i made this a while back in my google drive when my friend asked me for classical music recommendations. i skipped a lot of the pretty common stuff you’ll likely already know. this is more casual than i’d like it to be but cope i guess.
Beethoven
Violin Sonata No. 9 ‘kreutzer’ - I’ve loved this forever
Brahms
Symphony Op. 68 No. 1: I
Violin Sonata Op. 78 No. 1: I
Violin Concerto Op. 77
Piano Concerto Op. 83 No. 2
Chopin
Chopin was the first composer that I became obsessive about. All discovery of music started here around fourth grade.
Etude Op. 10 No. 4 ‘torrent’
Etude Op. 25 No. 5 ‘wrong note’ - it’s so simple and melancholically pretty
Etude Op. 25 No. 11 ‘winter wind’ - another tour de force; I remember 10 year old me crying for hours when I was told I couldn’t play this.
Polonaise Op. 53 ‘heroic’ - one of my favorite ‘big’ sounding pieces. I listened to it so much back in elementary school
Preludes, Op. 28 - the pieces in this system coexist beautifully. They cover nearly every emotion I can imagine and transition so well. When I listen to them in their entirety it feels like they contain a whole universe. My favorites are No. 16 and No. 24.
This recording of 13 year old Kissin playing Chopin’s 1st Piano Concerto - This recording is my standard of ‘perfect’ piano playing. THIS is how I want to sound when I play. While Kissin’s recordings of the piece now are obviously flawless, there’s something really pure about the sound here.
Ballade No. 1 - I cannot express how much I LOVE this piece. It’s made me cry so many times. The other ballades (especially No. 2) are also beautiful, but this one is something special.
Debussy
Regarding solo piano-
Prelude Op. 125 No. 4
Prelude Op 125 No. 8
Prelude Op. 125 No. 10
Arabesque No. 1
6 Epigraphes Antiques, No. 1 & No. 6
L’isle Joyeuse - I need to play this someday
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun - the flute solo at the start omg omg omg
La Mer - well obviously.
Dvorak
Symphony No. 9 ‘from the new world’ - the first movement and finale are beautiful
Piano Quartet in E Flat: Finale
Faure
Piano Quartet No. 2 - the finale omg
Liszt
Liebestruam - if someone played this for me I would genuinely marry them
Sonetto 104. Del Petrarca
Grandes Etudes de Paganini, No. 6
12 Transcendental Etudes - they’re really insanely cool. Yunchan also looks really freaking cool playing them. My favorite is No. 12 (Chasse Neige).
Mahler
Symphony No. 2
Symphony No. 5
Mendelssohn
Piano Concerto No. 1
Violin Concerto No. 1
Piano Trio No. 1
Poulenc
Violin Sonata FP 119
Clarinet Sonata FP 184
} these pieces are pretty similar, I love them both
Melancolie FP 105 - literally gorgeous asdljgslkdjg
Nocturnes No. 7
Concerto for Two Pianos, FP 61 - very underrated
Prokofiev
Piano Concerto No. 3 - This piece is so colorful and exciting, definitely one of my top 5 favorites. I’ve watched this video of Martha Argerich playing it like 100 times. It’s perfect in every capacity, both with her technique and musicality. Literally brain chemistry altering.
Violin Concerto No. 1: II - (2nd mov. starts at 9:10). This is one of my favorite recordings of one of my favorite musicians. This piece gives me so much energy.
Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto No. 2 - my favorite piano concerto
Piano Concerto No. 3 - more chaotic than No. 2 but also beautiful. The opening feels so warm.
Piano Concerto No. 4 - SO UNDERRATED. It’s kind of jazzy. Give it a chance.
Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini - I am a D1 pag 24 hater. Still, some of the variations are really beautiful.
Cello Sonata Op. 19: IV
Piano Sonata No. 2 - well obviously
Op. 23 Preludes - i love them, especially no. 2, 4, 5
Liebeslied (arr. Rachmaninoff, originally kreisler) - this has been in my playlist since fourth grade. It’s a beautiful arrangement and one of my favorite pieces of all time.
Symphony No. 2: III - ACTUALLY GORGEOUS
Ravel
Gaspard de la nuit - literally perfection. Ondine is my favorite movement.
Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2
Pavane for a Dead Princess - so simple but so pretty.
Jeux D’Eau
Piano Concerto M.83
La Valse (piano arr.)
Saint Saens
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso - hear me out please
Cello Concerto Op. 19 No. 2: II
Piano Concerto Op. 22 No. 2
Sarasate
Zigeunerweisen
Navarra, Op. 33
Scriabin
Etude Op. 8 No. 12
Fantasie in B minor
Sonata No. 7 ‘white mass’ - this is a piece of incredibly massive force. The expression markings are interesting: "mystérieusement sonore" (mysteriously sonorous), and "avec une sombre majesté" (with a dark majesty). the theme is marked as "avec une céleste volupté" (with a heavenly voluptuousness).
Sonata No. 8 - If I had to choose one piece that’s closest to resembling a living organism, it would be this. Maybe it’s because of how contradictory it is; there are points where it’s simultaneously explosive and in stasis.
Sonata No. 9 ‘black mass’
Shostakovitch
This is the start of my 20th century music obsession.
String Quartet No. 8 : II - this recording is what made me fall in love with Shostakovich's music. Janine Jansen is going absolutely insane here (well they all are tbh).
Piano Trio No. 2: IV - yay we’ve got DSCH again !! I keep begging people to play this with me but no one wants to.
Piano Concerto No. 2: II - when the piano comes in around 1:10 is just so pretty.
Symphony No. 5: IV
Sibelius
Violin Concerto Op. 47 - this may be my favorite piece ever. It’s beautiful and so emotional. I don’t think a minute of it is wasted.
Symphony No. 2 - underrated.
Symphony No. 7
13 pieces For Piano - nothing really special about them, but they’re cute.
Sorabji
This is an acquired taste, I get that it may not be for everyone. REGARDLESS– I love Sorabji.
2 Piano Pieces, No. 1: In the Hothouse
2 Piano Pieces, No. 2: Toccata
Le Jardin Parfum
Gulistan
Tchaikovsky
(Arr. Pletnev) The Nutcracker Suite, No. 7 ‘pas de deux’ - 3:40 is insane
Symphony No. 6
Violin Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 1
Piano Trio in A Minor
Other
Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto - Clara Schumann is someone I actually greatly look up to. I love her. She wrote this piano concerto, which is severely under played and little known, when she was only 14. Fourteen. How?? It’s so beautiful and full of life and emotion.
Moszkowski’s Piano Concerto