What a GREAT thread - I can't believe I only just stumbled upon it. Some things that come to mind - 1) American Tune by Simon & Garfunkel - almost always leaves me all choked up. 2) Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez - which is the most beautiful love song I have ever heard (particularly poignant when you consider that the subject is Bob Dylan) 3) The 2nd movement from Beethoven's 7th Symphony...heck, the whole damn symphony!! (as well as his 5th and 9th) 4) The Funeral March from Mahler's 1st Symphony 5) Several songs from the Getz/Gilberto album - Joao Gilberto can turn the most mundane song into an expression of pure beauty - the phrase "achingly beautiful" may just as well have been invented to describe his voice I am sure I have left out several that have moved me at one time or another. There is so much beautiful music, so little time. All this agonizing we do over components, and cables and room anamolies!! Sometimes I honestly cannot tell whether any of this music moves me more now with several thousand dollars of equipment than it did when I was a poor graduate student with a crappy stereo. So many of us audiophiles sometimes overlook the fact that the "Holy Grail" is mostly in the music and less so in the gear. Happy Listening! Shiv.
