If I Could Choose Only One Work By...MOZART

[@samuelstephens6163]

Hard to argue with Figaro, but Die Zauberflote is wacky, frightening, strange, and entices us back in despite all that weirdness.

[@Mooseman327]

I totally agree! I was holding my breath on this one. It HAS to be Figaro, slightly edging out Don Giovanni. Kudos! Figaro has everything from its stirring, exciting overture to its transcendent ending. "The emotions are true." So true. Figaro is one of the greatest human creations ever.

[@dennischiapello3879]

I was working on my own comment, when I glimpsed yours--it's everything I would have tried to express!

[@niko_____3820]

Having heard of Händel that it was not Messiah, but Saul (!), I fully expected to hear a case of why it`s not Figaro regarding Mozart, but no. Of course, you don`t have to pick the answer everyone knows, and you can serve Crankyap, or whatever. Then again, any choice of any individual is just that, time will tell, God willing, which music lasts. Until any of the VEI-8 volcanoes says enough, that is, and Greta "Garbo" Thunberg is proved to have been an optimist, actually.

[@johkkarkalis8860]

Hear, hear! If you are really down or suicidal "Figaro" is the way to go. Mozart loved his characters! Still, I wouldn't want to be without the Don, and the wonderful characters created by Mozart and the same librettist. The contrast in the overture between the demonic and the frothy is a gem. An instrumental work, apart from the piano concertos, would be his almost valedictory Clarinet concerto. Really, how can you go wrong with any choice?

[@Nyssa337]

Yes! Yes! Yes! Figaro is my favorite creation by any composer in any era.

[@marks1417]

The point is not that the story makes sense but that the emotions make sense". Yes , wonderfully put.

[@ruslanbabayan3568]

It's hard to argue against this pick. One can even make a case for it being the greatest opera of all time. The libretto, the music, the arias - there are no weaknesses in this opera. Pure perfection.

[@josephpearson2230]

YES! When I first heard The Marriage as a teenager, I was enthralled. It was among my first serious classical recording I bought a my own money - a Glyndebourne Festival production, about 1939. I played it to death.

[@goonbelly5841]

My choice would have been his piano concertos, the first truly great (and arguably the greatest) collection of piano concertos ever composed.

[@pianoronald]

Mine too. If it had to be only one piano concerto it would definitely be the E flat major no. 22, K 482.

[@RequiemAeternam01]

Absolutely! My reference recording of the piano concertos is Alfred Brendel with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields conducted by Sir Neville Marriner, although my preference doesn't seem to very popular with Dave :D

[@d.r.martin6301]

So glad you chose this. My favorite Mozart and easily my favorite opera. One of the greatest works of art in any form.

[@TobyS77]

Glad Figaro is your choice too. There are many contenders vying for the place but Figaro just encompasses virtually everything that makes Mozart great, including his gifts in portraying and characterising various facets of humanity through music and producing beautiful, gorgeous, memorable melodies. On top of that its ground-breaking musical-historical significance seals it as the choice for desert isle Mozart.

[@torterrakart7249]

I would go for the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin & Viola!

[@joshuafruend3348]

I’m glad you went with Marriage of Figaro, I have to agree. Although I’m very partial to the piano concerti as a pianist, I think that they are largely operatic in nature and do definitely agree that opera was Mozart’s pinnacle medium in a way. Figaro is just great, fun, exciting, and gorgeous! I’m still looking forward to your pick for Chopin! I think you’ll agree with me about choosing the Preludes, Op. 28!

[@WesSmith-m6i]

Thanks so much, once again, Dave. In a few minutes you spell out beautifully the many gifts of Nozze: humanity, forgiveness, and healing. Super!

[@Johnadams20760]

mozart wrote such an insane amount of masterpieces beyond masterpieces in merely only35 yeras of life. it is almost impossibe to pick just one. but this is a great choice

[@jg5861]

I somewhat agree, but I must confess I would also reeeeeeeeeally feel pushed to go for the piano concertos, my favorite music by Mozart, which even have something of his dramatic music in their blood. He really defined the genre's direction from then on. And they're just sooooo gorgeous and uplifting. (Guess what, the guy knew a little bit about how to make good music, I suppose). Thanks for sharing!

[@grahammorgan3858]

Magic Flute for me, just edging out symphony 41 and any of the piano concertos from 19 to 24.

[@alenaadamkova7617]

Voice is not just an instrument, but has lot of colors and intensity and emotions.

[@peterkuntz6076]

Independent of your specific comments on Figaro, I very much enjoyed your analysis of what makes an opera work! While I may find it in a music 101 book, your verbal articulation was so on point! Well done David!!!

[@michaelmurray8742]

When you get round to R.Strauss my choice has to be his Four Last Songs. The set epitomises his life long love affair with the soprano voice,his gorgeous orchestration and his nod to his affinity to the French horn. Ultimate Strauss.

