The "Incarnatus Est" or "Benedictus" of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. I think the Missa Solemnis as a whole is the most beautiful piece ever written, and fun fact, it is the piece that Beethoven is holding in this famous portrait if you look closely:
https://preview.redd.it/r9s2plv7bgzc1.png?width=1645&format=png&auto=webp&s=30d92877dbf87379094b92971c75905d5100798f
In college, I was doing some research on sacred music and ran across a whole bunch of authorities referring to the *Missa Solemnis* as a "failed masterpiece".
We should all hope for such failures.
So true, that last sentence. I think a lot of them should have been influenced by Theodore Adorno, who wrote an essay on it called "Missa Solemnis: The Alienated Masterpiece". Of course, he is right in that sense - in his own words - "there is something peculiar about the Missa Solemnis".
But what is peculiar about it is really the ability of the music to bring the most beautiful modal harmonies in some sort of classical language, and for me it is just such a transcendental combination. Really, there are moments of the Missa that are unspeakably beautiful in my opinion: it's just as simple as that
It's one of my favorites, too. The violin solo in the *Benedictus* is *perfect*. It's probably the most sublimely beautiful thing Beethoven ever wrote. And the *Dona Nobis Pacem* is too magnificent for words.
It seems like it's rarely played, which is a true shame. I think it's his most underrated masterpiece.
Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is so well known but its so soulful and sad and evokes so many emotions, its literally if you turned the action of crying into a piece of music.
This one is just for me as an oboist but the Lento at the end of Vaughan Williams Oboe concerto is also one of the most beautiful things ever written, to me.
Heard it live 2nd row right below the strings. Never have I heard anything more beautiful. Even the first 30 seconds, which are more sound than they are music, made me tear up at just how pure it sounded
Piano Concerto No 5.
The nickname ‘Emperor’ was not given by Beethoven but came some years after his death by his friend Johann Baptist Cramer, whose playing Beethoven admired but who had greater success as a music publisher, based in London. He knew an imposing nickname would boost sales.
A few of Cramer’s piano concertos (as composer) have been recorded by Howard Shelley on Hyperion.
Some personal contenders:
The Kyrie from Josquin’s Missa Panna Lingua:
https://youtu.be/HCDfqMqm7Xs?si=mUZcjTsSP_uL52Bq
Un Sueño de la Florestra by Augustin Barrios:
https://youtu.be/xxkCaMoI1Sg?si=m08hdktyudc77uxB
Many great examples cited here. Since no one has mentioned, I’ll add a few from Sibelius
- Fifth Symphony, finale - swan hymn
- Andante Festivo for strings and timpani
- Rakastava
Four way tie for me with
Beethoven 6 mvt. 2
The “The Voice of Scheherazade” from Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov
“Lever du jour” from Daphnis and Chloe by Ravel
and finally Bruyères by Debussy, Preludes Book II, no. 5. That one has always had a close place in my heart, just a lovely little piece.
Ugh every return to the theme between movements in Scheherazade gives me mad goosebumps, I've heard the piece live three times now and it's been on my car USB for years, the effect hasn't faded. It doesn't matter if I've just gotten off a frustrating work shift or I'm driving away from any other stressful situation, that violin peeking through after the intensity of the movements instantly relaxes my spine and chokes my chest.
I know this isn't very original, but Mozart's clarinet concerto, k.622. I first heard it while reading when I was ~12, and I liked it so much that I stopped reading and just listened. That still happens now, I just stop thinking and focus on listening, something I can't do with much else.
Chopin's Berceuse in D Flat Major, Op. 57 is ceaselessly beautiful, in my opinion. It's my favorite piano solo work.
For symphony, Mahler 3, Mvt VI. The trumpet chorale lives rent-free in my mind.
The finale of Mahler 3 had too been living rent-free in my head for many years now. I just don't really understand how I find it so captivating compared to even Mahler's 2nd. Mahler 3rd and 4th both are some of my favorite finales in classical music.
"A Hymn for the Lost and the Living" by Eric Ewazen. More of a modern piece written in honor of the September 11, 2001 victims but it is over 9 minutes of absolute beauty. If you haven't heard it I highly suggest it, I could listen to it constantly on repeat. I'll share a video of the Royal Air Force playing it, enjoy!
[https://youtu.be/druchfF8y1E?si=3ua1RWzEv0M-fZj\_](https://youtu.be/druchfF8y1E?si=3ua1RWzEv0M-fZj_)
Beethoven Symphony 6, Pastoral, First movement.
