Classical piano masterpieces: legendary performances from around the world you should hear at least once

“Classical piano sounds interesting, but where should I start listening?” Even within classical piano, the music differs greatly by era, style, and composer—and everyone’s tastes vary.

This feature is an introductory guide just for you.

It broadly covers famous and popular pieces from across times and places, so you’re sure to discover a piece you love.

Once you find a favorite, it’s fun to compare works by the same composer or pieces written in the same period.

Playlist

Classical piano masterpieces: legendary performances from around the world you should hear at least once
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Four Impromptus, Op. 90Franz Schubert		After Beethoven, the Romantics placed emphasis on individual emotion.
2	Grand Étude after Paganini No. 3 “La Campanella”Franz Liszt		An excellent piano piece that makes use of Liszt’s large hands.
3	Turkish MarchWolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Mozart was a musical genius from childhood.
4	Liebestraum No. 3Franz Liszt		A fantastical and fleeting love piece by Liszt, used by Mao Asada
5	Piano Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight”Ludwig van Beethoven		Structure and Characteristics of the Moonlight Sonata
6	Etude Op. 10 No. 12 “Revolutionary”Frederic Chopin		Chopin’s Revolutionary, a fast and fierce masterpiece
7	Dreaming (Träumerei) from Scenes from Childhood, Op. 15Robert Schumann		The Charm of Schumann’s “Kinderszenen,” No. 7
8	DedicationRobert Schumann/Franz Liszt		An elegant piece arranged by Liszt from a work by Schumann
9	MoonlightClaude Debussy		Composed by Debussy, inspired by Verlaine’s poetry
10	Etude Op. 10, No. 3 “Tristesse” (Farewell Song)Frederic Chopin		A celebrated piece by Chopin: an etude that contrasts a sweet melody with a passionate one.
11	VocaliseSergei Rachmaninov		Rachmaninoff’s beautiful piece “Vocalise”
12	Songs Without Words “Spring Song”Felix Mendelssohn		Mendelssohn's landscape depiction musical work.
13	Ballade No. 1Frederic Chopin		Chopin’s outstanding masterpiece, the piece used by Mao Asada
14	Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66Frederic Chopin		The beauty of the fantastical melodies in Chopin’s pieces
15	Nocturne No. 2Frederic Chopin		Chopin’s emotive and enigmatic nocturnes
16	Waltz Op. 64 No. 1 “Minute (Little Dog) Waltz”Frederic Chopin		A graceful waltz of a puppy chasing its tail
17	Prelude “Raindrop”Frederic Chopin		An explanation of Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude
18	Waltz No. 15 “Waltz of Love”Johannes Brahms		Brahms’s charming waltz piece.
19	Piano Sonata No. 8 “Pathétique”Ludwig van Beethoven		Characteristics of Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata
20	Rhapsody in BlueGeorge Gershwin		Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue”
21	Etude Op. 25, No. 11 “Winter Wind”Frederic Chopin		Performance of the Étude 'Winter Wind'
22	Polonaise No. 6 “Heroic Polonaise”Frederic Chopin		A famous dance song emblematic of Poland, distinguished by its passionate melody.
23	Gaspard de la nuit No. 3: ScarboMaurice Ravel		A fast-paced track with a devilish, eerie melody
24	Piano Concerto, Episode 3Sergei Rachmaninov		Performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto
25	Grand Etude No. 6 “Theme and Variations” by PaganiniFranz Liszt		A set of variations that Liszt arranged for piano from a violin piece
26	ToccataSergei Prokofiev		Distinctive musical works by Russian composers
27	Three GymnopédiesErik Satie		Satie’s music changed the course of the Classical tradition.
28	Five Piano PiecesArnold Schönberg		Schoenberg’s development from atonality to twelve-tone music
29	From a woodblock print: Rainy GardenClaude Debussy		A fantastic melody from a rainy garden to clear skies
30	Dance at the village tavernFranz Liszt		A hidden gem by Liszt, featuring a lively rhythm and a piece used in dramas.
31	Étude Op. 10 No. 4Frederic Chopin		It is highly renowned as a famous and difficult etude.
32	Polonaise No. 3 “Military Polonaise”Frederic Chopin		The grandeur of Chopin’s Heroic Polonaise
33	Waltz Op. 64, No. 2Frederic Chopin		A dark and elegant fantastical waltz
34	Impromptu No. 3, Op. 51Frederic Chopin		Lightly perform Chopin’s Impromptu
35	The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, No. 1 in C majorJ.S.Bach		Bach is a great German composer.
36	Pavane for a Dead PrincessMaurice Ravel		A piece inspired by a portrait of Princess Margarita
37	Play of WaterMaurice Ravel		Ravel is a composer who represents Impressionist music.
38	Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54Robert Schumann		The intensity and elegance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto
39	Four Impromptus, D. 935, Op. 142Franz Schubert		The intensity and elegance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto
40	Piano Sonata No. 16 in A minor, D. 845Franz Schubert		Schubert’s dark yet variegated piano sonatas
