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The most beautiful orchestral work of the twentieth century

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guest54
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« on: March 31, 2013, 02:09:40 am »

The clear winner, in my opinion, is Delius's double concerto.
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Gauk
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« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2013, 08:15:36 am »

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
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Christo
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... an opening of those magic casements ...


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« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2013, 08:40:33 am »

Or, as Hegel said, 'das Auge ist sonnenhaft'.  ;)
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… music is not only an `entertainment’, nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.  RVW, 1948
tapiola
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« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2013, 11:38:04 am »

The possibilities are endless! 
First work that comes to mind is Alwyn's "Lyrica angelica".
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jimfin
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« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2013, 12:46:36 pm »

It's very familiar, but the Tallis Fantasia is pretty perfect for me!
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« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2013, 01:26:24 pm »

It's very familiar, but the Tallis Fantasia is pretty perfect for me!

One recalls Holst's remark about hearing the Tallis Fantasia for the first time-at, I think, its premiere in Gloucester Cathedral in September 1910. Holst said that he had to grip the sides of his seat because he was sure that without doing so he was about to ascend heavenwards :)
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BrianA
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« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2013, 01:52:44 pm »

Words like "beautiful", "favorite", etc, especially when combined with a modifier like "most", always cause me trouble.  My usual response is to generate a list of ten favourite, most beautiful. whatever, not necessarily in any particular order.  But if I were to confine myself to the activity that joins us together here, ie musical downloads, I've been particularly impressed by Vladigerov's piano concertos.  Not claiming these works are necessarily the deepest, most profound, or even necessarily, the "most beautiful", but I remember being caught up in the high spirits of the music and the sheer brilliance of the sound.

I'm afraid Delius is a composer I've somehow managed to avoid being exposed to most of my life, so I can't make a direct comparison.
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oldfezzi
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« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2013, 06:43:54 pm »

Mahler 8
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David Carter
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« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2013, 01:54:11 pm »

Symphony No 2 by Kaikhosru Sorabji.  :)
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albert
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« Reply #9 on: April 04, 2013, 02:13:25 pm »

An "easy" choice : Ravel Left Hand Piano Concerto (contender also for "the most masterful").
Less "easy" : Sibelius The Bard
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Christo
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... an opening of those magic casements ...


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« Reply #10 on: April 04, 2013, 02:35:32 pm »

Another vote for the Tallis Fantasia here.  :)
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… music is not only an `entertainment’, nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.  RVW, 1948
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« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2013, 02:45:16 pm »

Vaughan Williams symphony 5 does it for me..
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kyjo
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« Reply #12 on: April 04, 2013, 08:01:53 pm »

Hmmm....tough to pick just one. Despite its short duration, I would probably nominate Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte (the piano version was written in 1899, but the orchestral version comes from 1910, so...). Such a beautiful piece! VW's Tallis Fantasia and Symphony no. 5, Barber's Adagio for Strings (overused though it be), Sibelius' Symphony no. 5, Larsson's Symphony no. 1, Atterberg's Symphony no. 3 and (more recently) Aaron Jay Kernis' Musica celestis for strings would also be prime candidates. Oh, and then there's Joep Franssens' orchestral works!
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Christo
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« Reply #13 on: April 04, 2013, 09:50:22 pm »

Oh, and then there's Joep Franssens' orchestral works!

He will be pleased to hear! But I think he qualifies mostly for the 21st century.  ::)
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… music is not only an `entertainment’, nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.  RVW, 1948
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« Reply #14 on: April 05, 2013, 12:38:24 am »

Depends on how you define beautiful, but I've got a hankering for Miaskovsky's 5th Symphony.
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