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The Classical Music Academy Awards!

9K views 45 replies 20 participants last post by  Winterreisender 
#1 ·
Hello! I am Leonardo from Italy, I'm new to the forums and I am also rather new to the world of classical music - I've always liked it, but only recently have I started actively wanting to know more and more of it - this thread is mostly for fun, but it could help semi-beginners like me finding tips on new music to listen to!

So, without further ado, here are the categories for your nominations. This is not ba Feel free not to give a nomination for each one of them, but only to those you want to answer :) Keep in mind that this is not by ARTIST, but by INDIVIDUAL WORK, either the whole work or a single movement or part in it...

...so, for example, Mozart - Requiem Mass in D Minor K 626 or Mozart - Requiem Mass in D Minor K 626 - Dies Irae are both acceptable answers, but just "Mozart" isn't :p

By AGE
1) Best MEDIEVAL piece:
2) Best RENAISSANCE piece:
3) Best BAROQUE piece:
4) Best CLASSICAL piece:
5) Best ROMANTIC piece:
6) Best 20TH CENTURY piece:
7) Best CONTEMPORARY piece:

By FORM
8) Best MASS:
9) Best FUGUE:
10) Best PIANO CONCERTO:
11) Best CONCERTO FOR OTHER SOLO INSTRUMENT:
12) Best MINUET:
13) Best SYMPHONY:
14) Best OPERATIC ARIA:
15) Best QUARTET or QUINTET:
16) Best VARIATION:

By MOOD/THEME
17) SADDEST piece:
18) STORMIEST piece:
19) BITTEREST piece:
20) SCARIEST piece:
21) MOST RELAXING piece:
22) MOST CHEERFUL piece:
23) MOST ROMANTIC piece:
24) MOST MAJESTIC piece:
25) MOST SENSUAL piece:
26) MOST DEMONIC piece:
27) MOST INNOCENT piece:
28) MOST EXOTIC piece:
29) MOST INNOVATIVE piece:
30) MOST INSANE piece:
31) MOST PLAYFUL piece:

PERSONAL section
32) MOST LOVED piece:
33) MOST HATED piece:
34) MOST "NOTHING SPECIAL, WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT" piece:
35) FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED:
36) BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC:

Have fun, thanks for partecipating, my own answers will shortly follow!
 
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#2 ·
You know, there's a reason why they don't have such awards in real life. :D I'm sorry, but I find it a difficult task even to prepare a list of nominees for many categories, let alone choose a winner. Maybe if we did it like the actual annual thing, like Best Transcription of a Violin Concerto for Harpsichord, Strings and Continuo for the year 1738, I think I know who will win it. :D

But welcome aboard, Leonardo! This thread should certainly be fun. :)
 
#3 ·
Wow, Leonardo! That list would take a lot of thought for anyone... while I'm not sure I've considered this enough to answer any of the "objective" questions, I will give you a few votes for the "personal" section:

Most Loved: Pictures in an Exhibition by Mussorgsky (original piano version)
Most Hated: Grand Canyon Suite by Groflé
What's All the Fuss About Piece: Call me a heretic, but The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
First Piece I Loved: Chopin's Polonaise in Ab "Heroic"
Converting the Heathens: Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique. I have had quite some conversion success with this one.

I will also give you my best quintet: Schubert's Trout Quintet
and best concerto for another solo instrument: Bruch's Violin Concerto
 
#4 ·
Don't be afraid to answer! This is mostly for fun, it's not an accurate study... Just put the first answer that comes to mind, no one will hold your answers against you :) You're talking about "the best" from a SUBJECTIVE point of view! Here are MY answers for now, keeping in mind that my knowledge of classical music is still very limited, and that answers will change once I have learned more!

