The transition from Beethoven 5 third movement into last. It’s everything art should be wrapped up into one key change. My music history prof’s lecture on that symphony and Les Preludes was so impactful, upperclassmen would come back to hear them again each year.
Nothing that anyone familiar with the piece doesn’t know (it was the undergrad survey course, so not exactly in depth), but she set it up with the basic theory and structure, the theme, etc and then narrated the story as we listened along, like a musical sightseeing guide, with the speakers in the room turned practically full blast. The whole building could hear when it was Les Preludes Day!
She was so passionate that when we reached the overlaying of Love and Youth it was simply transportive. She had a talent for making you feel like you were hearing the piece for the first time every time while also feeling the full musical weight of both what the composer was trying to communicate and the sheer genius of how. She also had the timing of that class down to a science to end right at the end of period so everyone walked out with AAAA-MEEEEEENNNNNNN ringing in their ears.
I taught college for a living, not music though.
You want to know what the secret of \*those\* kinds of lectures are?
*The material.*
Me and my colleagues would sometimes joke, "Oh I covered X today," and we all knew the material is so awesome, so beautiful, so excellent, our main job was to just get out of the way and let the material speak. After a class where I had the *privilege* of teaching the really good stuff, it feels like you have the luckiest job in the world.
It does take skill to teach well, absolutely. But sometimes the material is so wonderful, all you have to do is bring your A game, and at the end of class, at least one person will give you a fist bump.
It's a gift to live in this world, it really is.
You are selling yourself short. Great material could be ruined by a bad professor. The fact that you are so enthusiastic about great material, and recognize it as such, is what made you effective. Your lack of ego, of introducing the student to something transcendent, and then getting out of the way is a skill. Give yourself some props! :-)
She would have had a field day with you assuming she was a man (she was from the second generation of female professors at our school and would talk about the experiences she’d had from time to time)
Didn’t say it was the ONLY great moment in classical music! The 2nd is my favorite of his so it’s definitely up there as one of the most majestic, spiritual experiences I’ve had.
Every second of Bach chaconne is a masterpiece, but I agree with your opinion, I think another option would be the part in the second half that leads to the climax of the major section (10:49-11:49). I feel like the section you choose pretty much summarizes the complexity and emotion of bach, while the section I choose shows how musically perfect his writing is.
The entire major section (in context) is the pinnacle of classical music for me. The climax but also the very beginning of the major section is so beautiful.
Can I say minutes 22:00-23:00 in [this video](https://youtu.be/TXV8yO1FucA?si=ZxRhN8gPw8ELkvXo) version of the simple gifts melody from Copland’s Appalachian Spring?
It’s my all-time favorite melody and this particular chunk is so fun starting with the intricate string work to the boldness of the brass giving us that big fanfare moment with the melody. The few minutes prior to this are a bit more whimsical and really help build this up even more, but if I had to pick just 60 seconds of something I could listen to over and over forever.. it’s this.
Excellent choice! My community orchestra was scheduled to perform this in mid-March 2020, but of course we had to cancel it due to the CV19 lockdown. I was supposed to play timpani, and I was just so heartbroken to not be able to perform this passage in particular!!
Absolutely. So incredibly heart wrenching. You can actually hear a fragment of a melody from the second movement of his second piano concerto as well.
In my humble opinion, Rachmaninoff was the last great (late-)romantic composer.
Very fair. He would be my favorite but he’s just barely beat by Ravel. But I suppose those two don’t have much in common between them when it comes to style, so if we’re just talking about romantic composers, it’s none other than Rach.
My favorite ending to a symphony. After listening to 1 hour and 20 minutes of monumental music, you think, "there's no way he can give us a satisfying ending to all of this," and then the coda just blows expectations out of the water. It's a spiritual experience. Glad you mentioned it.
Personally, I like and listen to [this recording of Karajan with the VPO](https://youtu.be/asJf3KmAg08?si=JXNuKvo2TE44aCM1) , not only because of the sound, but also because of the camera direction and the beautiful place where it is recorded
I'm going to go with a weird one: Respighi, [the end of the Pines of the Appian Way.](https://youtu.be/pMeXzqTfNcY?si=hz-CuRyAl9S5v3Hn&t=268) It's really the last two minutes of the piece, but the last minute will suffice.
I’m so sad that Respighi is considered a weird choice. His music is truly phenomenal and the fact that really only the opening of Pini di Roma is “common” repertoire borders on the ridiculous. He is such a master of detailed and intricate orchestration, the likes of which I’ve really never encountered outside of his works. Possibly my favourite within all of the orchestral repertoire might just be [this enchanting moment](https://youtu.be/MvbrnngkUPs?si=2-9cN6hFv1nnHeFH&t=40s) in his Feste Romane suite (3rd movement, starting from around 0:40).
Respighi also died poor with little to no fame or recognition for his music, making it all the sadder.
If you’re new to Respighi, make sure to listen to his three Rome suites: Pini di Roma, Fontane di Roma and Feste Romane. The performance linked above is led by Antonio Pappano who recorded all suites on a single album, best performances of the suites I know.
Which is a beautiful thought. For every performance and every audience, there is this unifying experience that is the same amidst the tiny variations of direction, tempo, etc. that makes ever performance different and unique.
Beethoven a-minor string quartet op. 132 3rd movement
https://youtu.be/gumi5pEpOaA
10:00 - 11:00
This start of this movement builds up to the one of the most beautiful melodies in the history of music.
I feel like Beethoven has a lot of 'most beautiful melodies' in the history of classical music. The motif in the third movement of Waldstein is brillant.
Beginning of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1.
