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!

Playlist

Cool classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music.
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Etude Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor “Revolutionary”Frederic Chopin		Known by the name “Revolutionary Étude,” it...
2	Piano Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight,” 3rd MovementLudwig van Beethoven		Beetho… whose works are performed very frequently in concerts
3	Symphony No. 5 “Revolution,” Fourth MovementDmitrii Dmitrievich Shostakovich		Dmitri Shostakovich made...
4	Mars, the Bringer of War (from The Planets Suite)Gustav Holst		The majestic sound created by Gustav Holst...
5	Heroic PolonaiseFrederic Chopin		Characteristics of Chopin’s “Heroic” Polonaise and tips for performance
6	“The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba Yaga)” from the suite “Pictures at an Exhibition”Modest Mussorgsky		Modest Mussorg—based on a Russian folktale...
7	Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”Antonín Dvořák		While staying in the United States in 1893, Dvořák...
8	Pines of the Appian Way from the symphonic poem The Pines of RomeOttorino Respighi		Ottorino Respighi, who was born in Italy…
9	Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, ‘with organ’ — Movement II, Part IICamille Saint-Saëns		The French composer Charles-Camille Sa...
10	Symphonia Tapkaara, Movement III: VivaceIfukube Akira		Akira Ifukube, who left an important mark on the Japanese music world…
11	L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2: FarandoleGeorges Bizet		The composer Georges Bize… who represents the French Romantic school
12	Death of Tybalt from the ballet Romeo and JulietSergei Prokofiev		Sergei, one of the representative composers of the 20th century...
13	Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1Edward Elgar		British composer Edward Elgar compo…
14	Symphony No. 1 “Titan”Gustav Mahler		This piece was composed by Gustav Mahler…
15	Saxophone Concerto “Cyber-bird” Op. 59 (1994) I – Bird of ColorsYoshimatsu Takashi		One of Japan’s leading contemporary composers, Takashi Yoshimatsu...
16	Prelude from Eight Concert EtudesNikolai Kapustin		Active from the late 20th century to the early 21st century...
17	Rhapsody in BlueGeorge Gershwin		Innovative music that fuses jazz and classical
18	Symphony No. 5Pyotr Tchaikovsky		The famous Russian composer Tchaikovsky 1…
19	“Mambo” from the musical West Side StoryLeonard Bernstein		Leonard Bernstein, one of the most representative American musicians of the 20th century, …
20	‘Sabre Dance’ from the ballet GayaneKhachaturian		One of the most representative composers of the 20th century, Aram ...
21	Atom Hearts Club Suite No. 1Yoshimatsu Takashi		...for string quartet, composed in 1997
22	Waltz from the suite “Masquerade”Aram Khachaturian		The play by the great Russian writer Mikhail Lermontov…
23	Rapsodie espagnoleFranz Liszt		Collecting indigenous music such as folk songs, and then…
24	“Vltava (The Moldau)” from the symphonic poem cycle “Má vlast (My Homeland)”Friedrich Smetana		It’s the kind of song that appears in middle and high school music textbooks...
25	In a Persian marketAlbert Ketèlbey		The Briti… who made a name for himself in the light music scene of the early 20th century
26	Symphony No. 5 “Fate”Ludwig van Beethoven		The opening “fate motif” of the Be— is so famous that...
27	Piano Concerto in F majorGeorge Gershwin		Jazz such as 'Rhapsody in Blue' and...
28	Introduction from the symphonic poem “Also sprach Zarathustra”Richard Strauss		A phrase you often hear in TV shows and commercials...
29	Piano Sonata No. 23 “Appassionata,” Third MovementLudwig van Beethoven		Among his many piano pieces, the most intense one is…
30	Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, First MovementPyotr Tchaikovsky		A composer who represents 20th-century Russia, Ch...
31	‘Polovtsian Dances’ from the opera Prince IgorAlexander Porfiryevich Borodin		The Russian composer Alexander Borodin...
32	Piano Sonata No. 17 “Tempest”Ludwig van Beethoven		It’s known by the name “Tempest,” but th…
33	Moments Musicaux No. 4 in E minorSergei Rachmaninov		Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer and pianist...
34	Dies Irae, the 3rd movement from “Requiem”Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Mozart’s famous piece “Dies Irae.” Dies Irae...