By AGE
1) Best MEDIEVAL piece: Neidhart von Reuental, Meienzit (actually, it's not technically classical music, but still!)
2) Best RENAISSANCE piece: Not sure, will get back to you after I listen to some more Palestrina, Monteverdi and Des Prez!
3) Best BAROQUE piece: Johann Sebastian BACH, Brandenburg Concertos BWV 1046-1051
4) Best CLASSICAL piece: Franz Joseph HAYDN, Symphony no.94 in G, "Surprise"
5) Best ROMANTIC piece: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Symphony no.9 in D minor, "Choral"
6) Best 20TH CENTURY piece:Maurice RAVEL, Boléro
7) Best CONTEMPORARY piece:George GERSHWIN, Rhapsody in Blue

By FORM
8) Best MASS: Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART, Requiem Mass in D minor
9) Best FUGUE: Johann Sebastian BACH, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BVW 565
10) Best PIANO CONCERTO: Franz LISZT, Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2 (not sure it's a piano CONCERTO, but I had to put it somewhere!)
11) Best CONCERTO FOR OTHER SOLO INSTRUMENT:
12) Best MINUET: Johann Sebastian BACH or Christian PETZOLD, Minuet in G major (from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach)
13) Best SYMPHONY: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Symphony no. 9
14) Best OPERATIC ARIA: Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART, Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (from The Magic Flute)
15) Best QUARTET or QUINTET:Luigi BOCCHERINI, String Quintet in E, Op.13 No.5
16) Best VARIATION: Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART, Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman"

By MOOD/THEME
17) SADDEST piece: Fryderyk CHOPIN, Piano Sonata no.2, III movement - Marche funèbre
18) STORMIEST piece: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Symphony no. 9, II movement - Molto Vivace
19) BITTEREST piece: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Piano Sonata no.8 "Pathétique"
20) SCARIEST piece: Giuseppe VERDI, Dies Irae
21) MOST RELAXING piece: Edvard GRIEG, Morning Mood (From the Peer Gynt)
22) MOST CHEERFUL piece: Johann STRAUSS, Radetzky March
23) MOST ROMANTIC piece: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Piano Sonata no.14 "Moonlight"
24) MOST MAJESTIC piece: Sir Edward ELGAR, Pomp And Circumstance no.1
25) MOST SENSUAL piece: Ok, I'm cheating... it's not technically CLASSICAL music, it's a tango... but in my opinion it SHOULD be considered classical! Alfredo LE PERA/Carlos GARDEL Por una cabeza aka the tango from Scent of a Woman
26) MOST DEMONIC piece: Charles-Camille SAINT SAENS, Danse Macabre
27) MOST INNOCENT piece: Franz Peter SCHUBERT, Ave Maria (Ellens Dritter Gesang)
28) MOST EXOTIC piece: Er... can't think of anything much... I'll go with Aleksandr BORODIN, Polovetsian Dances!
29) MOST INNOVATIVE piece: Not in a position to judge this right now! :)
30) MOST INSANE piece: Maurice RAVEL, Boléro
31) MOST PLAYFUL piece: Amilcare PONCHIELLI, Danza delle Ore (from La Gioconda)

PERSONAL section
32) MOST LOVED piece: Mmmm... I have to find a way not to mention Beethoven's Ninth again... So... how about Antonin DVORAK, Symphony no.9 "From the New World"? :)
33) MOST HATED piece: Well... nothing... Aram KHACHATURIAN's Sabre Dance gets on my nerves, but considering that that is probably its goal, I can't say I hate it :)
34) MOST "NOTHING SPECIAL, WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT" piece: Mmmm... this is dangerous ground... but I'd say Samuel BARBER, Adagio for Strings! Only a personal opinion of course :)
35) FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED: Fryderyk CHOPIN, Nocturne no.2 in E flat major, Op. 9-2
36) BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC: I swear by Bedrich SMETANA, Vltava (From the Ma Vlast)!

And I'm adding a new category, as I'm the thread creator and I can :p (just kidding - feel free to do so too, if you're inspired!)

37) FAVOURITE PIECE WHICH IS NOT WIDELY KNOWN: Ciprian PORUMBESCU, Balada pentru vioara si orchestra

There you go! Keep in mind that this is the selection of a 26 year old italian man who has only recently started expanding his classical music knowledge... I have extensive knowledge of only a few authors, and huge "black holes" on many others... for instance, I've never listened to anything of Berlioz or Shostakovic! *deeply ashamed*

Anyway... your turn now!
 
#14 ·
Best CONTEMPORARY piece:George GERSHWIN, Rhapsody in Blue
Gershwin, contemporary? Rhapsody in Blue is actually a few years older than Bolero.
 
#5 ·
Well, I guess I'll put in my two cents for the eras...

