Just to clarify: Flamencosketches' thread asked for the genre that represents the peak. You ask for a single composition?

For a single composition: Symphony 6
For a genre: The string quartets

These are of course personal preferences.

 

Yes, exactly my thoughts. Symphony 6 is to me an amazing programmatic vision, one of my favorites by any composer, and I'm a fan of programmatic music. For most of my life I didn't appreciate Beethoven's string quartets, but recently I've come to appreciate them as the compositional wonders they are, and how excellent they are within that form.

 

Op. 130-133 the 13th String Quartet with the 'Grosse Fuge' finale, closely followed by op. 111: Pianosonate #32, especially the arietta, where he invented Jazz music.

In general, the 'late' Beethoven reached a peak almost no one ever did after Bach. Absolute music:angel:

 

The premise here is that an Artist output improves as they age. Certainly for Beethoven one can make that case, but as much as I love the late Piano Sonatas, I’m not ready to agree that Op.111 is necessarily better than the Pathetique or the Tempest Sonatas, among others. And the late quartets are otherworldly, but can they be considered better than the Razumovsky? Does the Ninth Symphony, with it’s absence of Sonata Allegro form, best the previous Eight, or does it show Beethoven was moving in a new direction?

 

Op.57, Op.101 piano sonatas, Op.59 No.1,2, Op.131 string quartets; fine masterpieces.

The premise here is that an Artist output improves as they age. Certainly for Beethoven one can make that case, but as much as I love the late Piano Sonatas, I'm not ready to agree that Op.111 is necessarily better than the Pathetique or the Tempest Sonatas, among others. And the late quartets are otherworldly, but can they be considered better than the Razumovsky? Does the Ninth Symphony, with it's absence of Sonata Allegro form, best the previous Eight, or does it show Beethoven was moving in a new direction?

David C F Wright regards Beethoven as the greatest composer of classical music, but doesn't hold a high opinion of the late works. (To people who keep saying DCFW is an idiot: I'm not using him as an authority on the subject, I'm just citing him as an example of a person who thinks Beethoven as the greatest composer but still doesn't think highly of the late works. And to me, he doesn't have "weirder opinions" than many of you.)

I don't have a "I-don't-know-why,-I-just-hate-it" attitude on composers and their music. As long as Beethoven has "consistent" musical ideas such as in Grosse Fuge and 9th symphony (the 1st movement and scherzo are magnificent), I'm pretty tolerant about his musical decisions.
The second movements of Op.132, Op.111 don't really strike me as powerful as his other masterpieces. The Op.111 second movement reminds me of the variations of Op.77 (in feel) to me. I can appreciate the dreamy ending though, but overall, it just doesn't feel "thoroughly-composed" as Op.101 to me.

 

Wellington's Victory, Op. 91.

It's the peak of something. I'm just not sure what.

 

I think it was his biggest earner! :lol:

 

For a single composition I'd go with his 9th Symphony - that one is immense and I love the choral part. Deciding which genre is a lot more difficult for me... I think it must be string quartets as well though his piano sonatas and symphonies are very close.

 

As a genre, I would probably say the string quartets edge out the piano sonatas for that honor ever-so-slightly. As a composition the 9th symphony or Diabelli variations.

 

9th Symphony. Kruetzer violin sonata. Violin Concerto. Appassionata, Les Adieux, Op. 109 sonatas.

 

Someone said it. Symphony 6.

 

The piano sonatas. (period)

 

The late quartets
Piano sonatas 30, 31, 32

 

The absolute peak for me would be the Missa solemnis. Include also the last 5 piano sonatas, the last 5 string quartets and the 8th symphony, which I think is one of the "sunniest" things Beethoven wrote. And also symphonies 3 and 7.

 

The violin concerto, the 5th piano concerto, the 7th symphony, Lenore Overture no. 3.

 

I supposed it would be my favourite symphony, the 7th. Though the 3rd is my close second.

 

Symphony 3, Symphony 6, Symphony, 7, Symphony 9
Appassionata, Hammerklavier, Diabelli Variations
Piano Concerto 4
Final String Quartets, Grosse Fuge
Missa Solemnis

 

Genre: Symphonies
Work: Missa Solemnis

 

My overall favorites: all symphonies, the middle and late string quartets (including the Grosse Fuge), the Missa Solemnis and the mass in C, the three last piano concertos, the triple and violin concertos, the Choral fantasia, the oratorio Christus am Ölberge, the song cycle An die ferne Geliebte, the song Adelaide, the set of bagatelles from Op. 126, the opera Fidelio, the piano sonatas Nos. 8, 14, 17, 18, 21, 23, 26, 27 plus the late sonatas, the Andante Favori, all the cello sonatas, the violin sonata Kreutzer, the piano trios Ghost and Archduke, the Diabelli and Eroica sets of variations, the overture Die Weihe des Hauses, the incidental music König Stephan and Die Ruinen von Athen, and the Polonaise in C.

Current single favorite piece: Choral symphony.
Current single favorite genre: tie between string quartets and symphonies.

 

Does there need to be one peak?

 

I agree with Consuono, and would add only the G major piano concerto.

 

For me it's mountain ranges, not a peak or peaks. My favorite range is the piano sonatas and on any given day my favorite could be any one of sixteen or so.

 

The symphonies
The late 4tets
Leonore Ov #3

 

The final piano sonata, No. 32, in particular the 8 minutes' or so of right hand playing from the middle to end of the arietta - adagio molto semplice e cantabile. This more closely defines the late and deaf Beethoven and his desires to go beyond the limitations of musical instruments and forms and earthly existence than anything else I know from him. His Ninth Symphony stretched the limits of singers more greatly than anything else he wrote but nothing compares to the final piano sonata.

 

Is it possible to say one? People mentioning the Missa solemnis have reminded me of the violin part in the Benedictus, which is difficult to top. Listening to op.131 as I type this and maybe the opening fugue in that work...so incredibly pure it has me in tears.

 

It is the common answer, but I think the late string quartets really are the peak. ITo me the beginning of the String Quartet No. 12 is the pinnacle of euphoria, No. 14 is the pinnacle of langour and gloom, and so on. To me the Grosse Fuge is one of those extraordinary works of music that doesn't sound like it came from this planet and has no signals as to its time period, like Ligeti's Piano Concerto. Beethoven found something in his late quartets, but I don't know what. I also think it is interesting how they can baffle so many people. Even Henri Dutilleux said that he detested those late string quartets until he understood them late in life while writing Ainsi la nuit. But Symphony No. 7 and the piano sonatas 29-32 seem to me to be other great peaks.

 

Nobody mentioned the 5th... very disappointing

 

Obviously difficult and highly subjective. In a great performance with great soloists, the Missa Solemnis