Favorite piece of classical music

I've always been kind of partial to Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

For Baroque, I'd have to go with Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2.

As for Beethoven, my favorite piece to listen to is the Symphony No. 7. My favorite to play is the Pathetique Sonata.

Also finding a regular spot in the CD player are:
Dvorak's New World Symphony
Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Lots of Liszt and Chopin piano music

If you are looking for originality, check out Charles Ives. Three Places in New England is a hard listen, but rewarding.

 

Well well, from The Planets; Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury especially.

Smetana's From Bohemia's Woods and Fields from Ma Vlast

Sibelius Finlandia and Symphony #2

Just about anything from Bartok

Shastakovitch's Symphony #10

M.

 

The New World Symphony is simply the best classical music piece. EVER

 

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in e-minor
Bartok: String quartets nos. 1, 4, and 5
William Walton: Violin concerto and Viola concerto

Any piano work by Franz Liszt is just incredible!!!

And in my opinion, the history of music culminates in the later string quartets of Beethoven. It is all down hill after that. He was the brightest star in the firmament and his death was a supernova that is leaving nothing but blackness

 

Really? I've never cared much for Beethoven. I think I have...hm. One thing by him, maybe. I much prefer the Russians.

Ims

 

There are so many pieces of Classical music that I enjoy that it would be impossible to pick a favorite. I love almost all of Chopin's Etudes. (Mainly because I am a pianist myself.) I also enjoy Vaughn Williams a lot...

***Senoj***

 

Wow, it's great to see all the support for Rachmaninoff's 2nd.

Anyone ever see The Seven Year Itch? Nice combo of one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever with one of the most beautiful women ever!

 

Love Beethoven of course!

Esp. the Pathetique sonata and the 7th Symphony, Mv II.

 

My 3 favorite Piano pieces are

Mozarts: Rondo De All Turcan

Beethovens: Fur Elise

 

Let's see... Not an easy choice...
Dvorak's 9th is the best. Brass power! And Vivaldi's concerto for two trumpets. Simply amazing... I also love Danse Macabre from Saint-Saens and Dukas' Sorcerers Apprentice. Anything that's orchestral, I love. Especially with a lot of brass and TRUMPETS!!!!!

 

Unless I skipped over it, I can't believe that no one has mentioned Mussorgsky's "St. John's Night on Bald Mountain." It is a great, powerful piece that I enjoy very much....it also scared the crap out of me when I watch Fantasia as a little kid.

Also, Rossini's (?) "Barber of Seville" is great.

Tchaikovksky's "Rite of Spring" is also fantastic.

Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is my favorite piano piece.

Bach's "Tocatta and Fugue in Dm" (a.k.a. the Dracula theme) is a fantastic pipe organ piece.

So many composers, with so many different emotions to the music...I can't really choose a fave.

 

Just so you know, Fat_Fett, Stravinski wrote The Rite of Spring, not Tchaïkovsky. Good choices, though.

 

Aargh, I knew something was wrong with that - thanks for the correction, though!

 

Many great pieces have been named...

My favorite is Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Romeo & Juliet Overture is also great.

An often overlooked 20th century opus is Shostakovich's 5th Symphony. It is awesome!

 

My classical faves:

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and the Cuban Overture.

Saint-Saens, Danse Macabre.
I heard this last Halloween and fell in love with it.

Grieg, The Hall of the Mountain King. ditto.

Tchaikovsky, the 1812 Overture. Anything featuring artillery and cannons in the percussion section is fine by me.

Holst, The Planets. Is it just me or does "Mars" reminds you of something... Duh!!!

 

And I thought I'd killed this thread! Silly me!

If I said that DOTF is one of my favorite classical pieces, does this thread get to stay here?

 

Nope, sorry

 

Nope, sorry, RMCOY.

I love Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition. (Originally for piano; orchestrated by Ravel.) I often hear a piece of classical music and think, wow, that could be a great SW cue!

The part of PAAE that made me think this the other day was Bydlo.

Man, I love Russian composers.

 

1. Alexander Nevsky Film Score - Sergei Prokofiev
2. Vespers - Sergei "The Rach" Rachmaninoff
3. Requiem - Mostly Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
4. Scythian Suite - Sergei Prokofiev
5. Across The Stars - John Williams

Marvelous, all of it.

And I am prepared to take issue with anyone who doesn't think John Williams is fit to be included amongst the greatest composers of all time. He's certainly the greatest composer alive.

 

GK edit: Sorry, go find somewhere else to play.

 

I love Tchaikovsky's romeo and juliet fantasy overture.very powerful and moving.

My other favourite is Shostakovich's 1st symphony.If you like John Williams then you'll love it!!! I really think it's one of those great lost masterpieces.amazing stuff.I found his other symphonies a bit boring but this one is perfect.It has the greatest epic finale i've ever heard.

 

i have way too many favorites. classical is my biggest passion in music. mozart and beethoven are my favorites, too. one of my favs is definitely 'across the stars'. mozart's 'a little night music' and beethoven's '5th symthony' are all great.

 

Oooo, yeah, I love Tchaikovsky's Romeo & Juliet Overture too!!

 

The Planets by Gustav Holst. Brilliant, every second of it.

I also enjoy Verdi's Triumphal March from Aïda, Saint-Saën's Danse Macabre, Dukas' The Sorceror's Apprentice, Pachelbel's Canon in D, Beethoven's 7th Symphony (2nd movement), Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite, the list goes on and on...

 

I've changed my mind. I'm also back on the board...if you even knew I left. You guys really pi*sed me off with the rules that only Star Wars music could be discussed.

Favorite classical piece?

I've become more eclectic in my tastes and the top runners for my favorite classical piece are as follows:

Stravinsky's "The Firebird" Suite (1919 version)
Leonard Bernstein's "Candide"
Leonard Bernstein's Symphony #3 "Kaddish"
Dvorak's "symphonic dances" Op46 #7 (or 8)