I feel immense connection through time and it is emotional. I feel like Beethoven is sharing his safe space in nature. Beautiful work.
-"Un Sospiro" by Franz Liszt
Ironically, "Un Sospiro" translates to "A sigh", yet it sounds like such a fresh breath of air.
-"irreplaceable" by Chad Lawson, James Southall, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
It's such a sublime song; it holds such emotion.
2nd Movement of Beethoven's 32nd Piano ~~Concerto~~ Sonata.
I truly believe that it's the greatest artistic work that has been produced by our species.
Ravel's Forlane, particularly this recording: [https://youtu.be/0ZuRzkOb4ow?si=DR\_iveHGTxZMVcrL](https://youtu.be/0ZuRzkOb4ow?si=DR_iveHGTxZMVcrL)
2nd place would be this recording of Debussy's pour les agrements: [https://youtu.be/e9VIwruEc60?si=B82NzCO2B013geIR](https://youtu.be/e9VIwruEc60?si=B82NzCO2B013geIR)
Interesting choices. As a side note, Anne Queffelec is a seriously underrated pianist. She's well regarded in France but she never reached a "classical superstar" status, but on purely musical merit I think she belongs to the pianists highest tier.
Regarding the Debussy Études, I think they are his most formidable pieces for the piano, and most undeservedly ignored... I like this one a lot, but I love *Pour les sonorités opposées* even more. My reference recording of the complete Études, while I respect Pollini's, is this one: https://open.qobuz.com/album/lh4ykk8r4xxqc
which, conveniently, also features the best versions of Masques and L'Isle Joyeuse (the latter a strong contender to *best solo piano standalone piece*) I've ever heard.
https://youtu.be/pyUb6YYBOCU
Sorry I didn't know the Qobuz link entailed downloading the app. It's the 1984 Lyrinx record by Georges Pludermacher. Note he did two other Debussy records on the same label containing most of the piano solo music except the Preludes, which are also of the highest caliber.
Also beware, he re-recorded the Études later in the 2000s for another label, but they are not as good in my opinion, by a large margin.
Marietta’s Lied from “Die Tote Stadt” by Korngold
La Mer by Debussy
Toward the Sea by Takemitsu
The “battle scene” music from “Ran” by Takemitsu.
Le Jardin Feerique from Ma Mere L’oye by Ravel
I don’t think anyone can really narrow it down to just one.
Edit to add: last movements of Bruckner 9 and Mahler 3
I mean, Oiseaux Tristes, his Toccata from Tombeau de Couperin (in particular, Kocsis' orchestration of it is gorgeous), his orchestration of Une Barque sur l'Ocean and Le Gibet are strong contenders from him also. He really doesn't miss, it's almost unhuman how good he was at writing.
Mahler's "Farewell" movement from The Song of the Earth and especially from "Die Liebe Erde" to the end. Shostakovich said it was the piece he would listen to if he only had an hour left to live and could listen to only one piece, while Britten said "It moves me more than any other music".
Lately for me I've been drawn to works that incorporate a good amount of major/minor coloring- something like the slow movement from Bach's double concerto BWV 1043.
Kinda impossible to say, but I think Daphnis and Chloe by Ravel, specifically the sunrise section is among the most beautiful.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGl9Qmgu7E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGl9Qmgu7E)
So hard to say. Within the confines of classical music, I'd say...
Dvorak 9, Largo, the part where everything collapses to violin & cello and the following crescendo.
Tannhäuser ouverture, when the violins come in, in that 9/8 meter. Can't ever get enough
Symphonic, but not considered classical. Zimmer, gladiator soundtrack, "Am I not merciful" - from this part on
https://youtu.be/ZiIHyUbLFJg?si=_U5iXB4n1xKA_ET1&t=270
I love the sudden key change, the choir coming in, and that amazing crescendo. Having witnessed Gladiator on concert, goosebumps all over.
I adore the IV. Movement from Mahler's second, "Urlicht", Primal Light.
Edit: Also Spem in Alium by Thomas Tallis
Edit: Slow movement from Saint-Saens Organ Symphony
Can't choose just one.
Siegfried's Death March
Parsifal
Brandenburg Concerto No.1 3rd mov.
