your favourite moments in music?

[lenny]

not pieces - im talking about moments

think of a piece of music as a movie - and a moment of it as a freeze-frame

now what freeze frame moments of pieces are particulalry beautiful/emotional/awesome to you guys?

for a small section of a piece - id say the part at the end of scriabin's 3rd sonata 2nd movement where the main theme of the 1st mvovement comes back softly and so beautifully - the harmonic changes here are breathtakingly beautiful, so perfect!

and to pick a precise moment - the chard change from c major to c minor at the very end of alkan's op39/4 - just this one chord means so much, its like a choice between life and death, alkan chooses death in that one chord, very powerful.

[brewtality]

Rach 1 cadenza when the theme is played in chords.
Cziffra's trill in Mazeppa (greatest trill ever)
um thats all i can think of at the moment

[lenny]

if i know what youre refering to - cziffra actually quoted that from the symphonic poem of mazeppa

so cziffra was a very knowledgable guy! he knew the orchestral repertoire well enough to play random excerpts on a whim!

or maybe it is an EXTREME coincedence - in any case its one of those miraculous moments of musical spontineity.

i also love the improvisations adds to the end of la campanella in his studio recording, amazing stuff!

and i also agree about that cadenza - along with the huge chordal rach3 cadenza its possibly the best part of all of the concertos

[klavierkonzerte]

the heavy chords in the last part of the piano intro of sauer piano concerto no.1

there's a part in the third movment of shastakovich first violin concerto where the violin plays some octaves, it's in a major but it's one of the sadest moments in classical music.

i'll add more later

[musik_man]

1) 5th Mvt. of Mahler's Resurection Symphony, when the Choir gets to the "Auferstehen, auferstehen, wirst du mein Herz..."(for the last time)

2)Waldstein Sonata 3rd mvt.  when the main theme is played while the RH simultaneously holds a trill.

3)the ossai cadenza in Rach 3

4)In the 1st Mvt. of Bach's Double Concerto in D minor, when the Cellos echo the main theme.

5)The Cello solo that opens the 3rd mvt. of Brahm's B-flat piano concerto

6)The 1st mvt of Beethoven's Kreutzer has too many to list

7)The 4th mvt. of Beethoven's 7th Symphony, when the brass comes in at about 35 secs

8)Liszt's Totentanz, the slow cadenza with all the rolled chords

9)Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, Das Trinklied von Jammer der Erde, when the orchestra plays as the singer sings "hoert ihr wie sein Heulen, hinausgeht in den sussen Duft des Lebens"

10)Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, from Selling England by the Pound by Genesis- when Peter Gabriel sings "Off we go with: You play the Hobbyhorse, I'll play the fool, We'll tease the bull, ringing round & loud, loud & round"

I'll go ahead and stop now, but I've got a lot more than that.

[ted]

Hundreds and hundreds, and they change all the time. Sticking to lesser known  examples for interest's sake:

The first climax of Ireland's "Chelsea Reach"
The bridge to the final strain of Roberts' "For Kansas City"
The moments when Waller steps out into the main sections of his solos - "Handful of Keys", "Gladyse", etc. Other players don't seem to be able to get his insouciant vigour.
The common ragtime change of chord of a major third either up or down, provided it's not overused. (e.g. C to Ab or C to E)
The sudden switch to straight rhythm from swing at the end of Morton's "London Blues"
The "scent" chords in Bridge's "Fragrance".
The luscious sudden dropping onto fat ninths that Delius uses.
The trick of rapidly alternating scales in contrasting keys in Ireland's "Song of the Spring Tides"

There are far too many of these things to mention.

[lenny]

the heavy chords in the last part of the piano intro of sauer piano concerto no.1

there's a part in the third movment of shastakovich first violin concerto where the violin plays some octaves, it's in a major but it's one of the sadest moments in classical music.

i'll add more later

yes the sauer! do you have the hough recording too?

that exact part is a huge highlight for me too - i love that heavy chordal texture

it actually reminds me of a 2piano recording of brahms' piano quinted, the entry of the theme is very similar to me

[lenny]

1) 5th Mvt. of Mahler's Resurection Symphony, when the Choir gets to the "Auferstehen, auferstehen, wirst du mein Herz..."(for the last time)

2)Waldstein Sonata 3rd mvt.  when the main theme is played while the RH simultaneously holds a trill.

3)the ossai cadenza in Rach 3

4)In the 1st Mvt. of Bach's Double Concerto in D minor, when the Cellos echo the main theme.

