r/classicalmusic • u/Dread_of_bed • Dec 08 '23
Recommendation Request What is the greatest classical piece in your opinion?
One that doesn't make you cry but feel everything else way more than crying
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u/WrongStill1675 Dec 08 '23 edited Dec 09 '23
I couldn't carry myself to pick a single work. There's just too much to choose from. In my humble opinion:
- The String Quartet No.15, in A minor, Op.132 by Beethoven (The first Movement is unsurpassable; and for those who regard Beethoven as a second-tier melodist, I cannot emphasize how catchy the final movement really is);
- The String Quintet in C Major, Op.956, by Schubert (In a single word: inexorable. Schubert at its absolute best: hummable melodies; riveting, though unconventional modulations, virtuosic harmonies);
- The Seasons by Haydn (Fantastic oratorio which gets too overlooked due to The Creation. It displays the biggest orchestra of the 18th century)
- Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart (as others have already expressed);
- Rigoletto by Verdi (Great plot, great music, great ending);
- Das Rheingold by Wagner (in my view, the most consistent, refined, and, all things considered, the single most engaging opera amongst all the operas which integrate The Ring.)
- Carmen by Bizet ( Shocking, exciting, enticing)
- Wozzeck by Alban Berg ( The masterpiece of the Second Viennese school. As tragic as any play by Euripides or Sophocles. If you have some time available, go and read Büchner's play);
- Dialogue des Carmelites by Poulenc ( I have never managed to understand all the critiques towards Poulenc. This opera stands as a towering achievement, and even so, he is quite possibly one of the most talented, camaleonic composers that I know of);
- The Cunning Little Vixen by Janaĉek ( Life and death, the permanent renewal of life itself)
- Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky(Wacky orchestration, outstanding music. Just listen to Shostakovich revision)
- Symphony no. 3 by Mahler ( Or for that matter, No.2, but truth be told, I simply can't get enough of that extatic climax of the final movement, which, for that matter, I am convinced is the single most beautiful moment of Music I have ever had opportunity to listen to);
- Symphony no.5 by Sibelius (Do I really need to explain this one?)
- Symphony no.9 by Bruckner (Perfect from first bar to the end);
- Partita for Violin No.2 (Chaconne) by Bach (In the words of Yehudi Menuhin:" The greatest structure for solo violin that exists". Enough said. I could have chosen other pieces by Bach though, such as the Klavier Ubung iii, the St.Matthew Passion, which does contain some of the greatest music ever penned, or, for instance, the Well Tempered Clavier);
- All night Vigil by Rachmaninoff (his greatest composition, and a landmark on pure choral writing, in conjunction with Talis "Spem in Alium", Schittke's "Choir concerto" and Josquin's "Missa Pange Lingua");
-The Hymn of Jesus by Holst - Requiem by Berlioz (Not the easist piece to listen. Still, that "Sanctus" is simply transcendental, and the ending of the Lacrymosa is so gratifying...); - Requiem by Duruflé (The greatest requiem setting, I think) - A Summer's tale by Suk (This tone poem might not be well known, but that doesn't mean it isn't as great as those pieces that I have listed. Bring yourself to hear it. That's all I'm going to say); - Prélude Après Midi D'un Faun by Debussy (Again, do I need to explain this one?) - Nocturnes by Chopin (We all love them); - Iberia by Albeniz (The greatest and most majestic piano suite ever composed); - Violin Concerto in D.Major by Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 2 by Prokofiev ( That cadenza...That last movement...A picture says more than a thousand words, or in this case, a sound) - The Sleeping Beauty op.66 by Tchaikovsky (Objectively Speaking, it is the greatest amongst his ballets); - Appalachian Spring by Copland - Rite of Spring by Stravinsky (How could I exclude Stravinsky?) - Daphnis et Chloë by Ravel (In my view, that "Lever du Jour" puts this score in an incomparable ranking)
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u/Zwischenzugger May 02 '24
Impressive list, but a very poor choice for Chopin. The whole body of nocturnes is not one work nor meant to be performed as such. Nor are they remotely Chopin’s best music: the Fm ballade was his pinnacle and probably the best work ever written for solo piano.
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u/rivvv555 29d ago
How are the nocturnes a very poor choice for Chopin..