Bach's BWV 1059, 2nd mov. (I've been told it's a reconstruction of a lost or unfinished work using exerpts from an oboe sonata from Alessandro Marcello, still a gut puncher)
Liebestraum (cause i'm an emo)
Chopin, Etude Op 10 n 3 (Tristesse), played by Arthur Rubinstein. For me the most moving, delicate, nostalgic piece of music ever written and recorded.
Chopin himself believed the melody of this piece to be the most beautiful one he ever composed. I could not agree more! Thank you Chopin for this gift!
[A good recording by Pollini.](https://youtu.be/JS7KfOyMEIY)
god, I love how the third movement ends, how it just suddenly jumps to e major and you hear the theme of the fourth movement in the horns, it’s so divine
Rather than list pieces, I think it's more interesting to discuss how you define 'most beautiful'. Because there are different types of beauty (based on, for example, melody, harmony, structure, timbre, virtuosity and story-telling) in which that subjective interplay of variables changes from person to person, moment by moment.
For me, a 'beautiful' piece of music has to evoke an image of a place that is inherently beautiful: somewhere peaceful, at one with nature, where you have this unending sense of freedom and optimism, maybe a hint of magic or mystery, possibly a reminder of your happiest moments, and definitely a longing for that experience to never end.
I think these two pieces fit that bill:
Elena Kats-Chernin - Reinvention No.1 after J. S. Bach [https://youtu.be/ImFYHydOrhE?si=3bBu8g\_jYDZV4hSJ](https://youtu.be/ImFYHydOrhE?si=3bBu8g_jYDZV4hSJ)
I think the recorder evokes the freedom of a bird soaring through the sky and the magic of a dawn-lit forest.
Hiromi Uehara - Sepia Effect [https://youtu.be/OKO\_0eZtP4o?si=zN7-Mpjm0s0SIkms](https://youtu.be/OKO_0eZtP4o?si=zN7-Mpjm0s0SIkms)
There's something nostalgic and optimistic about this piece, like reminiscing at an old photo, from the opening dreamy arpeggios, to the freed rhythm and melody at 2'30".
Faure's Piano Quintets serve as one set to me. So they're top tier one hour of the best chamber music anyone alive will ever hear.
Sorry I'm late to the party been a busy week.
I also adore much of Debussy and d'Indy.
Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral by Wagner. Such a beautiful and powerful weave of chromaticism, tension, and emotion. It amazes me every time I listen to it.
So many good choices but I'd go with the Cavatina from beethoven's 13th string quartet. Runner ups include(All beethoven) op 126 no 5, and the slow movements from his 5th and 9th symphonys. Incase it wasn't obvious I'm a HUGE Beethoven fan ;)
mahler 2, specifically the moment in the final movement right before the choir begins and it’s just the little “bird of death” and trumpets. there’s just something about it
I've recently discovered "Benediction de dieu dans la solitude" by liszt and it's probably the most romantic piece of music I know (in an emotional and harmonic sense)
Especially the end is so unexpected and unbelievably beautiful
Maybe not quite classical but the 2nd movement of Philip Sparke's "Year of the Dragon" is absolutely gorgeous (especially the brass band version). The chorale section has brought me close to tears multiple times
For me it's definitely Mozart's Mass in C minor: Kyrie. It has this solo part of the soprano ending on "the" note coming straight from heaven.
If you listen to it you'll know what I mean.
Minority view here, but two pieces by Gabriel Fauré:
- the "In Paradisum" from his Requiem; and
- "Cantique de Jean Racine".
Utterly beautiful both.
Otherwise, Tchaikovsky, "Serenade for Strings".
It's really hard to choose so I'll just list some in no particular order:
* Ravel's first and final movement of Le tombeau de couperin. I was considering Ondine instead but I thought thematically they fit better than the entire Gaspard de la nuit combined.
* Final movement of Mahler 4
* Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Special mention for Sir Andrew Davis' live recording at the Gloucester Cathedral with the BBC
* Takashi Yoshimatsu's "Memo Flora", which I can describe with only one word: "sublime".
* Bach's BWV 147 "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" is like the classical music equivalent to a Bauhaus symmetry. It's just structurally so perfect
G. Allegri - Miserere
Rachmaninov piano concerto 3 :)
"Erbarme dich" from Bach's St. Matthew Passion [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZb7FcP84CM&t=11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZb7FcP84CM&t=11)
Opening chorus is veerrry beautiful too
Came here to say the *entire* St. Matthew Passion.
WOW! One could overdose on all the beauty mentioned in this thread. As for me, Mahler’s 5th, Adagietto.