Medieval: Don't listen to much, so I can't really pass judgement.
Renaissance: Monteverdi's Orfeo
Baroque: Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, with the Brandenburgs coming in a very close second.
Classical: Mozart's Symphony no. 41, "Jupiter"
Romantic: This is a tie between Beethoven's "Waldstein" sonata and Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" quartet.
20th Century: Mahler's Symphony no. 1, "Titan"
Contemporary: Glass's Einstein on the Beach
 
#6 ·
I also have something for the "Personal Section":

MOST LOVED piece:
Arnold's Serenade for Small Orchestra

MOST HATED piece: There is one which I will not mention (probably would not exactly apply to this forum, anyhow), but as for a very close second: Janacek's Sinfonietta

MOST "NOTHING SPECIAL, WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT" piece:
Cannon in D!!!

FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED: In the Hall of the Mountain King from Grieg's Peer Gynt

BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC: Nielsen's Symphony No. 4: Inextinguishable, it has a little bit of everything.
 
#7 ·
Medieval and Renaissance: Haven't heard enough to have a real favorite.

Baroque: Tie between Handel's Water Music and Bach's Little Organ Fugue.

Classical: Mozart's Symphony No. 40

Romantic: A tie: Beethoven's Piano sonata No. 30 in E and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6

20th Century: ( I know I mentioned Arnold's Serenade), a close second for this era would be Shostakovich's 11th Symphony

Contemporary: Danny Elfman's Serenada Schizophrana
 
#8 ·
I didn't notice the 'First Piece You Loved'. For me, that would be Bach's violin concerto in A minor, BWV 1041, the first movement especially.
 
#10 ·
I don't know many of the pieces mentioned, but I'll make sure to know them all within a month or two ;) The problem with classical music is... there's just TOO MUCH of it...

...the good part, however, is that often it comes quite cheap as nobody listens to it anymore! I saw the complete works of Mozart (120 CDs) and Beethoven (100 CDs) at 99 euros each, which is something like 147 US dollars... less than one euro per CD :) and recently I bought 56 hours of Mozart for 6 euros!

Anyway, thanks for partecipating and keep the tips coming... yes, even creating completely new categories if necessary :)
 
#16 ·
Here's my personal section:

32) MOST LOVED piece: I love anything with a good tune and that is well thought-out.
33) MOST HATED piece: Mussorsky – Pics at an Exibition
34) MOST "WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT" piece: Orff – Carmina Burana
35) FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED: Dvorak’s New World Symphony
36) BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC: The Queen Symphony
 
#18 ·
Maquissar Offline Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008Posts: 4

Ok Maquissar. Here is my lot!. Like you I don’t know everything…But of the music I’ve heard this is roughly what I would put…Regards…
:confused:
By AGE
1)Best MEDIEVAL piece: Not sure yet!
2) Best RENAISSANCE piece: Spem in alium – Thomas Tallis
3) Best BAROQUE piece: Handels Messaieh
4) Best CLASSICAL piece: Mozart Piano Concerto #27 K595 (But there are many other pieces as well)
5) Best ROMANTIC piece: Bruckner Symphony # 8
6) Best 20TH CENTURY piece: Mahler Symphony # 9 (Especially the final movement)
7) Best CONTEMPORARY piece: (That’s difficult as I don’t go much more modern than Shostakovitch – I’ll go for his 5th Symphony for now). I quite like John Tavener as well.
By FORM
8) Best MASS: Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART, Requiem Mass in D minor
9) Best FUGUE: The central section from the Finale of Bruckners 5th Symphony.
10) Best PIANO CONCERTO: Beethoven 4th
11) Best CONCERTO FOR OTHER SOLO INSTRUMENT: Mozart Clarinet Concerto
12) Best MINUET: Third Movement from Mozart Symphony # 41 (Jupiter)
13) Best SYMPHONY: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Symphony no. 9
14) Best OPERATIC ARIA: Mozart Soave Sia Il Vento from Cosi Fan Tutte
15) Best QUARTET or QUINTET: Schubert’s “Trout Quintet”
16) Best VARIATION: Sir Edward Elgar- Enigma Variations
By MOOD/THEME
17) SADDEST piece: Tchaikovsky, Last Movement from Symphony # 6
18) STORMIEST piece: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Storm from Symphony # 6
19) BITTEREST piece:
20) SCARIEST piece: Giuseppe VERDI, Dies Irae or March to the Scaffold from Berlioz “Symhonie Fantastique”
21) MOST RELAXING piece: Edvard GRIEG, Morning Mood (From the Peer Gynt)
22) MOST CHEERFUL piece: Johann STRAUSS, Radetzky March or Arrival of the Queen of Sheba by Handel
23) MOST ROMANTIC piece: Love Theme from Tschaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet”
24) MOST MAJESTIC piece: Beethoven Symphony # 5 (Last Movement)
25) MOST SENSUAL piece:
26) MOST DEMONIC piece: Charles-Camille SAINT SAENS, Danse Macabre
27) MOST INNOCENT piece: Brahms, Lullaby
28) MOST EXOTIC piece: Enescu , Romanian Rhapsody # 1
29) MOST INNOVATIVE piece: Beethoven, Eroica Symphony
30) MOST INSANE piece:
31) MOST PLAYFUL piece: Amilcare PONCHIELLI, Danza delle Ore (from La Gioconda) Yes I’ll go for this as well!!!PERSONAL section
32) MOST LOVED piece: Ok…It’s a bit corny.. But the choral version of Samual barbers Adagio.
33) MOST HATED piece: Brahms Third Symhony. (Just hasn’t got the stature of his other three)
34) MOST "NOTHING SPECIAL, WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT" piece: Pachalbel, Canon35) FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED: J.S. Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D minor
36) BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC: I swear by Bedrich SMETANA, Vltava (From the Ma Vlast)! OR..Mozart Eine Keine Nacht Music..
 
