Piano for the Soul
Six hand-picked piano pieces to get your day started.
Piano music is not only the number one searched term on IDAGIO, but also my personal favourite.
I have chosen one piece of music by composers from different European countries — think of this as a bit of a piano influenced Euro trip!
We will travel to Hungary, Spain, Poland, Germany, France and Russia.
Okay everyone, we have a lot of ground to cover, let’s go!
F. Liszt — Love Dream (Notturno) No. 3 in A flat major S 541/3
Liszt’s Liebesträume are three romantic pieces of music, adapted from poems by Ludwig Uhland and Ferdinand Freiligrath. Each piece depicts a different type of love — awww, so beautiful! This piece, the famous third Notturno is about unconditional love, warning us that life is short and we should all, “Love as long as you can! The hour will come when you will stand at graves and mourn”. Sound advice!
I. Albéniz — Iberia
I know it can be a bit bombastic to describe music as “painting a landscape” or being “textual”, however the twelve movements of this work honestly do both of these things. Albéniz’s Iberia takes you on a journey along the Iberian coastline; taking a taste of traditional Spanish folk music and morphing it into a work that can only be described as picturesque. If you like Spanish music, I cannot recommend this suite more highly. My personal favourites are the playful ‘Triana’ or the more melancholy ‘El Albaicín’.
F. Chopin — Sonata for Piano No. 2 in B flat minor op. 35 BI 128
You will most certainly recognise this work from its third movement ‘Marche Funèbre’, or more commonly known as the ominous ‘Funeral March’. However, you might be surprised to discover that the rest of this work is not so sinister. Actually, even if you get past the first few minutes of the funeral march, it becomes much lighter and less foreboding. I particularly like the contrast between the movements, sometimes it is completely frantic and sometimes slow and mellow. If you have a short attention span like me, this piece will keep you entertained from start to finish.
Erik Satie — Gymnopédie No. 1 in D major
I could listen to Satie all day, every day. His compositions are a perfect gateway into classical music for any novice because they are so minimalist and atmospheric. This piece in particular — probably his most famous — is wistful and haunting.
Mily Balakirev — Islamey op. 18
I’m not a pianist, but even to me this piece seems terrifying. How can fingers move that fast? Do pianists have extra hands tucked away? Please explain! How is this humanly possible? I wouldn’t recommend listening to this piece if you are feeling anxious or scatty. However, if you want to listen to something unlike anything you’ve ever heard before, this is it. Your jaw will drop and your head will shake and, if you have never been able to play an instrument like me, you will wish you possessed any kind of musical talent.
Ludwig van Beethoven — Sonata for Piano No. 29 in B flat major op. 106
I’m not sure if there is a greater, more adventurous piano work than Beethoven’s 29th Sonata aka ‘Hammerklavier’. Unbelievably complex, at times confusing, but ultimately breathtaking, this is a classical work that deserves to be listened to from start to finish. My favourite movement is the second ‘Scherzo — Assai vivace’. In Italian ‘Scherzo’ means a joke or jest — and I suppose this movement sports this name because it must be a real joke to play! It is very fast, playful and lively and perfect to simply sit back and enjoy.
Originally published at blog.idagio.com on December 14, 2015.
