano Concerto.

[Dana]

Can't believe you folks are leaving it to me to mention the Largo from the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony.

    This has always been my favorite slow movement, despite some very serious challenges from the aforementioned Vaughan-Williams Symphonies (both 5th & 6th), and the 2nd Brahms Piano Concerto.