If you could only choose one?

[amadeus]

Allright I know this is probably one of the hardest questions you could ever answer. Simply because there are two many Beethoven pieces that are too damm good. But,

What is the single piece of Beethoven's music that you would choose above all the rest?

Lets use the trapped on the desert island scenario and you could choose one single complete piece, any symphony, concerto, sonata, trio, Fidelio, Missa Solemnis, quartet, you get the idea.

I gotta got to be honest. I havent got a clue. At the moment(and I say at the moment because it seems to change just about every 3 months) the second movement of his 3rd symphony is just about the greatest piece of music ever written. It's filled with so much emotion its almost unbearable, simply amazing especially when performed by Karajan.

So I think I would be choosing the "eroica" except I cant be held responsible for any last second panic In which case more then likely I would grab the ninth. But who knows????? Like I said before to much to choose from.

Anyway im curious to hear what you would choose? Do the same thing with Mozart.
I'd like to hear your choices for him to.
Or Classical Music in general. If you dont think that the greatest piece of music ever written belongs to one of these two gentlemen tell me who it does belong to.

[Chris]

Yeah, I think I might go with the 3rd Symphony too. Mozart? Probably Piano Concerto #23. If I had to pick something not by either of these two...Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto #1.

[Suzie]

Originally posted by amadeus:
Allright I know this is probably one of the hardest questions you could ever answer. Simply because there are two many Beethoven pieces that are too damm good. But,

What is the single piece of Beethoven's music that you would choose above all the rest?

Lets use the trapped on the desert island scenario and you could choose one single complete piece, any symphony, concerto, sonata, trio, Fidelio, Missa Solemnis, quartet, you get the idea.

I gotta got to be honest. I havent got a clue. At the moment(and I say at the moment because it seems to change just about every 3 months) the second movement of his 3rd symphony is just about the greatest piece of music ever written. It's filled with so much emotion its almost unbearable, simply amazing especially when performed by Karajan.

So I think I would be choosing the "eroica" except I cant be held responsible for any last second panic In which case more then likely I would grab the ninth. But who knows????? Like I said before to much to choose from.

Anyway im curious to hear what you would choose? Do the same thing with Mozart.
I'd like to hear your choices for him to.
Or Classical Music in general. If you dont think that the greatest piece of music ever written belongs to one of these two gentlemen tell me who it does belong to.

Oh, God, I'm in agony! Beethoven, the 9th Symphony, Mozart k.364.

[amadeus]

oops...I forgot to list my pic for Mozart.

Im thinking his fifth violin concerto. I know im passing on the Requiem, which I cant believe, and his wonderful piano concertos(there all amazing) and some of his symphonies inparticularly 40 and 41. But the third movement of his fifth violin concerto is just too good to pass up. Its possibly my all time favorite piece of music that has anything to do with a violin. Beethoven needless to say can give that statement a run for the money with some of his works.

[Luis]

Only one from any composer?
No Doubt: B's 9th.

More than one?...say 4 from other composers than B?
MMMM... Tchaikovsky's 6th, Mahler's 2nd, Mozart...I don't have a M favorite...ok his Vesperae solennes de confessore, K.339. And...I don't know... Dvo... no...eh.. Sch... hmm..no, Tch...hmm...no...Bee
-No, you can't choose him.
-But...
-NO!
Ok! Mahler's 5th!

[Peter]

An impossible task indeed and a very sad one when you consider what you would have to leave behind -

If a gun was to my head I suppose I'd have to choose Beethoven's 9th as the greatest piece of music ever!

Other classical composers selection would be :
Mozart - Don Giovanni
Bach - B minor Mass
Handel - Messiah
Haydn - The Creation
Schubert - Piano Sonata in Bb
Schumann - Piano Concerto
Brahms - Piano Concerto no.2
Tchaikovsky - Symphony no.5
Dvorak - 'Cello Concerto
Wagner - Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Mahler - Symphony no.6 (Slow movement)
Elgar - 'Cello concerto
Rachmaninov - Piano concerto no.3


------------------
'Man know thyself'

[Serge]

Here's what I'd option for my stranded-on-deserted-island box set:

Beethoven's 9th
Schumann's piano concerto (like Peter)
Dvorak's piano quartet no. 2
Saint-Saens' symphony no. 3
Berlioz's March Hongroise

I suppose I could make do with this selection; long enough, at least, to build a raft and get the hell over to an HMV on the mainland somewhere.

