Most achingly-beautiful music

1. Second movement of Beethoven's violin concerto.
2. Mario Lanza singing "Marie" (especially after your Italian mom passes away).
3. Side 4 of Yes "Tales from Topographic Oceans"

Vaughn Williams, 'Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis'
it sends shivers up my spine and tears to my eyes every time.
Best,
Ken

Thanks Khrys: I'll bet that's it. We received the piece on a "burned CD" without any other info. Everyone that I have played and hummed it to has noted the BA commercial but did not know the name.

Dekay, a piece frequently referenced from the British Airways commercials is the Aria from the opera "Lakme" by Delibes. Not sure if that is the one to which you refer. It is certainly achingly beautiful nonetheless.

The Mozart piece that was used in the British Airways commercials (don't know the name of it).

They all kill me.

Great question -- so many beautiful and truly moving songs, it's difficult to pick just 3. Fortunately, many of the great ones have already been mentioned above. Here are 3 more that always make me feel there is something more to life than our physical existence: (1) "Psalm" by the Jan Garbareck Group and Agnes Buen Garnas (on Twelve Moons), (2) Oregon's "Icarus" (Live), (3) the Jai Uttal/Lakshmi Shankar/Don Cherry rendition of "Raghupati" (on Footprints).

What, no Vincent LaGuardia Gambini?

Jackie Gleason Orchestra; Music for Lovers Only, we play this LP when we make ourselves a nice candlelit dinner. Basia; Time and Tide on gold CD. Anything by Enya!

Three nominees, expressing different kinds of longings, in no particular order: (1) "Hard Times Come Around No More", a Stephen Foster tune sung by James Taylor on Yo-Yo Ma's "Appalachian Journey" CD. The song captures the wistful hope of better times I see in a friend and neighbor of mine, a desperately poor, elderly disabled farmer living in a shack here in the northern reaches of the Appalachia. (2) Roberta Flack singing "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" for the evocation of the complete, single-minded rapturous joy of the mind and senses upon discovering one's true love (3) Laura Love's soulful rendition of the traditional folk song "Shenandoah" on her "Fourteen Days" CD, for expression of the deep and simple love of any beautiful place one calls home and ache of separation from it. And there's so many more... the joy of high end audio is that the emotion shines through.

I can't name the three *most* affecting: that various depending on my mood and a host of other circumstances. But here are a few very random pieces that came to mind as very moving:

Beethoven's 5th, 6th, 7th symphonies
Bach's Goldberg variations
Mozart's Piano Concertos 23, 21
Bizet's Carmen and Le Arlessienne Suites
Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto
Tchaikovsky's violin concerto, symphonies 4-6
Mendelssohn violin concerto, Italian symphony, octet
Schubert trout quintet
Brahms Hungarian Dances
Haydn Symphony No. 94
Bach solo cello suites
Strauss waltzes
Bolling Suites for Flute and Jazz Piano
Mussorgsky's Night on a Bald Mountain

A smattering of my perhaps "cheesier" choices ;-) :
"Meeskite" from the musical Cabaret
Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

I nominate whatever it was the opera troupe was singing in the concert scene in Hannibal. Very haunting...

ANY early Cocteau Twins,Dead Can Dance, or Chameleons UK

Gregorio Allegri; Miserere mei, Deus. Haunting, eerie, evocative. Sent chills up my spine.

Does he have a friend for me- Maria Mckee, Bach Cello suites- Yo Yo Ma, Company from Rickie Lee Jones first album.

Sailing-Christopher Cross, Comfortably Numb-Pink Floyd, Clouds-David Gates, No Sign of Yesterday-Men at work, Norwiegen Wood-Beatles, etc . . . . . .etc . . . . . .

Wotan's Farewell from the very end of Wagner's Die Walkure...strict audiophiles should go with Solti/Decca recording, everyone else to the Goodall/English National Opera set (in English).

I've noticed a few people mention Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in this thread. I strongly recommend a CD called Stokowski Encores (BBC Philmarmonic), where, amongst other gems, there is an orchestral version of the Moonlight Sonata that takes this wonder to a new level.

I'll only list 3 songs: Here's To Life (Shirley Horn With Strings, Here's To Life) Two For The Road (Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny, Beyond The Missouri Sky) Moonstone (Toninho Horta, Moonstone) - this is a duet with Pat Metheny. This is an excellent album!

