What are some of your all time favorite works?

[Selig]

Bach AoF
Bach WTC
Bach CÜ-III

These three are all I need. I do like Op. 111 a hell of a lot though....

[André]

Bach, Christmas Oratorio
Haydn, The Creation and symphony 82
Mozart, Mass in c minor and Don Giovanni or Zauberflöte
Chopin, first piano concerto, Études op 10, Barcarolle
Bellini, Norma
Verdi, Aida, Requiem Mass
Wagner, Die Walküre
Bruckner, symphony no 8 and Helgoland
Brahms, symphony 4  and the two piano concertos.
Sibelius, symphony no 5. Or is it no 7 ?
Mahler, symphony no 9. 10 years ago it would have been no 6
Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier
Puccini, Turandot
Vaughan Williams, A Sea Symphony
Berg, violin concerto
Ysaÿe, the solo violin sonatas
Ravel, the two piano concertos
Delius, Florida Suite or A Mass of Life

At this point I can't decide on a work by Schubert - there could be half a dozen - but it might be sonata no 20.

[Florestan]

Mozart, Schubert, Chopin --- complete works. 

[prémont]

My preference is Fournier on DGG Archive. Somewhat anachronistic by today's standards, but I've always thought he found his way into the heart of each suite.

Well, he has been surpassed as to some stylistic details, because we know a bit more about baroque style today than in 1960. But still I wouldn't call his interpretation anachronistic, but rather timeless in its overall conception.

[Iota]

Couldn't possibly narrow down a complete list, so here's a few composers with a single work from each that gives me a lot of pleasure.


Machaut: Messe de Nostre Dame
Monteverdi: Madrigals Book 4
Bach: WTC I
Mozart: Mass in C Minor
Beethoven: Op.111
Chopin: Sonata in B Minor
Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze
Liszt: Sonata in B Minor
Wagner: Meistersinger Overture
Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1
Mahler: Symphony No.9
Sibelius: Symphony No.7
Debussy: Preludes Book 1
Ravel: Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé
Bartok: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No.8
Schoenberg: Pierrot Luniare
Britten: Peter Grimes
Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage
Boulez: Pli selon pli

[Lisztianwagner]

Difficult, but anyway some of mine are:

Richard Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen
Franz Liszt Années de pèlerinage, Hungarian Rhapsodies
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony N. 9
Gustav Mahler Symphony N. 6
Sergei Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini
Gustav Holst The Planets
Richard Strauss Eine Alpensinfonie
Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky Symphony N. 4
Granville Bantock Celtic Symphony
Maurice Ravel Miroirs, Daphnis et Chloé

[Sergeant Rock]

Wagner Lohengrin, Die Walküre and Parsifal
Bruckner Symphonies 3, 6 and 8
Mahler Symphonies 4, 6 and 10 (Cooke versions)
Atterberg Symphony 6
Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra
Dvořák Symphonies 1, 4, 7, 8 and Othello Overture
Sibelius Symphonies 4, 5 and 6
Sibelius Wood Nymph and En saga
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 2
Shostakovich Symphonies 4, 9 and 15
Beethoven Symphonies 3, 8 and 9
Beethoven Piano Sonatas Moonlight and Pathétique
Tchaikovsky Swan Lake
Fauré Pelléas et Mélisande
Brahms Symphony 4
Chopin Preludes
Mozart Symphonies 25, 33 and 34
Mozart Piano Concertos 20, 21 and 22
Haydn Symphonies 31, 82 and 99
Haydn String Quartet op.77/1
Korngold Symphony
Herrmann Symphony
Elgar Symphony 1
Elgar Cello Concerto
Berg Three Pieces for Orchestra and Violin Concerto
Schoenberg  Serenade Op. 24 and 5 Orchestral Pieces Op. 16
Ives Symphony 2 And Three Places in New England
Nielsen Symphonies 3 and 6
Arnold Symphony 2
Lloyd Symphonies 4, 5 and 7
Vughan Williams Symphonies 2, 4, 8 and 9
Havergal Brian Symphonies 1, 4, 5, 8, 14 (oh hell, all 32 really)

Sarge

[foxandpeng]

