A personal "7 Wonders of (classical) music"


I was browsing in another forum yesterday, looking at thoughts on performances of the Rachmaninov Vespers and a poster opined that this was, in his opinion, one of the Seven Wonders of Music - a reference to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

This set me thinking - what would I put on such a list - and came up with (in alphabetical order)

Bach Cello Suites
Beethoven 9th Symphony
Beethoven A minor quartet op 132
Elgar Cello Concerto
Mahler 2nd Symphony
Rachmaninov Vespers
Verdi Requiem
 

Clearly I could add another dozen or two works, but this seven first came to mind.

I'd love to see others' lists, and perhaps other threads for Jazz, Rock etc. could be started but I would not know where to begin in those genres.

Also, I have not referenced specific performances.  I'll think about that and try to post those thoughts later.

 

 

retiredaudioguy

I listen mostly to a Quartetto Italiano recording, followed by a recording by the Vegh Quartet, and sometimes a recording by the Hollywood Quartet.

I have the Vegh on Vinyl - excellent.  I have been listening to the Alban Berg quartet - gorgeous.

Someone once said that if we are invaded by aliens, a thousand years from now, after the apocalypse, and they discover a recording of the late quartets, and work out how to play it, they will understand that civilization once existed on Earth.

Back in the early 2000s I lived very near the 92nd St Y.  The TSQ played the complete Beethoven string quartet cycle. Superb.

Off the top of my head:

 

Mahler 9

Mozart Requiem

Beethoven Cello Sonata #3

Beethoven 9

Rachmaninoff The Bells

Bach St. Matthew Passion 

Beethoven Archduke Trio

Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Tchaikovsky 6

Most Mozart Piano Concertos (Pick One)

 

Many more, too many to mention

@mahler123 Yes, too many.  I was wondering which pieces cam to mind immediately.

Having seen the two responses makes me think why were my 7 the first things I though of.

These are all great suggestion.  Let me add some Shostakovich:

Symphonies 5 and 10, Kurt Sanderling for #5, Kirill Petrenko for #10.

String Quartets, especially #8, played by the Borodin String Quartet.

And Dvorak:

Piano trios 3 and 4.