Your 10 favorite joyful works

Started by kyjo, August 24, 2021, 07:24:35 PM

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kyjo

As an antidote to the "10 favorite dark works" poll, I offer you to name 10 pieces which exude the pure, unadultered, affirmative joy of living! Mine would be:

Alfvén: Symphony no. 3
Anderson, Leroy: Piano Concerto in C major
Braga Santos: Symphony no. 4
Brahms: Serenade no. 1
Dubois: Quintette for oboe, violin, viola, cello, and piano
Dvořák: Symphony no. 8
Martinů: Symphony no. 1
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 17
Poulenc: Cello Sonata
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto no. 1

Obviously, it was quite difficult to leave out composers like Haydn and Mendelssohn. It's also worth noting that, in contrast to their ebullient outer movements, the slow movements of the Braga Santos, Martinů, and Saint-Saëns works I listed are quite dark.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

Right now, I can't even think of a list, Kyle. :D I guess I'm still in the abyssal zone while you've obviously been swimming in the sunlight zone much more than I have lately. ;D

kyjo

Quote from: Mirror Image on August 24, 2021, 07:29:18 PM
Right now, I can't even think of a list, Kyle. :D I guess I'm still in the abyssal zone while you've obviously been swimming in the sunlight zone much more than I have lately. ;D

Judging by your new Penderecki avatar, I guessed as such! :D
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

Quote from: kyjo on August 24, 2021, 07:30:21 PM
Judging by your new Penderecki avatar, I guessed as such! :D

Indeed.  :P

Symphonic Addict

#4
I have many works in mind, but for now I put these:

Janacek: Sinfonietta
Chávez: Sinfonía India
Ibert: Divertissement
Bantock: A Celtic Symphony
Poulenc, Milhaud, Honegger, Tailleferre, Auric: Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol
Tubin: Sinfonietta on Estonian motifs
Roussel: Suite in F
Glazunov: The Seasons
Mendelssohn: String Octet


Wild card:

Langgaard: Symphony No. 11 Ixion
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Mirror Image

#5
Okay...I think I'm ready. :) In no particular order:

Debussy: Suite bergamasque
Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28, TrV 171
Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 in D
Walton: Portsmouth Point Overture
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G
Milhaud: La Création du monde, Op. 81a
Martinů: Sonatina for Two Violins and Piano, H. 198
Stravinsky: Pulcinella
Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, "American"

vandermolen

I rarely listen to joyful works but these came to mind:

Martinu: Symphony No.4
Walter Leigh: Harpsichord Concerto
Vaughan Williams: English Folksong Suite
Holst: Suite No.1 for Wind Band
Honegger: Symphony No.4 'Delights of Basel'
Frank Bridge: Enter Spring
Bantock: Celtic Symphony
Moeran: Overture for a Masque
Alwyn: Overture - Derby Day
Glazunov: The Seasons

+1 for John's suggestion of Walton's 'Portsmouth Point'
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

#7
Quote from: vandermolen on August 24, 2021, 11:15:20 PM
I rarely listen to joyful works but these came to mind:

Martinu: Symphony No.4
Walter Leigh: Harpsichord Concerto
Vaughan Williams: English Folksong Suite
Holst: Suite No.1 for Wind Band
Honegger: Symphony No.4 'Delights of Basel'
Frank Bridge: Enter Spring
Bantock: Celtic Symphony
Moeran: Overture for a Masque
Alwyn: Overture - Derby Day
Glazunov: The Seasons

+1 for John's suggestion of Walton's 'Portsmouth Point'

I like your comment here about rarely listening to joyful works as I'm the same way. I rarely go out of my way to listen to something joyful, but when I do I can rarely find one! Quite the conundrum! :) Btw, I knew you'd like my Walton pick. ;)

Florestan

Great idea, Kyle! I've been thinking about it myself but you beat me to it.  :D

It's very difficult to limit myself to just 10, but I'll try to do it on an otomh, one-work-per-composer, no-particular-order basis.

Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Dvorak - Serenade for Strings Op. 22
Schubert - Trout Quintet
Chopin - Barcarolle
Haydn - Symphony No. 88
Beethoven - Septet
Mendelssohn - Italian Symphony
Boccherini - Fandango Quintet
Wolf-Ferrari - Idilio Concertino for Oboe and String Orchestra
Grieg - Wedding Day at Trolhaugen



Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Brian

#9
Castellanos: Santa Cruz de Pacairigua
Chabrier: España
Debussy: L'isle joyeuse - hello?? Obvious choice but I'm the first one to think of it?!?!  8)
Enescu: Romanian Rhapsody No. 1
Ibert: Divertissement
Janáček: Sinfonietta
Massenet: Suite No. 4, "Scènes pittoresques"
Mignone: Maracatu de Chico Rei
Rossini/Respighi: La boutique fantasque
Roussel: the bacchanalia and coronation from Bacchus et Ariane

BONUS ROUND: the 3 most joyful major composers of all time
Dvořák: String Quintet Op. 97
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8
Dvořák: Te Deum
Haydn: Symphony No. 82
Haydn: Symphony No. 98
Haydn: Symphony No. 103
Tchaikovsky: Concert Fantasia
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 2

EXTRA BONUS: most sarcastically joyous piece??
Hindemith: The Flying Dutchman Overture As Played By Sight-Reading By a Second-Rate Spa Orchestra at the Village Well at Seven in the Morning

Karl Henning

I admire the collective ability to keep it down to 10 8)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on August 25, 2021, 05:54:17 AM
I like your comment here about rarely listening to joyful works as I'm the same way. I rarely go out of my way to listen to something joyful, but when I do I can rarely find one! Quite the conundrum! :) Btw, I knew you'd like my Walton pick. ;)
Yes John - 'Portsmouth Point' was a truly inspired choice.

Yes, also, I much prefer works which express a sense of doom-laden catastrophe, which is probably why I rarely listen to Dvorak (great composer though he was - I love the final moments of his Cello Concerto). Hopeless defiance is something which always appeals to me (the ending of Stanley Bate's 4th Symphony comes to mind as does the ending of Gliere's 'Ilya Murometz' Symphony).
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Florestan

Quote from: Brian on August 25, 2021, 09:30:04 AM
Chabrier: España
Debussy: L'isle joyeuse - hello?? Obvious choice but I'm the first one to think of it?!?!  8)
Enescu: Romanian Rhapsody No. 1
Massenet: Suite No. 4, "Scènes pittoresques"
Rossini/Respighi: La boutique fantasque

Yessssss!


Quotethe 3 most joyful major composers of all time
Dvořák: String Quintet Op. 97
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8
Dvořák: Te Deum
Haydn: Symphony No. 82
Haydn: Symphony No. 98
Haydn: Symphony No. 103
Tchaikovsky: Concert Fantasia
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suite No. 2

Hard to disagree, but then again no such list would be complete without at least Vivaldi, Schubert and Saint-Saens offering strong competition. Heck, Milhaud and Francaix as well. And that's just the beginning of my quibble...  :D
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Florestan

Quote from: vandermolen on August 25, 2021, 09:40:49 AM
I much prefer works which express a sense of doom-laden catastrophe

You don't need any music for that. Just watch the news and you'll be satisfied aplenty.  ;D
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Florestan

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on August 25, 2021, 09:31:49 AM
I admire the collective ability to keep it down to 10 8)

I, for one, try to restrain myself as much as possible...  ;)
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on August 24, 2021, 11:15:20 PM
I rarely listen to joyful works but these came to mind:...

Quote from: vandermolen on August 25, 2021, 09:40:49 AM
Yes John - 'Portsmouth Point' was a truly inspired choice.

Yes, also, I much prefer works which express a sense of doom-laden catastrophe, which is probably why I rarely listen to Dvorak (great composer though he was - I love the final moments of his Cello Concerto). Hopeless defiance is something which always appeals to me (the ending of Stanley Bate's 4th Symphony comes to mind as does the ending of Gliere's 'Ilya Murometz' Symphony).
Jeffrey,

How come?   :(

PD

Quote from: Florestan on August 25, 2021, 10:11:00 AM
You don't need any music for that. Just watch the news and you'll be satisfied aplenty.  ;D
Agreed!
Pohjolas Daughter

Brian

Quote from: Florestan on August 25, 2021, 10:04:07 AM
Yessssss!
If you haven't heard this piece:
Quote from: Brian on August 25, 2021, 09:30:04 AM
Mignone: Maracatu de Chico Rei
Run to the store/streaming service immediately! It's like if Respighi's Pines of Rome had a choir singing nonsense verse and also all of the music was samba dancing. Irresistible.