#21 ·
MOST (LOVED) RELAXING PIECE: Beethoven Symphony No.6, II
MOST (LOVED) CHEERFUL PIECE: Beethoven Symphony No.6, I
MOST INSANE PIECE: Well, maybe not the most insane, but I nominate any piece by the Devil incarnate Nicolo Paganini. For your enjoyment, Heifetz playing the Caprice No.24. (Check out the part after 3:50. I'm not a violin player, and so I can't say if that's really difficult or not, but you get the idea. :)) He's got stuff like this in his concerti, as well!
 
#22 · (Edited)
By AGE
1) Best MEDIEVAL piece: Tecum principium from Chants and Vespers for Christmas Day
2) Best RENAISSANCE piece: Archadelt, Jacques - Il Bianco e dolce cigno
3) Best BAROQUE piece: Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No.#
4) Best CLASSICAL piece: Mozart, Symphony No. 41
*5) Best ROMANTIC piece: Mahler, Symphony No.#
6) Best 20TH CENTURY piece: Richard Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier
7) Best CONTEMPORARY piece: Williams, SW

By FORM
8) Best MASS: Mozart, Great Mass in C minor.
9) Best FUGUE: last movement of Mozart's 41st symphony.
10) Best PIANO CONCERTO: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 27
11) Best CONCERTO FOR OTHER SOLO INSTRUMENT: Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto
12) Best MINUET: Any from Mozart's late Quartets.
13) Best SYMPHONY: Mahler, Symphony No. 6
14) Best OPERATIC ARIA: Final aria in Richard Strauss' Salome.
15) Best QUARTET or QUINTET: Dissonance quartet, Mozart
16) Best VARIATION: Mozart, Sonata No. 11, K331, first movement.

By MOOD/THEME
17) SADDEST piece: Finale of Tristan
18) STORMIEST piece: Mahler, Symphony No.7
19) BITTEREST piece: Mahler, Symphony No.6
20) SCARIEST piece: Strauss, Salome
21) MOST RELAXING piece: Brahms Clarinet Sonata Op.120 No.2 in EbMajor
22) MOST CHEERFUL piece: Respighi, Last movement from Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No.2
23) MOST ROMANTIC piece: Strauss, Ist Ein Traum from Der Rosenkavalier
24) MOST MAJESTIC piece: Meistersingers Overture.
25) MOST SENSUAL piece: Overture to Struass' Capriccio.
26) MOST DEMONIC piece: Devils Trill Sonata, obviously!
27) MOST INNOCENT piece: Prokofiev, Classical Sonata.
29) MOST INNOVATIVE piece: Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique
30) MOST INSANE piece: Hahn playing Erlkonig on violin -
31) MOST PLAYFUL piece: Mozart's Music Joke.

