If I could only listen to one piece of classical music for the rest of my life...

[Bicoastal]

...it'd probably be this one.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Hint--if the title isn't familiar to you, you'll probably recognize the famous "inversion" starting about 15 seconds into the third clip. But listen to the whole thing in context.

[Gabi Hayes]

1. hmmmm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLX1RUN3lZE&feature=related

[mcollins]

2. Dmitri Shostakovich 7th Symphony

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKOZEW9SfdU

The Leningrad Symphony directed by V. Gergiev

[Haole Girl]

3. That's how I feel about this (Mendelssohn D minor Violin Concerto (1822):

i:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mArNPyNDg9c

ii:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=ixyUfNUMyRw&feature=related

iii:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=YlVfTJZX5fQ&feature=related

[mcollins]

4. the soul in music always brings tears to my eyes.

You can feel the pain and effort brought into the notes, not just in the writing of the score, but in the musician's efforts in creating the sounds.

Is it any wonder that it is said music calms the savage beast?

[gmoney]

5. well, isn't that 3 pieces of music?

[Bicoastal]

6. No, it's all ONE piece...

...that was too long for one YouTube video.

You're not talking about the pauses between movements, are you?

[AwakeAtLast]

7. Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Here is "Spring" because, well, it's the first day of Spring!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSw7CcAXPWk


Maybe the Gloria - either one would suffice.

[UndertheOcean]

8. cool

[GCP]

9. This is the version I know

Andrew Lloyd Weber's younger brother

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMCb90JpvxY

[CrownPrinceBandar]

10. If I had to pick one (or two)............

It would be the Brandenburg Concerto #3: Allegro by J.S. Bach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH6vbw8C8ws&feature=related

or

Symphony #6 First Movement "Pastoral" by L.Beethoven (Thanks to the movie "Soylent Green" for turning me onto this one).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilzSYcOaR8&feature=related

edit: spelling