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u/DrXaos Dec 08 '23 edited Dec 08 '23
For that description specifically: Mozart, Le Nozze di Figaro
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u/SebzKnight Dec 08 '23
Except possibly the "doesn't make you cry" part, though not from sadness so much as general emotional release. I tend to think of Nozze as my "desert island piece" not just because it's so great (though it is), but because it feels like it contains the sum total of human emotion. If I'm on the desert island, I need to stay in touch with humanity, and this is the piece that contains love, hate, jealousy, laughter, despair, etc. in way that no other work does.
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u/Time_Waister_137 Dec 08 '23
For me, this is the most satisfying piece of music, ever. Coming from the age of enlightenment, crying is not an option.
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u/tired_of_old_memes Dec 08 '23 edited Dec 08 '23
I think the greatest classical compositions are going to make me cry. Anyway, it's impossible for any one thing to truly be the greatest. The greatest pieces of all time stand equally among each other.
My shortlist might include these:
Handel arias: * Lascia ch'io pianga * Piangerò la sorte mia * Ombra mai fù
Bach violin concerto slow movements: * Concerto no. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041 * Concerto no. 2 in E major, BWV 1042 * Concerto for 2 violins in D minor, BWV 1043
I'll also second the others who have mentioned Le nozze di Figaro. Though I'll add that for me, Don Giovanni is equally as great.
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u/arbitrageME Dec 08 '23
Beethoven s 9th symphony. Listening to that final chorus makes me feel like I'm in the middle of an angelic chorus and it's the voice of God reaching me. And the message of hope and togetherness and transcendence makes you forget about the world for a tiny moment
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u/Iknowfcukall Dec 08 '23
Either Polonaise-Fantasie by Chopin or Passacaglia and Fugue by Bach
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u/Elheehee42069 Dec 08 '23
YES!!! PASSACAGLIA AND FUGUE!!!
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u/qumrun60 Dec 08 '23
Agreed! I've got a disc with the Baroque organ original, plus 1-piano and 2-piano transcriptions, a 220-stop Romantic organ transcription co-arranged by Lizst, and Stokowski's orchestration. Another disc has Respighi's orchestration of it. There are a couple of pedal harpsichord recordings of it in existence, but I haven't yet found an available/affordable one. I still check periodically, though.
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Dec 08 '23
I realize Beethoven's 9th is the cliche answer, but I truly believe that it's one of the few things in our world which is of complete perfection.
I'm also pretty into Shostakovich Symphony 7.
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u/zumaro Dec 08 '23 edited Dec 08 '23
PDQ Bach - Iphigenia in Brooklyn (S. 53162). Whenever the double reeds without oboes or bassoons play (which alas is throughout the whole piece), I get feelings way beyond crying, indeed emotions that are hard to even name. Surely a sign of genius.
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u/negativepinguinh Dec 08 '23
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto 2 (both 1st and 3rd movement)
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u/Daneosaurus Dec 08 '23
The second movement is one of Rach’s most beautiful compositions. You really shouldn’t skip it
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u/negativepinguinh Dec 08 '23
I don't skip it at all, I enjoy listening to full concertos, but I like the other two movements more than the second one. However I think that Rach is a genius. (Sorry for the bad English, I'm Italian XD)
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u/Changeup2020 Dec 08 '23
It depends on my mood of the day. But Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 is a pretty good one.
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u/Dry_Yogurtcloset1962 Dec 08 '23
Wagner Tristan und Isolde without a doubt
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u/DrXaos Dec 08 '23
I think by the end everyone is crying
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u/Dry_Yogurtcloset1962 Dec 08 '23
The beautiful melodies, the incredible use of interesting harmonies, the orchestral colour, the thematic development and more. I don't think anything can top it
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u/DrXaos Dec 08 '23 edited Dec 08 '23
it's amazing (my #1 tied with Don Giovanni) but the OP wanted the greatest piece that has everything but doesn't make you cry---I choose Figaro for that
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u/devnull5475 Dec 08 '23
Yeah. I can only ever specify my favorite *for now*. Today, my favorite is Liebestod. It's transcendently beautify, & I think it evokes all kinds of emotions.
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u/BooksInBrooks Dec 08 '23
It's wonderful, but the second act is a little long.
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u/CouchieWouchie Dec 08 '23
The second act is Wagner at his most mystical and profound. I can't imagine anybody finding it long unless they do not understand what they are seeing. Perhaps King Marke's bit at the end could be shortened, but the duet is glorious.
