what moves you?

[Rob47]

Until earlier today I had never heard Scriabin's Sonata no. 1 F minor....this work is incredible....I used to listen, and still do, to Liszt's sonata (b minor not so much dante) for the reason that yes it moves me.  It is a sonata of epic proportions.....but holy s*** forgive my bluntness this Scriabin sonata is, for me, at this present time, the most moving, most furious, passionate, whatever work I have ever heard!!!

OBVIOUsly there are many pieces (or no wait do I mean songs   ?)  for piano which stir up emtion in listeners depending on the performance.  But name a few pieces,  (for my listening sake maybe I haven't heard them yet) that have an incredible effect on you while either listening or playing them.  I am interested to know.

Thanks
Rob

[mark1]

The pieces that move me allways change over time. At first i used to listen to a lot of Mozart then Liszt. After that beethoven sonotas and piano concertos(these especially) Now I'm into Chopin and Debussy. I really like Debussy's preludes! I have to admit that I'm not too familiar with Scriabin's works... I'll have to give him a listen. Does anyone know what a good intro. to Alkan would be? I hear a lot about him but don't have any recordinds yet.

[chopiabin]

Dude, if you love the first one and love weird harmonies, check out the 3rd- 10th. My all time favorites are 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 10. I love all of them, but they may take a few listens if you are used to more conventional repertoire (especially the 4th-10th). Scriabin was an incredible composer - completely original - who is still INCREDIBLY underappreciated.

[dgk88]

The scriabin sonatas are incredible pieces (he's soooo neglected at least in my area anywayz) i love his etudes.  but the only pieces that have been able to "move" me are Prokofiev sonata's no. 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9 ( I absolutely hate the 7th and if anyone else says it's the best sonata I'm gonna scream).

[anda]

but the only pieces that have been able to "move" me are Prokofiev sonata's no. 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9 ( I absolutely hate the 7th and if anyone else says it's the best sonata I'm gonna scream).

it's absolutely wonderful!!! maybe you're listening to a bad recording - i mean a bad played recording - or maybe you should try reading it. I LOVE IT much more than 3rd or 1st (which are overplayed anyway).

as for works that move me... i don't have a week to make a list, so here are the ones i remember right now:

rachmaninov - 3rd concert, 1st sonata (2nd too, but not as much as 1st), most of the preludes
bartok - sonata
beethoven - sonatas op. 101, 109, 110, 4th concert (especially 2nd part), 5th concert
ravel - g concert, pavane pour une infante defunte, mirroires
prokofiev 1st and 3rd concert, visions fugitives
debussy - most works, especially images II
mozart - c fantasy, c moll concert (491), c dur (467), a moll (488)
brahms - both concerts, violin concert, trios, quartets, 1st, 3rd sonata, klavierstucke op. 76, 117, 118, 119, ballades op. 10, schumann variations (those for 2 hands as well as those for 4 hands), paganini variations, haendel variations, haydn variation, 3rd and 4th simphony
liszt - h moll sonata, sonnets, some of the etudes
strawinski - EVERYTHING (especially the concert)
skrjabin - all sonatas (though i haven't heard all, i just read them)
bach - toccatas e moll, d moll, d dur, c moll, some of the preludes and fugues, partitas no. 1, 2, 4, 6, english suites no. 4 and 6, concerto d moll, f moll, italian concert
haendel - some of the chaconnes
schumann - kreisleriana, kinderszenen, waldszenen, sonata g moll, a moll concert, g moll konzertstucke, papillons
schubert - some of the sonatas, some of the impromptus (must listen radu lupu!)

and many many more i can't remember right now

[comme_le_vent]

i love this kind of enthusiasm you have for music - hopefully i can open your ears to a few new discoveries...

liszt's harmonies du soir, and etude number 10 move me more than any of his other music.
harmonies is so joyously beautiful, heavenly music.
the etude number 10 is more hellish music, very dramatic and passionate- and extremely aggressive, if you play the hell out of this piece, your guaranteed to blow anyone away.
chopin's preludes are his most moving music to me, and the best of all is the finale in d minor - pure passion - ending with unremitting doom.
beethoven's kreutzer sonata 1st movement is full of fury passion and melancholy- with an ending that chills the bones.
my favourite scriabin sonata is actually the unnumbered sonata in E flat minor - the presto finale is surely one of the most furiously passionate things he wrote.


