Popular classical piano pieces. A collection of masterful performances by Japanese pianists.
Unless you’ve learned an instrument or had family who listened to it a lot, you might not have many chances to hear classical music.
For those of you who listen to rock and pop but not so much classical, we’ve put together a selection of must-hear piano masterpieces.
Classical piano includes many works that laid the foundations of modern music and are frequently quoted across different genres, so you might find yourself thinking, “Huh? I’ve heard this before.”
From among the many great performances, this time we’ve gathered recordings by Japanese artists!
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Popular Classical Piano Pieces: Masterful Performances by Japanese Pianists (21–30)
Sonata in C majorAkamatsu Rintaro
The Sonata in D major, K.63 (L.84), was composed by Scarlatti, who was born in Italy in the same year as J.
S.
Bach and Handel.
It may be less well known than piano works by Chopin or Beethoven, which is understandable since Scarlatti’s sonatas were written primarily for the harpsichord and require a sense of translation and arrangement for the modern piano.
Also, because the pieces are short, they are sometimes performed by pianists as encore pieces.
Arabesque No. 1Morimoto Mai
It’s one of Debussy’s most frequently performed pieces.
It employs many broken chords and expresses “Arabesque” through a combination of right- and left-hand polyrhythms.
Mai Morimoto is a pianist known for valuing communication with her audience.
You can really feel the performer’s emotion in the sheer beauty of the sound and its vivid ornamentation.
Song of Springmaeda katsunori
Comprising a total of 48 pieces, the Songs Without Words were composed by Mendelssohn and are among the best-known piano works in German Romantic music of the time.
Among them, Op.
62, No.
6, “Spring Song,” is a piece I believe everyone knows.
It conveys a delightfully charming sense of joy at the long-awaited arrival of spring.
Csikos PostObara Rinko, Hirayanagi Mino
It’s a classic piece by Hermann Necke that’s often played at sports days.
There are solo piano performances, but it becomes even more powerful as a duet.
Although it’s mostly used as background music by wind bands and brass at sports events, it’s originally a piano piece.
Despite being so famous in Japan, it seems it wasn’t very well known overseas.
Wedding MarchTabataba
It’s no exaggeration to say this is the song that comes to mind for weddings.
Among the pieces composed for Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it is by far the most famous.
The repeated strikes of the same note in the fanfare-like opening are said to heighten the listener’s sense of anticipation.
And since the story itself has a happy ending, it’s a perfect choice for a wedding.
Piano Sonata No. 17 “The Tempest,” Movement IIIIkeyama Yōko
Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.
17 in D minor, Op.
31 No.
2, consists of three movements, with the third movement being particularly famous.
The nickname “Tempest” is said to originate from an anecdote in which, when a pupil asked Beethoven how to interpret the piece, he replied, “Read Shakespeare’s The Tempest.”
FlightOkumura Tomomi
This is “Aufschwung” from Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Op.
12.
It’s the second piece in the eight-piece suite, notable for its dynamic opening.
Technically, I’d place it among the more difficult works.
Tomomi Okumura’s performance holds its own against other pianists in terms of conveying power, and above all, her flowing interpretation of the piece makes it a pleasure to listen to.
raindropsSorita Kyohei
Chopin’s Prelude No.
15 in D-flat major, Op.
28-15, “Raindrop,” is also a very famous piano piece.
While spending time on the island of Mallorca in Spain in his late twenties with a woman writer believed to be his lover, Chopin fell ill with pneumonia, and during his convalescence he completed all 24 pieces, including the “Raindrop.” It’s a piece that somehow conveys an uneasy feeling, as if the future is uncertain.
Popular classical piano pieces. A collection of masterful performances by Japanese pianists.
8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 1: PreludeNikolay Kapustin
8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 3: ToccatinaNikolay Kapustin