41	Piano Sonata No. 18 “Fantasy”Franz Schubert		Schubert’s piece of gentle dreams
42	Piano Concerto No. 2Sergei Rachmaninov		The masterpiece of Rachmaninoff’s No. 2
43	Transcendental Étude No. 4 “Mazeppa”Franz Liszt		The difficulty of Liszt’s Transcendental Études
44	Two RhapsodiesJohannes Brahms		Brahms’s famous piano piece
45	Moments Musicaux No. 3Franz Schubert		Schubert’s signature pieces for solo piano
46	Für EliseLudwig van Beethoven		Beethoven's famous piano piece
47	dreamClaude Debussy		Debussy’s fantastical piano piece
48	Pavane for a Newborn PrincessCharles-Henry		Elegant music that celebrates the birth of life
49	Suite bergamasque, No. 3: Clair de LuneClaude Debussy		Debussy 'Clair de Lune' performance expression techniques
50	Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, Op. 311, Third Movement “Turkish March”Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Mozart’s Turkish March is a difficult piece, but it’s rewarding to master.
51	8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 5: ScherzoNikolay Kapustin
52	8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 1: PreludeNikolay Kapustin
53	8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 3: ToccatinaNikolay Kapustin
54	Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 8: FinaleNikolay Kapustin
55	La CampanellaFranz Liszt		A piano piece arranged by Liszt, with striking bell sounds
56	Piano SonataAlban Berg		Three composers of the Second Viennese School and their styles
57	Toward the flamesAlexandre Scriabine		Scriabin’s music with the mystic chord
58	Variations for PianoAnton Webern		Webern made the twelve-tone technique more rigorous
59	Piano SonataBartók Béla		Bartók’s Folk Song Research and the Development of New Musical Notation
60	The Swan from “The Carnival of the Animals”Camille Saint-Saëns		Saint-Saëns was a French composer, and Carnival of the Animals is his representative work.
61	Invitation to the Dance in D-flat majorCarl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber		Composed by Weber, Invitation to the Dance is a wonderful piece
62	Andante and Variations in F minorFranz Joseph Haydn		The Classical era is the musical period after the Baroque.
63	Woman of the House of BourbonFrançois Couperin		Baroque music developed throughout Europe
64	Prelude No. 7 from 24 PreludesFrederic Chopin		Chopin’s preludes, short and suitable for beginners
65	Scherzo No. 2Frederic Chopin		Characteristics of Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2
66	Mazurka No. 5, Op. 7 No. 1Frederic Chopin		Polish folk dance, a lively triple meter
67	Waltz Op. 34 No. 1 “Grande valse brillante”Frederic Chopin		Introduction to Chopin's Brilliant Waltz
68	The Lucky BlacksmithGeorg Friedrich Händel		Harpsichord Suite Finale “The Harmonious Blacksmith”
69	3rd movement from PetrushkaIgor Stravinsky		Stravinsky’s Petrushka, piano version
70	Capriccio, Op. 76 No. 1Johannes Brahms		Pogorelich gives a wildly unconventional performance of Brahms’s Capriccio
71	A small path in the grass’s shadeLeoš Janaček		Janáček, who incorporated Czech folk songs
72	Piano Sonata No. 15 “Pastoral”Ludwig van Beethoven		A depiction of pastoral scenery composed by Beethoven
73	Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor”Ludwig van Beethoven		The Birth of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto
74	Prelude in C-sharp minor “The Bells”Sergei Rachmaninov		A Collection of Popular Pieces by Rachmaninoff
75	Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K. 414Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		The Simple Beauty of Mozart’s Concertos
76	Rain Tree Sketch II – In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen –Takemitsu Tōru		A piano piece that Tōru Takemitsu dedicated to Messiaen
77	Water ReflectionsClaude Debussy		Debussy established Impressionist music.
78	Nocturne No. 6 in D-flat major, Op. 63Gabriel Urbain Fauré		Fauré fused ancient modes with beautiful Romantic music
79	Arabesque, Op. 18Robert Schumann		Schumann’s Arabeske is elegant and beautiful
80	Waltz No. 6 in D-flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 “Minute Waltz”Frederic Chopin		Commentary on Chopin’s Minute Waltz (Little Dog Waltz)
81	Humoresque No. 7Antonín Dvořák		Dvořák late-Romantic composer
82	Island of JoyClaude Debussy		Debussy's difficult pieces require technique and expressive power
83	Grand Étude No. 5 after PaganiniFranz Liszt		Paganini’s No. 5 is a piece themed around hunting.
84	I Got RhythmGeorge Gershwin		Gershwin Builds the Foundations of Music in Both Classical and Pop
85	Partita, BWV 826J.S.Bach		Bach’s church music, a fast-paced masterpiece
86	4 minutes 33 secondsJohn Milton Cage Jr.		John Cage's silent experimental music piece
87	Piano Sonata No. 23 “Appassionata”Ludwig van Beethoven		A highly challenging thirty-minute major composition
88	Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1Ludwig van Beethoven		Beethoven’s fiercely profound masterpiece piano sonata
89	Piano Concerto No. 1Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky		A famous concerto composed by Tchaikovsky