[@GG-cu9pg]

I was hoping someone would say this. Kudos.

[@damianjb1]

Totally agree

[@eddihaskell]

Sung by Jessye Norman.

[@damianjb1]

Absolutely.

[@damianjb1]

If I Could Choose Only One Work by.....BRAHMS. It's a tossup between the Requiem and the 2nd Piano Concerto but my choice is the B flat Piano Concerto. The first two movements contain some of the most dramatic music Brahms wrote. The 3rd movements is one of Brahms' most lyrically gorgeous creations and the last music shows his love of Hungarian music. Therefore, for me, it contains a pretty good cross section off Brahms' styles.

[@josecarmona9168]

Hi, Dave. I agree completely in respect to Le Nozze. And just because of the same reasons: the humanity and reality of the main characters and situations, but adding the pity and love the composer feels for them, I think that the work by Alban Berg which must be offered to Cancrizans is Wozzeck. Which, also, is perhaps one of the most representative operas of the 20th century.

[@benjaminharris2043]

I agree with (most) of what you say about Giovanni. Mozart shouldn’t be remembered as a proto-Romantic (as supremely fantastic as those works may be!). What you say about Figaro is also spot on. But to the way in which he sums up people in both of those operas, The Magic Flute adds an extra depth to that…and a mystic theatricality that demonstrates Mozart’s absolute mastery and establishment of what Classical (and Enlightenment) opera was about. Today’s choice for me is Mendelssohn Midsummer Night’s Dream overture. Eye-watering compositional virtuosity and just getting the edge on the Octet for its orchestral bravura and the summing up of everything “Mendelssohn” in just a few mins!

[@nelsoncamargo5120]

I would choose the Symphony 40. Many years ago I attend a concert here in Brazil When the orchestra played the first movement, a woman beside me said: What a beautiful music! Is is really beautiful!

[@airpanache]

Yessss the ever beloved “Figaro” I dare even give a stretching guess that would be Mozart’s pick too :D because opera has always been his first love and Figaro really gave him the materials he was the best at: LOVE, mixed with yearning, anguish, forgiveness, mischievousness, playfulness and so on. That opera gave him the best showcase of what he could do. Those two glorious finales, pure miracles. I think all the good things have been said already about this opera. Though I prefer Cosi slightly more than Figaro but that is only because Figaro is way more popular and some bad productions tend to trivialise this greatest opera. Nevertheless I am saddened a little that Mozart’s piano concertos are lost in this pick by a nose. Lol

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

My favorite Mozart is the 38th Symphony "Prague," but man, this is a toughie. I think Cancrizans needs to be distracted from his ill-advised course. The demons of Hell must be unleashed upon him, lol. In other news, I have seen Marriage of Figaro staged live; a very memorable date with an ex-gf, so I certainly have a level of fondness for it.

[@elvisnigol745]

Usually his last 3 are considered his greatest symphonies. I love the 38th, for me it is on par with the later 3. The last movement of the 38th is so fast and intense, it is not typical Mozart.

[@alenaadamkova7617]

I noticed year ago that if you want to start listening the classical music as beginner....the easiest way is listening the vocal pieces, because human voice for example in soprano, is so much emotions that it grabs you emotionally, artistically. You don´t even have to understand its music from beginning, than with symphonic pieces.

[@caleblaw3497]

For Mozart it has to be Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Most people on Earth know the tune, including the ones who never listen to classical music and have no idea the piece was composed by Mozart.

[@brossjackson]

Yep. That's my pick. That's frankly my usual pick for the ultimate "only one desert island disk" problem, because Nozze contains basically the entire gamut of human experience and emotion. It's also full of staggeringly great ensemble writing. The real feelings of the characters are what make the opera both immensely moving but also very tense -- real people trapped inside a farce is something of a nightmare for the characters, and we feel their pain and terror even while we're laughing at the slapstick.

[@bbailey7818]

Yes!! I agree, this one was easy. The greatest opera ever written. So many of the piano concerti are so beautiful but often the idiom, the writing, is operatic in inspiration. Opera without voices. The late QE 2 was not exactly a musical person, unlike Victoria. It was suggested she make an appearance at Covent Garden and they suggested Nozze. She looked bemused, then her face brightened as she asked, "Oh, is that the one with the pin?"

[@jacquesracine9571]

I would go with Don Giovanni. I could not live without the drama of the final dinner and mayhem. Jacques from Montreal.

[@davidstein8171]

My favorite series, and now my favorite episode (so far, in both cases). To agree or disagree is beside the point (I agree): the reasons are the thing, and they are pure celebration of why I need Mozart. So worth hearing!