It literally gives me chills every time I listen to it, and feel like I'm in some kind of warzone, but listening to angel's voice. I feel the energy that is delivered by the soul of piano, it's quite spectacular.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXL0dkG-Qro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXL0dkG-Qro)
It's more like 1:06 of music, but the beginning of the Gloria, from 0:06 to 1:12, from Bach's Mass in b,
[https://youtu.be/eChEWK\_4B3Q?si=h6orK0fJHi37vOa4&t=6](https://youtu.be/eChEWK_4B3Q?si=h6orK0fJHi37vOa4&t=6)
Nothing quite gives me chills when 10:30 starts:
[https://youtu.be/bp2hHNDtCqw?si=eOGy0lC\_hhPwkpyi&t=624](https://youtu.be/bp2hHNDtCqw?si=eOGy0lC_hhPwkpyi&t=624)
Rach Piano Concerto 2, end of the First Movement (It's gotta be Ashkenazy's phrasing)
I'm partial to the grand finale (of the 3rd movement). Not quite the very end - if it has to be a minute long, I would probably end it where the big string melody ends, so as to include the lead-up. I think you can go from the 4-measure orchestra unison to the end of the string melody in 1 minute (it's 1:06 on the recording I'm listening to).
I might feel tempted to go the last 30 seconds of the Hut On Fowl’s Legs into the first 30 of the Great Gate, which gets us the filthy guttural recap of the theme of the first, the massive chromatic scale, and the smooth transition into and first full statement of the Gate chorale, more or less. One of the best movement changes in the rep.
A totally under-rated concerto - and the slow movement is so lyrically beautiful and tranquil \[the ending of the first movement too\].
It should be played way more often!
The end of the overture for Mendelssohn’s “A midsummer night’s dream” has always been a favorite of mine. The last four notes of the woodwinds playing the opening theme always gives me goosebumps
Mahler 8 Part 1, Transition between movement 4 and 5. 16:35-17:35 here. Not perfectly encapsulated, but one minute really isn’t enough.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V5Id1OAPNsA
The "Et vitam venturi" from Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Specifically, the part where the fugue theme reenters in the choir at twice the original speed after a brief instrumental interlude.
Really the whole Credo section, but since you just wanted 60 seconds...
Someone's already said the ending of the finale of Mahler 2 so here's my contribution:
The short entirety of "Nimrod" from Enigma Variations, but I can definitely point you to the last 60 seconds of this recording: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgoBb8m1eE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgoBb8m1eE)
Also, OP re: your pick, every time I listen to The Planets I realize how ahead of its time Holst was. It's movie music, before blockbuster movies.
“Giving out a shout most Heaven-Rending” from the prelude to Holst Choral Symphony.
Also the finale to O Fortuna (Orff).
And obviously Maestoso from Jupiter (Holst)
More like 2 minutes (but you can take just the last minute of this section for the sake of the prompt) but my answer would be 4:43-6:32 of [Medtner’s 3rd Violin Sonata](https://youtu.be/YMOruXvNiS4?si=6-UoLZ59PT2E0419). It’s the statement of the second theme in the introduction and it’s the most beautiful theme I’ve ever heard. In only 2 minutes he creates this amazing buildup that climaxes literally perfectly and it leaves my in tears every time.
The last minute (or 1:10 depending on the conductor) of Shostakovich’s 5th. Sounds entirely different depending on the orchestra but even more the conductor. I know the score has a slower tempo marking but I hate it - it always gets bogged down or it makes me want to kick the conductor In the pants and yell MOVE! It’s not glorious if it’s too slow.
I have not yet heard the perfect recording with the perfect brass/percussion/tempo. For me, close to ideal would be mixing the [Chicago brass sound](https://youtu.be/_Xf4BBKaY8o?si=w1Q2yNPtVsys_sTJ) with [Solti’s Berlin tempo.](https://youtu.be/iFfOFe9ZSio?si=BX32a6bC-8oHPwqb).
[Philly would be the standard](https://youtu.be/7kyeIen7Uyw?si=eOEQolhkxoXoe-zZ) if it weren’t for Gilbert Johnson. A master at breaking a phrase and killing the flow. 🙄
[Bernstein’s is a tad fast](https://youtu.be/dhABDiOMan8?si=WHDBmeU6PiBAgAq6) but I could accept that *if they had recorded the timpani to have some depth in the tone. The percussion has no guts here. His other recordings are really slow.
It’s a little over a minute, but it would have to be 0:32 to 1:42 from [Lever du Jour](https://youtu.be/sxPcroAcCfY?si=luIvLv9UeUuTCmDP) from Ravel’s Ballet “Daphnis et Chloé.”
It’s a wonderfully gorgeous depiction of sunrise and it never fails to induce tears.
Your bit is also spectacular. The first time I heard it I was in complete awe.
Beethoven 9-2, bound to be... From thunder to light drizzle in 5 seconds, then climbs back to magnetic storm in 25 seconds, then transforms into glorious sunrise and majestic sunset in 30 seconds. Talk about a ride.
Beethoven 3rd Symphony, Second Movement, 6:00 to 7:00 roughly (when it starts the buildup). Gives me chills every time.
It's also really good right after that, but that's the "hell yeah" section. For the purpose of this post I will go with the "gives the chills" section.
It's a little longer than one minute, in the third movement of Mahler's Third Symphony, from 3:13:20 to 3:14:35. Can someone more knowledgeable about music in a technical sense describe this passage for me. Thanks very much.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MEPXBG7JDs&t=22442s&ab\_channel=Null](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MEPXBG7JDs&t=22442s&ab_channel=Null)
A lovely section for sure.