5)The Cello solo that opens the 3rd mvt. of Brahm's B-flat piano concerto

6)The 1st mvt of Beethoven's Kreutzer has too many to list

7)The 4th mvt. of Beethoven's 7th Symphony, when the brass comes in at about 35 secs

8)Liszt's Totentanz, the slow cadenza with all the rolled chords

9)Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, Das Trinklied von Jammer der Erde, when the orchestra plays as the singer sings "hoert ihr wie sein Heulen, hinausgeht in den sussen Duft des Lebens"

10)Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, from Selling England by the Pound by Genesis- when Peter Gabriel sings "Off we go with: You play the Hobbyhorse, I'll play the fool, We'll tease the bull, ringing round & loud, loud & round"

I'll go ahead and stop now, but I've got a lot more than that.

yes! the 1st mvt of the kreutzer is one of the most incredible pieces EVER, so many highlights, especially the excruciatingly painful climax - the beauty of agony!

and about the mahler 2nd - i just bought the abbado dvd of it actually - the HUUUUUUUUUGE climax in the schnell section of the 1st mvt is among the most powerful things ive ever witnessed(not in this dvd, it hasnt been delivered yet - i have the bernstein set)

and i MUST mention the tchaikovsky trio 3rd movement reprise of the initial theme

MY GOD!!!

it moves me so much every time - such melancholic FURY!!

[Emma]

I love the part in Chopin's F minor Fantasy when the single note melody (right after the descending chromatic scale) leads into the "ascension" like ending. It is so personal and sincere - it is like time has stopped.

[musicsdarkangel]

For me there are probably 20 moments in the Rach 3.  hehe.

One of them is in the 1st movement when it becomes quiet, and the piano is playing very light arpeggios while the flute plays one of the themes over it.  Absolutely amazing.

[lenny]

For me there are probably 20 moments in the Rach 3.  hehe.

One of them is in the 1st movement when it becomes quiet, and the piano is playing very light arpeggios while the flute plays one of the themes over it.  Absolutely amazing.

yes, this possibly defines a great piece - the number of outstanding moments, and also the overall architecture and way it progessses to climax atc.

[argerich_smitten]

Of course like everybody else I could write down hundreds of things, but for me nothing even deserves mention in comparison to the last note of the sonata (my coined term for Liszt's b minor sonata).  After analyzing that piece countless times, I still find so much I missed, so many beautiful details, more insidious ties to other parts of the piece, yet another alusion to one of the four themes that I didn't catch the first hundred or so times around.  All of these things are excruciatingly meaningful to me and would be what I consider these 'moments'.  If forced to pick a couple out of the infinite possibilities, I would pick the last note (though the last page needs to be looked at in it's entirety) and the chord leading into the slow hypnotizing section the second time it comes around (based on the theme that comes third in the piece but slowed and modified).  That's probably my favorite single chord in music. 

now the last note:  for those that don't know, the sonata (like many works that liszt did) was greatly influenced by Faust.  Though this summary of the plot is at best extemely rough and simplified, Faust is about the devil trying convince Faust (character name)  to sell his soul in order to win a girl's heart (many people think that the slow lyrical section that was mentioned earlier is the devil's theme; the devil coming in disguise trying to convince Faust to go out and sin).  The devil adventually succeeds, and in one version of Faust, Faust burns in hell eternally (Liszt was partial to this type of ending).  In the last page, the 3rd theme played in the low register in the left hand is the devil, and the ascending chords represent Faust's Lover's soul ascending into heaven.  Finally towards the very end, Liszt makes the dark first theme lead into these wonderfully delicate chords, which makes the listener feel that everthing is going to be alright, only to have the lowest b on the piano soar out over everything like a death knell, which is the devil getting the last laugh because he won Faust's soul.  Just chilling beyond belief

this piece has driven me to copious amounts tears numerous times, especially the ending

[Goldberg]

Rach 1 cadenza when the theme is played in chords.
Cziffra's trill in Mazeppa (greatest trill ever)
um thats all i can think of at the moment

YES! That trill is SO. COOL.

I agree with the Rach 1, and here are some others:

Alla Marcia in Rach 2, if played correctly
 
Ending movement of Mahler's 9th, where it seems like death is rapidly approaching but someone at last comes to terms with it and dies peacefully after looking out on one last sunset over the lake

2nd Movement of Ein Deutsche Requiem, when the main theme is brought in with a powerful crescendo

In Mozart's Requiem, when after about 40 seconds of orchestra, the choir quietly sneaks in and slowly starts building up on itself...chilling!

In Durufle's Requiem, the organ conclusion is extremely haunting. I heard it played live once, and even though the choir had failed to make much of an effect in the movement before the last (it was only a college choir), the final movement deeply moved me...of course, the organist was brilliant.

Liszt's 2nd concerto, at the beginning of the triumphant finale, and then again at the end with the wildly impressive brass melody

As for really catchy, there are some good parts in the major-key sections of Franck's Symphonic Variations, and I frequently find myself humming them in my head.

"Gypsy" Melodies (just a few): E minor theme from HR 10...I love how it appears quietly and almost daringly; HR 14 or Hungarian Fantasy, the middle section (particularly in the HF, when the violin and other instruments--what, clarinet, oboe, a few others?--take over); Cziffra's Roumanian Fantasie, when the last melodic theme occurs for the first time. That sort of music really gets me going!