[@shihweiwong]

I’m so happy you chose Figaro. I love that work so much.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

I adore all three DaPonte operas. Choosing between them is choosing among equals, but equals that are so different, which makes them all the more extraordinary. I agree about Figaro being the most humane, but Don G. raises my goosebumps like very few works, and Cosi, IMO, has the most sublimely beautiful, subtle music he ever penned, and in a work I don't think people have ever really came to grip with thematically. Can't argue against anyone picking Figaro, though.

[@CortJohnson]

Totally excited at hearing Figaro again. Reminds me, again, should pay attention to the libretto (lol)

[@alenaadamkova7617]

For Dvořak it can be the joyfull Opera Jacobín.... It kicks me with so much energy especially the first two acts, so many harmonies of different voices singing at the same time, and chorus singing too. Its like great marathon, with no bad note. Probably Dvořak was inspired by the interesting plot. as the song says "We wandered the foreign countries, working hard, struggling, crying, who counts our sighs, we were signing, and the desire was glowing in the heart....and the anxiety flew away from the heart.".. we were singing together, Only in singing we found sweet relief." I don´t know whole text. I now realize the song "My cizinou sme bloudili/We wandered the foreign countries" is almost like some blues music...and with hopeful happy ending. The baryton singer sings it well too. But you have to listen to The Opera from beginning to get the energy. It seems Dvořak grew musically with this kind of music involved humans and different emotions and maybe found his own style, and he admired Mozart too. But as the stories said even when he was in America and was composing American music he cared too much about what the Czechs will think about certain passages of his music....so he sometimes let it be.. Its probably not healthy to constantly think a bout some political approval.

[@ammcello]

Agree completely - must be Nozze. I have one for Saint-Saëns. The 1st violin sonata. Ingenuity of formal structure in the way of the Organ Symphony. Dreamy, Proustian melodic shapes in the slow movement. I don’t pick the Organ Symphony because I feel with SS, it has to be about some piano virtuosity which the piano has in spades. Also I think the Organ Symphony, while amazing, is grand - but SS is more about tailoring and intimacy than grandeur. In the violin sonata, there is a concertante element for both instruments, as SS is very much a concertante composer. It is middle period mature SS, before he became a fossil. And speaking of fossils, it can’t be Carnival because that piece is based on humor which really is atypical of him. I think the Egyptian Concerto could be a close second for the reasons above, and it represents his association with Africa and flirtation with the exotic.

[@Kounios]

P.S. You will inevitably get to Bach. The obvious picks are the Mass in b minor and the St. Matthew Passion. Perhaps the Well-Tempered Klavier. But for a nonobvious pick, I would suggest the Chaconne. It encapsulates Bach's vast inner universe (except for his lighter side).

[@johnmontanari6857]

Here goes for Berlioz: The Te Deum. As sonically splendid a work as he composed (the Requiem notwithstanding), it also is, IMO, his most consistently inspired. Amazing orchestration (complete with organ!), awe-inspiring choral scoring, goose-bumpy moments, a finale to beat 'em all -- what doesn't it have? Along with the obligatory Fantastique, it's the work I'd recommend to a beginner to hear why Berlioz is so great.

[@MDK2_Radio]

Has anyone yet suggested Monteverdi? If not, I think Vespro della Beata Vergine must be preserved. One of the greatest examples of sacred music ever, a great progression in the genre from the relative simplicity music had up to this point. I almost suggested L'incoronazione di Poppea as being one of the greatest operas ever (I find it unique in that the characters are three dimensional, something extremely rare in the form), but I understand there are questions about all of it being his creation.

[@RequiemAeternam01]

Monteverdi for me would be out of L'incoronazione di Poppea and L'Orfeo, two great early operas.

[@MarauderOSU]

That would be my choice as well! Le nozze di Figaro was the very first opera I ever saw in its entirety in my life. When I got reintroduced to opera years back, I didn't care for it. However, Sir Georg Solti's recording got me hooked on it again.

[@GG-cu9pg]

An excellent and well considered choice as usual. My father’s favourite piece of music was Mozart concerto # 20 and that would be my choice. A proto-romantic masterpiece, heartfelt, angsty, and that pellucid central movement theme! And without his piano concertos, Beethoven’s (and Poulenc’s 😁) would be very different.

[@joshuafruend3348]

I agree with Figaro, like Mr. Hurwitz, but I’d definitely put PC #20 (or perhaps 23) up there, as well. I’ll be performing #20 for my senior recital coming up and completely agree with you. It’s just amazing. Fun to play, too! Tricky third movement!

[@GG-cu9pg]

@@joshuafruend3348 all the best with your recital!

[@iankemp1131]

Yes, has to be right. Mozart's invention was really centred around opera (comic opera at the very highest level). And even the great piano concertos and symphonies tend to echo that.

