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Works that resemble Mozart's Requiem

12K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Il Seraglio 
#1 ·
I believe this is the greatest classical music I've listened to (I haven't listened to many). I'm looking for other works that are majestic and great as this- they don't have to be Requiems but they do have to be as good. (Sorry for the beginner's question if any of you think that it is one, but I really want to hear some fine Classical music).
 
#2 ·
Well, it is hard. The Requiem is your opinion of perfect music, but what you got out of it isn't the same as what others got out of it. So to name a piece as good as it is hard, and I wouldn't be sure that a recommendation of my own would be in your liking.

With that said, I absolutely love the Requiem Mass. Some pieces I could say are as big and majestic as this, but they aren't requiems. These pieces will take you through a series of emotions, and introduce you to a new field of music. It will be like watching a movie in your head.

Daphnis Et Chloe - Maurice Ravel This piece is truly a work of art. It takes you on a journey that only your imagination can create. It is breath taking, and it has the greatest contrasts of beauty and darkness I have ever heard.

Firebird - Igor Stravinsky This piece is very much like the one above. It is filled with great beauty and scale. It is large and it takes over your imagination. It also has great contrasts of beauty and darkness. It is best to listen to this one without anybody else's take on it, and create your own ideas about it.
 
#3 ·
Well Fatnick, I disagree with member SalieriIsInnocent's recommendations, especially if you are just beginning to appreciate Classical music. If you think Mozart's Requiem is a fine piece, then I would suggest you explore other Mozart's works, as you are already feeling comfortable with Mozartian Classical, before branching out into other works of quite different periods and styles.

Having said that, why don't you consider two other Mozart masses that I think are as great as the Requiem? Coronation Mass in C major K.317 and of course the so called Great Mass in C minor, K.427. Not much by other composers can "resemble" Mozart's Requiem, other than other masses by Mozart himself.
 
#5 ·
I agree with HarpsichordConcerto and Aramis. Fatnick, you are lucky to have started at the very top, if I may call it that. No doubt you will need little encouragement to continue exploring Mozart. His piano concertos are very beautiful and easy to understand, as well as being great music. His Symphonies are also relatively easy to understand (accessible) and are grand works. Then there is the chamber music - the beautiful and fascinating piano sonatas, less accessible to the masses and therefore in my opinion more precious. And lastly, in his instrumental works, the string quartets, more complex works, less readily understandable at first hearing, which may hugely repay repeated hearings. And finally his operas, which are probably the furthest genre from his religious choral works.

But you will want to explore other composers too. Closest to the Requiem K622 are probably Bach's St Matthew and St John Passions, the first is more often performed but I prefer the second. These are also grand works on the scale of K622. While on Bach, try also any of his beautiful concertos and especially the set of 6 concertos known as the Brandenburg Concertos. Of these the one in G for two recorders (or flutes, these days) is my special favourite.

Then there is Beethoven. First hear the justly popular Violin Concerto, Piano Concertos and of the Symphonies I recommend Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7. And the Moonlight, Pathetique and Appassionata Sonatas. They are great works, and if they are not yet hackneyed for you that is a bonus for you. From there on you might want to explore the other piano sonatas. This is a genre in which Beethoven greatly excelled.

Those 3 are the great greats. I'll stop there and let someone else deal with the other composers.
 
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#6 ·
I would also recommend the other Mozart Masses - the C Minor Mass and the Coronation Mass. After that, though, to keep it within the classical period, I would also recommend some works by Haydn. Particularly, look at his Missa in Angustiis, also know as the "Nelson" Mass. Very nice, majestic work. From there I would turn to, what I consider, one of the best masses out there - Bach's incredible Mass in B Minor. It is incredible. Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, to me, ranks right up there with Bach's mass, although it was written around the time he was composing his 9th symphony, so it begins to sound a little more Romantic than Classical, but not that much of a jump. For straight-up requiem, though, my top recommendation is Brahms' "Ein Deutsches Requiem." Not a proper requiem in the strictest definition, but it is incredible.

Luckily the genre of religious choral music is incredibly rich, containing some of the most beautiful works created. If you really want to go hardcore, try some Renaissance a cappella masses and requiems - composers like Ockeghem, Palestrina, des Prez, Tallis, etc.
 
#8 ·
Falstaft's avatar reminds me of Berlioz's Te Deum, another grand choral work. If you are more adventurous, I would also suggest Bruckner's Masses 1-3. The one in E minor is quite grand, and dark somewhat like the Mozart (I haven't yet heard Bruckner's own Requiem, so I'm not sure if I should recommend it, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to check that one out also, given the quality of his masses)...
 
#9 ·
I agree with Harpsichord's recommendation of Mozart's Great Mass in C-minor as well as his other masses. Haydn's masses are also worth looking into, including the Mass in the Time of war, St. Cecilia Mass, Lord Nelson Mass, etc... Moving to an era outside of Mozart's own, I'd surely recommend Faure's Requiem. Like Mozart's work Faure avoids any hysterics and focuses instead upon the consolation and peace and calm of death. If it is the choral structure and sound that interests you I can surely offer up an endless array of other choral works... including many of those suggested here.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the many suggestions. As advised, I shall begin with Mozart's Coronation Mass and his
Great Mass, then Bach, and then maybe Bruckner. I must admit that I have more of a problem with Beethoven, Mostly because I've heard his fifth symphony too many times in my life.
 
#12 ·
I think hearing any work too often could be a mistake.

Jigsawwizard recommends Beethoven's 9th - truly a great work, but there again the Ode to Joy theme can get a bit tedious after 100 hearings...

Fatnick, I wonder what you would think of one of Beethoven's more lyrical works, say the Spring Sonata Op.7. Or don't you like purely instrumental works? Or works on a smaller scale?
 
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