35	Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major “Romantic,” First MovementAnton Bruckner		An Austrian composer who was active in the 19th century, …
36	Finlandia, Op. 26Jean Sibelius		To the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius...
37	Overture from the opera ‘Ruslan and Lyudmila’Mikhail Glinka		Evoking the opening of a tale, 'The Opera Ruslan…'
38	Piano Concerto in A minorEdvard Grieg		A masterpiece that expresses Nordic nature and national character through music...
39	Symphonic Suite “Scheherazade”Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov		The title of the piece, “Scheherazade,” is …
40	Symphony No. 8 in C minorDmitri Shostakovich		Dmitrii, famous for his symphonies and string quartets...
41	The Rite of SpringIgor Stravinsky		This piece, with its striking opening bassoon solo, ...
42	Hungarian Dance No. 5Johannes Brahms		On his concert tour of Germany, Johannes Brahms...
43	Finale from the ballet suite The FirebirdIgor Stravinsky		Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird is Ro…
44	Piano Sonata in D minorFranz Liszt		He left an enormous number of works for the piano, and he himself…
45	Play of WaterMaurice Ravel		Ravel’s masterpiece that expresses the moods of water through sound
46	Symphony No. 4 “The Immortal”Carl Nielsen		It bears the subtitle “Immortal,” and Ni…
47	Piano Concerto No. 2Sergei Rachmaninov		Rachmaninoff, a composer who represents Russia…
48	Transcendental Étude “Mazeppa”Franz Liszt		He himself is called a virtuoso of the piano…
49	Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos “Tarantella”Sergei Rachmaninov		Always enveloped in Rachmaninoff’s sparkling aura…
50	Symphony No. 2, Movement IIISergei Rachmaninov		Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, third movement. A beautifully Slavic slow movement.
51	Rakoczi March from the dramatic tale The Damnation of FaustHector Berlioz		The “Rákóczi March” was originally a Hungarian...
52	“Jupiter” from the suite “The Planets”Gustav Holst		The suite The Planets is by the British composer Gust…
53	Toccatina from Eight Concert EtudesNikolai Kapustin		Trying to categorize Kapustin as classical music and—
54	Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 in G minorSergei Rachmaninov		A Russian pianist who represents the 20th century, Sa...
55	Heroic PolonaiseFrederic Chopin		A quintessential work by Chopin, a leading figure of the Romantic era…
56	Symphony No. 3 — FinaleAaron Copland		Aaron Copland is an old American…
57	String Quartet in G minorClaude Debussy		The most melodious tune and a performance that will never put the audience to sleep…
58	Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2Franz Liszt		Known for his virtuosic technique, he is also called a wizard of the piano...
59	From Carmina Burana: “O Fortuna”Carl Orff		A powerful and striking melody that calls out to the goddess of fate...
60	Etude Op. 10 No. 4 in C-sharp minorFrederic Chopin		Practice that starts off at a sudden, incredible speed…
61	Ride of the Valkyries from the music drama The ValkyrieRichard Wagner		This work is the first of the music dramas The Ring of the Nibelung...
62	Etude Op. 8 No. 12Alexandre Scriabine		Begun when Scriabin was 22 years old...
63	Etude Op. 10 No. 1 in C majorFrederic Chopin		The poet of the piano, Chopin, completed it in 1830…
64	Candide OvertureLeonard Bernstein		Leonard..., one of the most representative musicians of the 20th century,
65	Prelude from Le Tombeau de CouperinJoseph-Maurice Ravel		"Le Tombeau de Couperin" is a work by the French composer Mo...
66	Symphonic Poem “Night on Bald Mountain” (arr. by Rimsky-Korsakov)Modest Mussorgsky		The intensity and tension never let up for nine minutes in the symphonic poem “...
67	Dies Irae from RequiemGiuseppe Verdi		The main theme melody you often hear in movies and TV dramas...
68	A heart that longs for joyMichael Nyman		The soundtrack of the masterpiece film The Piano...
69	Symphonic Scherzo “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”Paul Dukas		Dukas was a French composer. This work is 194…
70	A Trumpeter’s HolidayLeroy Anderson		This cheerful and lively song was, in 1954...
71	Dance of the Seven VeilsRichard Georg Strauss		As an opera based on Oscar Wilde’s play…
72	Piano Sonata No. 6 “War Sonata,” Fourth MovementSergei Prokofiev		Prokof, who had been living in the United States and Paris until then…
73	‘Toreador Song’ from Carmen Suite No. 2Georges Bizet		Into French composed by Georges Bizet...