[@michelangelomulieri5134]

Fully agree, nozze is the “quintessence” of perfection where the quest of Mozart for love, as norbert elias pointed out in his unfinished essay on mozart, was satisfied in the time span of the da ponte’s plot.

[@RequiemAeternam01]

Figaro all the way! Probably my favourite versions would have to be: 1. Georg Solti on Decca (1984). Despite some harsh criticisms, this recording (IMHO) has certainly stood the test of time. The LPO plays wonderfully, and the cast is phenomenal. Lucia Popp is light, bubbly, confident; the perfect Susanna. Samuel Ramey sings amazingly, but in my opinion he sounds a bit too Don Giovanni-like to be a scheming servant plotting against his master. Kiri Te Kanawa, well there's nothing really to say about Kiri except this: she is my personal favourite Countess, and has never been surpassed by anyone. And finally Thomas Allen sings the role of the Count perfectly. He just has that malicious quality in his voice, which also makes him a fantastic Don. 2. Colin Davis on Philips (1971). This version has also stood the test of time, and is my second favourite. Mirella Freni was always a marvellous Susanna, and isn't any less marvellous in this recording. I prefer Wladimiro Ganzarolli to Samuel Ramey in the role of Figaro, and the former sings the Act 1 finale "Non piu andrai" with great versatility. Jessye Norman has a beautiful voice, as always, but was still in the early years of her career and her voice isn't as good as her later recordings. Ingvar Wixell is very much like Allen, with a malicious, almost evil singing quality. 3. Karl Bohm on Deutsche Grammophon (1968). A classic recording which I never get tired of. The duet "Canzonetta sull'aria" from this recording was used in the famous scene from The Shawshank Redemption, which soon made the recording quite popular. Edith Mathis is one of my personal favourite sopranos, and she absolutely aces the role of Susanna. Hermann Prey was always a very entertaining Figaro, as is prominently shown in the 1976 film directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (also conducted by Bohm). Gundula Janowitz was always one of those classic Countesses, like that of Renee Fleming, Kiri Te Kanawa and Carol Vaness. She sings beautifully and I genuinely cannot fault her at all. She sings her encore aria "Dove sono" with skill and agility and sometimes receives some applause from me at the end of the aria. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau also featured in the Ponnelle film, and is your traditional, evil, lusting Count Almaviva.

[@moby628]

To these three great recordings I would add Otmar Suitner's with Staatskappelle Dresden (1966). It is in German but that hardly matters. After all what could be better than a German/Austrian/Swiss cast singing in its native tongue! Suitner's pacing and tempos are appropriately brisk, but allow for plenty of breathing when called for. I know of no better Figaro than Walter Berry, who matches excitable syllable for syllable with his counterpart Hermann Prey as the Count. Their jabbing banter in the recitatives is priceless. A youthful Edith Mathis is Cherubino and sings her two numbers with heartfelt innocence. Annaliese Rothenberger as Susanna has a velvet middle-upper register to die for, and Hilde Guden as the Countess, though vocally harder edged, reels us in to her hopeless marital situation. Throw in Peter Schreier as the snoopy Basilio and you've got a perfect cast. All the secondary roles are also superb! Given that this recording is pushing 60 years, it is remarkable that the sound engineering kept the singers and orchestra at an equal level. Having played this piece from the pit many times, I can tell you that the amazing details in the score are never denied! This recording has truly stood the test of time, and that is not just some trite overstatement about Mozart's most pivotal and glorious masterpiece.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

I must agree here. Le nozze truly is a perfect opera. I might have chosen the 38th symphony (Prague) or the clarinet concerto, but surely, this opera is Mozart’s masterwork.

[@jamiehaenisch8190]

Glad that someone here agrees. Mozart is at his pinnacle there, he is on another plane.

[@sppolly81]

Here is another composer who will be a struggle: Dvorak. My vote, just, would be Symphony No. 8, pipping the Cello Concerto by a short neck. Why Sym 8? Well, because it is un-Brahmsian and utterly Dvorakian. (Why is that epithet not used?) It has such joy and inventiveness and it is all done with a real Czech spirit. He also cracks the ‘finale problem’ in a gripping way here, which with the possible exception of No. 9 (plus nos. 1, 2 and 4 as well), he always seemed to achieve. Note for Dave - a video explaining the ‘finale problem’ would be interesting! However, the real win in No 8 for me is the beauty of the orchestration. No one else got such a shine of pure radiance as Dvorak did in my humble view.

[@iankemp1131]

Much as I love Dvorak, and the Eighth (and yes the orchestration and theme development are splendid), I'm never quite sure about the finale. It's very lively, and exciting at the end, but at times it feels as if he's loading too much on the main theme. So for me I guess it's the Cello Concerto or the Slavonic Dances. But the Symphonic Variations are terribly underrated and underperformed, and the Dumky Trio is not only a lot of fun but there is far more to it than meets the eye, a unique piece.