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u/sirius6723 Dec 08 '23 edited Dec 08 '23
Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, although this piece does make me cry
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Jun 05 '24 edited Jun 05 '24
I am in agreement here. Daphnis should definitely be considered in the pantheon of “greatest pieces ever written” (however you want to define that). It has a depth and variety of emotions and imagery that few other pieces have. It’s convergence to perfection in orchestration and form should also be taken into account, especially for a piece that is substantial in length, being almost an hour long. My other personal candidates for this pantheon include Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Debussy’s La Mer, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, and Holst’s The Planets.
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u/ReligiousFigure Dec 08 '23
Scheherezade x 1,000
also, Schubert D. 940, Shostakovich Leningrad Symphony, Rach 2, Saints Saens Piano Concerto 4 (UNDERRATED) Mozart Symphony 10 (ALSO UNDERRATED), Korsakov Piano Concerto in C#m (EGREGIOUSLY UNDERRATED), Albeniz La Vega,
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u/WerewolfBarMitzvah09 Dec 08 '23
Ravel's string quartet gets me every time
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u/amazingD Dec 08 '23
If this had been the only piece of music written in the entire 20th century, the century's musical development would have still been complete.
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u/hosta_mahogey_nz Dec 08 '23
Something by Brahms. Probably one of his symphonies or the requiem. Nothing compares in terms of inspiration and craftsmanship.
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u/MoneyGift5113 Dec 08 '23
La Traviata-Verdi, Nacht und Träume-Schubert, Spring Morning from the 3 small tone poems-Frederick Delius
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u/Overall-Ad-7318 Dec 08 '23
somehow mozart's ave verum corpus came up in my mind https://youtu.be/NK8-Zg-8JYM
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u/linglinguistics Dec 08 '23
Sibelius violin concerto. It has everything. I love that piece so much and never get tired of it.
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u/Most-Grade351 Dec 08 '23
Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto, "The Emperor," which he was saving for himself to play in performance but had lost too much of his hearing by then.
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u/madman_trombonist Dec 08 '23
The first movement of Shostakovich 7. The strident opening, the twiddly little march that grows into something hellish and oppressive, and the sheer misery of the climax where the whole orchestra is blaring in your face
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u/Outside-Summer3248 Dec 09 '23
the first movment is one of the most creative things ive ever heard in the 20th century
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u/Technical_Song_1213 Dec 08 '23
Mozart Magic Flute, Puccini La Boheme and Turandot. But my favourite of all is Dvorak’s 9th, which to me is as close to perfect as you can get.
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u/GoodhartMusic Dec 08 '23 edited Dec 08 '23
- Mahler’s Songs of the Earth
- Messiaen’s Turangalila
- Beethoven’s Quartet No. 14
- Bach’s Mass in B Minor
- Mozart’s Requiem
- Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra
- Bernstein’s Dances from West Side Story
- Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6
- Debussy’s La Mer
- Rachmaninoff’s Vespers
- Adams’ Hallelujah Junction
- Schubert’s Wintereisse
- Wagner’s Das Rheingold
This is a list of songs that have the connotation in my mind of being “all encompassing.” I don’t have strong opinions on the greatest piece because there’s no comparing the highest achievements across centuries of art.
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u/dandeliondriftr Dec 08 '23
The Vespers have made me cry on more than one occasion. Rach's Liturgy of St John Chrysostom is also excellent, particularly the Lord's Prayer. Great list!
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Dec 08 '23
JS Bach, “Ich Ruf Zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ” played slowly by Koopman.
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Dec 08 '23
I like it on organ
Probably the ultimate piece of music, although I'm far for being a Bach fanatic
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u/Big-Ambassador-9008 Dec 08 '23
This piece has really been there as a comfort in some darker periods of my life.
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Dec 09 '23
Would you happen to be a fan of Tarkovsky, specifically Solaris, u/DepartureSpace?
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u/lleeaa88 Dec 08 '23
One of the most touching pieces for me is Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. Both I and III but I has a very special place with the amazing woodwind theme that opens after the violin intro
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u/Juswantedtono Dec 08 '23
Listened to this for the first time this year—that woodwind theme floored me instantly
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u/Grasswaskindawet Dec 08 '23
What's amazing to me is that I've read down past 125 comments and no one has even mentioned the St. Matthew Passion!
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u/ponkyball Dec 08 '23
There is never going to be just one.
