[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.
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[Masterpiece Classics] A comprehensive selection of exquisitely beautiful gems that will move you to tears (21–30)
Adagio in D minor for Strings and OrganRemo Giazotto
It’s a piece for string orchestra and organ composed by the Italian musician Remo Giazotto and published in 1958.
The work is also known as “Adagio in G minor” (often called “Albinoni’s Adagio”).
It was once believed that Giazotto had elaborated on a fragment by the Baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni, who was born in Italy in 1671, but it is now understood that the entire piece was composed by Giazotto himself.
When we think of organ music, we tend to picture the Baroque era, but newer works like this are wonderful too.
String SerenadePyotr Tchaikovsky
Many of the melodies in works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, the world-renowned composer born in Russia, are both beautiful and suffused with sorrow.
There are many Tchaikovsky pieces suitable for introduction in this article, but the one featured here is a work for string ensemble that he composed in 1880.
While Swan Lake and The Nutcracker may be better known, the melodic beauty and poignancy of this piece are equally remarkable, unfolding with a flowing, melancholic character centered on the rich sonorities of the strings.
Frequently used on Japanese TV, this work offers an excellent opportunity to engage with classical music.
[Masterpiece Classics] A showcase of exquisitely beautiful gems that will move you to tears (31–40)
Fantasiestücke, Op. 3 No. 1: ElegySergei Rachmaninov
Sergei Rachmaninoff, a genius pianist and composer, produced many masterpieces.
His melodies, suffused with a sense of pathos, are especially highly regarded.
Among his works, one particularly known for moving listeners to tears is Elegie, No.
1 from Morceaux de fantaisie, Op.
3.
Composed in his youth, it is characterized by emotionally charged, wistful melodies.
Because the piece can sound quite different depending on the performer, I encourage you to compare recordings by various pianists.
La CampanellaFranz Liszt
This is a piano piece arranged and written on the theme of the rondo “La Campanella” from the third movement of Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini’s Violin Concerto No.
2.
Paganini was particularly famous for his transcendental virtuosity; his playing was said to be so extraordinary that people claimed he had obtained his skill at the price of selling his soul to the devil.
His advanced techniques are clearly reflected in this piece as well.
“La Campanella” means “the little bell” in Italian, and from the opening melody you can easily imagine the sound of bells ringing.
Slavonic Dance, Op. 72 No. 2Antonín Dvořák
It’s a piece written by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák in June 1886, included in the Second Series of Slavonic Dances.
Although it was originally composed for piano four hands, Dvořák himself completed the orchestral arrangement between November 1886 and January 1887.
He was discovered by Brahms—the creator of the Hungarian Dances—who recognized his talent, and it was through Brahms’s introduction that the Slavonic Dances came to be written.
Indeed, the two composers may share a similar appeal.
It’s enjoyable to compare their works side by side.
Starry NightClaude Debussy
This is an early study from the youth of Claude Debussy, a composer who epitomizes French Impressionism.
Composed when he was around 18, the work is regarded as an important piece that paved the way for his later impressionist style.
Gentle harmonies embrace a poem that depicts dreaming beneath the starry sky, creating a calm and fantastical world.
The piano part features compound chords and the tender nuances of diminished seventh chords, showcasing Debussy’s characteristic delicacy of tone to full effect.
It is a piece you can savor for its quintessential Debussian sound—why not listen to it at leisure while gazing at the stars?
Angel’s SerenadeGaetano Braga
Gaetano Braga was an Italian cellist and composer active in the 19th century.
Although it is often performed with piano and string instruments, it was originally a song, with the vocal melody added above these instruments.
The story unfolds in the form of a dialogue between a mother and her child, centered on the mysterious angelic singing heard by the child on their deathbed.
It bears the subtitle “From the Legend of Wallachia,” and Wallachia is the name of a region in southern Romania; the piece was composed based on a legend from that area.