The opening 'Pas-de-Quatre' in Agon, by Igor Stravinsky gets my vote.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TPS6TLKoBk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TPS6TLKoBk)
Debussy Images Book 2 No 1
[video. 1:50 to 2:50](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=
SHEET
Pages 5-9 Measures 13 to 39
[DEBUSSY BOOK 2](https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/d/db/IMSLP521275-PMLP02391-Images_II_.pdf)
IF you ask me this same question tomorrow I’ll have a totally different answer
Many such moments in Rachmaninoff's 3rd Concerto... I don't have time to track down the minutes but
- the major key climax about 2/3s of the way through the 2nd movement
- each of the three emotional surges during the slower interlude/development of the 3rd movement.
- Last minutes of the piece
There's also a moment in the first movement at the end of the second subject / right before the development starts where there's this tonally ambiguous shift from minor to major key that I've always been a sucker for.
John Field Piano concerto in A flat major. 35:30-36:30 (but definitely listen to the whole piece if you've never heard this concerto or composer; amazing piano!) https://youtu.be/BZ53kQKjxek?si=2wNvtX10qOjff8-v
Tchaik 4 - Mvt 1: The string sequences that build up into the return of the opening theme. Fun to listen to and fun to play in the string section!
11:52 in this [video](https://youtu.be/Y7G5ithbFys?si=rRQ_IG8VZvEoLHSU), and then the 60 seconds after that too)
The last minute or so of Beethoven's Leonore Overture #3. If there's more exciting music, I can't think of it.
Here's my favorite version, from the Met live broadcast of Fidelio in 1984, when Tennstedt played it as a segue after the dungeon scene.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVyiGkMeyyM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVyiGkMeyyM)
[Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - the 22nd Variation](https://youtu.be/ApwI6NYHNng?si=1no9qRmXmGSk4G5o)
The section starting from 1:22 may just be my favourite bit of music ever.
The beginning of Tchaikovsky's 3rd's 2nd movement. Either that or pick the right 60 seconds from Mahler 6, 4th movement, but that is a lot better in context.
The end of Shostakovich 11, but to get at least a partially correct picture one needs to listen to the final 3min: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGyQkm0fFnY&t=3153s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGyQkm0fFnY&t=3153s)
There are so many possibilities. Here are a few:
The transition from the third to the fourth movement of Stenhammar's first piano concerto
The final minute of Sibelius' 5th symphony
The final entry of the whole chorus in Beethoven's 9th (last movement)
Thalberg's Moses fantasy, last minute
There's also numerous contenders in Verdi's operas, especially in his chorus works.
It's a extremely difficult choice but I think for me it would be:
- Orchestra: Rachmaninoff 3rd concerto piano, around the ending. (41:30 to 42:30 https://youtu.be/GvKQKnIVy1I?si=lGNtC_CG1CAJ3dWE)
- Piano: Chopin etude 25 no. 5, around the middle where the "calm" part begings (0:50 to 1:50 https://youtu.be/qr4qHh1b3E8?si=rgVUfsHIQjQYUoef)
First choice: final 60 seconds of the last movement of Sibelius’ 5th symphony. Second choice: an umpteen-way tie between all other 60-second stretches of the entire symphony
The middle section of Mahler 2 Mvt 4, 1:53 - 2:53 of this recording: https://youtu.be/O3MDXViwcPE?si=fVIZyVURehGOQn9D
The phrasing of the singer and subsequent oboist is absolutely perfect in this recording. The vibrato of the singer is so delicate and refined, a quality not often found in solo singers (in my opinion). The transition between the singer into the oboe solo is impeccable, the overall theme is incredibly beautiful, supplemented of course by the incredible control of the musicians. The experience of this one minute of music has left a lasting impact on me ever since I discovered it.
right now it’s [the second movement of Kalinnikov’s Symphony No. 2](https://open.spotify.com/track/1XiFahFdXL7ycoCQxKRTV8?si=UPx0JImtQ5yFZlY1OnUgUA&context=spotify%3Aplaylist%3A59PfcCbO4f5AQkhXy1EB4W) from 4:19-5:19
The second movement of Chopins 1st piano concerto. When the orchestra takes over the melody, the piano gliding up and down the octaves in accompaniment. It is divine
Fazıl Say Sevenlere Dair first 60 second’s. This melody or part of this classical music have a down and up melody’s and this part make’s me happy and sad. Please listen to this classical music. And if who want’s to chatting about classical music can messages me guys.
Ravel - Le Jardin Féerique
And you don’t need 60 seconds… start at 2:05 and listen to 2:38 specifically the moment at 2:21-2:22. To me it’s the most beautiful moment in the history of music.
[https://youtu.be/hjxTvKUOUPY?si=qDkGjbIPF2OadL_-](https://youtu.be/hjxTvKUOUPY?si=qDkGjbIPF2OadL_-)
I wouldn’t say “greatest”, but my favorite is Strauss, the climax of the trio in Der Rosenkavalier. The 60 seconds that made me fall in love with opera.
Cliche, but the climax of rach2
I’ve listened to it hundreds of times and it still gives me chills. All other music gets boring after that much exposure.
The opening triumphant theme of the finale (fifth) movement of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 7. To my ears, this is both a celebration and elegy to Vienna as the artistic capital of the world in 1905.
It's only about 20-30 seconds but the middle section in Mozart's Rondo in C Major for Violin and Orchestra. It's like a temporary transportation through some sort of portal into another dimension of music.
[https://youtu.be/T3l6EKkx9j4?si=T3sU5RR6RTWROJlI&t=201](https://youtu.be/T3l6EKkx9j4?si=T3sU5RR6RTWROJlI&t=201)
I can’t pick just one
1. Scriabin Poem of Ecstasy [18:35-19:35](https://youtu.be/HAnVrdQ3qFk?si=Jb47GYqBjCx6eu-J)
2. Daphnis et Chloe [3:50-4:50](https://youtu.be/14OM6Ysnk6M?si=dJwWfm7pgP-GmPF0)
There’s a lot more I want to mention but these two stick out a lot to me.