now we get to my penchant - the kick-ass french composer Alkan

the finale of the sonatine is raw fury at its most unbridled, leading to a furiously explosive climax, and ending with a big BANG

then theres le festin d'aesop - the theme and variations that whups an other theme and variations' pieces ass.
with endlessly inventive variations, and a kick-ass climax.

next up we have the symphony for solo piano....the 1st movement of which is my favourite piece of all - this is music to accompany armageddon, or pehaps even induce armageddon!!!
starting off with a broad, brooding c minor theme, it develops into an experiece of symphonic proportions, after running through various emotional peaks, we reach the staccatto-drummed out theme of oncoming cataclism, then there explodes what can only be described as a bastardised fortississimo revision of what was once a happy theme, on it goes building tension greater and greater, until the dominant chord is reached and all hell breaks loose - showers of chromatic scales accompany a left hand of earth shattering power, the violence increases to breaking point where everything collapses, it all ending with a pianissimo chord progression, which is perfectly normal until we hit the last chord, from a c major chord - which seems to signify peace and a moment of happiness - we are struck a final agonising blow with the penultimate c minor chord - a knife to the heart and a symbol of the end of all hope. a tear jerking moment if there ever was one.

this may all seem far fetched, but this is what this music does to me, it takes me to the limits of human experience and back again.

and if your looking for a recommendation for an alkan recording...get marc-andre hamelin's recording of the symphony, and get the other cd too with the sonata ,sonatine and festin.

this is me just getting started on my love of alkan's music, and one of my great wishes is to someday be a great interpreter of his music, if i lack in ability at the moment, i surely make up for it with enthusiasm!  

[scriabinsmyman]

Chopin Nocturnes, Rach Concertos 2 and 3, and OH YES Scriabin!!! anything by those three guys is capable of moving me to tears and chills!

[trunks]

I could bring tears to myself when playing the following pieces:

CHOPIN
1. Scherzo Op.31 in Bb minor
2. Sonata Op.58 in B minor (opening movement)

LISZT
1. Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
2. Il lamento, Un sospiro (1, 3 from "Trois etudes de concert")

Other touching melodies are abundant, just to mention some here:

RACHMANINOV
Concerto 2 - all 3 movements have deeply touching themes

LISZT
1. Liebestraumes 1, 2, 3
2. Sonetto 47, 123 del Petrarca
3. Sonata in B minor

BEETHOVEN
1. Piano Concerto 4, Op.58 in G (opening movement)
2. Piano Sonata Op.13 (pathetique), slow movement

SKRIABIN
Etude in C# minor, Op.2 No.1

ST SAENS
Piano Concerto No.2 Op.22 in G minor (opening movement)

MOZART
Piano Concerto No.21 K.467 in C (slow movement)

[dchaikin]

I think familiarity can move one to tears or chills.  Even "lesser quality" music can have this effect.  For instance, right now I'm playing in the orchestra for a local production of the musical Chicago.  At first hearing I thought the music was trite and gimmicky.  Now, after weeks of rehearsals and performances, there are many spots that totally move me.  It still may not be "great" music, but it now has the power to emotionally move.

Or how about a Beatles song that you've heard a million times?  Tears and chills galore.  (Of course, this is great music to begin with.)

[zhiliang]

I agree totally with PeterHK on the Liszt B minor Sonata and the Chopin Piano Sonta No. 3.

And i would like to add these

1. Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 (just before the the finale of the 3rd movement played by Horowitz / Reiner 1951)

2. Rachmaninoff's Andante from Cello Sonata (especially the piano transcription done by Arcadi Volodos)

3. Ravel Piano Concerto in G (2nd movement played by Krystian Zimerman)

4. Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2 (2nd movement, its do beautiful and touching that it rivals any melody of Rachmaninoff)

5. Barber's Adagio For Strings (not all recordings and not on all days, but the gradually overwhelming climax.... i am lsot for words)

6. Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 (quite near to the ending of the 1st movement and the beginning of the 2nd movement played by Arthur Rubinstein)

Does anyone here have similar feelings to any of those pieces mentioned above?

