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The favourites thread: composer, concerto and symphony

windhoek

windhoek

The Phoolosopher
You may also have an honourable mention for that someone or something special in addition to your favourite composer, concerto and symphony. I'll go first:

Composer - Mahler
Concerto - Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 2
Symphony - Mahler's third
Honourable mention - Steve Reich
 
Composer - Beethoven
Concerto - Ravel G minor Piano Concerto
Symphony - Brahms 4
Honorable Mention - Henri Dutilleux
 
Derek, aaargh! I don’t want to disturb the neatness and order of the thread. I thought there’s certainly no way I can pin down one single composer and it’ll be tough to pick compositions because I’d say something different in three months. So today’s choices are-
Richard Strauss
Sibelius violin (/ Prokofiev violin No.2)- and I’ve generally grown to dislike the violin concerto as I get older.
Symphony- Rachmaninov 1
Honourable mention- Aaron Copland (for quietly keeping things nice while his Russian counterparts were knocking doors out of windows).
I realise I’ve gone back to my 20s answering as above.
 
Yeah, it's tough. I was going to go for Mendelsohn's Violin Concerto as it used to be a big favourite of mine, but these days I think I enjoy a good piano concerto more; Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 could easily have been my eventual pick as much as Rachmaninov's 2nd. And almost as soon as I'd posted my picks I suddenly thought Mahler's Urlicht should have been my honourable mention. Too late now so I guess I'll just have to leave mention of Urlicht by this backdoor method instead :)
 
Okay ...

Composer: JS Bach

Concerto: Haydn Cello Concerto in C. An “apparently" uncomplicated piece ...

Symphony: This is problematic! Certainly Haydn. Between 76 in E Flat, and 102 in B Flat. Well I listen to the 76th. frequently [the second movement is a master class in harmonic rhythmic control], but the 102nd. is really my favourite. Also don’t forget the wonderful Sibelius No. 3 in C! [Kajanus and a London Orchestra made the premiere recording and it still remains without parallel on records].

Now I am going to break the rules. Haydn Cello Concerto in C, Sadlo [Suprafon]

Haydn 102, Klemperer [recorded by EMI]. A beast of a performance that leaves no musically subtle stone unturned. Powerful and not particularly HIP, but also driven as by volcanic magma!

For fanciers of counterpoint, the last movement is worthy of study with the score [in silence] and then listen! Bach would have been proud of it, and Mozart would have eaten his heart out to have concealed so much genius technique without it being even obvious while listening!!!
 
Composer - JS Bach
Concerto - Beethoven Violin
Symphony - Brahms 4
Opera - Bluebeard's Castle
Honourable mention - Haydn

This list will probably change tomorrow.
 
Composer: JS Bach.
Concerto: Brandenburgs (I’ll have them all!), failing that Rach 2.
Symphony: Mahler 9th.
Honourable mention: Schoenberg.

I notice Nic has included an opera, so I’ll have Berg’s Wozzeck.

PS Kind of impossible as really my favourite classical forms are more chamber or solo, though again that would be impossible e.g. how does one choose between Beethoven’s late quartets or those by Bartok, Schubert, or Bach’s WTC, solo violin, cello etc, or even something like Reich’s Piano Phase?
 
I’ve gone through two periods in my life when I had favourite composers...Tchaikovsky when I was a young man and Mozart in my prime but since then I’ve become very greedy and find great enjoyment in some of the works of all the composers I become familiar with.
So I can’t single out any particular composer or work as I would immediately feel traitorous towards the countless others I just love.
 
Composer: JS Bach
Concerto: Too many ties - my calculator is busted
Symphony: Too many ties - my calculator is busted
:)

I admire those who can answer these questions with certainty because I certainly can't, with the exception of favourite composer.

Here's a partial list of those I can't choose a favourite from: Bach's Keyboard concertos, Brandenburgs, violin concertos, Mozart piano concertos 20, 23, 24 and others, Symphonies 35, 36, 38-41, Beethoven 4th, 9th, Mahler 2, 6 and so many others. Simply too many "favourites" for moi to be able to choose one.
 
Composer: Vaughan Williams
Concerto: Max Bruch Violin concerto No1
Symphony: Elgar No1
Opera: Puccini - Suor Angelica

Hon mention: Leos Janacek

And it may all change tomorrow....
 
Dearie me, but how long's a piece of string quartet ? Sib., Rach.,Elgar, Bruch, et al; love 'em all, but three of the pieces of music that gets me every time are:
Coda from Sib.'s 5th; bits from Max's Scottish Fantasia or Kol Nidrei and an all-time tear-jerker in Charles Gounod's Mors et Vita. Far too many tunes from opera to count, but Puccini probably ticks more boxes.
 
OK - here goes;

Composer - Messiaen
Concerto - Bartok, Piano Concerto no. 1
Symphony - Schumann, Symphony no. 2
Opera - Wagner, Parsifal
String quartet(s)- Beethoven string quartet 14, op. 131; Brahms string quartet No. 2 in A minor op. 51 & Bartok’s 4th string quartet
Piano - Brahms, Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor op. 5; Messiaen, Catalogue d’Oiseaux
Song - Schubert, Erlkönig & Finzi, Earth and Air and Rain
 
Composer: Haydn

Concerto: Mozart, Piano Concerto 21

Symphony: Beethoven, 7th Symphony

Piano: Schubert, Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960
 
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