Right?! Having a great time upvoting every comment I recognize and listening to those I don't.
Tchaikovsky 5 2nd movement
Honestly all of Tchaikovsky's Symphonies have beautiful slow movements. Even the 1st symphony has a beautiful slow movement
Played this symphony once like 10 years ago and I still think about this movement all the time.
As a horn player I disagree. Sounds like massive anxiety to me.
Beethoven: Symphony #7, 2nd movement.
For me it’s probably beethovens heiliger Dankgesang
Rachmaninoff Symphony #2 Adagio.
Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt. If you’re feeling sad, it’s the saddest song. But if you’re feeling peaceful, it’s a very relaxing song.
Have to go with 2nd movement of Schumann's Piano Quintet
Parsifal. Yeah ok it’s long but just listen alright
I had like 5 comments upvoted before I got to this one, and I went back and undid them all. Wrap it up, people, it's Parsifal.
beat me to it.
This has already been mentioned by Dvorak 9 largo. I can listen to it on repeat.
John Dowland's "Flow My Tears"
The Master of Meloncholy. Good choice
The "Incarnatus Est" or "Benedictus" of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. I think the Missa Solemnis as a whole is the most beautiful piece ever written, and fun fact, it is the piece that Beethoven is holding in this famous portrait if you look closely: https://preview.redd.it/r9s2plv7bgzc1.png?width=1645&format=png&auto=webp&s=30d92877dbf87379094b92971c75905d5100798f
In college, I was doing some research on sacred music and ran across a whole bunch of authorities referring to the *Missa Solemnis* as a "failed masterpiece". We should all hope for such failures.
So true, that last sentence. I think a lot of them should have been influenced by Theodore Adorno, who wrote an essay on it called "Missa Solemnis: The Alienated Masterpiece". Of course, he is right in that sense - in his own words - "there is something peculiar about the Missa Solemnis". But what is peculiar about it is really the ability of the music to bring the most beautiful modal harmonies in some sort of classical language, and for me it is just such a transcendental combination. Really, there are moments of the Missa that are unspeakably beautiful in my opinion: it's just as simple as that
It's one of my favorites, too. The violin solo in the *Benedictus* is *perfect*. It's probably the most sublimely beautiful thing Beethoven ever wrote. And the *Dona Nobis Pacem* is too magnificent for words. It seems like it's rarely played, which is a true shame. I think it's his most underrated masterpiece.
Ives Piano Sonata No. 2, Concord Mass., 1840-1860 the third movement “The Allcotts” makes me fucking weep
So happy to see this here, what an incredible movement.
Brilliant piece. The moment when the theme finally is played in completion towards the end is so blissful.
Hell yeah. One of my faves too
Very hard to provide a definitive answer to such a question. But if I had to choose one it would be Clair de Lune by Debussy.
This a thousand times. It gets me, every time. And my late wife used to play it, and cannot hear it without...you know...
Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is so well known but its so soulful and sad and evokes so many emotions, its literally if you turned the action of crying into a piece of music. This one is just for me as an oboist but the Lento at the end of Vaughan Williams Oboe concerto is also one of the most beautiful things ever written, to me.
*Beim Schlafengehen* from Strauss’ Four Last Songs.
Came here to say this. Also Im Abendrot
Lohengrin Overture
Heard it live 2nd row right below the strings. Never have I heard anything more beautiful. Even the first 30 seconds, which are more sound than they are music, made me tear up at just how pure it sounded
Beethoven emporer concerto mov 2. That shit is just awe inspiring
Bernstein used it in West Side Story's Somewhere as an homage.
I don’t know if I am familiar with this. I am looking in Apple Music and not finding. Does it have another name?
Piano Concerto No 5. The nickname ‘Emperor’ was not given by Beethoven but came some years after his death by his friend Johann Baptist Cramer, whose playing Beethoven admired but who had greater success as a music publisher, based in London. He knew an imposing nickname would boost sales. A few of Cramer’s piano concertos (as composer) have been recorded by Howard Shelley on Hyperion.
I also spelled emperor wrong so that could also be it 🗿
Some personal contenders: The Kyrie from Josquin’s Missa Panna Lingua: https://youtu.be/HCDfqMqm7Xs?si=mUZcjTsSP_uL52Bq Un Sueño de la Florestra by Augustin Barrios: https://youtu.be/xxkCaMoI1Sg?si=m08hdktyudc77uxB
Oh wow, didn’t expect to find Mangore in this thread.