Zhiliang

[trunks]

Hi shiliang,

Oh, yes of course the Chopin Concertos, especially the first, and both the Ravel Concertos!

[clhiospzitn]

Wow, talk about reviving an old post ... but anyway, I thought it was a good topic since I definitely know some pieces that give me chills (and sometimes tears), or just get my heart racing with emotion every time I hear them.

Chopin - Nocturne in C minor, op. 48 no. 1
             Scherzo no. 3 in C-sharp minor, op. 39
             Piano Concerto no. 1, 1st and 2nd movements
             Etude in E major, op. 10 no. 3, and in C minor, op. 25 no. 12
             Piano Sonata no. 2, 1st and 2nd movements, and Sonata no. 3, 1st and 4th movements

Liszt - Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
          Dante Sonata
          Danse Macabre (aka Totentanz)
          Transcendental Etude no. 11 (Harmonies du soir) and no. 8 (Wilde Jagd)
          Mephisto Waltz no. 1

Rachmaninoff - Prelude in C-sharp minor, op. 3 no. 2
                     Prelude in B-flat major, op. 23 no. 2
                     Piano Concerto no. 2, 2nd movement
                     Piano Concerto no. 3, 3rd movement

Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto no. 1, 1st movement
                   Dumka, op. 59
                   Waltz of the Flowers and Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker

Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor, 1st movement
           In the Hall of the Mountain King, from Peer Gynt Suite no. 1
           Last Spring, from Elegies op. 34

Holst - Mars from The Planets
           Jupiter from The Planets

Puccini - Nessun Dorma from Turandot

Ravel - Rhapsodie Espagnole (especially the Prelude and the Feria)
           Gaspard de la nuit

Debussy - Clair de lune
               L'Isle Joyeuse
               Reverie

Sinding - Rustle of Spring

Balakirev - Islamey

Berlioz - Roman Carnival Overture

Barber - Adagio for Strings

Beethoven - Waldstein, Pathetique, and Moonlight sonatas

There are so many more pieces that I could and should list, but since this is already a ridiculously long post, I digress.  I'm sure many of you will agree on several of these.

[ganymed]

Bach Partita in B - French Ouverture

The beginning is very sad and moving

[counterpoint]

Bach Partita in B - French Ouverture

The beginning is very sad and moving

You mean the Partita in C minor?

[ganymed]

Bach wrote a French ouverture in Bm which consists of 11 movements.
It is sad that this  last 7th Partita is virtually unknown among pianists.
If you able to german then you can find information on wikipedia on this partita.
The recording of Rosalyn Tureck is highly recommend! She is my favorite bach pianist.
I can send you the recording if you want

Besides, bach wrote 19 two part inventions actually - not 15. The other four are mostly unknown.


https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavier%C3%BCbung_(Bach).

[indutrial]

I certainly agree that Scriabin's works are very enveloping when they are done right.

As far as moving, I've always had a soft spot for very lush pieces that take simple and tonal approaches to harmony and leave everything to the dynamic ebb and flow. It's trendy and almost soundtrack-like, but I love the first movement of Gorecki's Symphony III, which slowly integrates more and more instruments and volume until you're just floating on a sea of beautiful intertwining tonal melodies.

A number of string quartets I've really been digging hard for similar reasons are:

David Diamond's 3rd quartet. He wrote this after a friend passed away and it conveys loads of emotion, especially in the adagio movement.

Bartok's 4th quartet. The third movement is downright haunting in its beauty. I think this whole work is one of the high water marks of twentieth century composition and this middle movement is pure magic

Grazyna Bacewicz's 4th quartet is also very moving to listen to.

[invictious]

Fur Elise



hehehehehe

[counterpoint]

Bach wrote a French ouverture in Bm which consists of 11 movements.
It is sad that this  last 7th Partita is virtually unknown among pianists.

I have the sheet music of this French Ouverture, but I didn't know it is also known as "Partita".

[pita bread]

Barber Piano Concerto, mvt. 2
Beethoven Sonata no. 32
Brahms Op. 118 no. 2
Prokofiev Sonata no. 8
Shostakovitch Viola Sonata, mvt. 3
Strauss Salome, final scene



 

[bob3.1415926]

For me the winner has to be

Purcell - Dido and Aeneas - Dido's Lament.

