[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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- Today's Classics: Recommended classical music and great performances to listen to today
[Masterpiece Classics] A Showcase of Exquisitely Beautiful Gems That Will Move You to Tears (41–50)
From ‘The Seasons’: ‘October – Autumn Song’Pyotr Tchaikovsky
“The Seasons” is a set of twelve piano pieces composed with Russian seasonal scenes as their themes.
It originally began as a project in a music magazine, which each month featured a poem by a Russian poet expressing the mood of the season, alongside a piano piece by Tchaikovsky musically depicting the character of that poem.
The poem published with the piece “October” conveys the melancholy and poignancy of autumn—the falling leaves and the fading colors disappearing from the garden.
Liebesträume No. 3Franz Liszt
The third piece of Liszt’s piano collection Liebesträume is very famous, known for its memorable, romantic, and beautiful main theme that’s often heard at weddings.
Did you know, however, that Liebesträume is not only a set of three pieces, but was originally composed as songs? Around 1845, Liszt wrote them as lieder for soprano solo, and the work also bore the title “O lieb, solang du lieben kannst” (“O love, as long as you can”).
A few years later, in 1850, Liszt himself arranged them as solo piano pieces, giving rise to the Liebesträume we commonly hear today.
The song “O lieb, solang du lieben kannst,” set to a poem by the German poet Ferdinand Freiligrath, has a unique vocal beauty of its own, so I recommend listening to it alongside the piano version.
Memories of the AlhambraFrancisco Tárrega
This is a masterpiece for classical guitar by Francisco Tárrega, who was active in 19th-century Spain.
Characterized by delicate, beautiful tones that seem to depict the flow of water or the whisper of the wind, it makes full use of tremolo technique.
Composed based on memories from a visit to the Alhambra, the piece condenses Spain’s history, culture, and magnificent architectural beauty.
Though it presents a formidable technical challenge—an ultimate test for guitarists—it remains a work of profound allure that resonates deeply with listeners.
Impromptu No. 15 “Hommage à Édith Piaf”Francis Poulenc
Poulenc, one of the composers known as “Les Six” who were active in the 20th century.
As the title suggests, this piece is an homage to Édith Piaf.
Its circling melody sounds sweet yet wistful, while the lowest voice crafts a shadowed duet with the tune.
Partway through, the music shifts to C major and seems as if it might brighten, but in the end it returns to C minor—expressing a melancholic wavering of the heart.
Oboe Concerto in D minor, 2nd movement: Adagio — Love of VeniceAlessandro Marcello
Alessandro Marcello, a prodigy who was extraordinarily active from the 1700s to the 1740s.
While there are many musical geniuses, he also left numerous achievements as a mathematician and philosopher, and on top of that, he possessed an astonishing musical talent—a genius blessed with not just two but three gifts from heaven.
His Oboe Concerto in D minor, Second Movement: Adagio, “Venice’s Love,” is one of his signature works, crafted with a structure that lets a poignant sadness drift within its beauty.
Pay attention to the melody that conveys a glimpse of the Baroque music in which he excelled.
“The Spruce” from “The Trees Suite”Sibelius
The original title is “Five Pieces for Piano,” but because each piece is named after a tree, it is affectionately known in Japan as the “Suite of Trees.” The “Spruce” is an evergreen, and since its leaves do not wither and remain lushly green, it is regarded as a symbol of “eternal life” and is also used as a Christmas tree.
However, rather than conveying a festive Christmas mood, this piece depicts the powerful image of the spruce standing firm, keeping its green leaves through the long, harsh Finnish winters of composer Sibelius’s homeland.
Åse’s Death from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1Edvard Grieg
Incidental music composed for Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt.
The play comically depicts the tumultuous life of its protagonist, Peer Gynt—a dreamer and braggart—who travels the world and finally returns home in old age.
When Peer, having once left town, comes back to his homeland, his mother Åse is on the brink of death.
This piece is performed in the scene where Åse listens to Peer’s fanciful tales and passes away with a smile.
It is a work that conveys Peer’s profound grief at the loss of his beloved mother.