PERSONAL section
33) MOST HATED piece: George GERSHWIN, Rhapsody in Blue
34) MOST "NOTHING SPECIAL, WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT" piece:
35) FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED: Mozart, Sonata No.11, K331.
36) BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC: 1812. The canons get people excited... regardless of whether it is just trivial icing sugar. People like that. (Note: I just mean the canons in it, not the rest of the piece)

Are you a cellist by any chance!!!
hehe
 
#28 · (Edited)
Here's what I tried to do... answer in a minimum of 10 categories, answer honestly, AND
name a different composer with each answer.:)

3) BAROQUE Piece- Bach: Goldberg Variations
4) CLASSICAL Piece- Mozart: Piano Concerto 20
5) ROMANTIC Piece- Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
6) 20th CENTURY Piece- Mahler: Symphony 5
10) PIANO CONCERTO- Rachmaninoff: 3
11) OTHER CONCERTO- Brahms: Violin
12) MINUET- Haydn: Symphony 95, movement 3
13) SYMPHONY- Beethoven's 7th
24) MAJESTIC- Bruckner: Symphony 5
35) FIRST PIECE LOVED- Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake

Taken in this fragmentary manner, it was kind of fun to make a contribution.

P.S.: @ Yagan Kiely-
*5) Best ROMANTIC piece: Mahler, Symphony No.#
As Art Fleming used to say, more specific information needed, please.:D
 
#25 ·
Yes, I'm in the strings! 1st violin, as stated in my location! Pics at an Exibition is really to show off the brass an woodwind. Us strings get naff all to play!
 
#27 ·
By AGE
3) Best BAROQUE piece: Handel's Water Music
4) Best CLASSICAL piece: Hard to choose amongst Boccherini's string quintets
6) Best 20TH CENTURY piece: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez

By FORM
16) Best VARIATION: Sor's Introduction & Variations on Mozart's "O cara armonia", op.9

By MOOD/THEME
17) SADDEST piece: Beethoven's 7th Symphony, Allegretto

PERSONAL section
35) FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED: Ravel's Bolero (?)
36) BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC: Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "Sonatina Canonica" op. 196

I tried!
 
#29 ·
well my choices dont fit quite neatly into the categories, but here they are
apologies for the misspellings
good thread, BTW
:)
By AGE
1) Best MEDIEVAL piece: "Dort Oben auf dem berge", Ludwig Senfl
2) Best RENAISSANCE piece (S) : "Royall Consorts" Wm Lawes
3) Best BAROQUE piece:,"Armide", Lully
5) Best ROMANTIC piece: 'Mahler 3, 1st movt.'
6) Best 20TH CENTURY piece: 'Le Sacre'

By FORM

14) Best OPERATIC ARIA: "Nessun Dorme",M, "Sempre Libre"F
16) Best VARIATION: 'Diabelli', LVB

By MOOD/THEME
17) SADDEST piece: "Tombeau pour Mr. de St Colombe le pere"- St Colombe, (le fils)
22) MOST CHEERFUL piece: Anything ever composed by Eric Coates.
24) MOST MAJESTIC piece: "Allein Gott in der hohe sei Ihr" Schutz
25) MOST SENSUAL piece: "Ye Fiends and Furies"Wm Lawes
2
31) MOST PLAYFUL piece: "Cupid, the Slyest Rouge Alive" -Purcell
31a) MOST ANNOYING COMPOSER: Serge Prokoffiev

PERSONAL section

33) MOST HATED piece: "Gymnopedies"- Erik Satie
 
G
#32 ·
Well, while I disagree about the instance (the opening to Beethoven's first is tonally ambiguous, too), I always use "twentieth century" as a stylistic term more than a chronological term, too. Not sure how many other posters would let us get away with that, though!

No doubt that Mahler's got some very "modern" ideas, from the very start of his career. More so than say Dvorak, who also wrote music after 1900....
 
#33 ·
Some good points, SG. I probably shouldn't have referenced the tonality of the opening (as, actually, many medieval works are also tonally ambiguous) but more the dreamy, impressionistic atmosphere of it. Mahler, for me, was a kind of Romantic Beethoven: he was within the Romantic time period, but much of his music was firmly 20th Century in content.
 
#34 ·
I am glad to see that this thread has had some success, especially because I get to learn a lot more about classical music by reading your answers ;) And as I said, feel free to add new categories if you feel the need to... like, I don't know,

37. MUSIC YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T LISTEN TO WHILE DRIVING, or
38. BEST MUSIC TO ANNOY YOUR NEIGHBOURS

Something like that! ;)
 
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