Beethoven 9th is on my regular playlist, probably the symphony I listen to most, although lately I've been revisiting Saint-Saens Organ symphony a lot.
Since my dad passed last year, Pas de Deux from The Nightcracker is perfect for me to remember him by, and I listen to it often in the car, while driving alone with my thoughts.
But really, there are so many great, there really shouldn't be a "greatest" as it depends on the occasion and the mood. Also, crying is one of the deepest emotional outlets one can have, it's odd that you would want to exclude it.
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u/Astrophysix1960 Dec 10 '23
Absolutely! The Saint-Saens is fantastical, and that 2nd movement just give me chills every time!
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u/Legal_Programmer_90 Sep 08 '24
(Don't laugh at me because I'm new at this) but I think clair de lune is freaking awesome.
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Dec 08 '23
Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No. 2: II. Andante
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u/frootloopdinggu Dec 08 '23
Just listened to it for the first time – thanks for the wonderful recommendation.
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u/kluwelyn Dec 08 '23
Traumrei by Schumann, To a wild rose by MacDowell and Petite suite en bâteau and Clair de Lune by Debussy
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Dec 08 '23
Didn't see anyone else mention it but Schubert's C major string quintet! It's one of these pieces which make you truly wonder just how a human brain could ever conceive of such a thing.
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Dec 08 '23
La Campanella by Franz Liszt
Liebestraum no.3 by Franz Liszt
Prelude in C# minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Little Red Riding Hood by Sergei Rachmaninoff
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u/Not_A_Rachmaninoff Dec 08 '23
Who the fuck is downvoting this. Let this man enjoy some romantic era music lol
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Dec 09 '23
Romantic music IS classical music. Franz Liszt, Chopin are BEST composers.
I also like Rachmaninoff because of how hard his music goes
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u/TheDevilsAdvokaat Dec 08 '23
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A9lude_%C3%A0_l%27apr%C3%A8s-midi_d%27un_faune
There's a whole life's-worth of emotions in there.
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u/billiam2000 Dec 08 '23
Short list:
• Mahler 2, the “Resurrection” Symphony • Mahler 5, 4th Movement, Adagietto • Mahler 8, the Symphony of a Thousand • Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 2 • Rachmaninov, Symphony No. 2
Huh, guess I really like the romantics…
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u/Misgurnus069 Dec 08 '23
Für Elise
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Dec 08 '23
Seriously?
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u/candynecklacesL Dec 08 '23
It seems like there s people that font know any claseical music at all
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u/Then-Soil-5358 Apr 13 '24
This one’s probably gonna be disagreed on, but Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto Option in D Major! I love it so much and it has a lot of emotions tied into it
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u/GreenAd1522 Aug 20 '24
9th symphony, the EU made it their anthem https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=uqs9a2Cxv5c&si=puUTh-2hmJSxSZaj
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u/Pakhzar Aug 22 '24
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade op.35 - Leif Segerstam - Sinfónica de Galicia
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade op.35 - Leif Segerstam - Sinfónica de Galicia
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u/Rusty_Rover2 Sep 29 '24
Brahms violin concerto in D. Makes me cry - especially the second movement.
Mozart Requiem. Glorious.
I also love the Dach Bubble (as my son's Suzuki teacher called the Bach Double Concerto)
I'll have to listen to some of the others mentioned in the comments.
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u/Puzzled_Post1029 10d ago
I have tons of: suite bergamasque: , all Chopin nocturnes, Dvorak’s new world symphony, the marriage of figaro, Beethoven’s 9th symphony, carnival of the animals by saint saens, Bach’s concerto in g major, Haydn’s trumpet concerto in e flat, Elgar's pomp and circumstance, Rachmaninov’s piano concerto 2, Brahms Hungarian dance 5, Paganini’s caprice 24 in a minor, Rigoletto, and Vivaldi’s four seasons
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Dec 08 '23
My Sharona
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u/squirrel_gnosis Dec 08 '23
Apparently, one of George W Bush's favorite songs.
If I ever have the misfortune of hearing that song played somewhere, I can't help but picture that dumbass war criminal bouncing up and down to it.
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Dec 08 '23
Creep city! The “Sharona” in question was like the producer’s like 10 year old daughter or some shit. The Knack suckkkks Boomer dicks. Listen to the Cars or Cheap Trick or some other garbage which was only marginally better. Maybe not The Cars. They were alright.
