Top Classical Pieces

Submitted by Angela Golden on Fri, 11/02/2007 - 2:17pm.

No matter what people are talking about these days -there is always something to rank. 1,000 places to see before you die, 25 sexiest men alive, the 50 greatest athletes that ever lived, the 100 best movies ever made - the list goes on and on.

So what about the best classical pieces of music ever written? I thought it might be fun to compare what others think about this. But don’t let it stop there! What do you think? Any favorites? Anything that might surprise us?

NPR's Performance Today presents its list of fifty essential classical music CDs, selected by classical music critic and PT commentator Ted Libbey.

About.com’s Aaron Green on his classical Top Ten

Classical CD’s Guide to the top 10 cds

I thought this was a fun little insight into the music we hear all the time… works you know, but don’t think you know. Do any of these fit into the top 10?

If you want to find some piece that hasn’t yet found its way into your collection. Here is a great resource. Arkivmusic.com is an online CD store that has a wonderful selection of music and a well categorized CD search method. You could honestly find everything you are looking for. Enjoy!

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Although it's overplayed in the academies, I've always felt Chopin's 4th Ballade is in a class of its own. He packs a lot of unbelievable material into twelve minutes: material I strongly believe other composers would've belabored and adulterated. When you listen to a good performance of the 4th, you feel like you've significantly travelled somewhere, cleansed your perceptions, etc etc yada yada. Yet sadly it's almost never done well. The Berg Violin Concerto is up there too. And Mozart K.448 is as close to perfection as I will ever know. Awfully loveable that thing is.

Thanks Bryant. I've never heard that Chopin piece, but now I'm definately interested in checking it out -sounds really great.

One of my favorite pieces - though I am sure it is not considered a "standard" piece of repertoire is Morten Lauidsen's O Magnum Mysterium. It is scored for a cappella chorus and is a truly beautiful and moving piece. I first played it/heard of it in a brass choir setting at Indiana University- which is quite good.

Definately worth checking out.

I can completely agree with the nod for Lauridsen, I performed that one as well, and no song has moved me as much as the time when we pulled that one off as well as one could expect. (Too bad, it was during the dress rehearsal and not on stage!) My vote for best piece goes to Verdi's Requiem. Is it a bit cliche? Maybe. But many cliches happen because they are great to begin with. Best part of the requiem? Ingemisco. And I'm not even a tenor.

One favorite of mine, though I'm not sure I'd say it's the "best" piece, is Messaien's Turangulia Symphonie, a ten-movement piece for large orchestra, piano, and ondes martenot (for those that don't know, that's an electronic instrument similar to the theremin). I heard a performance of it during my freshman year of college and it blew my mind. Definitely check it out if you have not heard it, even if you are normally averse to Messaien.

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Top Classical Pieces

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