What is your favorite classical piece?

[OhioBlue]

Borrowing broadly from all genres that fit 'classical,' these are some of my faves (I like what a lot of other people also like):

Nessun Dorma, from Turandot by Puccini. Has been sung lately by one too many reality show contestants, but I've always loved it.

Appalachian Spring, Copland. Especially the classic brass parts.

Beethoven's 9th. Real original, I know. But hey, there's a reason everyone loves this symphony.

Rachmaninov's piano concertos 1, 2, and 3.

I am a Chopin fan, though try as I might I can only hack my way through a few of his compositions. I do agree with the 'raindrop prelude' suggestion above and it's one of my favorites to play.

Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien, maybe not a mainstream pick but I like it.

I also have on my list of one hundred things to do before I die, 'See a famous violinist pefrorm Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D (op 35)." In fact, of all this list, this latter piece might just be my number one favorite.

I don't know how to embed youtube, but here is a piece of the 3rd movement as featured in the movie 'Together' (which incidentally is a pretty good film):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO28Ck1193w

[BoylenOver]

This is a mainstream pick, but anything from "Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky does it for me.

Also, I took a history of ballet class in college, and I wrote a paper on George Balanchine. That introduced me to Igor Stravinsky, and I fell in love with The Rite of Spring

[YOUTUBE]bjX3oAwv_Fs[/YOUTUBE]

Finally, there's an orchestral piece by Bach, I want to say in B-flat major, that I can't get out of my head, but I can't remember the exact name, so I can't find it anywhere. That's my only problem with classical music.

[MarkGrace]

Popcorn Superhet Receiver

He he he

[SeattleUte]

I am partial to piano and I think piano concertos are the best of all worlds. Here are some piano works/performances I return to again and again (sorry, can't choose a favorite):

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano-C...6254614&sr=1-2

Discs 6-10 in ths collection are especially divine.

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pian...6254805&sr=1-3

What I happen to be listening to right now. These three discs are divine from stem to stern (Beethoven not as prolific on the piano as Mozart).

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Goldberg-...6255026&sr=1-3

This is my favorite music performed only on piano. I like to imagine what it must have been like to experience being a Bach contemporary, and his breaking wide open the musical world. He is music's Shakespaere.

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Concertos...6255375&sr=1-3

Bach's "piano" concertos. He composed them on harpsicord; most people favor the piano renditions. I have grown partial to harpsichord. You may think this is dated, it's not. These pieces sound as modern as can be. Timeless is what I really mean. You could very much say that about all the music linked here.

http://www.amazon.com/Rachmaninov-Pi...6255709&sr=1-1

Classical is really a misnomer for this. ROMANTIC. Transportive. I love these pieces late at night.

[ERCougar]

I am partial to piano and I think piano concertos are the best of all worlds. Here are some piano works/performances I return to again and again (sorry, can't choose a favorite):

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano-C...6254614&sr=1-2

Discs 6-10 in ths collection are especially divine.

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pian...6254805&sr=1-3

What I happen to be listening to right now. These three discs are divine from stem to stern (Beethoven not as prolific on the piano as Mozart).

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Goldberg-...6255026&sr=1-3

This is my favorite music performed only on piano. I like to imagine what it must have been like to experience being a Bach contemporary, and his breaking wide open the musical world. He is music's Shakespaere.

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Concertos...6255375&sr=1-3

Bach's "piano" concertos. He composed them on harpsicord; most people favor the piano renditions. I have grown partial to harpsichord. You may think this is dated, it's not. These pieces sound as modern as can be. Timeless is what I really mean. You could very much say that about all the music linked here.

http://www.amazon.com/Rachmaninov-Pi...6255709&sr=1-1

Classical is really a misnomer for this. ROMANTIC. Transportive. I love these pieces late at night.

Bach was absolutely brilliant, although your imaginings of being a contemporary of his while listening to a piano recording strikes me as a little funny.

Favorite piano concertos...
I've never heard the 4th Rachmaninoff, although the 2nd is obviously amazing.
I'll go with some classics too, as there is a reason these are so popular: Grieg a minor, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky b flat minor.
I've never been a huge Mozart fan, although I can appreciate his genius.
One concerto off the beaten path a little but still very accessible and fun to listen to is the Saint Saens g minor.

[I.J. Reilly]

Here's one that hasn't been mentioned yet that is just plain fun. This one always reminds me of the Addams Family:

[YOUTUBE]ipzR9bhei_o[/YOUTUBE]

[SeattleUte]

Bach was absolutely brilliant, although your imaginings of being a contemporary of his while listening to a piano recording strikes me as a little funny.

Favorite piano concertos...
I've never heard the 4th Rachmaninoff, although the 2nd is obviously amazing.
I'll go with some classics too, as there is a reason these are so popular: Grieg a minor, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky b flat minor.
I've never been a huge Mozart fan, although I can appreciate his genius.
One concerto off the beaten path a little but still very accessible and fun to listen to is the Saint Saens g minor.

Why are people misquoting me when my words are right in front of their faces? Babs did this just yesterday. Is this a conspiracy? I didn't say anything about listening to Bach on the piano as a contemporary. In fact, dipshit, if you'd have read the whole post and looked at the links you'd have noted that I said he componsed on harpsichord and that I favor the harpsichord performances of his concertos favorite right now and I linked to a harpsichord CD set.

[LiveCoug]

I've always enjoyed Bolero:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3-4J5j74VPw&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3-4J5j74VPw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

[Jarid in Cedar]

I've always enjoyed Bolero:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3-4J5j74VPw&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3-4J5j74VPw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

Given how long it takes for this piece to build, I was always surprised how abruptly it ended.

[ERCougar]

Why are people misquoting me when my words are right in front of their faces? Babs did this just yesterday. Is this a conspiracy? I didn't say anything about listening to Bach on the piano as a contemporary. In fact, dipshit, if you'd have read the whole post and looked at the links you'd have noted that I said he componsed on harpsichord and that I favor the harpsichord performances of his concertos favorite right now and I linked to a harpsichord CD set.

This is my favorite music performed only on piano. I like to imagine what it must have been like to experience being a Bach contemporary.

Wow, I really misread that. Apologies.

[ERCougar]

Given how long it takes for this piece to build, I was always surprised how abruptly it ended.

LOL.

[SeattleUte]

Wow, I really misread that. Apologies.

Signed, Partiridge Family fan

(You probably learned that he composed on harpsichord from my post!)

[ERCougar]

Signed, Partiridge Family fan

(You probably learned that he composed on harpsichord from my post!)

Classical music smack. Priceless.

[I.J. Reilly]

Classical music smack. Priceless.

I bet you didn't even know that Beethoven composed after he became deaf and that Mozart was a child prodigy. Oh snap! You're such a classical music idiot. Take some lessons.

[Katy Lied]

Classical is really a misnomer for this. ROMANTIC. Transportive. I love these pieces late at night.

Without Rachmaninoff, the world would never have had Lolita. Sergei sponsored and funded Nabokov in the US when Nabokov was a starving emigre.