Nothing else comes close.

[Teddybear]

It changes all the time, of course... but right now my list looks like this:

Bach: Violin Concerto in a minor, 2nd mvmt
Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 11, 2nd mvmt
Schubert: Im Dorfe

[frigo]

I must tell you, Liszt's Dream of Love no3 moves me above all compositions I've heard until today, specially the slower interpretation that some perfomers do. In an excepcional time of my life, I discoverede this composition and heard it every time.
Know that the excepcional time of my life has passed, every time I hear Dream of Love no. 3 I can't stop remember the person  :Dresponsible for my passed happiness...and tears are unstopable....
It's really a fantastic Dream of Love......

[soliloquy]

ginastera piano concerto no. 2 fo da spine-tinglin factah

[dmc]

At the moment, the following (the recordings I have are in parentheses):

1.  Beethoven - Piano Sonata #32 Op 111 - 1st Movement (Pollini)

2.  Chopin - Piano Sonata #3 Op 58 - 3rd movement - The chords at the very end just give me chills (Uchida)

3.  Brahms Piano Concert #1 - 1st movement (Rubenstein & Chicago Symphony)

4. Mozart Piano Sonata #12 K332 - 3rd movement (Uchida)

5.  Schubert Impromptus (almost all of them !)

I know there's lots more but I have to go practice now.....

[damien]

Chopin -most of his nocturnes especially op55 2,48 1 and 32 2,4th ballade
Brahms-hungarian dance 15,intermezzo op 118 2,
Liszt-Un sospiro,liebestraume 3

[mcgillcomposer]

The ending of Shostakovich's 15th symphony is pure magic. No one would expect that wonderful percussion section, all played under an open fifth in the strings to end the piece. What an imagination...

[ahinton]

The ending of Shostakovich's 15th symphony is pure magic. No one would expect that wonderful percussion section, all played under an open fifth in the strings to end the piece. What an imagination...

Well, I'm not so sure about that expectation aspect, since that entire symphony is full of quotations, including self-quotations and the percussion figurations at its end are clearly drawn from those at the close of his Fourth Symphony from almost 40 years earlier. Magical it is, though, without a doubt!

Best,

Alistair

[mcgillcomposer]

Well, I'm not so sure about that expectation aspect, since that entire symphony is full of quotations, including self-quotations and the percussion figurations at its end are clearly drawn from those at the close of his Fourth Symphony from almost 40 years earlier. Magical it is, though, without a doubt!

Best,

Alistair

Indeed, we were all expecting him to paraphrase his fourth symphony.

[ahinton]

Indeed, we were all expecting him to paraphrase his fourth symphony.

I think that you are actually aware of my meaning here; given that this intensely autobiographical symphonic farewell makes quotations not only from Rossini and Wagner but also from Shostakovich's own First Symphony, it is perhaps less than surprising that its final coup de grace is a quotation from the Fourth Symphony, especially given that, at the long-delayed première of that ill-fated masterpiece, Shostakovich is reported to have expressed to his friend Isaak Glickman that he thought it one of his finest achievements (and this from a composer who already had seven subsequent symphonies, as well as many other works, to his credit) and, of course, that Fourth Symphony had an especial significance for him in the light of the silence of more than a quarter century that hung over it between completion and première.

I'm sure that you are also aware that I am no sense undermining the symphony, the quotation or anything else about Shostakovich in my remarks here.

Best,

Alistair

[mattgreenecomposer]

Pretty much anything Rachmaninoff ever wrote...

[frigo]

Besides Dream of Love no 3, here's a list:

Liszt piano sonata, hungarian rhapsody no 2 and 6
Chopin's waltz no 2, Op. 34, among millions of other pieces...
Beethoven's Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata, Pathétique Sonata...
Rachmaninoff's prelude no2 op 32 and no5 op 23
Gershwin's rhapsody in blue
Schumman's Carnaval, (specially Chiarina...)
Debussy's clair de lune from suite bergamasque and La Fille aux cheveux de lin, prelude no 8 book 1
Satie's gymnopedie no 1
Ravel's violin sonata is incredible...
etc
etc
etc