Please recommend me some classical piano works!

noisy doll☆ · 10-16-2007, 10:56 PM

So this month I decided to start this ballet workout regimen. Generally, when doing plies and all that stuff there's an accompanist playing some gentle stuff on the piano, at an adagio or a moderato tempo. Obviously, I have no accompanist, so I am trying to collect some repertoire to put on the iPod and listen to while I do this. Here's what I already got:

Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique, 2nd Movement- adagio cantabile
Mozart's Piano Sonata in C sharp minor, 2nd Movement- Adagio sostenuto (Moonlight Sonata)
Schubert's Piano Sonata in C Major- Moderato
Excerpts from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet

I guess what I want is more classical solo piano stuff, since I find that to be the most relaxing and helpful for my focus, but perhaps some piano with strings would be okay too. I also am using a few Joe Hisaishi pieces from Miyazaki movies, like The Sixth Station and Ashitaka And San.

Thanks for your advice!

SilentSuzumiya · 10-16-2007, 11:41 PM

Have you tried Canon in d major piano and Beethoven's other symphonies?

personally i love the ones at the end of Fullmetal Alchemist. It's the 5th symphony, and when in Munich another one plays by Beethoven. (a piano song)

Ribos · 10-17-2007, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilentSuzumiya

Have you tried Canon in d major piano and Beethoven's other symphonies?

personally i love the ones at the end of Fullmetal Alchemist. It's the 5th symphony, and when in Munich another one plays by Beethoven. (a piano song)

Will you please just shut up and stop posting?

Canon in D is seriously the "Smoke on the Water" of classical pieces... overplayed, and incredibly overrated. And anyone who can't recognize Beethoven's 5th symphony may as well be deaf. No one cares that it was used in an anime. Furthermore, she wanted adagio to moderate tempo. Gentler stuff. B's 5th is definitely NOT gentle, and plays quite a bit faster than adagio.

But it does beg a good question... how "adagio to moderate" are we talking here? What general metronome marks are we talking?

Also, does it have to be a strictly piano piece, or will a piano arrangement of an orchestral piece work? If the latter is fine, you could probably find such an arrangement of Grieg's "Anitra's Dance." I mean, it's a Mazurka, so the rhythm may feel a bit odd in comparison to the other pieces you listed, but it's a beautiful piece nonetheless.

Unfortunately, most of my collection in this area consists of orchestral pieces, and it's late (early?) for me, so I can't think of too many other pieces, but give me a few days to run through my sheet music, and maybe I can come up with something more.

SilentSuzumiya · 10-17-2007, 06:55 PM

I had Fur Elise as my ringtone a while back. That's a beautiful song and it's strictly piano (by Beethoven). sorry if you don't like the 5th symphony.

PS to burger guy: Why are you bashing Smoke on the Water? Great song ._. What do you like if you don't like it?

rmz · 10-17-2007, 08:53 PM

I'm going to sound like an elitist here, but I generally never rip/add to my library just one movement from a larger work.

Same goes for "excerpts" or things of that nature. That's kinda like reading the Cliffs Notes version of a book, to me.

As far as general recommendations, Beethoven is fantastic, and Mozart has some interesting fantasies as well. If you're looking for mostly adagio/pianissimo stuff, though, there's only so much that I can think of.

EDIT:

Quote:

Mozart's Piano Sonata in C sharp minor, 2nd Movement- Adagio sostenuto (Moonlight Sonata)

That's actually by Beethoven, and it's the first movement.

mapo · 10-17-2007, 09:00 PM

Chopin's Prelude No. 15 try that one.

YouTube - Chopin Prelude No.15, Db Major "Raindrop"--Alfredo Perl

kannazuki · 10-17-2007, 09:21 PM

Two of my favourites are...

Träumerei from Kinderszenen - Schumann
Tango in D major - Albéniz

But they might be a bit on the slow side if you want to use them for a workout.

PICASIO PICASIO · 10-18-2007, 04:00 AM

Note, umm, not all Piano. Most of my Classical right now is Strings or Orchestral. But I've taken Ballet, I know what music goes.

Impromptu No. 4 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 66, "Fantaisie Impromptu"
Sonata in C Major, K. 279: I. Allegro
Canon and Gigue in D Major
Etude Op. 10 No. 12 "Revolutionary"
Raindrop Prelude
Moonlight Sonata
Fur Elise
Suite No. 1 for Cello (sounds best when it's a solo cellist ex. it was done about 50 times by Yo-Yo Ma)

And wow, that's about it. I mostly have very orchestral things that aren't good at all for Ballet, in my opinion. Not too much rhythm going on.

EDIT: I know, basic. I'll come back with some lesser known pieces. Eghegh.

noisy doll☆ · 10-18-2007, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmz

I'm going to sound like an elitist here, but I generally never rip/add to my library just one movement from a larger work.

Same goes for "excerpts" or things of that nature. That's kinda like reading the Cliffs Notes version of a book, to me.

As far as general recommendations, Beethoven is fantastic, and Mozart has some interesting fantasies as well. If you're looking for mostly adagio/pianissimo stuff, though, there's only so much that I can think of.

EDIT:
That's actually by Beethoven, and it's the first movement.

uh oh, I actually had both the Mozart one in C minor and mixed the titles together by accident because they were both in my iTunes playlist, and I wasn't looking carefully enough! x_x whoops. I do know that Moonlight Sonata is not a Mozart piece.

And as far as just taking excerpts and single movements, I do happen to have the other movements of each sonata and concerto, and the rest of the Swan Lake ballet, but I am only picking out the slower stuff for this particular playlist. Most of the stuff I have already is stuff that we analyzed in my music theory class.

Thank you for all the good suggestions so far!

Baroque Obama · 10-20-2007, 03:39 PM

rachmaninov is a pretty good piano composer.

The Busoni transciption of bach's ciaccona is interesting. I don't like it much but since it has something to do with bach's ciaccona i might as well add it on.

Fuchikoma · 10-20-2007, 06:34 PM

Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 28
Schubert - Fantasie, Op. 15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ribos of /flex

Canon in D is seriously the "Smoke on the Water" of classical pieces

What a terrible analogy.

Baroque Obama · 10-20-2007, 07:05 PM

well pachabel was a pretty lame composer IMHO.

PICASIO PICASIO · 10-21-2007, 01:24 AM

8 NOTES
54 MEASURES
8 NOTES
54 MEASURES
8 NOTES
54 MEASURES

Ribos · 10-22-2007, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuchikoma

What a terrible analogy.

True... Deep Purple had much better songs whereas Pachelbel didn't really do anything else worth listening to today. And whoever brings up Toccata in E Minor will be slapped. Repeatedly.

But in defense of the analogy, I want to kill anyone who plays that song in a music store as much as anyone who plays Smoke On The Water.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ParadoxVincent

8 NOTES
54 MEASURES
8 NOTES
54 MEASURES
8 NOTES
54 MEASURES

Quoted for fucking emphasis.

Back on topic, though... if guitar music is open, Fernando Sor wrote a collection of Variations on a Theme by Mozart. Just consider it running in double time or so, and it should be workable.

<3 Sor.

2eroha · 10-22-2007, 05:44 PM

piano uh... =) you should check up Debussy's Claire de Lune!
*here!*
or Nocturne from chopin.
Debussy is the most relaxing thing i ve listened to! i have a playlist i listen before i go to bed =p i think it also may help you in your balley routine, he also has great songs like Prélude à l'après midi d'un faune or synx :3

and you should try another type of instruments.. how bout violin? or balley works like the nutcracker, peter et le loup.. petite chaperon rouge.. my favs! ^^