[@jensguldalrasmussen6446]

Mozart - it's for me the absolutely most impossible choice...bringing me into unending ambivalence! If you put a gun to my head: "ONE work!". I would most certainly stutter: "The..the..the da Ponte Triptych"!

[@mickeytheviewmoo]

My choice would be Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Once again, because it has been played/performed to it's death, it tends to get overlooked. Just imagine listening to the music for the very first time. It is an absolute masterpiece and the tunes are some of his best. I love it to bits.

[@carteri6296]

This was played to me in primary school (in the 70s), and since then I haven't been interested in any kind music other than classical.

[@IHSACC]

For Bach I will suggest cantata 105. This, or no. 21 contain an appropriate amount of emotional variety. I was going to suggest the St. Matthew Passion, but the emotional tone is not as varied as in some of the cantatas. These two really show how Bach could cover the whole range of human emotion. The B minor Mass will be a common choice, but it lacks the chorales which are such an important genre for him. In the end I’d probably have to go with cantata 21. It’s the length of a symphony, and it has such a wide range of expression. It does have a chorale based movement. Ok, I wish it could be Bach’s complete cantatas by Rilling. I think that the greatest cantatas are the essence of Bach even more than the Mass.

[@moby628]

I guess we are in pretty good company then! “Every number in Figaro is for me a marvel; I simply cannot fathom how anyone could create anything so perfect. Such a thing has never been done, not even by Beethoven.” - Johannes Brahms

[@magnuskrook39]

When brought before the tribunal, I hope that Domenico Scarlatti will be represented by the one collection of works for keyboard published in his lifetime, the Essercizi per gravicembalo. This consists of 30 sonatas (1-30 in Kirkpatrick's catalogue). On the model of the choice for Debussy, the Préludes, I gather that they can be considered to constitute an integrated group. To choose only one sonata would be somewhat meagre, but if it so it be, one could darn well pick any of the 555 blindfolded, and rest assured that one will be in fine shape.

[@johnbyrd3168]

Dave, have you read Eduard Morike’s “Mozart’s Journey to Prague”. A wonderful work by a remarkable poet.

[@GG-cu9pg]

For Prokofiev, I suggest his piano concerto #2. It has some of his youthful iconoclasm tempered by the maturity of his revision. It features his percussive and unique piano writing, a cadenza that takes “wrong note” to a new level and it still makes time for his melodic gift. If you choose the Freddy Kempff versIon, you get the completely splendid third concerto too! I am a Prokofiev person so this was a tough decision. The biggest contenders were Alexander Nevsky (my favourite film score - rabble rousing, roof raising and rip roaring all at once plus the tragic bit) The first violin concerto (brilliant example of his lyrical gift) and Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella (say no more).

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

For Prokofiev, I must go with the 3rd concerto. One of the greatest 20th century masterworks. Very few other concerti can compare.

[@jamiehaenisch8190]

@@LyleFrancisDelp I was about to comment this too. But 2 or 3, I don't think I could choose definitively.

[@GG-cu9pg]

@@jamiehaenisch8190 that’s why you could choose the Kempff/Litton disc (albums as a choice were sanctioned by Dave) and you don’t have to choose a concerto.

[@GG-cu9pg]

@@LyleFrancisDelp It was very much in the running.

[@IHSACC]

Hello Dave, For Brahms I would like to suggest the DG Complete Chamber Music. You did say that we could squeeze in some box sets, right? Brahms’ chamber music contains his real essence, even more than the orchestral music, including the symphonies. And is it really possible to choose one among so many masterworks? If it is decreed that there must be one, I suppose that it would have to be the Piano Quartet no. 3, op. 60. This would be a great encapsulation of his essence and contribution as a composer. But even as I say this I wonder how we could be without the C major piano trio op. 87, or the String Quintet no. 2, op. 111, or the Clarinet Quintet, op. 115. I give up, but it must be a chamber work.

[@IHSACC]

The chamber music medium allows Brahms to really explore harmony, counterpoint, rhythm, texture and form in ways that highlight his compositional strengths. Besides, he wrote 26 chamber works, far more than the orchestral music.

[@matthiasm4299]

Yay, I totally agree with everything you said!

[@willcwhite]

I agree that it had to come down to "Giovanni' and "Figaro", and I think you made the right choice. I've been following the series closely, but not reading the comments so much; alas, I'm sure that this would have been offered already, but I'll mention it all the same: for Bach, it has to be the B minor Mass. You could argue for one of the Passions or the oratorios or the Brandenburg concerti, but the B minor Mass, for me, combines the best of all those worlds. Plus, there's no recitative.

[@williamwhittle216]

I'm a Masgic Flute fan. Cut my opera teeth on this work.