[PDG]

On a desert island, I could survive without food, but not without Beethoven! If I`m allowed just one work, It will have to be the 6th symphony. Schubert`s string quintet is another `must have`. My Mozart would be either the C minor piano concerto or the `Jupiter`. And I can never go too long without something by Chopin.

Who mentioned food? Fish and chips here I come..........

[Chris]

But happens when the batteries in your CD player run out? Noooooooooo...

Actually, if you've watched enough Gilligan's Island, you should know you can make batteries out of coconuts.

[PDG]

Originally posted by Chris:
But happens when the batteries in your CD player run out? Noooooooooo...
Actually, if you've watched enough Gilligan's Island, you should know you can make batteries out of coconuts.

Batteries??

Any island I agree to be stranded on simply MUST have its own orchestra!

[amadeus]

OK so far we got 4 votes for the ninth, two for the eroica, and 1 for the sixth. Seems to be only symphonies so far. I guess thats not to suprising.

PDG you'll actually choose the sixth over the third, fifth, and ninth.

And am I the only other one who likes the seventh more then the sixth? I really get mad when people tell me that Beethovens best symphonies are the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 9th. Always leaving off the seventh.

Dont get me wrong I love the sixth and all, I just always had it behind the seventh.
However I am now realizing that the only version of the sixth that I happen to have is doen by Karajan in 63. Recently I been reading that this performance of the sixth is not a partticularry good one. Sure sounds great to me But I dont have anything to compare it too. The same people who said this also went on to say that the eroica and the ninth are two of the best recordings of these symphonies. And I can testify to that. So far Karajan 63 blows any other version I've heard of these AWAY..

For all you of you who said the ninth, who do you think gave the best poerformance of this ground breaking symphony?

[PDG]

Amadeus,

Yes, I put no.6 above no.7, but it`s very close. I probably rate no.8 as my least favourite, yet I love this work. In fact......

I shall be brave here, and throw my hat into the ring. Who will follow me? In descending order of preference, I go.......

6,9,3,2,7,5,1,4,8.

[MCS]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by amadeus:

And am I the only other one who likes the seventh more then the sixth? I really get mad when people tell me that Beethovens best symphonies are the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 9th. Always leaving off the seventh.

The seventh is my second favorite and I would be very unhappy to leave it behind, since I would have to take my favorite, the 9th, to that desert isle. The first two movements of the 7th are sublime but (Am I allowed to say this?) the third movement is something of a let-down.

As for best performance of the 9th, I really like Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic. (It has the added bonus of including Ben Heppner, and I'm always eager to support a fellow-Canuck!) I have the Karajan 63 version also, but prefer the Abbado.


[This message has been edited by MCS (edited 12-17-2000).]

[Suzie]

Originally posted by PDG:
Amadeus,

Yes, I put no.6 above no.7, but it`s very close. I probably rate no.8 as my least favourite, yet I love this work. In fact......

I shall be brave here, and throw my hat into the ring. Who will follow me? In descending order of preference, I go.......

6,9,3,2,7,5,1,4,8.

PDG,

We've been down this road before and it ended in tragedy. I find a different symphony valuable for different moods and circumstances and I hear them differently each time. Trying to rank them would make me crazy. STOP THE MADNESS!

Suz

ps. You really rank the 5th, 6th?

[amadeus]

Originally posted by PDG:
Amadeus,

Yes, I put no.6 above no.7, but it`s very close. I probably rate no.8 as my least favourite, yet I love this work. In fact......

I shall be brave here, and throw my hat into the ring. Who will follow me? In descending order of preference, I go.......

6,9,3,2,7,5,1,4,8.

Ok the sixth is your favorite. I cant say I agree with that, and I cant agree with your list neither.

Id say 9,3,5,7,6,1,2,4,8-- and you can pretty much flip flop anyone of those first three. I've had each one as my favorite for a certain length of time. I believe the fifth was originally my first fav. Then I went to the ninth, then I actually went to the seventh but now Im on the "eroica", as my fav.

But to have the 2nd symphony in front of the fifth is nutz. I agree with Suz you just cant do that.

But then again we all have our own tastes, I mean do you know that there are actually people living on this planet that dont even care nor appreciate the music of our favorite composer. MIND BOGOLING!!!!