[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 Showcase of Exquisitely Beautiful Gems That Will Move You to Tears (41–50)
“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.
[Masterpieces of Classical Music] A comprehensive introduction to exquisitely beautiful gems that will move you to tears (51–60)
Cantabile in B-flat majorFrederic Chopin
Frederic Chopin’s work, whose wistful melody tightens the chest, is a gem of a miniature composed in 1834 and published posthumously.
True to its title, which means “to sing,” it combines a beautiful melody with a vocal, cantabile character.
Although it is not performed very frequently in concerts, its quiet, intimate melody in B-flat major leaves a deep impression on listeners.
Why not listen to it when you want to linger in a bittersweet mood or gently process your sadness?
Two Elegiac MelodiesEdvard Grieg
Two pieces selected from the song collection Twelve Melodies, Op.
33, set to poems by the Norwegian farmer-poet Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, were arranged by Edvard Grieg himself for string orchestra as Two Elegiac Melodies.
The two movements are Heart Wounds and The Last Spring.
Though steeped in sorrow, their grand sense of scale strongly conveys Grieg’s Nordic character.
These works soothe a downcast spirit and calm a restless heart.
Dance of the Blessed Spirits from the opera Orfeo ed EuridiceChristoph Willibald Gluck
The opera Orfeo ed Euridice consists of three acts and is set on a stage that blends the wondrous world of spirits from Greek mythology with reality.
It tells the story of the love between the husband Orfeo, who bravely fights to reclaim his deceased wife from the realm of spirits and bring her back to the living world, and his wife Euridice.
It is a tale similar to the Japanese myth in which Izanagi travels to the land of the dead to see Izanami.
Dance of the Blessed Spirits is performed in Act II, in the scene where spirits dance in the meadows of heaven.
It’s a bright and beautiful piece that lets you imagine the spirits dancing joyfully, isn’t it?
Fantaisie-ImpromptuFrederic Chopin
Frédéric Chopin, a representative composer of early Romantic music in Poland.
Among his works, the Fantaisie-Impromptu is especially popular.
Although it has been loved for many years, it was actually published posthumously, and there is a theory that he did not publish it because it resembles Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.
Indeed, when you listen to it, you can sense a similar atmosphere to the Moonlight Sonata, but the melody is crafted to convey beauty within its pathos.
It’s an expression only Chopin could achieve, so if you love the Romantic era, be sure to check it out.
String Quartet No. 77 in C major, Op. 76 No. 3, Hob. III:77, II. “God Save Emperor Francis”Franz Joseph Haydn
Among the works of Franz Joseph Haydn, often called the father of classical music, his string quartets hold a special place.
Composed in 1797, this piece was created as a tribute to Emperor Francis II of Austria.
The melody used in the second movement is based on the Austrian national anthem, which Haydn himself composed.
Its world of sound—woven from beautiful melodies and masterful variations—will deeply move listeners.
Seamlessly blending patriotism with musical creativity, this work is highly recommended for those who wish to fully savor the allure of classical music.
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.