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		Beethoven undertook the refinement of the formal aspects of compositional technique...
2	Grand Étude after Paganini No. 3 “La Campanella”Franz Liszt		Franz Liszt, Liszt is Chopin…
3	Turkish MarchWolfgang Amadeus Mozart		At age 4, they performed piano improvisations, and by age 5, they compo...
4	Liebestraum No. 3Franz Liszt		Used by figure skater Mao Asada…
5	Etude Op. 10 No. 12 “Revolutionary”Frederic Chopin		Etude Op. 10 No. 12 “Revolutionary” is intense…
6	Dreaming (Träumerei) from Scenes from Childhood, Op. 15Robert Schumann		A composer representing the German Romantic movement of the 19th century…
7	Songs Without Words “Spring Song”Felix Mendelssohn		So precocious that he was called the Mozart of the 19th century...
8	VocaliseSergei Rachmaninov		Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise is a piece that...
9	DedicationRobert Schumann/Franz Liszt		Franz Liszt [arranged/performed] Schumann’s “Widmung”...
10	Piano Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight”Ludwig van Beethoven		A sonata in three movements, with the first movement in particular being Moonlight…
11	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.
12	MoonlightClaude Debussy		One of Debussy’s greatest masterpieces, “Clair de Lune”…
13	Ballade No. 1Frederic Chopin		If I were asked, “What is Chopin’s finest masterpiece?” ...
14	Nocturne No. 2Frederic Chopin		Nocturne, which means “night piece,” is Cho…
15	Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66Frederic Chopin		When it comes to the most famous piano classical piece...
16	Waltz No. 15 “Waltz of Love”Johannes Brahms		Brahms’s Waltz No. 15, “Liebeslieder” (Waltz of Love)…
17	Waltz Op. 64 No. 1 “Minute (Little Dog) Waltz”Frederic Chopin		The puppy that Chopin’s lover kept was chasing its own tail...
18	Prelude “Raindrop”Frederic Chopin		A piece with a strikingly beautiful opening, Prelude ‘Rain da…’
19	Piano Sonata No. 8 “Pathétique”Ludwig van Beethoven		Moonlight, Appassionata, and this Pathétique Sonata are the three great pi...
20	Rhapsody in BlueGeorge Gershwin		Speaking of Gershwin, it has to be this piece: “Rhaps…
21	Etude Op. 25, No. 11 “Winter Wind”Frederic Chopin		Every pianist longs for it, yet tries to avoid it...
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		This, which includes meanings such as demon and mischievous fairy…
24	Piano Concerto, Episode 3Sergei Rachmaninov		The beauty of Rachmaninoff that is founded upon advanced technique…
25	dreamClaude Debussy		Debussy’s fantastical piano piece
26	From a woodblock print: Rainy GardenClaude Debussy		This piece, with its powerful yet emotive melodies, continues...
27	Dance at the village tavernFranz Liszt		A hidden gem by Liszt, featuring a lively rhythm and a piece used in dramas.
28	Grand Etude No. 6 “Theme and Variations” by PaganiniFranz Liszt		Using the melody that begins at the start of the piece as the main theme, it tumbles along…
29	ToccataSergei Prokofiev		A Russian composer, characterized by both contemporary rigor and …
30	Three GymnopédiesErik Satie		Classical and Romantic music after Haydn…
31	Five Piano PiecesArnold Schönberg		The first person to dismantle the long-standing Western articulation-based music was Hi...
32	Étude Op. 10 No. 4Frederic Chopin		In études in particular, there are usually no titles or the like indicated…
33	Polonaise No. 3 “Military Polonaise”Frederic Chopin		When it comes to Chopin’s Polonaises, the first one that comes to mind is...
34	Waltz Op. 64, No. 2Frederic Chopin		In contrast to the Puppy Waltz, there is a dark and heavy atmosphere...
35	Impromptu No. 3, Op. 51Frederic Chopin		Vladimir Davidovich Ashke…
36	The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, No. 1 in C majorJ.S.Bach		Bach is a 17th-century German composer. Music…
37	Pavane for a Dead PrincessMaurice Ravel		Married to the Holy Roman Emperor, at the young age of 21...
38	Play of WaterMaurice Ravel		Alongside Debussy, the French Impressionist compo…
39	Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54Robert Schumann		Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