The transition from Beethoven 5 third movement into last. It’s everything art should be wrapped up into one key change. My music history prof’s lecture on that symphony and Les Preludes was so impactful, upperclassmen would come back to hear them again each year.
Curious what he said about les preludes
Nothing that anyone familiar with the piece doesn’t know (it was the undergrad survey course, so not exactly in depth), but she set it up with the basic theory and structure, the theme, etc and then narrated the story as we listened along, like a musical sightseeing guide, with the speakers in the room turned practically full blast. The whole building could hear when it was Les Preludes Day! She was so passionate that when we reached the overlaying of Love and Youth it was simply transportive. She had a talent for making you feel like you were hearing the piece for the first time every time while also feeling the full musical weight of both what the composer was trying to communicate and the sheer genius of how. She also had the timing of that class down to a science to end right at the end of period so everyone walked out with AAAA-MEEEEEENNNNNNN ringing in their ears.
I taught college for a living, not music though. You want to know what the secret of \*those\* kinds of lectures are? *The material.* Me and my colleagues would sometimes joke, "Oh I covered X today," and we all knew the material is so awesome, so beautiful, so excellent, our main job was to just get out of the way and let the material speak. After a class where I had the *privilege* of teaching the really good stuff, it feels like you have the luckiest job in the world. It does take skill to teach well, absolutely. But sometimes the material is so wonderful, all you have to do is bring your A game, and at the end of class, at least one person will give you a fist bump. It's a gift to live in this world, it really is.
You are selling yourself short. Great material could be ruined by a bad professor. The fact that you are so enthusiastic about great material, and recognize it as such, is what made you effective. Your lack of ego, of introducing the student to something transcendent, and then getting out of the way is a skill. Give yourself some props! :-)
Also a teacher and absolutely agree. :)
She would have had a field day with you assuming she was a man (she was from the second generation of female professors at our school and would talk about the experiences she’d had from time to time)
Opinions on the incredibly similar transition in Sibelius’ second symphony?
Didn’t say it was the ONLY great moment in classical music! The 2nd is my favorite of his so it’s definitely up there as one of the most majestic, spiritual experiences I’ve had.
RIP Alice 😭😭
NO CREDIT! and “Use of ____” are still running jokes in our house. Feel so, so fortunate to have been there with her.
“You guys love the adrenaline rush” 😭😭😭😭😭
definetly yes on Beethoven
[Bach Chaconne 3:15 - 4:15](https://youtu.be/ai8NiHI1-eo?t=197)
Every second of Bach chaconne is a masterpiece, but I agree with your opinion, I think another option would be the part in the second half that leads to the climax of the major section (10:49-11:49). I feel like the section you choose pretty much summarizes the complexity and emotion of bach, while the section I choose shows how musically perfect his writing is.
The entire major section (in context) is the pinnacle of classical music for me. The climax but also the very beginning of the major section is so beautiful.
You had me at Bach.
Heck yeah! HH kills it with that recording, IMO
Can I say minutes 22:00-23:00 in [this video](https://youtu.be/TXV8yO1FucA?si=ZxRhN8gPw8ELkvXo) version of the simple gifts melody from Copland’s Appalachian Spring? It’s my all-time favorite melody and this particular chunk is so fun starting with the intricate string work to the boldness of the brass giving us that big fanfare moment with the melody. The few minutes prior to this are a bit more whimsical and really help build this up even more, but if I had to pick just 60 seconds of something I could listen to over and over forever.. it’s this.
Yes you can!
Excellent choice! My community orchestra was scheduled to perform this in mid-March 2020, but of course we had to cancel it due to the CV19 lockdown. I was supposed to play timpani, and I was just so heartbroken to not be able to perform this passage in particular!!
Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, Adagio, from 6:30-7:30 in this recording. https://youtu.be/2VPTuflr3jU?si=33Sob4lkHwIFrBSk
He gets so much mileage out of gradually meandering up a scale. With a crescendo.
his way of doing climaxes is why i like hk so much
Absolutely. So incredibly heart wrenching. You can actually hear a fragment of a melody from the second movement of his second piano concerto as well. In my humble opinion, Rachmaninoff was the last great (late-)romantic composer.
I know many people who would agree with you (myself included!) I struggle to think of any other composer whose output is so consistently first rate.
that is why he is my favorite composer!
Very fair. He would be my favorite but he’s just barely beat by Ravel. But I suppose those two don’t have much in common between them when it comes to style, so if we’re just talking about romantic composers, it’s none other than Rach.
Bruckner 8, last 1-2 minutes of the finale. Greatest slow build until the end.
My favorite ending to a symphony. After listening to 1 hour and 20 minutes of monumental music, you think, "there's no way he can give us a satisfying ending to all of this," and then the coda just blows expectations out of the water. It's a spiritual experience. Glad you mentioned it.
Is there a recording you prefer? It’s not a symphony I know.
Personally, I like and listen to [this recording of Karajan with the VPO](https://youtu.be/asJf3KmAg08?si=JXNuKvo2TE44aCM1) , not only because of the sound, but also because of the camera direction and the beautiful place where it is recorded
I really love the last minute or so of the 1st movement of his 9th.
This a thousand times.
I'm going to go with a weird one: Respighi, [the end of the Pines of the Appian Way.](https://youtu.be/pMeXzqTfNcY?si=hz-CuRyAl9S5v3Hn&t=268) It's really the last two minutes of the piece, but the last minute will suffice.
