Music analysis: Where to start listening to classical piano pieces
Do you have an interest in classical music but don’t know where to start listening?
Here are Music News Blitz writer Moe Ikeda’s recommendations of classical music from two perspectives: arrangements and legendary pianists.
Arrangements of classical pieces on YouTube
Listening to classical pieces arranged by mixing modern tastes is a great way for beginners to become familiar with classical music.
Born in 1995, Luca Sestak is a pianist, composer and producer from Germany.
His music blends genres such as jazz, blues, and contemporary music with traditional classical piano music.
His way of arrangement is the re-presentation of values of classical music from modern perspectives.
The audience notices the infinite possibilities of classical music and its perfection, which has been loved for centuries.
One of his famous videos is Solfegietto (C. Ph. E. Bach).
This piece is the arrangement of Solfeggietto composed by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the fifth child and second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Solfeggietto is a short solo piano piece which has been popular as an etude (practice piece).
Cateen (Hayato Sumino) is a Japanese pianist and composer with over 2.2 million followers across his social media platforms.
On his YouTube channel, he has uploaded videos in which he plays classical pieces, J-pop, and his arrangements of many pieces.
Not only does he play the piano, but he also puts a toy piano or melodica on the grand piano and plays it while playing the piano.
One of his remarkable arrangements is Csárdás.
Csárdás composed by Vitorio Monti, is the masterpiece for violin, mandolin, or piano. This is based on a traditional Hungarian Csárdás (folk dance).
Normally, this piece is played by a violinist and pianist. However, Cateen plays both parts by himself using a melodica and a grand piano.
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Legendary Pianists
In this world, there are many legendary pianists, but some of them are for the connoisseur, such as Vladimir Horowitz and Glenn Gould.
If you are new to listening to classical music, you should listen to the playing by the book.
Vladimir Ashkenazy is a Soviet-born Icelandic pianist. He has recorded much classical repertoire and collaborated with many orchestras.
The German-America piano company, Steinway & Sons, explains his performance: “His piano playing is bright and incisive, with clear articulation and intellectual depth that does not interfere with the production of warm feeling.
“Although he possesses a considerable degree of sheer strength, his excellent playing in delicate passages creates the dominant impression.”
His recordings of Beethoven’s great piano sonatas: Pathetique, Moonlight, and Appassionata are the great performances to start listening to masterpieces everyone knows.
Krystian Zimerman is also a great pianist who plays classical pieces by the book. He is a Polish pianist, conductor and pedagogue.
One of the world’s surviving record company, Deutsche Grannophon, says “his interpretations of everything reveal infinite expressive subtleties and the underlying clarity of his storytelling through music.”
His best-known performances are Chopin’s piano pieces, especially Ballades.
Zimerman’s flowing melodies and romantic performance style, which are suitable for playing pieces composed in the Romantic Era, are great.
His recording of Chopin’s ballades is good option to start listening to ballades for the first time.
What’s next to do if you are now interested in classical music?
The pieces introduced in this article, Beethoven's three great piano sonatas and Chopin’s ballades, are great pieces to compare with many pianists’ recordings.
By listening to their performances, you will be able to find your favourite pianists!
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