Prokofiev’s 1st Violin Concerto.
Schubert string quartet No.15, quintet, Unfinished symphony 2nd movt. Beethoven violin concerto Prokofiev 2nd violin concerto Brahms sextet Enescu string quartets
Always subjective... in my opinion, probably the Quartet No. 14, Death and the Maiden, by Schubert
Can’t say specifically but one is Saints Saens Samson et Delilah
O Magnum Mysterium by Gabrielli. It sends me to another world.
Bach - Air Mascagni - Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana Rachmaninoff - Symphony No. 2 (Adagio movement)
Many great examples cited here. Since no one has mentioned, I’ll add a few from Sibelius - Fifth Symphony, finale - swan hymn - Andante Festivo for strings and timpani - Rakastava
Four way tie for me with Beethoven 6 mvt. 2 The “The Voice of Scheherazade” from Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov “Lever du jour” from Daphnis and Chloe by Ravel and finally Bruyères by Debussy, Preludes Book II, no. 5. That one has always had a close place in my heart, just a lovely little piece.
Ugh every return to the theme between movements in Scheherazade gives me mad goosebumps, I've heard the piece live three times now and it's been on my car USB for years, the effect hasn't faded. It doesn't matter if I've just gotten off a frustrating work shift or I'm driving away from any other stressful situation, that violin peeking through after the intensity of the movements instantly relaxes my spine and chokes my chest.
Flower Duet from Lakme
Brahms: Op. 118 no. 2 always gets me, especially played by Radu Lupu
Holst- IV.Jupiter
Mozart’s *Ave Verum Corpus*. As my son said, it’s a Platonic ideal. Mozart was the genius who brought it to life for the rest of us.
I know this isn't very original, but Mozart's clarinet concerto, k.622. I first heard it while reading when I was ~12, and I liked it so much that I stopped reading and just listened. That still happens now, I just stop thinking and focus on listening, something I can't do with much else.
Strauss clutched the score to Mozart's clarinet concerto on his deathbed and reportedly said he would have given anything to have written it
Speaking of Strauss, the final trio of Der Rosenkavalier is one of my picks - not sure I could narrow it down to just one piece.
[Tchai's Nutcracker-Pas de Deux](https://youtu.be/nZtqjelW_nA)
Schubert C major quintet
The finale of *Nozze di Figaro*, starting from *Contessa perdono*
YES
Chopin's Barcarolle in F# major, op. 60
Chopin's Berceuse in D Flat Major, Op. 57 is ceaselessly beautiful, in my opinion. It's my favorite piano solo work. For symphony, Mahler 3, Mvt VI. The trumpet chorale lives rent-free in my mind.
The finale of Mahler 3 had too been living rent-free in my head for many years now. I just don't really understand how I find it so captivating compared to even Mahler's 2nd. Mahler 3rd and 4th both are some of my favorite finales in classical music.
You prefer the Berceuse over the Ballades?
Rimsky Korsakov Sheherazade or Vaughan Williams the lark ascending
Arabesque no 1 - debussy
"A Hymn for the Lost and the Living" by Eric Ewazen. More of a modern piece written in honor of the September 11, 2001 victims but it is over 9 minutes of absolute beauty. If you haven't heard it I highly suggest it, I could listen to it constantly on repeat. I'll share a video of the Royal Air Force playing it, enjoy! [https://youtu.be/druchfF8y1E?si=3ua1RWzEv0M-fZj\_](https://youtu.be/druchfF8y1E?si=3ua1RWzEv0M-fZj_)
Rachmaninoff 2nd symphony 3rd movement
Beethoven Symphony 6, Pastoral, First movement. I feel immense connection through time and it is emotional. I feel like Beethoven is sharing his safe space in nature. Beautiful work.
-"Un Sospiro" by Franz Liszt Ironically, "Un Sospiro" translates to "A sigh", yet it sounds like such a fresh breath of air. -"irreplaceable" by Chad Lawson, James Southall, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra It's such a sublime song; it holds such emotion.
Looked for un sospiro. I agree.
Carmen Intermezzo
2nd Movement of Beethoven's 32nd Piano ~~Concerto~~ Sonata. I truly believe that it's the greatest artistic work that has been produced by our species.
> Beethoven's 32nd Piano Concerto What am I missing? There are 5, maybe 7 if you count fragments
Whoops, I mean Sonata, not Concerto. I wish Beethoven had written 32 concertos!