[@davidaiken1061]

Absolutely! I couldn't have said it better myself. La Nozze di Figaro was my entrée into the world of opera, when I sang in the chorus of my undergrad university's opera workshop production. An unforgettable experience; one of the high points of my musical life. Now, here's a how-de-do: How about Gilbert and Sullivan? We wouldn't want the Wrath of Cancrizans to descend upon that splendid pair of British wags, would we? I've got a little list, and probably so do you. My object all sublime would be to promote Mikado to the top of that list. My worke scruples declare against it: Why not choose an operetta without cultural stereotyping and appropriation? The reason: it's the most delightful farrago of pre-Monty Python hilarity and the musical score, by the great Sullivan, is, in a word, spectacular.

[@coloraturaElise]

I knew it! But I was conflicted about this choice, because there are amazing things he does not show in this opera; it would be unreasonable to expect everything to be in one work.

[@GabrielMartins-se8sc]

For Prokofiev I would choose "Love for three oranges". The opera's libretto is very ironic. For this reason it "marries" perfectly with Prokofiev. A light, elegant and slightly "childish" irony. It is a perfect libretto for the composer's imagination. I believe it is one of the composer's most avant-garde musics. Leandro invoking Fata Morgana, the fight between Celio and Fata Morgana, the march, the music of tricks to make the prince laugh... these are musical examples of what I find most creative and interesting about Prokofiev.

[@stevecook8934]

I completely agree: Figaro, Giovanni, GP. BTW, I think all of Mozart's last 7 operas are fabulous. There is something there to satisfy so many listening moods. Since someone mentioned Mörike, I am going to suggest the Mörike Lieder for Hugo Wolf. Mörike's verse inspired Wolf to get past his creative block and what followed is amazing. Which takes me to Schumann. I pick Dichterliebe. He was young. He was in love. He was inspired by Heine's poetry. He had only recently started composing Lieder in a serious way and was creating masterpieces right and left. As DH says, what's not to love?

[@murraylow4523]

Yes, I was thinking about Schumann in this context and it’d surely have to be one of his Heine cycles

[@robertdandre94101]

my favorite work of mozart....? the violin concerto no k 217 for its Turkish finale....! I let myself be taken each time by the rhythm of this work, by the lively side, and I really like the interpretation of christian ferras with andré vandernott on emi

[@francoisjoubert6867]

Don Giovanni. When I see these, the first thing that pops up is the one I would chose. I understand why people may select Le Nozze, but I like having feisty (or screaming) female leads and Donna Anna (as by Joan Sutherland) for instance provides this for me, which the leading ladies from Figaro do not. And I just love (as used by the honorable Dave when he really likes something), the judgement scene. It also means that the McCormack recording of “Il mio tesoro” and Callas’s “Mi tradi” will be preserved for prosperity, as I assume that Cancrizans will erase all unapproved recordings too!

[@Mahlerweber]

Liked video. Since you're speaking about Mozart, probably "Oh Zittre Nitch Mein Lieber Sohn" (Magic Flute), but there's lots of Mozart to choose from.

[@robertparry4331]

I WOULD PICK THE JUPITER SYMPHONY.A JOYOUS WORK THAT SHOULD BE COMPULSORY LISTENING FOR ALL PEOPLE FEELING DE GALON(WELSH FOR FED UP)

[@sly16]

How is it that we agree almost all the time ?!

[@2134yanto]

Enjoying this series of videos. Can’t say that after listening to classical music for less than 2 years that I even know all of the choices you have made so far, or for that reason agree with the choices (not that I get to choose!). But the videos are very entertaining. Re the Mozart choice, I find opera difficult to listen to. And maybe I’d need to listen along with translations as I have no idea of any storyline etc. Maybe one day I’ll get into it. Thanks Dave

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes, if you love a composer's particular style you can listen to an opera purely for the music, but otherwise, if you starting, you should sit down with the words (the "libretto") and follow along. It's important to understand, not so much the story, which is often silly, but the emotions that the music expresses as a result of the story.

[@2134yanto]

@@DavesClassicalGuide thanks Dave. Appreciate the help. I’ve tried this with pieces like Verdi’s Requiem, and it does help to understand the text. I appreciate that Opera is much more complicated in text. But I’ll definitely give it a try at some point. If you’re not too busy, would you be able to maybe recommend an easy one to follow for someone like me who knows nothing about the genre please. Thanks again

[@jeffheller642]

How about Mozart's non-opera works: the Jupiter, the quintets, (my choice) the piano concertos?

[@bobflagg8917]

Figaro is awesome as are the last symphonies via Walter but I would go with the Requiem (Herreweghe on Harmonia Mundi), many sublime moments.

