Favorite classical work

[Eleos]

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony No. 8 in E flat major "Symphony of A Thousand"...

Have you heard Horenstein's performance of this masterpiece? You should at least look up his version of the Chorus Mysticus on youtube. Overall I'm not sure that it's my favorite 8th, but the performance of the Chorus Mysticus is undoubtedly the most powerful that I've ever heard. "No longer human voices, but planets and suns revolving." It's a shame that there are so many bad performances of this symphony - or at least that's how I feel in any case. Of course the enormous size of this work and the immense amount of detail which has to go into making a good performance of this symphony make it extremely difficult to get everything just right.

 

[Eleos]

I'm surprised Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" was not included by anyone.

We should be thankful for that. I don't say that because it's a bad piece, on the contrary I love this work (especially the third movement), but the way some people obsess over to the point of ignoring his other piano works is too much. Besides, I think he wrote some better piano sonatas.

 

[Rich48]

YouTube - W. A. Mozart - Don Giovanni Menuett

One of my favs to play on the keyboard!

 

[Julian of York]

If I were to cite a favorite classical work, it would be Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard wagner.

Agreed. I also love Tannhauser and The Flying Dutchman, as well as Der Miestersinger. These were the pieces that got me transformed from rock to classical music.
Since then, I have become very fond of Claude Debussey, most Russian works like "Prince Igor", and a lot of Vaughn Williams.
I always find Mozart a bit to peppy for my tastes, except "Don Giovanti" and the "Magic Flute".
Being a Christian, I love Handel's "Messiah".

Julian of York

 

[rsduncan]

Have you heard Horenstein's performance of this masterpiece? You should at least look up his version of the Chorus Mysticus on youtube. Overall I'm not sure that it's my favorite 8th, but the performance of the Chorus Mysticus is undoubtedly the most powerful that I've ever heard. "No longer human voices, but planets and suns revolving." It's a shame that there are so many bad performances of this symphony - or at least that's how I feel in any case. Of course the enormous size of this work and the immense amount of detail which has to go into making a good performance of this symphony make it extremely difficult to get everything just right.

No, not yet. I'll look for it. I do have a video of the 2002 National Youth Orchestra Prom wherein this symphony was conducted by Simon Rattle. Five choirs and a 175-piece orchestra plus a powerful organ. I'd put this this up against any other performance...

 

[neon_knights]

St. Matthew Passion

 

[Susie~Q]

shostakovich symphony 5
Best symphony ever in my opinion, especially the one with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philarmonic Orchestra. Outstanding. Here is part of it, it gives me chills every time I hear it, love it.

YouTube - Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5,Bernstein

 

[Susie~Q]

Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner, another terrific piece of music.

YouTube - Wagner, The ride of the Valkyries

 

[Susie~Q]

Edvard Grieg-Peer Gynt Suite
Resphigi, the Pines and Fountains of Rome.
Rimsky-Korsakov- Scheherazade
Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture
Stravinsky-The Rite of Spring and Firebird Suite. OUTSTANDING
Ravel-Bolero
Copeland-Fanfare for the Common Man
Mussorgsky-Night on Bald Mountain

I could go on and on, I just love classical music, these are the ones that came to my mind first.

 

[St_Worm2]

Symphony #2 by Mahler, the "Resurrection"

 

[jayem]

Gotta mention one of my favorites, Rachmaninoff's 2nd PC., 3rd movement.


YouTube - Rachmaninoff Concerto N. 2 - III. Allegro scherzando (2/2)

 

[jayem]

I also have a violin bias. There is so much out there, that favorites change often. The current list: Barber's "Adagio for Strings," V. Williams' "The Lark Ascending," any of the big VC's (Mendelssohn, Bruch, Sebelius, Tchaikovsky, etc), and, though not violin-specific, anything by Grieg (so there'a a Scandinavian bias, too).

Great stuff. BTW, Massenet's Mediatation is my wife's all-time favorite piece of music.

YouTube - Itzhak Perlman - Massenet (Meditation from Thais)

 

[INTJ-F]

Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik

 

[EphesiaNZ]

Several here,

Henryk Gorecki - 3rd Symphony
Handel - Messiah (authentic instruments)
Vivaldi - Four Seasons
Bach - Goldberg Variations and, Cello Suites
Beethoven - 9th Symphony

I could go on but won't!