I’m so sad that Respighi is considered a weird choice. His music is truly phenomenal and the fact that really only the opening of Pini di Roma is “common” repertoire borders on the ridiculous. He is such a master of detailed and intricate orchestration, the likes of which I’ve really never encountered outside of his works. Possibly my favourite within all of the orchestral repertoire might just be [this enchanting moment](https://youtu.be/MvbrnngkUPs?si=2-9cN6hFv1nnHeFH&t=40s) in his Feste Romane suite (3rd movement, starting from around 0:40). Respighi also died poor with little to no fame or recognition for his music, making it all the sadder. If you’re new to Respighi, make sure to listen to his three Rome suites: Pini di Roma, Fontane di Roma and Feste Romane. The performance linked above is led by Antonio Pappano who recorded all suites on a single album, best performances of the suites I know.
First use of a recording in a piece of classical music too :-(
Which is a beautiful thought. For every performance and every audience, there is this unifying experience that is the same amidst the tiny variations of direction, tempo, etc. that makes ever performance different and unique.
I can totally get behind this. The feeling created in those last two minutes is truly phenomenal.
I was gonna say about two thirds through the 3rd movement before the nightingale song. Relentlessly beautiful
Thrilling! Love this version
Mahler 5 movement 2. 11:10-12:10 in this recording. https://youtu.be/IoPD-WLrbEs?si=EZ-P1Gh-VNHvrVaU
Mahler 2 movement 5! https://youtu.be/uj51pf1XRPc?si=yWYgD3BQh4rGpsX2
r/unexpectedfactorial
120 you say?
\*me, a staunch atheist, transcending to heaven\*
Why does that conductor look like Mahler?😅
That’s a great one, a triumphant moment following the previous dark passage
Drop the needle anywhere in Mahler 5; it’s full of amazing episodes and moods
Thanks. I've always liked this passage.
Fantastic choice.
Or the last section of the 3rd movement 🤤
First min of Mahler 5 isn't that bad either;) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvXhyldUko&t=60s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvXhyldUko&t=60s)
Beethoven a-minor string quartet op. 132 3rd movement https://youtu.be/gumi5pEpOaA 10:00 - 11:00 This start of this movement builds up to the one of the most beautiful melodies in the history of music.
I feel like Beethoven has a lot of 'most beautiful melodies' in the history of classical music. The motif in the third movement of Waldstein is brillant.
I’ll never not upvote the heiliger dankgesang
The build up to the climax of Ondine from Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, in particular, the recordings by Lortie/ Debargue.
Beginning of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1. It literally gives me chills every time I listen to it, and feel like I'm in some kind of warzone, but listening to angel's voice. I feel the energy that is delivered by the soul of piano, it's quite spectacular. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXL0dkG-Qro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXL0dkG-Qro)
It's more like 1:06 of music, but the beginning of the Gloria, from 0:06 to 1:12, from Bach's Mass in b, [https://youtu.be/eChEWK\_4B3Q?si=h6orK0fJHi37vOa4&t=6](https://youtu.be/eChEWK_4B3Q?si=h6orK0fJHi37vOa4&t=6)
Yes this! (But also the Cum Sancto Spiritu and the tempo change in the Et expecto - they all lift me up)
I’ve been obsessed with this piece for a while. From 1:21 to 1:33 is honestly the one of the best 12 seconds of classical music I’ve ever heard.
I love the gloria! It was a prominent part of a playlist I would play for my daughter when she was very young.
Tchaikovsky marche Slave, the last 60 seconds https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gb2h24lTqho
Nothing quite gives me chills when 10:30 starts: [https://youtu.be/bp2hHNDtCqw?si=eOGy0lC\_hhPwkpyi&t=624](https://youtu.be/bp2hHNDtCqw?si=eOGy0lC_hhPwkpyi&t=624) Rach Piano Concerto 2, end of the First Movement (It's gotta be Ashkenazy's phrasing)
This this this!
I'm partial to the grand finale (of the 3rd movement). Not quite the very end - if it has to be a minute long, I would probably end it where the big string melody ends, so as to include the lead-up. I think you can go from the 4-measure orchestra unison to the end of the string melody in 1 minute (it's 1:06 on the recording I'm listening to).
Last minute or so of Pictures at an Exhibition is on the list.
I might feel tempted to go the last 30 seconds of the Hut On Fowl’s Legs into the first 30 of the Great Gate, which gets us the filthy guttural recap of the theme of the first, the massive chromatic scale, and the smooth transition into and first full statement of the Gate chorale, more or less. One of the best movement changes in the rep.
Saturn is underrated
It's my favorite movement from the Planets.
Mozart Symphony 41, around 17:25 to 18:25 in this recording: [https://youtu.be/8XG4H5dikeo](https://youtu.be/8XG4H5dikeo)
[The Organ Blast](https://youtu.be/dJmhMQNnLhg?si=DBQG_oiBxwBxwrU9) from Saint Saens Symphony #3.
That telescoped last minute of the finale is just 👌
Coda of the Egmont overture
Beginning of the second movement of Dvořak’s violin concerto (adagio ma non troppo)
A totally under-rated concerto - and the slow movement is so lyrically beautiful and tranquil \[the ending of the first movement too\]. It should be played way more often!
Exactly! It’s the ending of the first and how it progresses into the second 🥰
The end of the overture for Mendelssohn’s “A midsummer night’s dream” has always been a favorite of mine. The last four notes of the woodwinds playing the opening theme always gives me goosebumps
Ligeti's requiem: kyrie Although is longer than 2 minutes. But the main part that was sampled for 2001 space odyssey is the best.
The ending of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite is out of this world.
Prob last 60 seconds of The Ninth
It’s so infectiously optimistic. What a symphony.
I was about to comment on the same piece but the fugue, not the ending.
The last minute of Mahler 2 or 8. He just decided that writing for massive chorus was essential to humanity’s survival and he was right.
