A showcase of awesome classical masterpieces, all in one place!
From super-cool staples to slightly lesser-known, stylish pieces, we’ve picked a wide range.
We’re featuring not only piano solo works from the classics to more recent pieces, but also orchestral masterpieces performed by large ensembles.
We’ve selected classical works that are thrilling to listen to and make performances look cool too—from film-score-like pieces and RPG battle-scene vibes to avant-garde sounds reminiscent of progressive rock!
Be sure to read to the end!
Cool classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music (1–10)
Etude Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor “Revolutionary”Frederic Chopin
F. Chopin: Étude “Revolutionary” Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor, pf: Alexander Gavrylyuk
One of Chopin’s études known as the “Revolutionary Étude.” This work was dedicated to his friend Franz Liszt, who gave it the title “Revolutionary.” Around 1831, when the piece was composed, the November Uprising—an armed rebellion against the rule of the Russian Empire—broke out in Poland and Lithuania.
Many Poles took part in the uprising, but the physically frail Chopin could not join the insurrection; it is said that he expressed his anger through this music.
It is a piece that conveys the intense emotions Chopin held in his heart.
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.
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 “Revolution,” Fourth Movement
Dmitri Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was premiered in 1937.
In Japan, this piece is called “Revolution,” but that is not a title he gave it himself.
At the time, the Soviet Union was in social turmoil, and under Stalin’s Great Purge, people close to Shostakovich were being arrested and executed one after another.
If you listen to the work with that background in mind, it offers another layer of interest.
1.2 Million Views: Dvořák Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” | Symphony [Full Orchestra Performance] Bologna Opera House Philharmonic [Conducted by Hirofumi Yoshida]
Composed by Dvořák while he was staying in America in 1893, the title “New World” refers to the United States.
Because the Black music he heard in America resembled the music of his homeland, Bohemia, the symphony is said to have been written from the New World toward Bohemia.
Listening with that in mind, you may feel as if the landscapes of old-time America are revived before your eyes.
This piece is also known for featuring the cymbals only once across the entire symphony.
Among Frederic Chopin’s piano works, the Polonaise No.
6 in A-flat major, Op.
53—affectionately known as the “Heroic Polonaise”—is especially popular.
Its chromatic ascending passages and powerful rhythms make a strong impression.
Most distinctive of all is the succession of octaves in the middle section! Because even professional pianists find this passage difficult to execute perfectly, it’s by no means easy.
A good approach is to first enjoy the character of the piece using an arrangement that omits the octave technique, and then, once your technique has developed, challenge yourself with the original version.
