Blog

Schubert Liszt - Serenade - Vladimir Horowitz, Piano

Schubert-Liszt – Ständchen (Serenade) – Horowitz, Piano

Franz Schubert composed a number of works known as Ständchen (serenade). Franz Liszt’s transcription for piano solo is the fourth lied from Schwanengesang, a collection of songs written by Schubert at the end of his life and published posthumously.

CLASSICAL MUSIC / Bassoon / Piano

Villa-Lobos – Ciranda das Sete Notas – Grimaud, Keesecker

Ciranda das Sete Notas in C major is of great importance in the bassoon repertoire, especially considering its popularity in concert rooms around the world. F. The title “Ciranda” came from a traditional Brazilian folkloric play.

Yuja Wang performs Chopin's Polonaise Fantaisie in A-flat major

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Polonaise

Chopin – Polonaise Fantaisie – Yuja Wang, Piano

The Polonaise Fantaisie in A-flat major, Op. 61, from Frédéric Chopin, dedicated to Mme A. Veyret, was written and published in 1846. This work was slow to gain favor with musicians, due to its harmonic complexity and intricate form.

The Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin is playing Rimsky-Korsakov's Bumblebee from his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan in Rachmaninov's transcription for piano

Transcription / Piano / ROMANTIC MUSIC

Rimsky-Korsakov (Rachmaninov) – Flight of the Bumblebee – Kissin, Piano

Flight of the Bumblebee is an orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899–1900. Its composition is intended to musically evoke …

Beethoven - Concerto No. 2 - Argerich, Piano

CLASSICAL MUSIC / Concerto / Piano

Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 2 – Argerich; Barenboim

The Concerto No 2 was composed primarily between 1787 and 1789, although it did not attain the form in which it was published until 1795. Beethoven did write a second finale for it in 1798 for performance in Prague, but that is not the finale that was published.

The guitarist John Williams is playing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez famous second movement, Adagio

20th-CENTURY MUSIC / Concerto / Guitar / ROMANTIC MUSIC

Rodrigo – Concierto de Aranjuez – Adagio – Williams, Guitar

The Concierto de Aranjuez is a composition for classical guitar and orchestra by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is far and away Rodrigo’s best-known work.

Chopin – Prelude No 25 in C-Sharp Minor – Pogorelich, Piano

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Prelude

Chopin – Prelude No. 25 – Ivo Pogorelich, Piano

Chopin’s Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 45 (sometimes listed as Prelude No. 25), was composed in 1841. It was dedicated to Princess E. Czernicheff (Elisaweta Tschernyschewa).

Documentary

Hélène Grimaud – Interview

Hélène Grimaud was born in 1969 in Aix-en-Provence and began her piano studies at the local conservatory with Jacqueline Courtin before going on to work with Pierre Barbizet in Marseille. She was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at just 13 and won first prize in piano performance a mere three years later.

Martha Argerich plays Brahms' rhapsody No. 1

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Rhapsody

Brahms – Rhapsody No. 1 – Martha Argerich, Piano

The Rhapsodies, Op. 79, for piano were written by Johannes Brahms in 1879 during his summer stay in Pörtschach, when he had reached the maturity of his career.

Scarlatti - Sonata K. 466 in F Minor - Wang, Piano

BAROQUE MUSIQUE / Piano / Sonata

Scarlatti – Keyboard Sonata K. 466 – Yuja Wang

Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (26 October 1685 – 23 July 1757) who wrote the Sonata K. 466 in F minor was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. Today he is known mainly for his 555 keyboard sonatas.