Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner The most beautiful most sad and most frightening...

Ay thoughts for the composers:
-Chopin
-Rachmaninoff
-Skryabin
-Debussy
-Beethoven
-Liszt
-Mozart
A list of three for each comopser on there most beautiful parts, sad parts, and frightening parts.
By parts I mean like ex: Most beautiful(Rachmaninoff) ending of the third movement of the Rach 3.

So for Chopin maybe I'd write...
Most Beautiful: Middle section of Fantasie Impromptu
Most Sad: Main theme of Noc in C sharp minor (Post)
Most Frightening: Prelude in G minor Op. 28 No. 22? (whole thing)

[edit] hehe..woops I didnt notice your specific list of composers the first time around. Oh well, here's my Prokofiev list anyways.[/edit]

As much as some people find these threads lame, I find them fun.

Im just going to list pieces/movements as a whole, I can't think that specifically.

Prokofiev:
Most Sad - Piano Sonata No. 2 - Movement 3 (of 4)
Most Beautiful - Piano Sonata No. 4 - Movement 2
Most Frightening - Piano Sonata No. 7 - Movement 3/Piano Concerto No. 2 - Movement 1
Most Playful - Visions Fugitives No. 10 - Ridicolosamente

Just Prokofiev for now. I'll have to think on the others.

Most beautiful

Liszt - Consolations (especially Db Major)
Mozart - Piano concerto No.18 in Bb Major, II

Most Sad

Chopin - Nocturne No.15 in F minor
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.5 in E minor

Most Frightening

I can't really think of any right now!

Prokofiev 2nd Piano Concerto, just after the cadenza, is quite frightening. Also, the 2nd movement (and parts of the 3rd and 4th movements) of Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8.

And the 4th movement of Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 has to be one of the saddest movements I've heard (along with lots of his other music, too!)

many Beethoven's pieces qualify as both beautiful and sad, just a few examples:

the most beautiful and sad:
- 2 op.5 cello/piano sonatas
- string quartet op.132 finale (achingly beautiful and heartbreaking)
- piano sonata op.106 3rd movement
- piano concerto 3 1st movement & 4 2nd movement
- symphony 3 and 7's 2nd movement
etc.

Good 'ol Liszt can never steer us wrong:
most beautiful: consolations, liebastraum, un sospiro

most frightening: the presto section near the end of the b minor sonata

most sad: funerailles

Rachmaninoff

Most Beautiful:
-Concerto No. 1 Mov. 2
-Concerto No. 2 Mov. 2
-Concerto No. 4 Mov. 2
-Cello Sonata in G minor, Andante

Most Sad
-Etude-Tableaux Op. 39, No. 2

Most Frightning
-Hard to say...

Chopin :

Most beautiful : lyrical section of sonata no. 3, 1st mov, nocturne in Db major op. 27 no. 2, several parts from the F minor concerto

Most sad : Nocturne op. 48 no1, waltz no 3 in A minor, several mazurkas and preludes...and much more , sad being the most prevalent mood of this melancholic soul..

Frightening : preludes 22 and 24, and finale to Sonata no. 3

For me too. I must have mentioned this theme in 10 posts so far. No matter how often I hear it it never fails to thrill me.

Chopin:
Beautiful: Etude op. 25 no. 1
Sad: Etude op. 25 no. 7
Frightening: Sonata no. 2 finale!

I dont see how you can take a composer like Chopin or Liszt or any of the above for that matter, and choose the most "beautiful", "sad" or "frightening" parts. I mean it's a very interesting post, but for me its not so black and white. I think numerous parts can count for all 3 adjectives Some might lean a bit towards sad or happy or frightening, but it's all just so beautiful and particular that it's impossible to fairly compare the "beauty" of any particular piece of a composer.

I looked at this in a different way.

I find both Liszt and Rach frightening because I percieve them as difficult to play

I find Chopin beautiful and sad because I am attracted to pieces of this kind that he wrote so well. And I can actually play them

I find Beethoven exciting. I am not sure why - but some of his music, though not necessarily terribly complex to play, stirs my spirit

And I find Satie and some Debussy rather stultifying, boring even.

And though this is not piano music I am almost always irritated by any of the Strauss family. Instantly recognisable - but oh my goodness, its all the same....


Adrian

Ravel would be a nice one to do:
Beautiful:
Une Barque sur l'Ocean
Sad:
Pavane pour une Infante Defunte
Frightening:
Gaspard mvmts. 2 and 3
Climax of la Valse
Athough a bunch of his pieces are not so simple to categorize in emotion: sonatine, for instance, or the last mvmt of Miroirs

The most beautiful piece of music ever written, OR PLAYED, is Dubravka Tomsic's rendition of the Second Movement of Chopin's Second Piano Concerto. Listening to it, played the way only she can, gives you a true insight into Chopin's soul. Beauty and sadness in equal measures. Truly incredible.

I have that. Is it me or is there a part where she comes in at the wrong time?

Huh, I consider Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony to be more sad than No. 5 -- just listen to the last movement.

To answer the OP:
Beethoven:
Beautiful:
Violin Concerto, II
Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor", II
String Quartet No. 8, "Razumovsky", II

Sad:
Symphony No. 7, II
String Quartet No. 7, "Razumovsky", III
String Quartet No. 11, "Quartetto Serioso", I

Frightening:
Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral", IV
Piano Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight", III
Piano Sonata No. 17, "Tempest", I

I'm taking the superlative out because I can't decide.


69

quote: I have that. Is it me or is there a part where she comes in at the wrong time?


It's you.

The saddest AND most frightening piece is Barber's Addagio. Frightening for how profoundly it can evoke sadness and melancholy in the listener.

Bach Partita No.2 in D minor for most beautiful and sad.