Never Let Me Go (Bill Evans, Alone); Nuages (Larry Coryell and Philip Catherine, Twin House); I Loved Him (Carol Kidd, The Night we Called it a Day); Air (Swingle Singers and The Modern Jazz Quartet, Place Vendome); and Erbarme dich (Bach, from St. Matthew Passion)(Yo Yo Ma, Simply Baroque). What can I say? There's a lot of achingly beautiful music out there!

Aram Khachaturian : Violin Concerto, Haydn : Cello Concerto Op. 101; Brahms the 3rd; Anything (or everything) on the CD from Steven Isserlis/Eliot Gardiner : Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations (also contains pieces from Glazunov, Rimsky-Korsakov & Cui).

It's difficult for me to pinpoint 3 pieces so I will say almost anything from the Baroque Period.

I have always admired the world of Bach. Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas and Partitas along with Unaccompanied Cello suites move me without failure. Elgar's Cello Concerto is a nice piece. Sarasate's Ziegnerweisen performed by Heifetz should be heard -- only Heifetz, unlike other violinists who have tried the piece, has technical mastery to pull you into the music, sustain the tension, and ultimately drain your emotion like no other (Grumiaux recorded a fine one in an intimate setting with piano, albeit not as dramatic). Mahler's 9th. Debussy's piano pieces. On and on. For heavy metal fans, try Stargazer by Rainbow. Rainbow Eyes by Rainbow will make your ladies happy or put them in mood though a bit cheezy like their later albums. For melodic electric guitar instrumentals, Santana. For acoustic guitar, Strunz and Farah. For fun, any Deep purple MKII albums excluding the reunion albums after Perfect Stranger -- yes, I am a fan of Richie Blackmore. Any old time Chicago Blues.

Rach's 3rd piano concerto. Martha Argerich is my favorite interpreter, Performance is A-, sonics are B (somewhat distant miking, good tonal balance, ambiance). Also that Puccini aria used in A Room with a View (forget the opera, ask me again if interested), try Callas' version which is unforgettable.

Kitch29: Glad to see another old Tim Buckley fan; I too miss his songwriting; I can't believe his son's tragic end as well. I went to about 5 of his concerts, and only once did he actually finish the set; sometimes he never even showed, at others he got sick in the middle of a set and walked off the stage. Very sad. My folk group in college did a number of covers of his songs, and they were always among the best-received.

For aching ee-lectric guitar: Stevie Ray Vaughan's instrumental version of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" (on The Sky Is Crying) is glorious. Beats Clapton's version (Derek and the Dominoes), which isn't too shabby itself. My wedding song was Charles Mingus' very beautiful "Ellington's Sound of Love" (vocal and instrumental versions on Changes One and Changes Two). A favorite of mine is a moan from New Orleans, Allen Toussaint doing "Cruel Way To Go Down" (Southern Nights). On the folkier side, Spider John Koerner (kind of obscure) doing "I Ain't Blue" ("...I'm just a little bit lonesome for some love again") (Runnin, Jumpin, Standing Still). And the late Sandy Denny rendering "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" on Fairport Convention's album Unhalfbricking.

oops, un bel di from Madame Butterfly, now too common to get achy over, I was thinking of "visi d'arte" from Tosca.

I would've mentioned Kenny G but I hate to admit to crying in elevators. Tears more acceptable with "un bel di", 3rd act of Tosca, Liu mourning the death of Calaph's father first act of Turandot, Duet by Violetta and Garmont first act of Traviata.Rcprince, I had the opportunity to hear Tim Buckley in concert just once, he sang Gypsy woman from his motel album, the audience was moving around and talking so he began to berate us with impromptu lyrics and became so intense everyone finally sat down and listened, spellbound.How sad that his genius was extinguished, sadder too that so few knew him.

Khrys; I have to agree re anything Kenny G. Thanks to your second sentence, I almost fell off my chair. Not since Clinton's testimony have I laughed so hard.(I think).

A question too difficult to answer. But I'll list a few: Middle and Late Beethoven quartets; Mahler and Bruckner adagios (adagietos); Wagner Tristan and Isolde; Schubert and Brahms Lieder; Sibelius 6 and 7, certainly the Barber adagio; Sibelius and Bruch vln. concerto; Brahms vln and clarinet sonatas; Dvorak cello con.; Brahms Requiem; Ravel and Debussy quartets; Bach cello suites; Bach violin sonatas & Partitas; Mozart Sinfonia concertante; and much much more. Also; many film scores and a number of popular songs. Picking only three would be too great a sin of omission.

Kenny G plays Enya's greatest hits. One can only dream of that much aching. How about the 2nd movement(adagio) from Ravel's piano concerto in G as an alternative?