Wagner Lohengrin, Die Walküre and Parsifal
Bruckner Symphonies 3, 6 and 8
Mahler Symphonies 4, 6 and 10 (Cooke versions)
Atterberg Symphony 6
Dvořák Symphonies 1, 4, 7, 8 and Othello Overture
Sibelius Symphonies 4, 5 and 6
Sibelius Wood Nymph and En saga
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 2
Shostakovich Symphonies 4, 9 and 15
Beethoven Symphonies 3, 8 and 9
Beethoven Piano Sonatas Moonlight and Pathétique
Tchaikovsky Swan Lake
Fauré Pelléas et Mélisande
Brahms Symphony 4
Chopin Preludes
Mozart Symphonies 25, 33 and 34
Mozart Piano Concertos 20, 21 and 22
Haydn Symphonies 31, 82 and 99
Haydn String Quartet op.77/1
Korngold Symphony
Herrmann Symphony
Elgar Symphony 1
Elgar Cello Concerto
Berg Three Pieces for Orchestra and Violin Concerto
Schoenberg  Serenade Op. 24 and 5 Orchestral Pieces Op. 16
Ives Symphony 2 And Three Places in New England
Nielsen Symphonies 3 and 6
Arnold Symphony 2
Lloyd Symphonies 4, 5 and 7
Vughan Williams Symphonies 2, 4, 8 and 9
Havergal Brian Symphonies 1, 4, 5, 8, 14 (oh hell, all 32 really)

Sarge

What a great list 🙂

[Sergeant Rock]

What a great list 🙂

Thanks. But it's a tad symphony heavy.    I should have included more chamber works, like the Brahms First String Sextet, the Ravel String Quartet, the Beethoven op.135, the Schoenberg Second String Quartet and a half dozen other Haydn quartets.

Sarge

[amw]

Mozart's Complete Works
Schubert's Complete Works
Chopin's Complete Works

This is what I should have done.

I guess I can expand my list slightly.

I don't think I could name more than five pieces without getting overly bogged down in details.

Bach SMP, BWV244
Bach SJP, BWV245
Haydn Symphony in F minor, Hob.I:49
Haydn Symphony in F, Hob.I:67
Haydn String Quartet in B minor, Op. 33 no. 1
Haydn String Quartet in B-flat, Op. 50 no. 1
Haydn Symphony in E-flat, Hob.I:84
Mozart Divertimento in D, KV334
Mozart Piano Concerto in G, KV453
Mozart Piano Concerto in E-flat, KV482
Mozart String Quintet in C, KV515
Mozart String Quintet in G minor, KV516
Mozart Divertimento in E-flat, KV563
Beethoven String Quartet in E-flat, Op. 74
Beethoven Piano Sonata in B-flat, Op. 106
Beethoven Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 111
Beethoven Missa Solemnis, Op. 123
Beethoven String Quartet in B-flat, Op. 130/133
Schubert String Quartet in G, D887
Schubert Piano Trio in E-flat, D929
Schubert String Quintet, D956
Schubert Piano Sonata in A, D959
Schubert Piano Sonata in B-flat, D960
Chopin Ballade in F minor, Op. 52
Chopin Sonata in B minor, Op. 58
Chopin Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61
Schumann Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6
Schumann Fantasie, Op. 17
Schumann Kerner-Lieder, Op. 35
Schumann Dichterliebe, Op. 48
Brahms String Sextet in G, Op. 36
Brahms Cello Sonata in E minor, Op. 38
Brahms Violin Sonata in G, Op. 78
Brahms Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115
Dvořák Symphony in D minor, Op. 70
Dvořák String Quintet in E-flat, Op. 97
Dvořák String Quartet in G, Op. 106

Ok, I'm officially bogged down in details. You can see why I tried to limit it to the first few that popped into my head.

[Olias]

I'm going to limit myself to those pieces that I could listen to at any time and in any mood and be guaranteed to always enjoy no matter how many times I've heard them:

Symphonies
Dvorak 8
Dvorak 9
Beethoven 7
Beethoven 9
Mozart 41
Haydn 88
Haydn 100
Shostakovich 5

Concertos
Dvorak Cello
Beethoven Violin
Mendelssohn Violin
Tchaikovsky Violin
Mozart Clarinet

Chamber Music
Dvorak String Quartet 12
Beethoven Op 18 #2 String Quartet
Haydn Op 33 #2 String Quartet
Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds K452

Orchestral (non-symphonic)
Holst Planets
Debussy La Mer
Dvorak Slavonic Dances
Copland Appalachian Spring
Bernstein Divertimento for Orchestra

Opera/Vocal
Mozart Marriage of Figaro
Mozart Cosi Fan Tutte
Mozart Magic Flute
Bach Coffee Cantata
Rossini Barber of Seville

[DavidUK]

Off the top of my head and in no particular order.