Florestan

#17
Quote from: Brian on August 25, 2021, 10:19:09 AM
If you haven't heard this piece:Run to the store/streaming service immediately! It's like if Respighi's Pines of Rome had a choir singing nonsense verse and also all of the music was samba dancing. Irresistible.

Did a quick sampling on YT and it's indeed something else. Right up my alley, thanks a lot - will give a proper listening very soon.

What other Mignone works should I try? I think I have his piano concertos but never listened to them.

TD: anything by the greater or lesser dance music composers, such as the Strausses in Vienna or Emile Waldteufel in Paris is ""pure, unadulterated joy".
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on August 25, 2021, 09:40:49 AM
Yes John - 'Portsmouth Point' was a truly inspired choice.

Yes, also, I much prefer works which express a sense of doom-laden catastrophe, which is probably why I rarely listen to Dvorak (great composer though he was - I love the final moments of his Cello Concerto). Hopeless defiance is something which always appeals to me (the ending of Stanley Bate's 4th Symphony comes to mind as does the ending of Gliere's 'Ilya Murometz' Symphony).

Sometimes I just like to wallow in the bleakest, most blackest music I can and see if I can find beauty within and, depending on the composer, often times I can like Penderecki or even our old pal Pettersson. I find that something that is joyous is the toughest emotion to pull off convincingly, which is why when I hear a composer like Shostakovich express some kind of joy, I raise my eyebrow. It just somehow doesn't feel right to me. :)

Karl Henning

A challenge to stop at 22, really (even at one to a composer) ...

22. Monteverdi Toccata from L'Orfeo

https://www.youtube.com/v/mjpFi9bn1do

21. D. Scarlatti, Sonata in D, K. 492

https://www.youtube.com/v/CJuVa5_ScfE

20. Berlioz Apothéose from Op. 15

https://www.youtube.com/v/_1B6TC3f6n0

19. Albéniz Rondeña

https://www.youtube.com/v/iceURwOrzAc

18. Mendelssohn Allegro from the D Major String Symphony

https://www.youtube.com/v/LMUKiG_VI0M

17. Messiaen, Louange à l'Immortalité de Jésus

https://www.youtube.com/v/iGu8MwPObyw

16. Bartók. Fifth Quartet Scherzo

https://www.youtube.com/v/LQ-h4fILm8Q

15. Billings/Schuman, Be Glad Then, America

https://www.youtube.com/v/xiu3Ak0KlUw

14. Schoenberg, March from the Serenade, Op. 24

https://www.youtube.com/v/ZBn8vpKiORE

13. Hindemith, Konzertmusik, Op. 50, Part I

https://www.youtube.com/v/bKKjmwQc_NY

12. Tchaikovsky, Waltz of the Flowers

https://www.youtube.com/v/YPw3efunBXw

11. Stravinsky, Finale of the Firebird

https://www.youtube.com/v/mJ7YrmCNtZ4

10. Shostakovich Prelude & Fugue in D from the Op. 87

https://www.youtube.com/v/f6XB5iuLws

9. LvB Finale of the Op. 68

https://www.youtube.com/v/Oh5GkQOATCw

8. "Wolferl" Menuetto from the K. 543

https://www.youtube.com/v/1MYMrUd7r2U

7. Handel Hornpipe from the F Major Water Music Suite

https://www.youtube.com/v/MfTMr7YQNyk

6. Chopin Prelude in G from the Op. 28

https://www.youtube.com/v/vpakgTxe9Zc

5. Bach Prelude from the E Major Violin Partita

https://www.youtube.com/v/QyRBAvmUHcg

4. Bortnyansky Glory to God in the Highest

https://www.youtube.com/v/nrvA6PMBv2A

3. Prokofiev Precipitato from the Seventh Piano Sonata, Op. 83

https://www.youtube.com/v/5rfle8wSwJM

2. Mennin Canzona

https://www.youtube.com/v/jictlsGlEks

1. "Papa" Presto from the Eb Quartet, Op. 33 № 2

https://www.youtube.com/v/LDkWBzH6dkE

Bonus: Birthday Boy Lenny. On the Town, Times Square 1944

https://www.youtube.com/v/G7UlCYj0El0
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot