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I suppose I should not have been surprised.
I got home from work a few days ago just as a performance by the New York Philharmonic of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World" came onto the radio. I actually had a break in my busy schedule and was able to listen to it uninterrupted from start to finish. I especially enjoy the introduction of certain 'passages' that reappear later as well as the tension as the piece builds to a huge fanfare.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and remarked on this in our IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel. Not only did several people recognize it, there was a sudden discussion of people's favorite classical works and a suggestion that I should post a story to the main site.
Other favorites of mine include:
- 1812 Overture - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- The William Tell Overture - Gioachino Rossini ("The Lone Ranger" theme)
- The Barber of Seville - Gioachino Rossini
- Pictures at an Exhibition - Modest Mussorgsky
- Brandenburg Concertos - Johann Sebastian Bach.
In retrospect, a well-performed piece of classical music is like a well-written piece of software. Everything just flows together. Intricate passages combine into something much greater than its constituent parts.
So, fellow Soylentils, what are your favorite classical works? As performances vary in quality and there are many recordings out on the internet, it would be very much appreciated if you included a link to a free (libre) copy if you know of one that you think others would enjoy.
(Score: 2) by stormwyrm on Wednesday December 16 2015, @11:21PM
Just from Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G minor (K. 183). Requiem in D minor (K. 626), the Dies Irae just raises the hair at the back of my neck, especially in versions that include strong timpani (not all of the performances I've found do). Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major (K. 525), better known as Eine Kleine Nachtmusic. Andante in C Major for Flute and Orchestra (K. 315), very soothing.
From Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2, better known as the Moonlight Sonata. That is absolutely beautiful from its gentle first movement to its furious third. So is Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op, 13, in Who doesn't love his Symphony No. 9 in D minor Op. 125, or his Symphony No. 5 in C minor Op. 67?
Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D, from the original one-hit wonder maybe?
From Bach I remember best the Overture no. 2 in B minor (BWV 1067) for some reason. It includes the famous Badinerie.
Frédéric Chopin wrote a large number of Nocturnes, which are all very beautiful, but my favourites are No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 9 No 1, No. 4 in F major, Op. 15 No. 1, No. 9 in B major, Op. 32 No. 1, and No. 20 in C-sharp minor, Op. P1 No. 16.
I'm pretty sure there's plenty more that I can't think of this early in the morning.
Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate.
(Score: 2) by fliptop on Thursday December 17 2015, @03:45PM
We were going to do this for midnight Mass this year but the choir director heard us try it once and said, "Yeah, no." It is a beautiful song but it takes a lot of practice to do properly!
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