40	Four Impromptus, D. 935, Op. 142Franz Schubert		Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
41	Piano Sonata No. 16 in A minor, D. 845Franz Schubert		Piano Sonata No. 16 by Franz Schubert...
42	Piano Sonata No. 18 “Fantasy”Franz Schubert		Piano Sonata No. 18 by Franz Schubert…
43	Piano Concerto No. 2Sergei Rachmaninov		Rachmaninoff’s masterpiece, the Piano Concerto...
44	Transcendental Étude No. 4 “Mazeppa”Franz Liszt		Judging by the name alone it's outrageous, but when you actually—
45	Two RhapsodiesJohannes Brahms		Alongside J.S. Bach and Beethoven, the three greats of Germany…
46	Moments Musicaux No. 3Franz Schubert		It has even been used as a departure melody on railways...
47	Für EliseLudwig van Beethoven		A famous piano solo piece known to everyone. Rondo...
48	La CampanellaFranz Liszt		A beautiful piano piece that imitates the sound of bells
49	Pavane for a Newborn PrincessCharles-Henry		Elegant music that celebrates the birth of life
50	Suite bergamasque, No. 3: Clair de LuneClaude Debussy		Debussy’s masterpiece “Clair de Lune” is beautiful.
51	8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 1: PreludeNikolay Kapustin
52	8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 3: ToccatinaNikolay Kapustin
53	8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 5: ScherzoNikolay Kapustin
54	Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 8: FinaleNikolay Kapustin
55	Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, Op. 311, Third Movement “Turkish March”Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart…
56	Piano SonataAlban Berg		With Schoenberg at the apex, his disciples’ be...
57	Toward the flamesAlexandre Scriabine		When a collapse or an expansion from functional harmony occurs…
58	Variations for PianoAnton Webern		Among the Second Viennese School, the most rigorous compositional style…
59	Piano SonataBartók Béla		Bartók studied the region’s folk songs in depth, and he…
60	The Swan from “The Carnival of the Animals”Camille Saint-Saëns		Saint-Saëns is situated within the late Romantic period…
61	Invitation to the Dance in D-flat majorCarl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber		Composed by Weber, Invitation to the Dance in D-flat major…
62	Andante and Variations in F minorFranz Joseph Haydn		In classical music, what came after the Baroque was…
63	Woman of the House of BourbonFrançois Couperin		The culture of Baroque music flourished not only in Germany but also in Ita...
64	Prelude No. 7 from 24 PreludesFrederic Chopin		Among the preludes, which means 'prelude'…
65	Scherzo No. 2Frederic Chopin		Scherzo, meaning a joke or something comical, is...
66	Mazurka No. 5, Op. 7 No. 1Frederic Chopin		Poland, the homeland of Chopin, has national dances such as the ...
67	Waltz Op. 34 No. 1 “Grande valse brillante”Frederic Chopin		Waltz Op. 34 No. 1 “Grande valse brillante”…
68	The Lucky BlacksmithGeorg Friedrich Händel		When it comes to Baroque music, nowadays it is overwhelmingly d...
69	3rd movement from PetrushkaIgor Stravinsky		With primitivism, neoclassicism, and twelve-tone technique, through the eras…
70	Capriccio, Op. 76 No. 1Johannes Brahms		A capriccio by Brahms, one of the German Three B’s...
71	A small path in the grass’s shadeLeoš Janaček		Just before the collapse of the late Romantic period, Germany and France...
72	Piano Sonata No. 15 “Pastoral”Ludwig van Beethoven		Piano Sonata No. 15 “Pastoral.” Be...
73	Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor”Ludwig van Beethoven		For Beethoven, the golden period, the “forest of masterpieces”…
74	Prelude in C-sharp minor “The Bells”Sergei Rachmaninov		In the late Romantic era, there were wonderful works from Russia…
75	Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K. 414Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Mozart’s piano concertos are complex…
76	Rain Tree Sketch II – In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen –Takemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu, a representative composer of contemporary Japanese music…
77	Water ReflectionsClaude Debussy		“Impressionist music,” which belongs to neither the major nor the minor mode, and…
78	Nocturne No. 6 in D-flat major, Op. 63Gabriel Urbain Fauré		Studied under Saint-Saëns and served as a church organist…
79	Arabesque, Op. 18Robert Schumann		Arabesque has been composed by various pianists...
80	Waltz No. 6 in D-flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 “Minute Waltz”Frederic Chopin		Familiar under the title “The Puppy Waltz,” “...
81	Humoresque No. 7Antonín Dvořák		Dvořák is a composer of the late Romantic period…
82	Island of JoyClaude Debussy		Joy..., a representative piano piece by Debussy.
83	Grand Étude No. 5 after PaganiniFranz Liszt		Speaking of Paganini Études, No. 3 “La Campanella” comes to mind…
84	I Got RhythmGeorge Gershwin		George Gershwin was an American composer…
85	Partita, BWV 826J.S.Bach		“Partita BWV 826,” composed by Bach…
86	4 minutes 33 secondsJohn Milton Cage Jr.		One of the leading composers representing contemporary American music…
87	Piano Sonata No. 23 “Appassionata”Ludwig van Beethoven		A grand work running approximately 30 minutes in total performance time, and furthermore…
88	Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1Ludwig van Beethoven		Composed by Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 1...
89	Piano Concerto No. 1Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky		Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1…