[For Intermediate Players] Challenge Yourself! Recommended Masterpieces That Shine at Piano Recitals
A recital you perform in after you’ve been playing piano for a good while.
Based on having participated a few times already, this may be the time when ideals for your recital piece start to take shape—like “I want to play that piece I heard last year!” or “I’ve played a lot of slow, relaxed pieces so far, but I want to try something up-tempo!”
In this article, we’ll introduce piano pieces that really shine on stage and are perfect for players who have cleared the beginner level and are moving into the intermediate range.
We hope this helps you choose your next recital piece as you compare options with your own ideals in mind.
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- [For Adults] Recommended for Piano Recitals! A Curated Selection of Impressively Sounding Masterpieces
- [Intermediate Level] A curated selection of piano masterpieces featuring strikingly brilliant melodies!
- Piano Masterpieces: Surprisingly Easy Despite Sounding Difficult!? A Curated Selection Perfect for Recitals
- [For Advanced Players] A Curated Selection of Classical Masterpieces to Tackle at Piano Recitals
- [Piano Recital] Recommended for Boys! A Curated Selection of Cool, Impressive, and Popular Pieces
- [For Elementary School Students] Brilliant, Showy Masterpieces That Sound Impressive at Piano Recitals
- [Intermediate] Recommended Piano Duets | A Curated Selection of Cool and Dazzling Pieces
- Beginner to Intermediate: Chopin pieces with relatively low difficulty. Recommended works by Chopin.
- [Low Difficulty] Recommended Tchaikovsky Piano Pieces [Intermediate]
- [Piano Recital] Recommended for Middle Schoolers! A Comprehensive Introduction to Classical Masterpieces
- For Advanced Players: Showstopping Classics to Play at a Piano Recital
[For Intermediate Players] Challenge! Recommended Masterpieces That Shine at Piano Recitals (61–70)
Fantasia “Sakura Sakura”Hirai Kōsaburō
Kozo Hirai’s masterpiece, Fantasia “Sakura Sakura.” In terms of difficulty, it’s around level C on Piano Basics, or roughly the latter half of Czerny Op.
30.
Among intermediate pieces it’s relatively approachable, but it has an abundance of notes, with sixteenth and thirty-second notes appearing everywhere.
As a result, it demands a fairly high level of sight-reading.
It also requires a reasonably large hand span, so players with smaller hands may need time to get used to it.
Final Fantasy VII Piano Collections “One-Winged Angel”Uematsu Nobuo
A piano arrangement of the masterful final battle theme—friendly and approachable yet imbued with grandeur—returns with overwhelming quality.
Also used in the Sephiroth battle of the film FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN, created with game CG techniques, this piece fuses classical and rock in an innovative style, successfully rendering the majestic sound of choir and orchestra on a single piano.
Without losing the atmosphere of the original released in 1997, it becomes an excellent arrangement that adds the piano’s unique delicacy and power.
While by no means easy to play, it’s a piece that lets you fully showcase dynamic expressiveness and dazzling technique.
It’s perfect not only for boys who want to perform something cool at a recital, but also for skilled players looking to create a spotlight moment that makes the most of their technique.
Slavonic Dance No. 8Antonin Dvořák
Are you looking for a classical piano duet piece for a recital? Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance No.
8, Op.
46-8, originally composed for piano four hands, is highly recommended.
From its intensely passionate introduction to its brilliant, driving dance melody, it captivates listeners.
The ensemble can feel like it might fall apart unless the duo breathes as one, so practice is essential to keep both players steady.
The music unfolds at a whirlwind pace, so be sure to maintain the tempo and not fall behind.
Pieces like this tend to rush, so take care not to egg each other on.
Although there is an orchestral version, the original is for piano duet, making it an excellent choice for those who want to perform or are searching for original piano four-hands repertoire in classical music.
18 Characteristic Etudes, Op. 109 No. 13 “The Great Thunderstorm”Johann Burgmüller
Known as one of the 18 Characteristic Studies, Op.
109, this piece captures listeners with Johann Burgmüller’s vivid depiction of a storm.
Written in D minor, it begins with raging turmoil and sonically portrays the drama of nature—the wind and rain growing stronger, and lightning flashing in measure 14.
It is packed with technical elements as well, such as sixteenth-note rests on the beat and octave tremolos representing thunder.
Be sure to bring this masterpiece—left to us by Burgmüller, who passed away in Paris in 1874—to the recital stage.
It’s certain to leave a powerful impression on every listener.
Suite bergamasque, No. 3: Clair de LuneClaude Debussy
Among Claude Debussy’s works, the Suite bergamasque No.
3, “Clair de Lune,” is especially popular.
It is an emotionally rich piece that portrays the sorrow and suffering a clown normally hides.
In terms of difficulty, it’s roughly at or above the level of Czerny Op.
40.
It might be a bit challenging for junior high school students.
However, if Czerny Op.
30 feels easy to you, you may find this piece surprisingly approachable.
The left hand in measure 27 is a tricky spot, but by breaking down the notes and training your body to internalize them, it becomes easier to achieve an even, well-controlled touch.
Please use this as a reference.
I am (Theme Song of “Hodo Station”)Morita Manami
A masterpiece that just about every Japanese person has heard at least once, “I am.” It’s known as the theme song for the famous news program “Hodo Station.” The difficulty level of this piece is on the higher end of intermediate—roughly around Czerny No.
50 to 60.
The genre is jazz, and the tricky part is the intense high-register passage at the beginning.
It has a kind of jazz-specific difficulty that you rarely encounter in classical music, so repeated practice is necessary.
Waltz, No. 1 from the Suite “Masquerade”Aram Khachaturian
This is one of Aram Khachaturian’s signature works, known alongside Sabre Dance and Masquerade.
It was composed in 1941 as incidental music and arranged in 1944 into a suite of five pieces.
It features a brilliant, elegant triple meter and conveys folk-music elements throughout.
It also drew attention when used in Mao Asada’s figure skating program.
With its dramatic development and beautiful melodies, it’s an ideal piece for recitals that captivates audiences.
Its structure allows for rich expressive range, so do give it a try!