Joe Jackson's Nocturne, Jimi hendrix Castle's made of sand, Savatage's St. Patricks cathedral and Queensryche's Someone else.

Portions of Pink Floyds "Final Cut" catalogwiz

One item only available on vinyl LP: Orff's "Die Kluge" on Angel directed by the composer. The cast and directing is FANTASTIC. A later rerelease on Arabesque is not as good a pressing. And ANY later rerecording is trash compared to the composer's own version. The moment where the king is 'testing' the woman with riddles is one of the greatest moments in music, and at the end when she starts in singing after the king awakens... great! Go find it!

Jane Sibbery 'Calling All Angels' from the album entitled "When I Was A Boy'; Chris Isaak 'Wicked Game'; John Lennon 'The Dream is Over' and 'Beautiful Boy'; Faure 'Pavanne'

Bach's Flute concerto. If that doesn't ache try any of Coltranes' mid-sixties innovative work. If that don't hurt I don't know what will.

Stan Getz and Bill Evans cut: "The Peacock" by Jimmy Rowles, on the CD "But Beautiful"

If you like classical guitar try Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez or the Fantasia para un gentilhombre.

Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell.

Gotta keep this thread going, it's given me all sorts of music to listen to, many I would never have thought of or tried. Here's some more for your consideration:Brahms, Intermezzi in A major (Op. 118, no.2) and B flat minor (Op. 117, no. 1), I particularly like Pogorelich's interpretations on DG; Rachmaninoff, Vespers (toward the latter portion, you'll see where he came up with one of the themes for the final movement of his Symphonic Dances, but the most beautiful parts are in the 3rd through 6th pieces); Rachmaninoff Corelli Variations, particularly Ashkenazy's earlier, analog recording; Mendelssohn's Verleigh' uns Frieden, which I had the pleasure of singing with the Leipzig University choir, who got a kick out of my German; Vaughn Williams, 5 Mystical Songs, particularly the fourth, The Call; Durufle, Ubi Caritas from his four motets; and two that used to move me back in my college days and haven't listened to in a while, Morning Glory by Tim Buckley and Comin' Back to Me by the Jefferson Airplane (from the Surrealistic Pillow album). Outlier, do you have a favorite recording/performance of the Enigma Variations?

(1)Bach: Chaconne (must be the full orchestral arrangement by Stokowski - beyond belief!) (2) Elgar: Enigma Variations (Nimrod Variation) (3) David Gray, White Ladder CD

Having just returned from a performance of it by the NJSO, I'd like to add the "Nimrod" variation from Elgar's Enigma Variations. Any preferred recordings of this piece for any of you?

Debussy's Quartet in G minor, opus 10; Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata or various moments in his Ninth Symphony, especially the Chorale crescendo; Samuel Barber's Adagio For Strings.

If you haven't heard the Bobo Stenson Trio on ECM yet this is the epidomy of gorgeous music! His most recent one "Serenity" is truely fabulous. Pick it up soon!

Do I notice an ECM theme in this thread towards the end? Not surprising, I think my CD collection is probably 25% ECM, and it sure is achingly beautiful- from all the etherial jazzers, to the 'new series' gorgeous 20th c. orchestral composers- too many to mention. M.E. sure has some sweet ears.

Ethnicolor - Jean-Michel Jarre pretty much the entire _It's My Life_ album - Talk Talk That short instrumental track right before Danchiva on the album _French Kiss_ - Bob Welch The final few tracks of _The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking_ - Roger Waters Echoes - Pink Floyd Piano Trio in E flat, 2nd movement - Schubert Kuiama - Electric Light Orchestra Love this thread (it's the Russian in me) please, more, more

Keith Jarrett's "Koln Concert", Jimmy Scott's "All The Way", and anything by Nina Simone!

Bartok string 4et #1, any John Abercrombie ballad, David Gilmour solos from Pink Floyd albums. Hows that for variety, me in a nutshell, very moving stuff IMO. P.S. I like the term "achingly beautiful", very nice.

Ennio Morricone is one of the greatest composers for movie soundtracks alive. He is renown for theme song of "The good, bad and the ugly" nevertheless, that is just a grain of sand in comparison to the range of sounds he is able to produce. Sarah Brightman sings a song based on his melody, "Lady Caliph" on her new album. The lyrics are terrible, but if you can get a two volume copilation of his songs relesed in VIRGIN labels, back in 1987-1988, you will see what is hearthbreaking.

Jan Gargarek "rites" Terje Rypdal "odyssey" Eberhard Weber "Fluid Rustle"