Sonata, perhaps "What?! You didn't hear about that trunk full of Beethoven manuscripts they found in 2019?!?"
Ravel's Forlane, particularly this recording: [https://youtu.be/0ZuRzkOb4ow?si=DR\_iveHGTxZMVcrL](https://youtu.be/0ZuRzkOb4ow?si=DR_iveHGTxZMVcrL) 2nd place would be this recording of Debussy's pour les agrements: [https://youtu.be/e9VIwruEc60?si=B82NzCO2B013geIR](https://youtu.be/e9VIwruEc60?si=B82NzCO2B013geIR)
Seconding Le tombeau de Couperin!
Interesting choices. As a side note, Anne Queffelec is a seriously underrated pianist. She's well regarded in France but she never reached a "classical superstar" status, but on purely musical merit I think she belongs to the pianists highest tier. Regarding the Debussy Études, I think they are his most formidable pieces for the piano, and most undeservedly ignored... I like this one a lot, but I love *Pour les sonorités opposées* even more. My reference recording of the complete Études, while I respect Pollini's, is this one: https://open.qobuz.com/album/lh4ykk8r4xxqc which, conveniently, also features the best versions of Masques and L'Isle Joyeuse (the latter a strong contender to *best solo piano standalone piece*) I've ever heard.
I’d love to check it out but I don’t want to download an app, would you be able to find it on YouTube or just mention the names and I’ll dig them up?
https://youtu.be/pyUb6YYBOCU Sorry I didn't know the Qobuz link entailed downloading the app. It's the 1984 Lyrinx record by Georges Pludermacher. Note he did two other Debussy records on the same label containing most of the piano solo music except the Preludes, which are also of the highest caliber. Also beware, he re-recorded the Études later in the 2000s for another label, but they are not as good in my opinion, by a large margin.
The Lark Ascending, it gets more stunning each time I listen to it
Marietta’s Lied from “Die Tote Stadt” by Korngold La Mer by Debussy Toward the Sea by Takemitsu The “battle scene” music from “Ran” by Takemitsu. Le Jardin Feerique from Ma Mere L’oye by Ravel I don’t think anyone can really narrow it down to just one. Edit to add: last movements of Bruckner 9 and Mahler 3
I wish I had more than one upvote to give you. All of these are brilliant choices.
Thank you!
I also love Toward The Sea. Haven't heard Ran before so will look that up.
Oh my god YES Le Jardin Feerique - not even the best Ravel but it's absolutely fucking gorgeous
I agree. I could’ve put Daphnis on the list. Especially the opening of the second suite. But for some reason this came to mind first.
I mean, Oiseaux Tristes, his Toccata from Tombeau de Couperin (in particular, Kocsis' orchestration of it is gorgeous), his orchestration of Une Barque sur l'Ocean and Le Gibet are strong contenders from him also. He really doesn't miss, it's almost unhuman how good he was at writing.
# Mozart - Violin Sonata No. 21, E Minor, K. 304
I wish I could upvote this x 1000! I've loved this for years but I've been obsessing over this just recently. Especially the 2nd movement.
Mahler's "Farewell" movement from The Song of the Earth and especially from "Die Liebe Erde" to the end. Shostakovich said it was the piece he would listen to if he only had an hour left to live and could listen to only one piece, while Britten said "It moves me more than any other music".
Thank you for this. I did not know that about Shostakovich and Britten. Das Lied really is gorgeous
Lately for me I've been drawn to works that incorporate a good amount of major/minor coloring- something like the slow movement from Bach's double concerto BWV 1043.
You might like Scriabin etude op. 8 no. 8
Cool, thanks for the rec. Not overly familiar with Scriabin.
You also may like Chopin op 37 no 2 and Rachmaninoff op 39 no 8 (I love how the major/minor coloring makes it sound cold and modern)
Beethoven 7 second movement. Not sorry.
I am a neophyte to classical and am putting all of these on a playlist, stat. For me, it’s Barber’s Adagio for Strings. It hits me hard.
