What's every composer's "Magnum Opus?"

[liszt-and-the-galops]

What are everyone's thoughts on what every composer's most important/notable/best piece is?
As an example, for Liszt it would probably be either the B Minor Sonata or the Beethoven Symphony Transcriptions, Alkan's would be the Op. 39 Etudes, R. Schumann's would probably be the Fantasie, etc.

[lelle]

I think it's difficult to pick just one work for many of the great composers.

Chopin: Probably the Ballade no. 4, but I'd argue that the Preludes Op. 28 are also up there.

Beethoven: Probably the 9th symphony? Though I'd like to include a number of sonatas too.

[kosulin]

IMO:
JSB - Brandenburg Concertos;
Handel - Messiah;
Mozart - Requiem in D minor;
Beethoven - 9th;
Schubert - Winterriese.
Luckily there are so many great works everybody can have their favorites.

[essence]

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks, closely followed by Time Out Of Mind.

JS Bach and the Brandenburg Concertos? Never really did much for me. Whereas the St Matthew Passion - what a succession of dances and melodies.

Chopin - as a whole, I would say his Nocturnes are collectively his Magnum Opus.

Liszt Sonata i agree. Apart from maybe collectively his 3 volumes of annees de pelerinage.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Liszt Sonata i agree. Apart from maybe collectively his 3 volumes of annees de pelerinage.

Personally I would definitely say that S. 464 (Beethoven Symphony Transcriptions) is Liszt's most significant work, even if it's not entirely an original piece.
As for adding to the list...
J.S. Bach - WTC is also arguably up there. So is Art of the Fugue.
Scriabin - Sonata nos. 5 or 8, or his Sonatas as a whole (depending on what you count).
Prokofiev - 8th Sonata? Any other thoughts on what his could be?
Czerny - Op. 268 Grand Sonata no. 10.
Fauré - Op. 19 Ballade, or perhaps his Nocturnes.
Mereaux - Op. 63 Sixty Grand Etudes (the only work of his that any decent amount of people have heard of).
C. Schumann - Sonata in G Minor
That's all I can think of right now.

[hopefulauditionpasser]

my vote goes to rachmaninoff's etudes tableux op.39. maybe his preludes.

[thorn]

I'd say Ravel's was Daphnis and Chloe, and Debussy's was Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune. I think Ravel's most important piano work was Jeux d'eau, and for Debussy both Images I and the Etudes, but they don't reach the same heights as those two orchestral works.

[brogers70]

Bach - St. Matthew Passion
Mozart - Marriage of Figaro
Beethoven - he thought his magnum opus was the Missa Solemnis, but I think it's the 9th symphony
Brahms - Violin Concerto
Schubert - Winterreise
Dvorak - Cello Concerto
Stravinski - Rite of Spring

[frodo10]

I can't decide so I pick 3:

Bach - Mass in b minor, Art of fugue, Goldberg variations
Beethoven - Missa solemnis, 9th symphony, Late string quartets (all written in short order 1825-1826)
Brahms - Requiem, 2nd piano concerto, 4th symphony
Franck - Symphony (1888), 3 organ chorals (1890), String quartet (1890)

Here are easy ones for me:
Handel - Messiah
Wagner - Ring opera

[gasplamey]

Rachmaninoff's is Concerto no. 3, it's literally the best piece ever written. Chopin's is probably Sonata no. 3, though it's not my personal favorite. I could also see his etudes being his "magnum opus". Mendelssohn's would be Variations Serieuses. Already mentioned, but Schumann's is unquestionably the Fantasie. My vote for Scriabin's is Sonata no. 5. Debussy's is Pour les Piano or Preludes. Ravel could be Gaspard, La Valse, Jeux D'eau (though I personally hate that piece for no reason in particular), or Mirrors. Not sure if it's his "magnum opus," but Brahms Op. 118 is my favorite work of his. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Debussy's is Pour les Piano or Preludes.

Could also be Etudes. Also, Pour le Piano; "Pour les Piano" would be "For the Pianos."

Ravel could be Gaspard, La Valse, Jeux D'eau (though I personally hate that piece for no reason in particular), or Mirrors. Not sure if it's his "magnum opus," but Brahms Op. 118 is my favorite work of his. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Brahms - Requiem, 2nd piano concerto, 4th symphony

Guessing you mean Miroirs for Ravel. IMO for Brahms, I agree with frodo10

Brahms - Requiem, 2nd piano concerto, 4th symphony

but maybe sub Requiem for one his Variations (Paganini, Haydn, Handel, Schumann).

Haydn and Handel somehow reminds me that Hummel's is probably the Op. 81 Sonata.

[essence]

Brahms 2nd piano concerto and 4th symphony yes. His requiem I find so turgid I can't listen to it. Almost as turgid as Elgar's Dream of Gerontious.

Verdi Requiem. His finest opera. Don't know if he ever wrote any piano music.

Puccini La Boheme? To me, the perfect opera. I do find the dichotomy between the audience, dressed in their finest at Covent Garden, and this story of prostitutes, pimps, sugar daddies, impoverished artists and death, amusing. The story is so human, and being enacted every day in real life. Madam Butterfly is also up there, I think of Vietnam and US GI's. Tosca is wonderful, but maybe slightly melodramatic?

[liszt-and-the-galops]

His requiem I find so turgid I can't listen to it. Almost as turgid as Elgar's Dream of Gerontious.

I wouldn't say it's bad, but it's definitely not my favorite.

Verdi Requiem. His finest opera. Don't know if he ever wrote any piano music.

The only Verdi I've ever heard is Liszt's Paraphrase on his Rigoletto, which doesn't really count lol. I should probably listen to him a bit more, because the Paraphrase is pretty good.

[gasplamey]

IMO for Brahms, I agree with frodo10 but maybe sub Requiem for one his Variations (Paganini, Haydn, Handel, Schumann).

I didn't say Brahms Op. 118 is his "magnum opus", only that it's my favorite work of his out of the limited selection that I've listened to. I wasn't aware of any of those Variations apart from the Paganini until just now.

[frodo10]

IMO for Brahms, I agree with frodo10 but maybe sub Requiem for one his Variations (Paganini, Haydn, Handel, Schumann).

I'm sticking with Requiem.  But if I had to sub - definitely pick Handel variations - It was Brahms' pride and joy.  I think he played this to Wagner. The Haydn is also great but Brahms wrote this as an exercise in orchestration after first writing for piano 4 hands if I remember correctly.  Then Schumann variations written by young Brahms.  Never a fan of the Paganini variations. 

[frodo10]

Brahms 2nd piano concerto and 4th symphony yes. His requiem I find so turgid I can't listen to it. Almost as turgid as Elgar's Dream of Gerontious.

I respect that opinion.  But I'm sticking with Requiem. It was the work that made Brahms famous in his day.  I hear a lot of sounds from Beethoven Missa Solemnis here, especially comparing first movements of both.  I have no doubt that he had Beethoven's masterpiece in his ear when he wrote this.

But I would probably put it 3rd. 1st = 4th symphony, 2nd = 2nd piano concerto.  This is the order is as i type - don't hold me to it tomorrow. 

Almost forgot - another easy one for me:
Liszt - Sonata in B-minor - his masterpiece!