Today's Classics: Recommended classical music and great performances to listen to today

Transcendental Étude No. 4 in D minor, “Mazeppa”Franz Liszt

LISZT:Etudes D’execution Transcendante No.4 Mazeppa

It was used in the commercial for Casio’s digital piano, Privia.

The video includes sheet music, so I hope you’ll check it out.

I’m completely overwhelmed—both visually and aurally—by the densely packed notes and the torrent of sound.

Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D 960 — Movement III: Allegro vivace con delicatezzaFranz Schubert

Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D. 960 – III. Movement / Akira Imai

A masterpiece whose jewel-like melodies set the heart free.

Completed in September 1828, this work is especially captivating in its third movement, where a light touch is paired with delicate structural nuance.

An eight-bar theme is developed with finesse, and through successive modulations the music moves from a bright B-flat major to its parallel key, B-flat minor, leaving a striking impression of richly colored emotion.

The shading of the melody—born of its distinctive rhythmic pulse and harmonic progressions—deeply moves the listener.

Throughout, Franz Schubert’s inventive modulation techniques and masterful handling of rhythm shine.

This piece is highly recommended for those seeking the deeper flavors of classical music, and for anyone captivated by the structural beauty of piano repertoire.

Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 114, D 667 “Trout” — III. Scherzo: PrestoFranz Schubert

Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 114, D 667 “Trout” — III. Scherzo: Presto

This is a bright, light chamber piece performed at a very fast tempo.

The violin playfully bounces through a cheerful theme, with the other instruments responding in turn, evoking creatures frolicking in a spring brook.

Composed in 1819 when the composer was 22, the work was created at the request of a mining engineer who was an avid cellist.

Its waltz-like energy born of a triple meter, the deft interplay between piano and strings, and the rich sonorities of the lower instruments captivate listeners.

Once used as the departure melody on the platform of JR East’s Joban Line Iwaki Station, this work is widely cherished as a masterpiece of chamber music.

It’s a perfect choice for those who want to feel joy and vitality through music, or who wish to experience a piece that expresses the breath of nature and everyday delight in sound.

Suite bergamasque, No. 3: Clair de LuneClaude Debussy

High-Quality Audio [Clair de lune — Debussy] Debussy — Clair de Lune / CANACANA

The third piece from Claude Debussy’s Suite bergamasque, Clair de Lune, is considered his most famous work.

It is frequently featured in concerts and used as background music in visual media.

This exquisitely beautiful piano piece evokes a dreamlike scene where the moon’s gentle light emerges in the night sky.

In terms of tempo and note density, it isn’t particularly difficult, but conveying the piece’s unique atmosphere is a formidable challenge.

You could even say that real practice begins only after you’ve finished reading the score.

Be sure to focus on the beauty of the sound and the calm, flowing lines as you practice.

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yuri

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The Rite of SpringIgor Stravinsky

Svetlanov Conducts: Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

This piece, with its striking opening bassoon solo, was apparently sensational at the time due to its dissonance and exceedingly primitive rhythms, and at its premiere there was such chaos that heckling broke out from the audience during the performance.

There is also a wind band arrangement, and it is a piece frequently performed by wind ensembles.

Piano Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight,” 3rd MovementLudwig van Beethoven

Moonlight Sonata, 3rd Movement / Piano Sonata / Beethoven / Classic Piano / Classical / CANACANA

Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata is performed very frequently in concerts.

While the first movement is especially famous, the third movement—driven at a rapid tempo from start to finish and brimming with thrilling intensity—is also often featured.

From the very beginning of the movement, the restless motion of non-melodic arpeggios, along with increasingly compressed sforzandos and shifting harmonies, builds a mounting sense of exhilaration.

At the time he composed the “Moonlight,” Beethoven had become acutely aware of abnormalities in his hearing.

One can sense both his determination to break with convention and his inner turmoil—haunted by the specter of death—over an ear ailment that could be fatal to a musician’s career.

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HATSUMI

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Symphonia Tapkaara, Movement III: VivaceIfukube Akira

Symphonia Tapkaara, Movement III: Vivace

This is a powerful orchestral work by Akira Ifukube, who left an important mark on the Japanese music scene.

Inspired by Ainu culture, it was composed in 1954 and premiered by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in January 1955.

Characterized by pulsating rhythms and bold use of percussion, it evokes scenes of Ainu dances and festivals.

The vividly performed music by the entire orchestra has an intensity reminiscent of a film battle scene.

Recommended for those seeking a fresh breath in classical music or interested in the fusion of Japanese tradition and Western music.