Most achingly-beautiful music

As to Golfrok's nomination of Pat Metheny, allow me to specify his rendition of 'Ferry, Cross the Mersey' on the recently released 'One Quiet Night' Album.

For all you youngsters out there, that tune was originally a hit for Gerry and the Pacemakers on the first wave of the British Invasion - what would that be '64, '65? Had some of my first slow dances to that one.

There has been some achingly beautiful music written in the last 400 years. Interestingly, all of my choices are from the last century. Here goes:

Samuel Barber- Adagio for Strings
Gustav Holst- The Planets
John Coltrane- Ballads

Mahler: Ich bin der Welt: from Ruckert Songs
Mahler: Der Abschied: from Das Lied von der Erde
Mahler: Adagietto: from Symphony No. 5
Rachmaninov: 18th variation from Paganini Variations
Korngold: Marietta's song: from Die tote Stadt

The renditions of these pieces that I prefer are respectively:

(1) Janet Baker
(2) Janet Baker or Brigitte Fassbaender or Dietrich Fischer- Dieskau (with Kletzki, but NOT Bernstein)
(3) Barbirolli/New Philharmonia
(4) Stephen Hough, Andrew Litton/Dallas SO
(5) Renee Fleming

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it already, but Warren Zevon's cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is both beautiful and a heartstring-tugger, given that he recorded it in the last month's of his life.

My vote is for Mozarts Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, Budapest String Quartet. My Lp is old and worn- wish i could find another copy.
Another which moves me is Django's "Nuage". My favorite is on a French label CD. There are many poor recordings of Djangos music which do not do him justice. But he had the FIRE (no pun intended, no disrespect).
One more, Otis Reddings- Try A Litlle Tenderness.
Great Thread!!!