What piece of music never fails to make you smile or feel uplifted, and why?

What piece of music never fails to make you smile or feel uplifted, and why?

 

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  • There are so many! But when I die, I've asked to have Prokofiev's Classical Symphony played... fun and funny. Life's fleeting and often....a colossal joke. 

    Or Schubert...or Mahler...or Chopin! Finlandia! or maybe Tatiana's letter scene from Eugene Onegin or Ginastera's La Moza Donsa. Or... 

    Well, there are so many!

    Like 1
      • ShreyB
      • Shrey_B
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Constance Lindgreeen ohh i love the ginastera, im learning it right now and its so beautiful, such a range of emotions. not the classical/romantic era harmony i expected but it works so well

      Like 1
    •   ShreyB , Yes! it's enormous fun to play, isn't it? and hard to think of a better piece for learning to build a long crescendo...  Such fabulous dynamics and shifts - what a gem. There are two great videos - Barenboim and Argerich - too... I love them both!

      Like 1
    • ShreyB
    • Shrey_B
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    im absolutely in love with khatia buniatishvili's recording of rach 2, especially the first mvmt, her tempo choices and rubato is perfect to me
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmaUoCgtXoQ

    Like 2
  • Khatchatourian鈥檚 Masquerade Suite - especially the waltz

    Like 2
      • Gail Starr
      • Retired MBA
      • Gail_Starr
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Mark Spurrier YES!  As a kid I had an old LP with this, and I used to dance around our living room.  It plays in my head ALL the time.

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      • ShreyB
      • Shrey_B
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Mark Spurrier theres a piano arrangement i played for my level 10, so fun to listen to the orchestral version and mess around with it

      Like 1
  • The finale to Beethoven's Ninth. Enough said. 

    Like 3
      • Pauline
      • Pauline
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Michael Filak Indeed!

      Like 1
    • Michael Filak 

      100%!!!

      Like
  • Here is one that never fails to make me happy. It's one I have listened to several times over the past few days.  It is Vladimir Horowitz playing Mozart Piano Concerto # 23 K.488 in A Major. 

     

    https://www.google.com/search?q=Vladimir+HorowitzMozart+Concertos&rlz=1C1JZAP_enUS817US817&oq=Vladimir+HorowitzMozart+Concertos&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTEzMDU3ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4f0aa2cb,vid:oePJp1u9oJI

     

    I find a lot of Mozart's piano music "happy." That many are in major keys, is probably one reason. That many of the tempi are fast, is probably another reason. I love the way he handles scales, going up and down the keyboard, the way he will reverse the scale for a short time and the move up again. Sometimes, he takes short patterns, puts them into phrases and repeats them, sometimes modifies the notes, and off again he goes, up and down the keyboard. The dynamics change, the expressions change and to me, they are delightful. The bass changes a lot, the scales work well in the left hand as well, the Alberti bass to accompany the melodies are delightful -- Mozart always has something going on and he changes often enough to keep anything from becoming boring. When this was over, and there was silence, I felt as though I needed a nap. Pure bliss. 

    Like 2
      • Gail Starr
      • Retired MBA
      • Gail_Starr
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Linda Clover That 3rd movement is running in my head all this time!

      Like 1
      • Peter Golemme
      • Piano Player with Day Job (for now)
      • Peter_G
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Linda Clover I was listening to a lecture by Glenn Gould on Mozart, whom he didn't really seem to like very much, and he pointed out one section of the C Minor concerto (No. 24) that he found particularly uninspired and execrable. It happens to be one of the sections I find most beautiful, mm 169-174. Linda, it's one of those sections where  he's running those scales up and down (and around) in the LH with some suspensions going on in the RH, through a little partimento-type of sequence. Your comment reminded me of it.  I'm a sucker for sequences in general. Much as I admire Glenn Gould, I had to take exception to his opinion here.

      Like 1
    • Peter Golemme Thank you for mentioning Mozart's C Minor Concerto No.4 in C minor. I was not particularly familiar with this one, but I looked it up and listened to it. I isolated measures 160-174 with the help of my daughter who is a flutist, and I was in 7th heaven. That's what I was talking about! You really nailed it. This won't be the last time I listen to this. I think Glen Gould is amazing also, but, like you, do not agree with everything the says or does. C;est la vie. 

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    • Linda Clover Love this. Have you seen the joyful/fun video of Horowitz playing this on YouTube?

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    • Vidhya Bashyam Hi Vidhya, I do not believe I have. But I am familiar with his playing and was lucky enough to see him at the Kennedy Center at one of his last concerts. And he was still amazing and his playing was still as "joyful/fun" as ever. I agree with you -- he was. I will listen to it soon -- it's almost bedtime now. Good night and thank you for sharing that. 

      Like
  • Any piece from Wtk

    Like 2
  • Rach 3. In its entirety. It just bites deeply into my soul. I鈥檓 afraid I can鈥檛 be too analytical about it, and I don鈥檛. 

    Like 2
      • Pauline
      • Pauline
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Alherne cupido I understand!

      Like 1
    • Pauline
    • Pauline
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    馃槉

     

    Carl Vine - Sonata No. 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_WaLEayELY

     

    Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 - "Morning Mood" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x463zoWpiVI

     

    Puccini - Pavarotti - "Che gelida manina" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkHGUaB1Bs8

    *  3:34 - 3:47  *

     

    And so many more!

    Like 3
      • Pauline
      • Pauline
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Pauline I will add the "Why" to my selections:

      1) Vine - Its energy, excitement and intrigue.

      2) Grieg - Its sheer, pure beauty.

      3) Puccini - Its majesty and grandeur.

      Like 1
      • Michelle R
      • Michelle_Russell
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Pauline I thoroughly enjoy the Grieg as well. We have the 4-hands sheet music, and someday soon (as soon as I improve sufficiently)  my son and I will be able to play it together.

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      • Pauline
      • Pauline
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Michelle R How wonderful that you and your son will play it together.

      Like 1
  • The opening themes of the Brahms Rhapsodies Op 79 - and many thanks to Mr Schwizgebel for making this possible! What a difference his lessons on these have had for me! Many thanks!!!

    Like 1
  • Anything by Dvo艡谩k. I wake up to his 3rd symphony :-)

    Like 1
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