The most beautiful Adagio

[The Emperor]

Just because you don't see any beauty, it doesn't mean it's not there...pretty subjective.

[mahlertitan]

Just because you don't see any beauty, it doesn't mean it's not there...pretty subjective.

isn't the point of this thread to express our opinions? were we aimed at finding some philosophical/aesthetic truth?

[The Emperor]

isn't the point of this thread to express our opinions? were we aimed at finding some philosophical/aesthetic truth?

Sure, i was just giving mine

[greg]

Mahler 9

it's the type of stuff that, when faced with a girl who really turns you on, makes you want to talk but instead this music might accidentally come out instead of words (that'd be strange if that happened, huh?)

[Brian]

I don't think anyone would mind if I just popped in to mention Tchaikovksy's final symphonic movement one more time. One of the most devastatingly powerful moments imaginable ... the final soft whisperings of possibly the greatest musical tragedy ever conceived ...




Hyperbole aside, it is a fantastically constructed movement, down to the last gasp. 

[mahlertitan]

I don't think anyone would mind if I just popped in to mention Tchaikovksy's final symphonic movement one more time. One of the most devastatingly powerful moments imaginable ... the final soft whisperings of possibly the greatest musical tragedy ever conceived ...

Hyperbole aside, it is a fantastically constructed movement, down to the last gasp. 

agreed, in fact all the romantics are good at writing slow beautiful adagios. I would also add Tchaikovsky's 5th's slow movement, which is very moving; last but not the least, the final movement of Mahler's 10th symphony, the first time i heard it, i thought that the music is beyond earthly realms, that must have been a piece given to us from above.

[Symphonien]

Has anyone mentioned the slow movement from Mahler's 6th? That's another great one.

[jochanaan]

Strange that no one has yet mentioned the Adagio molto e cantabile from Beethoven's Ninth, the inspiration for Bruckner's Adagios! And yes, I dearly love the Bruckner Adagios too.  And the last song, Der Abschied, from Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, in addition to all his other beautiful slow movements.

As for the 20th century, Shostakovich's Adagios and Largos do have a dark beauty; perhaps my favorite of all is the Eighth Symphony's first movement, with the Largo (fourth mvt.) from the same symphony close behind.  There are also many lovely slow movements from Hovhaness, including the last movement of Symphony #2, "Mysterious Mountain."  And I'm now listening to a work with not one, not two, but THREE beautiful slow movements in sequence: Gorecki's Symphony of Sorrowful Songs.

[val]

Regarding Symphonic works:

MOZART: Clarinet Concerto
BEETHOVEN: 9th Symphony
BRUCKNER: 7th, 8th and 9th Symphonies

Regarding chamber music:

HAYDN: Quartet opus 54/2
MOZART: Quartet K 458 and String Quintet K 516
BEETHOVEN: Quartets opus 18/1, opus 59/ 1 and 2, opus 127, opus 130 (Cavatina)
SCHUBERT: String Quintet

Regarding piano music:

BEETHOVEN: Sonatas opus 2/3, opus 106, opus 110.

[vandermolen]

Tchaikovsky Symphony 6 (last movement)

Bruckner Symphony 9 (last movement)

Myaskovsky Symphony 25 (first movement)

Vaughan Williams Symphony 6 (last movement)

David Diamond Symphony 3 (slow movement)

Elgar Sospiri

[BachQ]

Not necessarily marked "adagio":

Tchaikovsky 5th Symphonoy
Mahler 3rd, 5th, 9th Symphonies
Bruckner 8 and 9
Beethoven 9
Shosty 5
Dvorak 9
Dvorak Cello Concerto
Brahms Violin Concerto
Brahms Double Concerto
Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto

[quintett op.57]

Strange that no one has yet mentioned the Adagio molto e cantabile from Beethoven's Ninth, the inspiration for Bruckner's Adagios!

You didn't read everything

[jochanaan]

You didn't read everything

I'm confused.  I just read the entire thread again, twice, and can still find no reference to Beethoven's Ninth before mine, although val and D minor cited it in posts entered after mine...and believe me, if I had, I would be very  .

[BachQ]

I'm confused.  I just read the entire thread again, twice, and can still find no reference to Beethoven's Ninth before mine, although val and D minor cited it in posts entered after mine...and believe me, if I had, I would be very  .

Another beautiful LvB adagio can be found in his 3rd Piano Concerto . . . . . . .

[jochanaan]

Another beautiful LvB adagio can be found in his 3rd Piano Concerto . . . . . . .

You'll get no argument from me!  In fact, the slow movements from all his concertos, including the violin concerto, are as sublime as any music ever written.

[op.110]

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 83 third movement.

[BachQ]

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 83 third movement.

Yep.  And also: the slow movement of Brahms' 1st Piano Concerto, op. 15 . . . . . . .

[Steve]

Bruch, Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 

[Joe Barron]

Mahler, Symphony No. 6, Third Movement. 

[mahlertitan]

Adagios from Beethoven's piano PCs