>He just decided that writing for massive chorus was essentially to humanity’s survival Fascinating! Do you have a source for that quote?
It’s a joke. Mahler’s additional conducting experience 100% are put to full use for those specific symphonies.
Beethoven sonata no. 32 op 111 https://youtu.be/WGg9cE-ceso?si=NguXcAPevHTRxZAe 24:32 - 25:32
Last 60 seconds of 4'33 is breathtaking.
In fact you could take a sample of 60 seconds from the piece and it would be on a similar level of greatness, such a great piece it is….
And the opening brought me to tears.
Beethoven op. 132 Lydian mode movement is hard to top, but there are so many. I'll weigh in with the Ave Maria from Otello.
Bruckner 4 ending
Mahler 8 Part 1, Transition between movement 4 and 5. 16:35-17:35 here. Not perfectly encapsulated, but one minute really isn’t enough. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V5Id1OAPNsA
The "Et vitam venturi" from Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Specifically, the part where the fugue theme reenters in the choir at twice the original speed after a brief instrumental interlude. Really the whole Credo section, but since you just wanted 60 seconds...
The one is impossible but I think the most iconique would be the opening of the 4 mvmt of Dvorak 9.
Someone's already said the ending of the finale of Mahler 2 so here's my contribution: The short entirety of "Nimrod" from Enigma Variations, but I can definitely point you to the last 60 seconds of this recording: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgoBb8m1eE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgoBb8m1eE) Also, OP re: your pick, every time I listen to The Planets I realize how ahead of its time Holst was. It's movie music, before blockbuster movies.
Venus and Jupiter goated
Well the greatest 60 seconds has to be the end of the 8th symphony by Bruckner, 3 minutes before the end where the violins get a new theme!
Rach 3 , from 34-36min( assuming avg41mins)
I like the last minute of Prokofiev 3rd piano concert
The climax at the end of Mahler’s 3rd. The orchestral climax during Wotan’s Abschied in Die Walkure is up there too.
The opening of Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Bach.
I don’t LOVE Wagner, but the end of the Götterdammerung Finale is just amazing.
The Moldau by Smetana
Introduction et Rondo Capriciosso opus 28 A minor Camille Saint Saëns
Idk if I would call it the single greatest ever but I've recently been obsessed with the first minute or so of Shostakovich Symphony 5 2nd movement
“Giving out a shout most Heaven-Rending” from the prelude to Holst Choral Symphony. Also the finale to O Fortuna (Orff). And obviously Maestoso from Jupiter (Holst)
The transition from Blanziflor et Helena to O Fortuna always gives me goosebumps, especially when singing it in a choir.
[Holst The Cloud Messenger part IV: 29:10-30:10](https://youtu.be/i71y4J3-WZU?si=jbqQkl82cnPyr9-p). I could seriously listen to it over and over
More like 2 minutes (but you can take just the last minute of this section for the sake of the prompt) but my answer would be 4:43-6:32 of [Medtner’s 3rd Violin Sonata](https://youtu.be/YMOruXvNiS4?si=6-UoLZ59PT2E0419). It’s the statement of the second theme in the introduction and it’s the most beautiful theme I’ve ever heard. In only 2 minutes he creates this amazing buildup that climaxes literally perfectly and it leaves my in tears every time.
Last minute of Tarrega’s Gran Jota is just so fitting and beautiful to end the piece.
Scriabin 6th [sonata](https://youtu.be/Y97hWz8NyVE?si=Kx7RCoMqEAOR11XV) 10:30 to 11:30. That counterpoint lulling is just insane.
[At the summit](https://youtu.be/xK7z2NhUrsQ?si=uZf_37JiNBYTdvFy) section from Strauss’s *Alpine Symphony*
Beethoven's 9th, the vocalists' solo (immediately before the finale). Chills & tears.
The last minute (or 1:10 depending on the conductor) of Shostakovich’s 5th. Sounds entirely different depending on the orchestra but even more the conductor. I know the score has a slower tempo marking but I hate it - it always gets bogged down or it makes me want to kick the conductor In the pants and yell MOVE! It’s not glorious if it’s too slow. I have not yet heard the perfect recording with the perfect brass/percussion/tempo. For me, close to ideal would be mixing the [Chicago brass sound](https://youtu.be/_Xf4BBKaY8o?si=w1Q2yNPtVsys_sTJ) with [Solti’s Berlin tempo.](https://youtu.be/iFfOFe9ZSio?si=BX32a6bC-8oHPwqb). [Philly would be the standard](https://youtu.be/7kyeIen7Uyw?si=eOEQolhkxoXoe-zZ) if it weren’t for Gilbert Johnson. A master at breaking a phrase and killing the flow. 🙄 [Bernstein’s is a tad fast](https://youtu.be/dhABDiOMan8?si=WHDBmeU6PiBAgAq6) but I could accept that *if they had recorded the timpani to have some depth in the tone. The percussion has no guts here. His other recordings are really slow.
It’s Mahler’s 2nd symphony, rehearsal 48 to the end, and it’s not particularly close either.
It’s a little over a minute, but it would have to be 0:32 to 1:42 from [Lever du Jour](https://youtu.be/sxPcroAcCfY?si=luIvLv9UeUuTCmDP) from Ravel’s Ballet “Daphnis et Chloé.” It’s a wonderfully gorgeous depiction of sunrise and it never fails to induce tears. Your bit is also spectacular. The first time I heard it I was in complete awe.
Brahms 1 4th mvt transition to the theme . Beethoven 6 transition to the calm After The Storm obviously Beethoven 5 already mentioned
The string chorale in Also Sprach Zarathustra. https://youtu.be/RVLaAFKj3H0?si=vxDFEq_hjIDaaB3_ Starting at 10:30
The fugal segue between the soloist and chorus and the larger choral segment in the Ode to Joy.
