Most achingly-beautiful music

Schwartzkopf singing Shubert's Four Last Songs; the blues riff Jimi plays right after Purple Haze on the Woodstock soundtrack; anything by Kate Bush, but especially her earliest works, including "The Man With The Child In His Eyes," "Wuthering Heights," "L'Amor Looks Something Like You".... I share many of the prior choices as well, but what's the point of mentioning yet again Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto? :-)

Oooops! Thinking STRAUSS, typing Schubert -- I'm not senile...yet!

Khrys -- ROTF! "Presenile" is just about right -- sheesh, who cares if my remnant of sanity lasts, as long as my ears do!?! Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto is beeyooteefull to me, but I admit that some find the dissonances and sheer, pyrotechnic technique hard to cuddle up with. My favorite version (oh, boy, here we go...) is Heifetz with the Chicago Symphony, Reiner conducting, on RCA, LSC 2129 (and re-released on vinyl by Classic Records). One site states: "Heifetz delivers a now-thought-to-be unequaled performance of Tchaikovsky’s beloved violin concerto, Reiner and the CSO, in top form, provide the perfect context for Maestro Heifetz’s dazzling performance." I couldn't agree more -- a performance that gives me chills and tears simultaneously.