Has there been a piece that has changed your life?

BWV 543.

I wouldn't say a piece of music changed my life. I remember as a 5-6 year banging on the piano and telling my parents I'd write music for them!

But below are the works which still move me and , as a result, influenced my writing (though I don't listen to them that much):

Stravinsky's "Les Noces"
Brahms 3rd symphony, esp the 1st and 2nd movements.
Beethoven's 8th , first movement, and the entire 3rd Symphony.
Schumann - Quintet or Piano and String Op 44
Brian Eno - much of his rock albums from the early seventies

As for more recently I'd say:

Ligeti's Ramifications
Bach's Organ Mass
Feldman's Flute Concerto
Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto (really a concerto for clarinet and snare drum)
Bach's E minor Fugue (the Wedge) -- just an amazing piece.
Schoenberg's Pierrot -- especially "Der Mondfleck".

Lastly, learning the organ and a improvisation from a well trained musician and writing music on deadline. These two probably had the greatest effect on my musicianship and composition than any particular work.

I guess that the piece that inspired me the most would be Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Before i listend to that, i was a very heavily influence classical man, my music did not spread beyond Puccini. Then i heard this piece, and i was lovestruck. Now i write very modern music, and i am a heavy promoter of creating your own original techniques to include in a piece. I love dissonance so much, just because of this piece.

Beethoven's 9th symphony was my first time hearing Classical music live. I was only 15 and I was amazed and blown away by the music. That is when i deiced I wanted to be a serious musician.

Mozart's Requiem is another. I actually sang bass in the Choir and preforming this really changed how i perceived music, because I didn't know music could contain such raw emotion until I sang the Requiem.

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up

This has definitely changed my way of life. Now I always look at links before clicking them.

Clarinet concerto in A major by Mozart.
it proved to me that classical music can be amazing not only when it comes to piano and violin.

Symphony no 3 in c minor by Prokofiev
not exactly the most famous symphony ever, i know. but changed my whole point of view on 20th century music. it allowed me to truly feel 20th century music for the first time.

Piano concerto no 20 in d minor by Mozart
it made me feel that Mozart was more than he seemed.


music changed my life a lot when i was young. now, i just enjoy music more and more, its not really changing my life.

Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor
This was one of the first concertos that I heard where the orchestra and the piano seemed to work together.

Beethoven's 9th symphony
A little cliche I guess, but performing in it changed how I looked at the way the orchestra worked.

Beethoven's Grosso Fugue
Don't really know why it changed me...It just did

Great question... The Nutcracker Suite was what made me really start liking classical music... that was back when I was 12.. and I had just come back from my first summer of band camp Mahler's 1st Symphony really changed my perspective in orchestral music... I first played it when I was 15. It was brand new to me and really opened me up to a wider range of composers. I'm deep into the romantic period and music that has deep meaning. The second movement of Beethoven's 7th has brought me to tears on more than one ocassion and, although cliche, his 9th symphony is the most intense piece of music ever written. And I think Tchaik's 6th Symphony is a piece of brilliance. He is probably the best in capturing a mood. And the story behind this symphony makes it that much more intense to listen to. It's safe to say he's my favorite composer.

Mahler kicks ass... you should check out his 1st-5th too. He is a beast.

Largo movement of Chopin's 1st piano concerto - before i listened to this i could only listen to chamber music or solo instrumental pieces, but after this i took an interest in full orchestral music

Man... that's said that Chopin did that for you... let alone his piano concerto.