74	Fantaisie-ImpromptuFrederic Chopin		Frédéric, a composer who represents the Romantic era, …
75	March for the Turkish Ceremony from the ballet music The Bourgeois GentlemanLully		Jean, a master of 17th-century French court music...
76	El Camino RealAlfred Reed		Spanish Passionate Latin Fantasy
77	The Splendid DanceClaude Thomas Smith		A cheerful dance piece, a virtuosic and magnificent masterpiece for wind ensemble
78	Prelude, Op. 28 No. 16Frederic Chopin		From Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, a…
79	Bacchanale from the opera Samson and DelilahCamille Saint-Saëns		A powerful, nonstop track that captivates with exotic, atmospheric melodies.
80	Rhapsodies, No. 2Johannes Brahms		A piano piece where Brahms's delicate, beautiful melodies coexist with fierce passion.
81	Caprice No. 24Niccolò Paganini		It’s a piece famous for its virtuosic violin technique. The ent…
82	Fantasy Miniatures No. 2: FlightRobert Schumann		Like the run-up of someone about to take flight...
83	12 Etudes No. 12 “Pathétique”Alexander Scriabin		The intense chords—also a hallmark of Scriabin—...
84	Piano Sonata No. 30 in E majorLudwig van Beethoven		The master of classical music, Ludwig va...
85	Prelude and Fugue from “The Spitfire”William Walton		To the melody that appears soon after it begins, “Flight”...
86	Maple Leaf RagScott Joplin		This song was also used as background music in the movie The Sting...
87	Symphony No. 9Anton Bruckner		It was the last symphony Bruckner worked on, and...
88	SinfoniettaLeoš Janaček		This is one of Janáček’s very late orchestral works. Murakami…
89	KreislerianaRobert Schumann		“Kreisleriana” is, E.T.A.…
90	English Suite No. 2J.S.Bach		Among Bach’s meticulously refined pieces, the English Sui...
91	Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S.514 “Dance in the Village Inn”Franz Liszt
92	8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 1: PreludeNikolay Kapustin
93	8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 3: ToccatinaNikolay Kapustin
94	8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 5: ScherzoNikolay Kapustin
95	Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 8: FinaleNikolay Kapustin
96	diabolical suggestionSergei Prokofiev		It's the finale of 'Four Short Pieces.' As I listen, I feel a har—
97	Water Music, Suite No. 2 – II. Alla HornpipeGeorg Friedrich Händel		Water Music, festive melodies that make the heart dance
98	Air on the G StringJ.S.Bach		Baroque woven from gentle melodies and graceful harmonies...
99	Cantata “The Human Face”PLANK		I was taken aback, thinking, “Is there really a choral piece this cool?”
100	Erlkönig (arranged by Hector Berlioz)Franz Schubert		The Fate of Parent and Child Painted by the Demon King's Music
101	Brandenburg Concerto No. 3J.S.Bach		Striking for its splendid string timbres and rich inflection…
102	La CampanellaFranz Liszt		A piano piece arranged by Liszt, with striking bell sounds
103	Ballet music “Daphnis and Chloé” Suite No. 2Maurice Ravel		Composed by the French composer Ravel...
104	ChaconneTomaso Antonio Vitali		“Chaconne” originally refers to a type of dance form…
105	Water MusicHenderu		The majestic, resplendent strains of the orchestra resounded beautifully…
106	A Little Night MusicWolfgang Amadeus Mozart		A masterpiece whose gentle and graceful melody seeps into the heart…
107	The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell)Benjamin Britten		"The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" is a British...
108	Prelude Op. 28 No. 24 in D minorFrederic Chopin		Prelude, Op. … that begins with a flowing melody
109	Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from the opera LohengrinRichard Wagner		Grand and dramatic, like the Ride of the Valkyries…
110	In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1Edvard Grieg		Grieg was a composer from Norway, and the suite...