Finale to the Grieg concerto, and the ending of the first movement for that matter...plus, a lot of other moments in the piece that I won't pick apart right now.

Beethoven's op. 111, the gradual build up and dying away of the theme...beautiful, all of it.

Liszt, Second Ballade: the introduction to and continuation of the final theme in B major.

I could go on forever, heh...but I'm not going to...

[m1469]

Sergei Rachmaninov: Sonata No 2 Op 36
The entire piece


(hee hee... hey, the whole piece could be thought of as just a "moment" in the grand scheme of things)

But I especially love transitions:

harmonically, melodically, rhythmically, texturally, mood/energy...  

[dominic]

Rach 2 - third movement, near the end, that tiny gap after the last piano cadenza just before the big theme is repeated in C major, a breathless wait, then WHOOSH - fff chords.

Gershwin's piano concerto, second movement, the theme that starts with an anacrusis of three quavers (all the same note), then a semibreve - when it's taken over by the violins, and the snare drum and piano chug along in accompaniment, like a steam train chugging along a track - nothing could be jollier!

[lostinidlewonder]

Gershwins Piano concert in F, the big pause in the last movement. then BOOM.

lol

[lenny]

Of course like everybody else I could write down hundreds of things, but for me nothing even deserves mention in comparison to the last note of the sonata (my coined term for Liszt's b minor sonata).  After analyzing that piece countless times, I still find so much I missed, so many beautiful details, more insidious ties to other parts of the piece, yet another alusion to one of the four themes that I didn't catch the first hundred or so times around.  All of these things are excruciatingly meaningful to me and would be what I consider these 'moments'.  If forced to pick a couple out of the infinite possibilities, I would pick the last note (though the last page needs to be looked at in it's entirety) and the chord leading into the slow hypnotizing section the second time it comes around (based on the theme that comes third in the piece but slowed and modified).  That's probably my favorite single chord in music. 

now the last note:  for those that don't know, the sonata (like many works that liszt did) was greatly influenced by Faust.  Though this summary of the plot is at best extemely rough and simplified, Faust is about the devil trying convince Faust (character name)  to sell his soul in order to win a girl's heart (many people think that the slow lyrical section that was mentioned earlier is the devil's theme; the devil coming in disguise trying to convince Faust to go out and sin).  The devil adventually succeeds, and in one version of Faust, Faust burns in hell eternally (Liszt was partial to this type of ending).  In the last page, the 3rd theme played in the low register in the left hand is the devil, and the ascending chords represent Faust's Lover's soul ascending into heaven.  Finally towards the very end, Liszt makes the dark first theme lead into these wonderfully delicate chords, which makes the listener feel that everthing is going to be alright, only to have the lowest b on the piano soar out over everything like a death knell, which is the devil getting the last laugh because he won Faust's soul.  Just chilling beyond belief

this piece has driven me to copious amounts tears numerous times, especially the ending

very interesting! ill never think of that sonata the same again.

how should that final note be interpreted? how loud and how staccato?

[lenny]

YES! That trill is SO. COOL.

I agree with the Rach 1, and here are some others:

Alla Marcia in Rach 2, if played correctly
 
Ending movement of Mahler's 9th, where it seems like death is rapidly approaching but someone at last comes to terms with it and dies peacefully after looking out on one last sunset over the lake

2nd Movement of Ein Deutsche Requiem, when the main theme is brought in with a powerful crescendo

In Mozart's Requiem, when after about 40 seconds of orchestra, the choir quietly sneaks in and slowly starts building up on itself...chilling!

In Durufle's Requiem, the organ conclusion is extremely haunting. I heard it played live once, and even though the choir had failed to make much of an effect in the movement before the last (it was only a college choir), the final movement deeply moved me...of course, the organist was brilliant.

Liszt's 2nd concerto, at the beginning of the triumphant finale, and then again at the end with the wildly impressive brass melody

As for really catchy, there are some good parts in the major-key sections of Franck's Symphonic Variations, and I frequently find myself humming them in my head.

"Gypsy" Melodies (just a few): E minor theme from HR 10...I love how it appears quietly and almost daringly; HR 14 or Hungarian Fantasy, the middle section (particularly in the HF, when the violin and other instruments--what, clarinet, oboe, a few others?--take over); Cziffra's Roumanian Fantasie, when the last melodic theme occurs for the first time. That sort of music really gets me going!

Finale to the Grieg concerto, and the ending of the first movement for that matter...plus, a lot of other moments in the piece that I won't pick apart right now.

Beethoven's op. 111, the gradual build up and dying away of the theme...beautiful, all of it.

Liszt, Second Ballade: the introduction to and continuation of the final theme in B major.

I could go on forever, heh...but I'm not going to...

yes, the gorgeous theme when played on cello of the liszt PC2 is also incredibly beautiful.

and the descending scale at the opening of the grieg finale, SOOO cool!
when played by cziffra it literally sounds as if he were insane suicidal maniac coming to his furious demise.