Today's Classics: Recommended classical music and great performances to listen to today
If you’re reading this article, you probably love classical music.
You likely know a fair number of composers and performers already—and to be honest, you might be a bit tired of some of them—so perhaps you’re also on the lookout for pieces and composers you don’t yet know.
In this article, for everyone enjoying a wonderful classical-music life, we introduce daily reviews of recommended composers and performers, as well as timeless masterpieces and great performances from across the ages.
Alongside symphonies, you’ll sometimes find concertos, sometimes solo piano or violin, and perhaps even contemporary works or pieces for wind band!
You’re sure to discover classical music that will brighten your day.
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[Today’s Classics] Recommended classical music to listen to today and a collection of great performances (21–30)
Symphony No. 5 “Fate”Ludwig van Beethoven
When you mention Beethoven’s “Fate,” doesn’t everyone think of the famous opening “da-da-da-DUM”? It’s said that this title comes from Beethoven’s reported remark about the opening motif—“Thus fate knocks at the door”—as relayed by his pupil, Schindler.
This motif is also known as the “fate motif,” and it appears throughout the piece.
Try listening while searching for it.
Symphony No. 7Ludwig van Beethoven
Among Beethoven’s nine symphonies, Symphony No.
7—often praised as the “most well-balanced”—stands out for its strikingly memorable rhythms and remains popular even today.
Composed when Beethoven was 41, this period of his output features many bright, forward-looking works.
It seems the music reflects Beethoven’s vitality as he embarked on a new chapter in life, having overcome the hardships of war and his heartbreak with his lover, Therese.
Each movement employs distinctive rhythmic patterns, making it an energetic and accessible work.
Symphony No. 9 “Choral”Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven’s immensely famous Symphony No.
9 in D minor, Op.
125 “Choral,” is a monumental masterpiece that not only encompasses a comprehensive synthesis of music prior to the Classical era, but also served as a signpost for the coming age of Romantic music.
The fourth movement is performed with soloists and chorus, and is well known as the “Ode to Joy.” Although the original lyrics are in German, they have been translated into virtually every language around the world.
Beethoven had been nurturing the concept since he was 22, making it something of a lifelong work; its impact on not only the music world but also on culture and the arts is immeasurable.
Nirvana SymphonyMayuzumi Toshirō
A single piece that’s almost too avant-garde: by Toshiro Mayuzumi—composer and the first and longest-serving host of “Untitled Concert”—it tries to produce bell-like sounds with an orchestra, and even brings in Buddhist shōmyō chanting mid-piece.
Listening to it feels almost trance-inducing.
Clair de Lune from Suite bergamasqueClaude Debussy
From the title “Clair de Lune,” one might imagine an otherworldly moonlit night.
However, what Debussy sought to portray was not merely a scene of moonlight.
The piece draws inspiration from “Clair de Lune,” a poem in French poet Verlaine’s collection Fêtes galantes.
In this poem, an ambiguous world is depicted, where opposing elements—joy and sorrow—are intricately intertwined.
Captivated by the poem, Debussy depicted this ambiguous world of “moonlight” without using words.
Overture from the operetta “Orpheus in the Underworld”Jacques Offenbach
Composed by Offenbach in 1858, this operetta was created as a parody of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, which was experiencing a revival boom at the time.
For Japanese people, the third section of the overture is especially famous as a school sports-day tune, and just hearing that part might make many feel an almost reflexive urge to start running.
Rhapsody in BlueGeorge Gershwin
This piece became popular from the scene in Nodame Cantabile where the protagonist, Megumi Noda, performs wearing a mongoose costume.
Though it’s considered classical, its premiere was in 1924, so it’s relatively recent.
It has jazz elements and a piano concerto vibe, making it a fun piece.