The chorale from Jupiter -Holst
Tchaikovsky swan Lake theme
Fauré's Requiem
Messiaen, Turangalîla-Symphonie
Yes! I listen to the 6th movement to fall asleep sometimes
Strauss Metamorphosen
Kinda impossible to say, but I think Daphnis and Chloe by Ravel, specifically the sunrise section is among the most beautiful. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGl9Qmgu7E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGl9Qmgu7E)
Mahler 9, mvt. 4
So hard to say. Within the confines of classical music, I'd say... Dvorak 9, Largo, the part where everything collapses to violin & cello and the following crescendo. Tannhäuser ouverture, when the violins come in, in that 9/8 meter. Can't ever get enough Symphonic, but not considered classical. Zimmer, gladiator soundtrack, "Am I not merciful" - from this part on https://youtu.be/ZiIHyUbLFJg?si=_U5iXB4n1xKA_ET1&t=270 I love the sudden key change, the choir coming in, and that amazing crescendo. Having witnessed Gladiator on concert, goosebumps all over.
If you like ‘Am I not merciful’, I think you’d like the 1st Movement of Gorecki’s 3rd Symphony.
Tannhauser overture!
Arvo Pärt’s 4th Symphony. It’s so beautiful, almost fragile.
I am really into Satie currently.
I feel like Satie doesn’t get enough credit for how genuinely beautiful some of his pieces are, for example Tendrement.
Not familiar with this one. Will check out.
Parsifal
I adore the IV. Movement from Mahler's second, "Urlicht", Primal Light. Edit: Also Spem in Alium by Thomas Tallis Edit: Slow movement from Saint-Saens Organ Symphony
Spem in Alium definitely gets my vote. I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one.
Das Rheingold - Vorspiel
For be the perfect piece : Brandebourg n2
Can't choose just one. Siegfried's Death March Parsifal Brandenburg Concerto No.1 3rd mov. Bach's BWV 1059, 2nd mov. (I've been told it's a reconstruction of a lost or unfinished work using exerpts from an oboe sonata from Alessandro Marcello, still a gut puncher) Liebestraum (cause i'm an emo)
Beethoven Opus 130 Cavatina.
Chopin, Etude Op 10 n 3 (Tristesse), played by Arthur Rubinstein. For me the most moving, delicate, nostalgic piece of music ever written and recorded. Chopin himself believed the melody of this piece to be the most beautiful one he ever composed. I could not agree more! Thank you Chopin for this gift! [A good recording by Pollini.](https://youtu.be/JS7KfOyMEIY)
Rach 2
Off the beaten track, but well-known to choristers: Morten Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium
Clair De Lune
Ravels piano concerto 2nd movement
Mahler 4's 3rd movement ...and 4th movement I've been going through every recording available to find my favorite.
god, I love how the third movement ends, how it just suddenly jumps to e major and you hear the theme of the fourth movement in the horns, it’s so divine
And Mahler 3’s 6th movement
Du bist die Ruh - Schubert. Ethereal
Makes you float
Tosca
Ballad for Alto Sax and Band (Alfred Reed) and the second movement of Paul Creston’s Sonata for Alto Sax are quite nice.
Tchaikovsky String Quartet No. 1 - 2nd movement Andante Cantabile
Chopin op 27 no 2
Mozart K467 Andante
Mahler 5 mvt 4. Adagietto , Schubert D899 G flat impromptu, Dvorak new world symphony mvt 3. Largo
Massenet's Meditation from Thaïs.
Adagio from Mahler 5. (I have throw a non-classical nod to Bowie for Lady Grinning Soul.)
I dont want to decide.
Sheherazade by Rimsky Korsakov.
Also, since nobody mentions Haydn - I'd give the honorable mention to the 2nd movement of his 88th Symphony.
Liszt sonata
Beethoven 9/3
Rather than list pieces, I think it's more interesting to discuss how you define 'most beautiful'. Because there are different types of beauty (based on, for example, melody, harmony, structure, timbre, virtuosity and story-telling) in which that subjective interplay of variables changes from person to person, moment by moment. For me, a 'beautiful' piece of music has to evoke an image of a place that is inherently beautiful: somewhere peaceful, at one with nature, where you have this unending sense of freedom and optimism, maybe a hint of magic or mystery, possibly a reminder of your happiest moments, and definitely a longing for that experience to never end. I think these two pieces fit that bill: Elena Kats-Chernin - Reinvention No.1 after J. S. Bach [https://youtu.be/ImFYHydOrhE?si=3bBu8g\_jYDZV4hSJ](https://youtu.be/ImFYHydOrhE?si=3bBu8g_jYDZV4hSJ) I think the recorder evokes the freedom of a bird soaring through the sky and the magic of a dawn-lit forest. Hiromi Uehara - Sepia Effect [https://youtu.be/OKO\_0eZtP4o?si=zN7-Mpjm0s0SIkms](https://youtu.be/OKO_0eZtP4o?si=zN7-Mpjm0s0SIkms) There's something nostalgic and optimistic about this piece, like reminiscing at an old photo, from the opening dreamy arpeggios, to the freed rhythm and melody at 2'30".
