[Masterpiece Classics] A special showcase of gem-like masterpieces so beautiful they’ll move you to tears
Masterpieces of classical music are played on TV, in movies, and in shopping malls, permeating our daily lives as background music.
There are many times when a piece that mysteriously brings you to tears turns out to be a work of classical music.
This time, from among such classical works, we’ve carefully selected timeless masterpieces under the theme “so heartbreakingly beautiful they’ll make you cry.”
Please enjoy to your heart’s content the profound sonorities unique to classical music, which combines both delicacy and boldness.
- A poignant classic masterpiece. Recommended classical music.
- Timelessly beautiful classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music.
- [Violin] A curated selection of beloved classic masterpieces and popular pieces that continue to be cherished across eras
- Cool classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music.
- Masterpieces of classical piano that are too beautiful for words. A gathering of delicate tones that cleanse the soul.
- [Orchestra] Introducing famous and popular pieces
- Popular classical piano pieces. A collection of masterful performances by Japanese pianists.
- Cello Masterpieces: A comprehensive introduction to exquisite classical works that let you savor its profound timbre
- Classical Masterpieces: Recommended Works You Should Hear at Least Once
- [Ultra-Advanced] Even challenging for advanced players! A curated selection of highly difficult piano pieces
- Gabriel Fauré | Introduction to His Famous and Representative Works
- Masterpieces for Harp: A curated selection of distinguished works featuring noble and delicate tones
- Today's Classics: Recommended classical music and great performances to listen to today
[Masterpiece Classics] A comprehensive introduction to gem-like masterpieces so beautiful they’ll move you to tears (61–70)
BirdsongPablo Casals
This piece is a folk song from Catalonia, Spain.
It became known worldwide when the renowned cellist Pablo Casals, anguished by the troubled state of his homeland, performed it before President Kennedy.
Casals, who had not given concerts since 1938, played it as a plea for peace, moving many listeners.
The song is originally a traditional Catalan Christmas carol in which birds sing to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 – Fourth MovementJohannes Brahms
This work is Brahms’s first symphony, yet it took him 21 years from conception to completion.
He revered Beethoven’s symphonies and agonized over the question, “I want to write a symphony, but what kind of piece could I possibly write after Beethoven?” The result, completed after overcoming that dilemma, was a work so highly regarded that the conductor Hans von Bülow called it “Beethoven’s Tenth Symphony.” Driven by a beautifully uplifting melody and propulsive rhythms, the piece unfolds and concludes with a power befitting the climax of the entire work.
Sorrow of LoveKreisler=Rachmaninov
Fritz Kreisler’s masterpiece “Liebesleid” (Love’s Sorrow).
This work was composed for violin and piano as a counterpart to “Liebesfreud” (Love’s Joy).
Whether performed as a piano solo or a violin solo, its beautiful melody and tear-evoking character are known for their powerful expressive impact, and it is frequently performed by many musicians.
Together with “Liebesfreud” and “Schön Rosmarin,” it forms a trilogy, so please try listening to all three.
Jesu, Joy of Man’s DesiringJ.S.Bach
This piece was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1723.
It was written as the final movement of the church cantata “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben.” The harmonies woven by the counter-melodies are beautiful and majestic.
It’s fascinating to think that, in Japan’s Edo period, music like this was being performed in Germany.
This piece is very popular and has been arranged for instruments such as classical guitar and piano.
It’s also a piece you often hear at weddings and during Christmas.
48 Motif Collection — Esquisse, Op. 63 No. 1 in C major “Phantasm”Charles Valentin Alkan
This is a work by the French composer Charles-Valentin Alkan, known for études of extremely high difficulty that demand superlative technique.
It consists of 49 pieces—48 numbered pieces plus one without an opus number—and is considered relatively less difficult among Alkan’s piano works.
The fact that it cycles through the 24 keys twice across the collection evokes Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier.
No.
1, “Fantômes” (Phantoms), is a piece that lets you leisurely savor the beauty of the piano’s timbre.
Don’t be intimidated just because it’s Alkan—sit back, relax, and give it a listen.
Waltz of SorrowOskar Nedbal
Oskar Nedbal, a modern classical composer who represented Czechoslovakia—the country once comprising what are now the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic—studied under Antonín Dvořák, a leading figure of late Romantic music, and gained popularity for his compositions centered on cello and piano.
Among his works, the piece in which a sense of poignancy is expressed most exquisitely is the “Valse Triste” (Waltz of Sorrow).
Its structure—where a grand and beautiful melody is accented by wistfulness—will surely stir the emotions.
Suite ‘Mirrors’: A Boat on the OceanClaude Debussy
How about a piano piece that carries a cool breeze on a summer afternoon? The opening movement of Claude Debussy’s Petite Suite for piano four hands offers a gentle, beautiful melody that evokes a small boat gliding gracefully across the water and sinks deep into the heart.
Sparkling light and the rippling of water seem to come into view, as if enjoying an Impressionist painting rendered in sound.
First performed in February 1889 in a piano four-hands rendition with the composer himself participating, the work is said to have been influenced by the poetry of Paul Verlaine.
It was later arranged for orchestra in 1907, which has its own distinct charm.
Rich in poetic atmosphere that helps you forget the heat, this piece is perfect for those who wish to enjoy music quietly or add a beautiful accent to everyday life.
The gentle resonance of the piano is sure to bring a most pleasant time.