Cool classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music.
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!
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Cool classic masterpieces. Recommended classical music (21–30)
In a Persian marketAlbert Ketèlbey
This work, published in 1920 by British composer Albert Ketèlbey, who made a name for himself in the light music scene of the early 20th century, depicts the scenes of an exotic Persian market through the rich colors of the orchestra.
Interweaving elements such as the arrival of a caravan, beggars, a princess, acrobats, and a snake charmer, the music draws listeners into a foreign atmosphere.
Ketèlbey’s talent—he entered the Birmingham and Midland Institute School of Music at the age of eleven—is distilled into this six-minute journey.
Combining the grandeur of film music with an approachable charm, this piece is recommended for those interested in other cultures or anyone who wants to travel through music.
Piano Concerto in F majorGeorge Gershwin
Gershwin, the greatest American composer of the 20th century, fused jazz and classical music to create dazzling American music in works such as Rhapsody in Blue.
This piece, while based on traditional concerto writing, incorporates a distinctly Gershwin-like, jazz-inflected style.
It consists of three movements: a first movement that reflects the influence of the Charleston, a popular dance music of the time; a second movement structured in a blues style; and a third movement that serves as a pulsating, energetic finale.
Cool classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music (31–40)
Piano Sonata No. 17 “Tempest”Ludwig van Beethoven
Although it is known by the nickname “Tempest,” this moniker is said to have originated when Beethoven, asked by his pupil Schindler how to interpret the piece, replied, “Read Shakespeare’s The Tempest.” The first movement is marked by bold musical ideas—sudden shifts in tempo and dynamics and recitative-like declamation—that make it feel almost like listening to a reading.
The second movement is an Adagio that is lyrical and serene.
The third movement, said to have been inspired by the sound of horses’ hooves, races throughout on persistent sixteenth notes that carry a restrained inner passion.
Weighty yet dramatic, with beautiful melodies, it is a captivating work.
Finlandia, Op. 26Jean Sibelius
It is a symphonic poem composed by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, and perhaps the best-known among his symphonic poems.
Written in 1899, when Finland was suffering under the oppression of Imperial Russia, it was reportedly banned from performance by the Russian authorities for stoking Finnish patriotism.
Its stately, powerful character surely gave courage to many Finns.
With chorus as well, it is a masterpiece that feels ready to boil over with passionate emotion.
Finale from the ballet suite The FirebirdIgor Stravinsky
The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky is a one-act, two-scene ballet based on Russian folk tales.
Its premiere took place in 1910 at the Paris Opéra.
It is said that Osamu Tezuka, after seeing the ballet The Firebird, was inspired to later create his famous work Phoenix.
Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major “Romantic,” First MovementAnton Bruckner
Bruckner, an Austrian composer and organist active in the 19th century, constantly revised his symphonies, so most of them exist in two or more versions of his own making.
The first movement of this work, titled “Romantic,” is suffused with emotion, its horns sounding beautifully as if heralding the dawn from a dim forest.
Be sure to listen as well to the second movement, in which birdlike figures recur repeatedly, and the third movement—also famous as the “Hunting Scherzo.”
‘Polovtsian Dances’ from the opera Prince IgorAlexander Porfiryevich Borodin
It is one of the most famous and popular pieces by the Russian composer Alexander Borodin.
It is heard in Act II of the opera Prince Igor, in the Polovtsian camp, during a lavish display of songs and dances presented as entertainment to lift Prince Igor’s spirits.
The piece is also often performed on its own, independently of the opera, in orchestral concerts.