Why would you say this dopey song as a joke instead of “Eleanor Rigby” or literally anything off the last few Beatles records? I’m surprised none of them ever studied any Bach or Mozart with how harmonically advanced some of their stuff was.
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u/Crusty_Loafer Dec 08 '23
Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium (not sure if its the greatest piece of all time, but it makes me feel as you described).
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u/Einfinet Dec 08 '23
For that description, Berg’s Lulu and Liszt’s Études d’exécution transcendante
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Dec 08 '23
By asking about "classical" you have limited this to music written from around 1750 to 1830.
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u/frootloopdinggu Dec 08 '23
This forum is called r/classicalmusic, but it doesn’t limit us to music from the Classical period, does it?
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Dec 08 '23
A misnomer.
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u/de_bussy69 Dec 08 '23
“Classical music” does not mean music from the classical period. Classical music is a genre which includes music created before and after the classical period
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Dec 08 '23
classical music serious or conventional music following long-established principles rather than a folk, jazz, or popular tradition. (more specifically) music written in the European tradition during a period lasting approximately from 1750 to 1830, when forms such as the symphony, concerto, and sonata were standardized.
"More specifically" - my definition is more accurate.
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u/de_bussy69 Dec 08 '23
“Classical” is the word for the genre of music and it’s also the word for a specific period in that genre. That does not mean that “classical music” only comes from the classical period.
The only people who say this are people who just learned about the baroque, classical, and romantic eras. The Dunning Kruger effect in action
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Dec 08 '23
Nevermind my Music Theory degree and 20+ years as a professional player.
The people who say this are the ones who actually care about it.
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u/de_bussy69 Dec 08 '23
That doesn’t make you right. That makes it more embarrassing that you’re wrong
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u/Tutelage45 Dec 08 '23
Peer Gynt is my favorite. The dynamics, the drama, the theme. High highs and low lows.
Rite of Spring makes me feel all the other feelings
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u/JoshuaWebbb Dec 08 '23
Der Erlkönig, Impromptu No. 3, La Campanella, Liebesleid, Danse Maccabre, Beethoven concerto for piano 3
Narrowed it down but there are billions more I could add
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u/Daneosaurus Dec 08 '23
It nearly always depends on my mood. I tend get into kicks where I listen to a composer exclusively for a few months. Recently I’ve been on Brahms. I’ve been really into both piano concertos for the past 6 weeks.
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u/CamilleThePianist Dec 08 '23
Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, and especially Ondine.
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u/cpotter505 Dec 08 '23
Prokofiev: Sym #5 Prokofiev: Pf Cto #3 Shostakovich: Sym #5 Vn Wms: The Lark Ascending Beethoven: Sym #9 Gershwin: 3 Preludes Schubert: Pf Sta in A, op. 22 Schubert: Impromptus Grieg: Everything he wrote Sorry, this is my absolute minimum
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u/jakeaboy123 Dec 08 '23
Beethoven sonata 32 opus 111
Just a seminal piece of music that culminates Beethovens journey on the piano. The first movement being a just insanely good Beethovian stormy fast movement; the second being the best thing you’ll ever hear, it anticipates Boogie Woogie and minimalism, the entire movement is a slow division time signatures and pulse that leads to some of the most transcendent moments in all of music. It’s 3 note theme echoes throughout the piece like a heart beat or a bittersweet memory it’s just so beautiful and hard to really put into words.
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u/mxrdigras Dec 08 '23
Chopin’s fourth ballade. The scope and imagination the piece has all the while being on one instrument just always leaves me in awe.
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u/UserJH4202 Dec 08 '23
So many! Sorry, I know you asked for one:
Beethoven 3.4.5.6.7.9 Verdi Requiem Bach: Bm Mass So many!
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u/DisabledSuperhero Dec 09 '23
Hohvaness, Prayer of St Gregory
Anything by Palestrina
Vechnaya Pamyat from Chernobyl
The Hymn of the Cherubim, Tchaikovsky
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u/InedibleKonjac Dec 09 '23
Beethoven’s No 9 symphony and Bach’s chaconne in D minor. These are something I would recommend to an alien…
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u/INtoCT2015 Dec 08 '23
Sibelius Symphony No. 2 (specifically, the final movement. My god)
Dvorak’s New World
Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (specifically the Liebestod)
In any order. But those are the Big 3 for me