[Advanced] Super cool if you can play it! Selection of famous piano pieces
When you think of classical piano pieces, many people probably imagine graceful melodies and gentle, soothing works.
However, in this article we’re introducing pieces that overturn that image: fiercely beautiful, dynamic, and cool classical piano works by various composers—aspirational, advanced-level repertoire for learners who dream of becoming top pianists.
These cool classical pieces have great performance impact, so they’re guaranteed to shine at recitals and studio concerts!
If you’re looking for technically challenging and dazzling piano works, don’t miss this!
- [For Advanced Players] A Curated Selection of Classical Masterpieces to Tackle at Piano Recitals
- It’s so cool if you can play these on the piano! A selection of irresistibly charming masterpieces.
- For Advanced Players: Showstopping Classics to Play at a Piano Recital
- [Intermediate Level] Cool Piano Pieces You Can Play [Great for Recitals Too]
- [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
- [Piano Recital] Perfect Pieces for Middle Schoolers! A Curated Selection of Impressive, Audience-Pleasing Works
- Difficult Piano Pieces | Even Pros Can't Play Them!? Classical Works Requiring Virtuosic Technique
- Masterpieces of classical piano that are too beautiful for words. A gathering of delicate tones that cleanse the soul.
- Beginner to Intermediate: Chopin pieces with relatively low difficulty. Recommended works by Chopin.
- [Piano Duets] Guaranteed to get the crowd excited! A roundup of recommended pieces
- [For Piano Recitals] Simple yet Cool Classical Pieces
[Advanced] Super Cool if You Can Play Them! Selection of Famous Piano Pieces (31–40)
Totentanz, S.555 R.240Saint-Saëns=Liszt
Saint-Saëns’s Danse macabre, composed by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, is based on a poem by the French poet Henri Cazalis and depicts skeletons dancing a sinister waltz to the violin played by Death.
A solo piano version was published by Franz Liszt, renowned for leaving numerous piano works that demand transcendent virtuosity.
The sounds that color this otherworldly scene—originally portrayed by the orchestra—such as the rasping of bones, the clattering of skeletons as they dance, and the rooster heralding the dawn, are faithfully reproduced in Liszt’s piano arrangement as well.
By all means, try performing it while imagining the story!
Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20Frederic Chopin
Frédéric Chopin’s masterpiece Scherzo No.
1 in B minor, Op.
20—often featured in competitions and concerts—is known as a highly challenging work that uses dissonance to great effect.
Because consonant and dissonant harmonies intertwine with shifting intensity, the piece demands both expressive range and technical skill.
In particular, the descending dissonant passage that unfolds from the high register at the opening is a signature phrase of the work, so I recommend practicing it intensively.
‘Estampes’ No. 3 ‘Jardins sous la pluie’Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy’s piece “Jardins sous la pluie” (No.
3 from “Estampes”) is themed around rain falling on a garden in his homeland.
Debussy is highly popular in Japan for his rich expressiveness, and he is known for many piano works that are as fantastical as paintings.
This piece also reflects those hallmark Debussy traits.
Measures 43–44 are the most difficult: although the lowest notes in the left hand carry the main theme, the writing makes them very hard to bring out.
Pay careful attention to touch control and practice with a focus on the clarity and evenness of each note.
Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23Frederic Chopin
Among Chopin’s works, the Ballade No.
1 in G minor, Op.
23 is especially famous for its demanding right-hand part.
Except for the opening and the ending, it’s largely written in 6/4 time—in other words, the “Zun-ta-ta” rhythm.
On top of this rhythm, the right hand unfolds a melody with many off-beat accents.
In the first place, 6/4 is not a familiar meter for many Japanese listeners, and maintaining this pulse while playing a complex melody is challenging in itself.
As for the coda, it’s tremendously effective in performance, but correspondingly formidable in difficulty, so be sure to listen with the ending in mind.
Gaspard of the Night, No. 1: OndineMaurice Ravel
If you’re well-versed in French literature, the title Gaspard de la nuit may remind you of the poetry collection by Aloysius (Louis) Bertrand, born in 19th-century France.
The work discussed here, however, is Maurice Ravel’s suite for solo piano, a piece of the same name inspired by three poems included in Bertrand’s collection.
Of the three movements, given our theme of “music to hear in the hot summer,” let’s focus on the first, Ondine.
“Ondine” is the name of the water spirit among the four classical elements; in Japanese, the form “Undine” may be more familiar.
When it comes to Ravel’s water-themed piano works, Jeux d’eau often comes to mind, but Ondine is a piece you should certainly know as well.
It portrays the story of an ondine who falls in love with a human, expressing both the spirit’s heartbreak and the image of heavy rainfall through Ravel’s characteristically sophisticated technique—an exquisite, delicate, and dramatic masterpiece.