Berlioz. Symphonie Fantasique
Mahler 9
Mahler 2
Dvorak 9
Bate 3
Bate 4
Shostakovich 10
Shostakovich 1
Shostakovich 5
Shostakovich 4
Nielsen 5
Nielsen 4
Beethoven 3
Tchaikovsky 6
Brahams 4
Langgaard 1
Rachmaninov PC3
Britten Violin Concerto

[Rosalba]

All-time favourite works that I can think of at the moment, The Magnificent Seven:

Biber, Mystery/Rosary Sonatas
Bizet's Carmen
Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody
Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez
Boccherini, Strade di Madrid
Vivaldi, Stabat Mater
Rachmaninoff, Mass of St John Chrysostom

[Mirror Image]

A few favorites:

Debussy: Images, Books I & II
Ravel: Miroirs
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder
Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle
Stravinsky: Orpheus
Schoenberg: Fünf Orchesterstücke (Five Pieces for Orchestra), Op. 16
Berg: Violin Concerto, "To the memory of an angel"
Berlioz: Les nuits d'été, Op. 7
Szymanowski: Litany to the Virgin Mary, Op. 59

And here are 10 more favorites (one per composer and in no particular order):

Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5
Martinů: Chamber Music No. 1, H. 376
Dvořák: The Water Goblin, Op. 107, B. 195
Nielsen: Symphony No. 3 "Sinfonia Espansiva", Op. 27, FS 60
Villa-Lobos: Chôros No. 6
Glazunov: Symphony No. 7 in F major "Pastoral", Op. 77
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77
Ives: Symphony No. 4
Pettersson: Symphony No. 7

[Symphonic Addict]

Off the top of my head and in no particular order.

Berlioz. Symphonie Fantasique
Mahler 9
Mahler 2
Dvorak 9
Bate 3
Bate 4
Shostakovich 10
Shostakovich 1
Shostakovich 5
Shostakovich 4
Nielsen 5
Nielsen 4
Beethoven 3
Tchaikovsky 6
Brahms 4
Langgaard 1
Rachmaninov PC3
Britten Violin Concerto

I heartily endorse those! Good to see a mention of Langgaard. Uneven yet intriguing and expressive symphonist.

[Symphonic Addict]

All-time favourite works that I can think of at the moment, The Magnificent Seven:

Biber, Mystery/Rosary Sonatas
Bizet's Carmen
Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody
Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez
Boccherini, Strade di Madrid
Vivaldi, Stabat Mater
Rachmaninoff, Mass of St John Chrysostom

Which Hungarian Rhapsody? All of them?

[Symphonic Addict]

Difficult, but anyway some of mine are:

Richard Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen
Franz Liszt Années de pèlerinage, Hungarian Rhapsodies
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony N. 9
Gustav Mahler Symphony N. 6
Sergei Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini
Gustav Holst The Planets
Richard Strauss Eine Alpensinfonie
Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky Symphony N. 4
Granville Bantock Celtic Symphony
Maurice Ravel Miroirs, Daphnis et Chloé

Thumbs up especially for these magnificent creations!

[vandermolen]

Off the top of my head and in no particular order.

Berlioz. Symphonie Fantasique
Mahler 9
Mahler 2
Dvorak 9
Bate 3
Bate 4
Shostakovich 10
Shostakovich 1
Shostakovich 5
Shostakovich 4
Nielsen 5
Nielsen 4
Beethoven 3
Tchaikovsky 6
Brahams 4
Langgaard 1
Rachmaninov PC3
Britten Violin Concerto

Nice to see some support for Bate. Britten's Violin Concerto is a work which I have recently grown to appreciate.

[vers la flamme]

Difficult, but anyway some of mine are:

Richard Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen
Franz Liszt Années de pèlerinage, Hungarian Rhapsodies
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony N. 9
Gustav Mahler Symphony N. 6
Sergei Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini
Gustav Holst The Planets
Richard Strauss Eine Alpensinfonie
Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky Symphony N. 4
Granville Bantock Celtic Symphony
Maurice Ravel Miroirs, Daphnis et Chloé

Seeing Bantock's Celtic Symphony among such august company has definitely piqued my interest. I'll have to check it out.

[LKB]

While I've memorized hundreds of hours of music over the last fifty years, it's the following seven or so hours that reoccur the most:

Mahler 2
Mahler 9
Das Lied von der Erde
Bruckner 5
Bruckner 7