Beethoven 9-2, bound to be... From thunder to light drizzle in 5 seconds, then climbs back to magnetic storm in 25 seconds, then transforms into glorious sunrise and majestic sunset in 30 seconds. Talk about a ride.
The coda to Chopin’s first ballade.
someone needs to put all of these in a playlist now
Beethoven 3rd Symphony, Second Movement, 6:00 to 7:00 roughly (when it starts the buildup). Gives me chills every time. It's also really good right after that, but that's the "hell yeah" section. For the purpose of this post I will go with the "gives the chills" section.
The orgasm in the overture to Rosenkavier. Whoop whoop whoop!
My personal favorite is the orchestral opening of the 2nd movement to Beethoven’s fifth concerto. It gives me chills every time I hear it.
Either the first or last 60 seconds of the adagio from Saint-Saens' 3rd Symphony.
The climax of the second or third movement from Rach 3. Also the final octaves of Liszt's sonata.
The double fugue in the finale of Beethoven's 9th
2nd movement of Beethoven 7th Symphony
The seamless transition from the third to the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is simply sublime.
It's a little longer than one minute, in the third movement of Mahler's Third Symphony, from 3:13:20 to 3:14:35. Can someone more knowledgeable about music in a technical sense describe this passage for me. Thanks very much. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MEPXBG7JDs&t=22442s&ab\_channel=Null](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MEPXBG7JDs&t=22442s&ab_channel=Null)
The girl with the flaxen hair 0.38-1.38. Sublime.
Chopin Ballade no. 1 Coda
Dare I say… the minute Waltz?
The crescendo of Pilgerchor. It gives me chills without fail
First minute of this clip. https://youtu.be/EfuBE5EPMZs?si=Db7SksRABbs_GT9z
A lovely section for sure. The opening 'Pas-de-Quatre' in Agon, by Igor Stravinsky gets my vote. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TPS6TLKoBk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TPS6TLKoBk)
The Andante Espressivo in the first movement of Schumann’s Piano Concerto
Debussy Images Book 2 No 1 [video. 1:50 to 2:50](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v= SHEET Pages 5-9 Measures 13 to 39 [DEBUSSY BOOK 2](https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/d/db/IMSLP521275-PMLP02391-Images_II_.pdf) IF you ask me this same question tomorrow I’ll have a totally different answer
The 5th act in Isabel Leonarda's second sonata
I’ve been obsessed with the first minute of BWV 544: https://youtu.be/_WJTwo_YW7I?si=u7VNcHxLnpv7An43
Many such moments in Rachmaninoff's 3rd Concerto... I don't have time to track down the minutes but - the major key climax about 2/3s of the way through the 2nd movement - each of the three emotional surges during the slower interlude/development of the 3rd movement. - Last minutes of the piece There's also a moment in the first movement at the end of the second subject / right before the development starts where there's this tonally ambiguous shift from minor to major key that I've always been a sucker for.
Nessun Dorma - so much emotion packed into a short time period
John Field Piano concerto in A flat major. 35:30-36:30 (but definitely listen to the whole piece if you've never heard this concerto or composer; amazing piano!) https://youtu.be/BZ53kQKjxek?si=2wNvtX10qOjff8-v
Brahms 2nd Concerto 2nd movement 23-24 mins when tutti changes from minor to major before the piano comes in pianissimo
Tchaik 4 - Mvt 1: The string sequences that build up into the return of the opening theme. Fun to listen to and fun to play in the string section! 11:52 in this [video](https://youtu.be/Y7G5ithbFys?si=rRQ_IG8VZvEoLHSU), and then the 60 seconds after that too)
Beginning with the timpani at the end of Saint Saens’ “Samson and Delilah.” Awesome!
Pick any 60 seconds of Samuel Barber's 'Adagio for Strings, Op.11.' I have loved that for nearly my whole life.
The last minute or so of Beethoven's Leonore Overture #3. If there's more exciting music, I can't think of it. Here's my favorite version, from the Met live broadcast of Fidelio in 1984, when Tennstedt played it as a segue after the dungeon scene. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVyiGkMeyyM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVyiGkMeyyM)
Coda to the third movement of Bartok’s third quartet
The 60 seconds of clapping after Berlioz Symphony Fantastique. It sounded like rain drops on the roof. It was much more interesting than the music.
I'll take the last 60 seconds of the Bayreuth 7/29/51.
probably the screaming part of Satz 9 off of Hermann Nitsch's Island. god that album is so good
Claire de Lune. 2:00 to 3:00.
[Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - the 22nd Variation](https://youtu.be/ApwI6NYHNng?si=1no9qRmXmGSk4G5o) The section starting from 1:22 may just be my favourite bit of music ever.
The beginning of Tchaikovsky's 3rd's 2nd movement. Either that or pick the right 60 seconds from Mahler 6, 4th movement, but that is a lot better in context.
That one part with the brass in the overture in Tannhäuser. The one from Looney Tunes.
The end of Shostakovich 11, but to get at least a partially correct picture one needs to listen to the final 3min: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGyQkm0fFnY&t=3153s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGyQkm0fFnY&t=3153s)
Symphonie Fantastique, ending of the 5th movement and the symphony overall
The opening of Tchaikovsky’s first Piano Concerto
French horn solo on Stravinsky's Firebird Suite
There are so many possibilities. Here are a few: The transition from the third to the fourth movement of Stenhammar's first piano concerto The final minute of Sibelius' 5th symphony The final entry of the whole chorus in Beethoven's 9th (last movement) Thalberg's Moses fantasy, last minute There's also numerous contenders in Verdi's operas, especially in his chorus works.
It's a extremely difficult choice but I think for me it would be: - Orchestra: Rachmaninoff 3rd concerto piano, around the ending. (41:30 to 42:30 https://youtu.be/GvKQKnIVy1I?si=lGNtC_CG1CAJ3dWE) - Piano: Chopin etude 25 no. 5, around the middle where the "calm" part begings (0:50 to 1:50 https://youtu.be/qr4qHh1b3E8?si=rgVUfsHIQjQYUoef)
First choice: final 60 seconds of the last movement of Sibelius’ 5th symphony. Second choice: an umpteen-way tie between all other 60-second stretches of the entire symphony
The climax of the second movement of Also Sprach Zarathustra
Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2 1st movement whole thing but especially the time just before and when the orchestra comes back in. Amazing.
I was like WAOUUU then an ad spoiled everything I hate YouTube 😩
“Sind Blitze, Sind Donner” including the silence before “Eröffne den feurigen Abrund” https://youtu.be/lf_cE3jMRiM?si=JFpXTmazNgM67v6J
The beginning of this[https://youtu.be/BmZnY9DrNqU?si=NViIuuDcXIfNRazM](https://youtu.be/BmZnY9DrNqU?si=NViIuuDcXIfNRazM)
The middle section of Mahler 2 Mvt 4, 1:53 - 2:53 of this recording: https://youtu.be/O3MDXViwcPE?si=fVIZyVURehGOQn9D The phrasing of the singer and subsequent oboist is absolutely perfect in this recording. The vibrato of the singer is so delicate and refined, a quality not often found in solo singers (in my opinion). The transition between the singer into the oboe solo is impeccable, the overall theme is incredibly beautiful, supplemented of course by the incredible control of the musicians. The experience of this one minute of music has left a lasting impact on me ever since I discovered it.
right now it’s [the second movement of Kalinnikov’s Symphony No. 2](https://open.spotify.com/track/1XiFahFdXL7ycoCQxKRTV8?si=UPx0JImtQ5yFZlY1OnUgUA&context=spotify%3Aplaylist%3A59PfcCbO4f5AQkhXy1EB4W) from 4:19-5:19
The second movement of Chopins 1st piano concerto. When the orchestra takes over the melody, the piano gliding up and down the octaves in accompaniment. It is divine
Fazıl Say Sevenlere Dair first 60 second’s. This melody or part of this classical music have a down and up melody’s and this part make’s me happy and sad. Please listen to this classical music. And if who want’s to chatting about classical music can messages me guys.
The climax of the 4th movement of Tchaik 6
The crescendo/end of O Fortuna when it switches from minor and foreboding to major and triumphant. Makes me feel like 10 men.
Unoriginal response, but gimme some of that mid/upper strings Beethoven 7.2 buildup to the beat drop.
Adagietto in Mahler 5, but the Sony classics Prince Charles Edition, Bernstein
The last 60 seconds of Crucifixus a 10 by Antonio Lotti.
Ravel - Le Jardin Féerique And you don’t need 60 seconds… start at 2:05 and listen to 2:38 specifically the moment at 2:21-2:22. To me it’s the most beautiful moment in the history of music. [https://youtu.be/hjxTvKUOUPY?si=qDkGjbIPF2OadL_-](https://youtu.be/hjxTvKUOUPY?si=qDkGjbIPF2OadL_-)
https://youtu.be/4fu3dqBKDxU?si=z7cgRVOCTjvPfIf8 1:10:00-1:11:00
Dallapiccola quaderna movement, several to pick from. Oh, the piece can be longer than 60 seconds?
I wouldn’t say “greatest”, but my favorite is Strauss, the climax of the trio in Der Rosenkavalier. The 60 seconds that made me fall in love with opera.
Real talk, it's the development into the recap from Brahms's String Quintet 2 in G, mvt 1
I was interrupted half way by some ass wipe plucking a few unsoundly cords over a cluck n bell ad.
Get an ad blocker
This moment from the alpine symphony, but if I have to narrow it down to 60 0:18-1:18 https://youtu.be/xK7z2NhUrsQ?si=SMh7vK7sCQqy-1t5
Cliche, but the climax of rach2 I’ve listened to it hundreds of times and it still gives me chills. All other music gets boring after that much exposure.
The opening triumphant theme of the finale (fifth) movement of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 7. To my ears, this is both a celebration and elegy to Vienna as the artistic capital of the world in 1905.
It's only about 20-30 seconds but the middle section in Mozart's Rondo in C Major for Violin and Orchestra. It's like a temporary transportation through some sort of portal into another dimension of music. [https://youtu.be/T3l6EKkx9j4?si=T3sU5RR6RTWROJlI&t=201](https://youtu.be/T3l6EKkx9j4?si=T3sU5RR6RTWROJlI&t=201)
About 13 minutes in to Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony
For me, the last minute of Swan Lake is unparalleled.
I can’t pick just one 1. Scriabin Poem of Ecstasy [18:35-19:35](https://youtu.be/HAnVrdQ3qFk?si=Jb47GYqBjCx6eu-J) 2. Daphnis et Chloe [3:50-4:50](https://youtu.be/14OM6Ysnk6M?si=dJwWfm7pgP-GmPF0) There’s a lot more I want to mention but these two stick out a lot to me.
Quite a simple one. But the soprano solo from the Kyrie, Mozarts Mass in C minor. Gets me every time. Just classical perfection.
The build up into Zadok the Priest by Händel
The last minute of Sibelius 5 is incredible.
The last minute of Bartok’s 6th string quartet
https://youtu.be/v1nKQrc1FbQ?si=6p2IkZOuylvFqonY 31:49 in this recording, the climax of Mahler Symphony 2