[@discipulussimplex]

For Beethoven, how can one do without masterpieces such as the piano concerto no. 4, the 7th symphony or the finest of the piano or violin sonatas etc.? Yet they all must bow to the 9th symphony who simply must be allowed to live on for as long humanity is around. And truth be told: unapologetically so.

[@dennischiapello3879]

I know it's tough choosing just one for these genius composers. But the task will be even tougher when we get to Pachelbel, though in a different way. Will Cancrizans allow us a pass? Dave, I'm thankful you don't bad-mouth Philip Glass, so that we can put him in the mix. Personally, I don't see why we should consider anything other than Einstein on the Beach. It will satisfy those who decry his later style. It has a wider variety of moods than his other works. It's responsible for whatever was most compelling in the stage work. The title itself seems iconic.

[@marknewkirk4322]

Bam! The Marriage of Figaro is the greatest comic opera ever written.

[@zdl1965]

Serenade in G major K.525, otherwise known as Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. If one wants to explain the four-movement symphony form to a total beginner, this would be it! It is short and simple, after which that beginner can proceed to Symphony No.40 without tears.

[@jankucera8180]

I love my tears, or rather feeling of the whole inseparable beauty an joy and sadness of life which, I feel went into Symphony No 40 in G minor. You may take me for totally crazy but I feel there is a deeper connection between Symphony No 40 and Janáček's opera Liška Bystrouška, in this respect...

[@jaykauffman4775]

I love Figaro as well but there is SOMETHING about Don Giovanni that I find endlessly fascinating. Maybe it because it is a version of one of the great Western myths??? For me it runs very deep

[@jonathangoodman2636]

Mozart mastered vocal character and knew its technique to the point of re-establishing it, as did Schubert. This is why a single choice for Schubert must be for voice--how could it not? I vote Die Winterreise.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Oh well, too late.

[@flexusmaximus4701]

I would have to choose symphony no 40. Mainly because it is my favorite Mozart work, and not being a big opera lover. 2nd place the Jupiter symphony. Paul

[@jankucera8180]

Same here, and I am an opera lover. Still, both Le Nozze and Don Giovanni would be strong contenders, and I would probably still choose Le Nozze over Don Giovanni, for exactly the reasons Mr Hurwitz explains.

[@dankoppel6271]

Is there a term for the "swell" of woodwinds that you often hear in Mozart concertos right before a soloist is done with a section? For example in the Sinfonia Concertante, but also many other of his pieces. I just love this effect each time I hear it but just wondering if there's a word for it. Do other composers use the same effect? I haven't noticed, but maybe Mozart contemporaries that I haven't listened to?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

There is no terminology that I'm aware of.

[@ammcello]

Prokofiev has to be Romeo and Juliet. Playful quirky melodies and harmonies typical of Prokofiev. Weighty and ferocious moments. He’s a ballet composer, not a symphonic composer.

[@johnbyrd3168]

Dave, can you do a video on La Monte Young. Obviously, so little is available, but that Downtown/Fluxus scene is so interesting to me…

[@TheHunterGracchus]

Don Giovanni is one of the greatest works ever written, but I can't separate it from the brilliant critical treatments by E.T.A. Hoffmann, and all the more so, Kierkegaard.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I've never had that problem.

[@TheHunterGracchus]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I wouldn't describe it as a problem. 😁

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I would!

[@barryguerrero6480]

For me, the "Gran Partita" Serenade.

[@carlconnor5173]

Symphony #40. I’m just not into Opera, although there’s some great music within Operas.

[@brianhughes3312]

Any particular recording of Le Nozze di Figaro that's head and shoulders above all others?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Nope.

[@aljacobsen6877]

Brahms....I think you need to choose the Piano Quintet in f minor. Brahms is so at home with chamber music and during the excesses of the late romantic era, Brahms was the antidote. What a fabulous work the piano quintet is. It is both intimate and grand (almost orchestra at times) which is one of the reason's his chamber music appeals to so many. It stands strong alongside large orchestra works and operas.

[@GG-cu9pg]

I I’ve been thinking about suggesting this and absolutely agree with your description. I really like the arrangement for two pianos! The harmonies of this piece remind me of Schoenberg calling Brahms “the progressive”.

[@egasfuentesfuentes7726]

Nevertheless and at the risk of Kankrisen (?) jealousy and wrath , to me, Mozart's most sublime work is the Puchberg's trio

[@FAH1966]

I‘m glad that we don‘t have to make that decision.

[@georgejohnson1498]

For me Giovanni my favourite opera. It is theatre, but not a true; story. Equally Beethoven's Fidelius is unrealistic. Both make a point. Best wishes from George

[@martinrichard237]

Why choose one? Every pieces of music of Mozart are great, and they are all full of emotions. I am wondering which Beethoven opus you are going to choose. (I guess Piano Sonata no 29 Hammerklavier)

[@Kounios]

David, when you give your pick for a "choose only one work," you should give your pick for "choose only one recording" for the "only one work." Of course, this wouldn't have to be the "best" recording, just the lone recording that you would want to represent that lone work.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I'll do it my way, thank you. I operating under divine orders.

