[Piano] Classic masterpieces you’ll want to listen to and play in winter

In winter, when the severe cold can make going out feel like a chore, why not enjoy listening to music and playing the piano in the warmth of your home?

This time, we’ve picked out classic masterpieces that evoke winter—piano pieces as well as orchestral works with beautiful piano arrangements.

The piano’s timbre is a perfect match for the crisp winter air and stunning snowy landscapes.

Relaxing at home and listening is wonderful, but we also recommend challenging yourself to actually play the piano to make your time at home even more fulfilling.

Please enjoy winter-themed classical works in whatever way feels most comfortable for you!

Playlist

[Piano] Classic masterpieces you’ll want to listen to and play in winter
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Five Pieces, ‘The Trees Suite,’ Op. 75: No. 5, ‘The Spruce’Jean Sibelius		A beautiful piano piece inspired by fir trees.
2	“Four Seasons” — 12 Character Sketches, November “Troika”Pyotr Tchaikovsky		Tchaikovsky’s Winter Scene
3	No. 1 “March” from the ballet The NutcrackerPyotr Tchaikovsky		Winter Dream: The Magic of The Nutcracker
4	Song Cycle “Winterreise” No. 7 “Linden Tree” S.561 R.246Schubert=Liszt		A masterpiece from Schubert’s Winterreise
5	Amazing Gracesanbika		The moving hymn “Amazing Grace” in winter
6	Jugend-Album (Album for the Young), Op. 68 No. 39: Wintertime IIRobert Schumann		Schumann’s piano piece imbued with winter emotions
7	Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, Fourth Movement “Ode to Joy”Ludwig van Beethoven		A famous piece from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, performed at the end of the year.
8	Ave Verum CorpusWolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Mozart’s Eucharistic hymn is music of prayer.
9	Symphonic Poem “Finlandia,” Op. 26Jean Sibelius		A patriotic symphonic poem for Finland’s independence
10	Violin Concertos “The Trial between Harmony and Invention,” Op. 8 (The Four Seasons), No. 4 “Winter”Antonio Vivaldi		The Seasons Depicted in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons
11	Ave MariaCharles Gounod		A classic Christmas piece, a masterpiece by Bach
12	12 Etudes, Op. 25 No. 11 “Winter Wind”Frederic Chopin		Chopin's Etude 'Winter Wind' is a difficult piece.
13	One more time, One more chanceYamazaki Masayoshi		The poignant masterpiece 'Kanade' that longs for someone lost
14	The Carnival of the Animals, No. 13: The SwanCamille Saint-Saëns		The famous piece by Saint-Saëns, “The Carnival of the Animals”
15	Children’s Corner Suite, No. 4: The Snow Is DancingClaude Debussy		Music of a snow fairy depicting a child's heart
16	Song Cycle “Winterreise,” No. 1 “Good Night,” S.561 R.246Schubert=Liszt		Winter journey, expressing the sorrow of a broken heart
17	“The Four Seasons” — 12 Character Sketches: December “Christmas”Pyotr Tchaikovsky		Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons” Christmas piece
18	Trepak from The NutcrackerPyotr Tchaikovsky		The Russian Dance from The Nutcracker is moving.
19	Preludes, Book I: No. 6 “Footprints in the Snow”Claude Debussy		Debussy’s celebrated piece that depicts the silence of winter
20	Transcendental Études, S.139 No. 12 “Snowstorm”Franz Liszt		Liszt’s high-difficulty piano piece “Snowstorm”
21	Lullaby in D-flat major, Op. 57Frederic Chopin		A masterful set of variations depicting Chopin’s winter scenes
22	Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 38: In Winter Time IRobert Schumann		Schumann’s winter miniatures: delicate tone colors and sensitivity
23	Ave verum corpusWolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Mozart’s final masterpiece, deeply moving
24	Christmas Time Is HereVince Guaraldi		The charm of quiet Christmas music
25	Three Romances, Op. 11 No. 1Clara Schumann		An emotional piano piece imbued with hidden feelings for Clara
26	Songs Without Words, Book V, Op. 62 No. 5, No. 3: “Venetian Boat Song”Felix Mendelssohn		Mendelssohn’s moving canal miniature
27	Serenade from SchwanengesangFranz Schubert		The melancholy and beauty of Schubert's lieder
28	Dumka in C minor, Op. 59Pyotr Tchaikovsky		Expressive piano piece by Tchaikovsky
29	Nocturne No. 19 in E minor, Op. 72 No. 1, “Posthumous”Frederic Chopin		Chopin’s emotionally rich Nocturnes
30	Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K. 332 (K6. 300k), No. 2Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		The Charm of Mozart’s Piano Sonatas
31	Sonatine in F-sharp minor, M. 40 — I. ModeratoMaurice Ravel		Ravel’s delicately melancholic masterpiece
32	Sonatine in F-sharp minor, M. 40: II. MenuetMaurice Ravel		The beauty of Ravel’s piano piece “Sonatine”
33	Gaspard of the Night, M. 55: II. The GallowsMaurice Ravel		An eerie masterpiece with a repeating bell chime
34	Six Pieces: “Nocturnes”Pyotr Tchaikovsky		A sentimental masterpiece that depicts the stillness of the night
35	dreamClaude Debussy		The serene beauty of fantastical Impressionist music
36	Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K. 332 (K6 300k), No. 1Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Elegant melodies and beautiful music of the Classical era
37	white birchJean Sibelius		A piano piece that depicts an elegant scene of nature
38	Merry Christmas Mr. LawrenceSakamoto Ryuichi		A masterpiece in which the musical elements of the East and the West are splendidly fused…
39	The Confectionery World, No. 14: “Demon Arare”Yuyama Akira		Fuse Japanese and Western music in a short piece
40	Nocturne No. 2Frederic Chopin		Beautiful melodies flowing gently and delicate ornamentations...
41	La CampanellaFranz Liszt		A delicate melody reminiscent of tolling bells is striking, with high notes...
42	Children’s Corner No. 4: “The Snow Is Dancing”Claude Debussy		A snowy scene depicted from a child's perspective
43	Burgmüller 25 Progressive Pieces, Op. 100, No. 19 “Ave Maria”Johann Burgmüller		I was enraptured by the choir’s hymn resonating through the cathedral church…
44	Four Easy Pieces in Pantomime from “The Snowman” No. 1: “Waltz of the Snowman”Erich Wolfgang Korngold		At age 11, the genius composer Korngold’s Snowman
45	Four Easy Pieces by Pantomime from “Snowman,” No. 3: SerenadeErich Wolfgang Korngold		A romantic winter tale drawn by a prodigy boy