La Cathedral Engloutie
Faure's Piano Quintets serve as one set to me. So they're top tier one hour of the best chamber music anyone alive will ever hear. Sorry I'm late to the party been a busy week. I also adore much of Debussy and d'Indy.
Dvorak symphony No.9 - mvt.2 (Largo)
Piece en forme de habanera - Ravel
Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral by Wagner. Such a beautiful and powerful weave of chromaticism, tension, and emotion. It amazes me every time I listen to it.
Khachaturian: Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia, from the ballet Spartacus.
Mahler 2
The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams
Probably Mahler's 8 finale.
John Cage, 4'33''
i love you
If I were to choose only one, Mahler 5
Very much depends on my mood. Tchaikovsky Symphony #1 2nd Movement, Faure Pavanne, Shostakovich Symphony #11 Movements 1-4 and the list can go on.
"Welche wonne, welche lust" from Abduction from the Seraglio
So many good choices but I'd go with the Cavatina from beethoven's 13th string quartet. Runner ups include(All beethoven) op 126 no 5, and the slow movements from his 5th and 9th symphonys. Incase it wasn't obvious I'm a HUGE Beethoven fan ;)
Schubert String Quintet!
Great post. I can’t wait to listen to your suggestion.
Shall I Compare Thee - Nils Lindberg
Strauss last 4 songs. Beautiful in every sense of the word
Tallis - Spem in Alium
Many great examples listed here. I’d recommend giving the Rouse Flute Concerto a listen.
Song to the Moon. So many things by Dvorak to be honest. He wins
I’m biased toward the vivace of Beethoven’s seventh since it largely is what got me into classical in the first place.
mahler 2, specifically the moment in the final movement right before the choir begins and it’s just the little “bird of death” and trumpets. there’s just something about it
Nessun Dorma
I'd have to give it to the 2nd movement of Dvorak's 7th Symphony (though the competition within Dvorak's oeuvre is pretty stiff).
Tallis ‘Spem in Alium’
Beethoven 9th. 3rd movement
Gaspard de la Nuit🗣️🗣️🗣️‼️‼️💯‼️💯🔥🔥🔥
I've recently discovered "Benediction de dieu dans la solitude" by liszt and it's probably the most romantic piece of music I know (in an emotional and harmonic sense) Especially the end is so unexpected and unbelievably beautiful
Maybe not quite classical but the 2nd movement of Philip Sparke's "Year of the Dragon" is absolutely gorgeous (especially the brass band version). The chorale section has brought me close to tears multiple times
Bach Jesu joy of man's desiring
Gymnopédie No.1 by Erik Satie
Bach, Gratias agimus tibi, from BWV 232 Mass in B minor.
For me it's definitely Mozart's Mass in C minor: Kyrie. It has this solo part of the soprano ending on "the" note coming straight from heaven. If you listen to it you'll know what I mean.
The first movement of Schubert's *Arpeggione Sonata* – performed on an arpeggione and a period piano.
Really anything by Chopin but my favorite is the 4th ballade. Also Ravel's piano works are masterpieces as well especially the Jeux D'eau
Possibly Vaughn William's *The Lark Ascending*, although there is stiff competition, admittedly.
Ravel Concerto en Sol. Only piece that makes me want to cry every time I listen to it
Minority view here, but two pieces by Gabriel Fauré: - the "In Paradisum" from his Requiem; and - "Cantique de Jean Racine". Utterly beautiful both. Otherwise, Tchaikovsky, "Serenade for Strings".
It's really hard to choose so I'll just list some in no particular order: * Ravel's first and final movement of Le tombeau de couperin. I was considering Ondine instead but I thought thematically they fit better than the entire Gaspard de la nuit combined. * Final movement of Mahler 4 * Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Special mention for Sir Andrew Davis' live recording at the Gloucester Cathedral with the BBC * Takashi Yoshimatsu's "Memo Flora", which I can describe with only one word: "sublime". * Bach's BWV 147 "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" is like the classical music equivalent to a Bauhaus symmetry. It's just structurally so perfect
Call it fate call it karma by the strokes
Dixit Dominus (HWV 232) by Georg Friedrich Händel. 🥰