Beethoven

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What's your favorite Beethoven piece?

Normally, I prefer his symphonies, but at the moment I'm listening to the Violin Concerto in D. It's utterly exquisite ...

I started with the symphonies and have been exploring his work from there. It's taking years!

I also love the Violin Concerto (particularly the second mvmt), and Piano Concerto no 5, which I love to blast out while driving. People seem to give me strange looks when I'm stopped at the lights with the window down and this kind of music playing loud.

The piano sonatas never tire me (and I haven't yet listened to all of them properly).

But if I had to take Beethoven track to a desert island it would be the second movement of the 7th symphony.

Ooh, classical music, one of my favourite subjects.

I'm a huge fan of the Moonlight Sonata. All three movements are beautiful in their own way, even if I can only play the first. I've also begun to appreciate his other Sonatas, especially the Appassionata. As far as the symphonies go, I love the 5th and the 7th, as basically everyone does. I once made a quickly-abandoned attempt to study Liszt's dastardly difficult piano transcription of the 5th.

Another piece I like is this. It makes me giggle every time I listen to it.

So far my favourite is his Op. 131 string quartet in C# minor.

I've been on a big Beethoven kick lately, not sure why. My all-time favorite is probably "Bagatelle In A Minor."

the late quartets especialy no.15 in a minor opus 132 featuring the heiliger dankgesang (solem song of thanksgiving).i have seen the late quartets performed live twice by the guarneri string quartet

It's hard to beat the second and forth movements of the 9th symphony, but I really love YoYo Ma's and Emanual Ax's version of Sonata No. 3 in A Major for Cello and Piano, Op. 69/II. Scherzo: Allegro molto

Here's a youtube video of a couple women performing the piece.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZjxcBVmU3M[/youtube]

Was Pathetique by Beethoven?

If it is, then that's the one. If not, then disregard this post.

I love Pathetique. First heard it as the intro to the Starship Troopers animated series, and never stopped loving it since then.

Beethoven FTW!

To me, his 9th symphony is the greatest work of art in any genre ever made.

Here is an interesting recording of the 9th - Furtwängler with Erna Berger, Elisabeth Höngen, Helge Rosvaenge, Rudolf Watzke April 20, 1942, in celebration of Hitler's Birthday. Just imagine what Beethoven would have been thinking! It is well known though that Furtwängler seriously disliked the NAZIs and helped countless Jewish musicians to escape. Makes for chilling listening.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2itdv1aEpG4[/youtube]

His piano sonatas (especially his late ones) are wonderful as well. I especially adore the op. 90. 101, 109, 110, and 111 sonatas.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwZFn_cVKBg[/youtube]

The 9th symphony.

I remember the first time I heard anything other than the last movement...
I switched on the TV because I was bored, and it was apparently somewhere in the middle of the 1st movement. Because they didn't show it, I had no idea what it was. But I was so absorbed that I just couldn't switch off. I decided to guess the composer before looking it up... My thoughts: "It doesn't sound romantic, but it's much more complex than any other piece from the classical period I know. So Beethoven is the only possibility, but why haven't I ever heard it before?!"

In fact, I like the movements 1–3 better than the last one.

I'm a bit disappointed by his violin concerto. But he has written other great pieces for violin (like the Spring Sonata), and I like the piano sonatas and concertos.