classical music

originally i had a whole article planned out for classical music with intricate subsections and beautiful prose but the more i read it the more i didn't like it. i think the music can speak for itself and will speak more than any fancy words i throw at it. below are some of my favorite pieces. if you do take an interest, i really really advise you to fully immerse yourself as you listen, both in a volume-sense (use good headphones! you pick up on so many instrumental subtleties) and in an imaginative sense. classical music tells wonderful stories, but they can only be unlocked if you allow your mind to wander there. a couple other listening tips: don't skip around! climaxes can take many minutes to achieve, but if you are deliberate with waiting to arrive then you will enjoy it so much more. for symphonies, switch your listening from instrument to instrument; sometimes sections have very subtle yet beautiful parts. for solo piano, listen for "voicing" (notes/lines that endure in complex passages) and interplay between the bass and treble lines (while the melody is always great, some bass parts are spectacular like the echo effect in Fantasie). now here are the pieces in no particular order; feel free to read my notes and choose whichever your heart desires! --- 1. Frederic Chopin - Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58 III. Largo (link) simply divine. i feel spiritually at ease sinking into this piece, especially from 2:30-3:00 and whenever this motif is repeated. 2. Edvard Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 1, Op. 12: No. 1, Arietta (link) the epitome of "short and sweet". the chords at the end are hauntingly beautiful, also i was able to appreciate this piece a lot more after watching this mini-analysis. 3. Alexander Scriabin - Fantasie, Op. 28 (link) one of the best climaxes in all of classical music. the echo effect i mentioned previously can be found from 2:17-2:22 i think it's so delicate but gosh it is nice (it's repeated later in the climax, albeit much more forcefully). 4. Claude Debussy - Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune (link) breathtaking orchestral work. the surges of harp, strings, winds create such a vivid scene, and i think this piece does a phenomenal job at conveying a story. favorite excerpt is 4:13-5:46. 5. Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 3 in D Minor: VI. Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden. (link) mahler creates some of the most complex yet rich orchestral works ever. this movement ranges from complete serenity to absolutely cathartic cries, and can only be experienced in its totality. do not skip in this piece. 6. Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 8 in E-Flat Major: XII. Alles Vergangliche (link) i absolutely love choral works. i always get chills at the beginning of this piece because of how intimate it feels, and by the end it is just pure triumph. 7. Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings (link) this piece is very special to me because i had the chance to lead my school orchestra in a memorial performance of this piece for my late conductor bruce topping. no strings piece captures sorrow and desperation to any degree like this one. 8. Alexander Scriabin - Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 43: II. Voluptes (link) programmatic music is one of my favorite genres, as the story is quite literally ingrained within the piece. i haven't read about the story this symphony is based on, but scriabin composed the music so well that i can practically imagine. my favorite part starts 6:27 with the solo violin, in which i imagine a maiden prancing through the forest with birds and fauna of all sorts around her (try listening yourself and see what you can imagine). 9. Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio sostenuto (link) a classic and a masterpiece. it is quite popular on instagram and youtube, but for good reason. the climax is to die for. i literally can't describe this piece with words it is that beautiful. please listen in its entirety. 10. Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30: I. Allegro ma non tanto (link) while this piece is not as lush or warm as the others on this list, i can't help but marvel at the intensity, power, and gravitas this piece commands. i LOVE the ossia cadenza (probably my favorite cadenza in all of classical music), and was fortunate enough to perform this with pacific symphony youth orchestra alongside my friend jonathan doh who did a fantastic job. unrelated, but the ending of the third movement of this concerto is UNBELIEVABLE, i have been moved to tears so many times listening to it (i even wrote about it in my stanford and yale essays), so PLEASE listen to it eventually. but yeah clearly i enjoy this piece quite a bit. --- i feel as if there is some "stigma" around listening to classical music recreationally, which i can sort of understand. but for something that i love so dearly, i feel it unfair to not devote as much effort as possible to sharing it with others. enjoy!