[@Kounios]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Fair enough! It's just that I'm curious about whether you think that the "lone" recording could be different from the "best" recording.

[@kd6ttl]

A good choice, but the Mozart opera I always end up listening to is Abduction from the Seraglio. Except for the overture, which I always skip.

[@georgenestler2534]

Mozart's 20th piano concerto would be my choice. But I admit I am not into opera at all.

[@grantparsons6205]

Is there a more perfect work?

[@colinwrubleski7627]

If only he had kept his vow and finished the whole thing...the Great Mass in c-, K. 427. But as it stands incomplete, yes, one of the two big daPonte operas seems like the logical choice. His best opera overture though is of course from neither, but that to "Die Zauberflote"...

[@jg5861]

A little off-suggestion: for Wagner I really think he could have written just the Liebestod from Tristan, that it would appease any god or wannabe god or any other force of repertoire restriction. What infinite beauty that thing is!

[@grafplaten]

The Liebestod is even more effective when heard in context at the very end of several hours of music leading to it. It would be a shame to lose the rest of the opera. As for Wagner, if one can only choose a single work, then it should be "Der Ring des Nibelungen" (if one can consider this to be a single work), since it includes the most extensive range of his mature style(s). The musicologists might prefer "Tristan und Isolde" due to its experiments in harmony and influence on later composers, but the same could be said of the Ring. (My personal favourite would be "Parsifal"--but this is probably a work that appeals mainly to those hopelessly addicted to Wagner, so it's probably not the best choice for the most representative work.)

[@jg5861]

@@grafplaten I agree with every point you made. First of all, I must admit I've got carried away, because I was listening to it (for the 1367830251846th time) and thought, as always: "this is the most gorgeous thing he ever wrote". I heard it for many years by itself (I have the Flagstad/Furtwängler recording, which made me fall in love with it, but more often than not I would listen to the Prelude of Act I and the Liebestod, maybe sometimes the Prelude to Act III. I just think that as a purely listening experience, going through the whole work is kind of tiring). Of course, I know the criterion has to be another for a choice like this, and in fact I agree the Ring should be the choice. I thought exactly that when I wrote this, but as you noted I regarded the Ring as a kind of bundle of works, not a work in itself. But there's no argument regarding what it has in its favor: it's the summary of all things Wagner, right there in magnificent light, from the aesthetic principles to the techical mastery, from the conceptuality and gesamtkunstwerk to the influence on musical thought and practice. And it's an absolutely magnificent achievement. Thanks for the (very sensible and justified) thoughts!

[@grafplaten]

@@jg5861 Thanks for the response. I agree that listening to all of Tristan can be an emotionally exhausting experience, but it is worthwhile, and Wagner sets up the Liebestod material in the second act, and then recpitulates it and completes it at the end of the third, as well as finally resolving the ambiguous Tristan chord from the beginning of the work.

[@jg5861]

@@grafplaten yes, I know he does that musical connection and resolution and it's indeed admirable. I find the listening experience tiring not because of emotional issues, but motional ones: some scenes are very stretched out with only 2 characters, like the 2nd act, with a text that takes way too long to say the same idea over and over, with the music also relying on extensive repetition or sequenced motives. I appreciate the work, very much so, I just think it got a little too philosophical for its own good in a few places in which both action and text are very stagnant, which can rob the momentum and concentration. But it's a complaint about excellent vs. wonderful... So... :)))

[@grafplaten]

@@jg5861 The text in the second act is probably Wagner's most esoteric, and of course Tristan and Isolde are echoing each others' feelings, so it might seem long-winded for those not intoxicated by the music. For me, that part could go on forever, and I wouldn't complain. The ten minute monologue of König Marke, on the other hand....it feels as if it lasts 30 minutes or more, and is the only part that puts me to sleep.

[@mikeleghorn6092]

I challenge you to pick one pice by D. Scarlatti 😂

[@anonymusmester]

Wouldn't Cancrizans be interested in knowing not only the piece but also the corresponding recording to spare? (i.e.: Kleiber or Bohm)

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No. He doesn't care.

[@notrueflagshere198]

Of course that's a great choice, but if Cankerhootz is only going to let me hear one, I'd still rather have Don Giovanni. That's the one I listen to.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Try some others!

[@willduffay2207]

Interesting. I have to say I find Mozart operas just too ..... long for my tastes. And the plots are never completely straightforward. Great music, but by god just cut some of it. For Mozart I would pick the miraculous 41st symphony. So counterpoint is just so exhilarating.