Most achingly-beautiful music

Chopin, "Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58."

Regards,
-- Al

I responded in this thread a few years ago, citing Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3. On a very different note, and at the risk of taking some heat for being a sentimentalist, I'll mention "Tammy," by Debbie Reynolds, from 1957.

Regards,
-- Al

Speaking of popular songs from the 1950s, another one that I feel deserves mention in this thread is Al Hibbler's 1955 recording of "Unchained Melody."

The 1965 recording of that song by the Righteous Brothers, BTW, is probably the best known of the countless other covers which have been recorded, but IMO doesn't hold a candle to the Hibbler version.

Regards,
-- Al

Thanks, Tubegroover. Glad you enjoyed it! The text and some of the commentary at the link are a bit misleading, as Al Hibbler's recording of "Unchained Melody" was not the version used in the film. The song was sung in the film by an opera singer named Todd Duncan, as seen here. The Hibbler version, along with a couple of other versions which also became hits, were released around the same time. Innumerable other versions followed in later years and decades.

Best regards,
-- Al

I generally tend not to have much interest in unorthodox arrangements of familiar music, but I find the following arrangement for cello and piano of Puccini's famous aria "O Mio Babbino Caro," from his opera  "Gianni Schicchi," to be quite beautiful.

The talented young performers are pianist Marnie Laird and cellist Cicely Parnas.  Cicely created the arrangement.

Some may recognize the music from the wonderful 1985 film "A Room with a View," in which the aria was sung by the great Kiri Te Kanawa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAZ2UUlQvbc

Regards,
-- Al