Croatian pianist Ivo Pogorelić performs Ludwig van Beethoven’s Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor (WoO 59 and Bia 515) for solo piano, commonly known as “Für Elise” or “Fuer Elise” (English: “For Elise”). This recording is considered one of the famous piece’s most delicate and sensitive interpretations.
Category Archives: Romantic Era
Tchaikovsky: Sérénade mélancolique [Julia Fischer]
Accompanied by the WDR Symphony Orchestra, Julia Fischer performs Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Sérénade mélancolique in B-flat minor for violin and orchestra, Op. 26. Conductor: Cristian Măcelaru. This performance was recorded on January 27, 2024, at the Kölner Philharmonie.
Maria Callas sings Massenet: “Pleurez! Pleurez, mes yeux”
The one and only Maria Callas sings “Pleurez! Pleurez, mes yeux” from Le Cid, an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Adolphe d’Ennery, Louis Gallet and Édouard Blau. It is based on the play of the same name by Pierre Corneille. This performance was recorded at the Hamburg Music …
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Chopin: Ballade No. 1 [Vladimir Horowitz]
One of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, Vladimir Horowitz plays Frédéric Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23. Chopin completed the piece in 1835 after his move to Paris, where he dedicated it to Baron Nathaniel von Stockhausen, the Hanoverian ambassador to France. This performance was recorded in 1982 in London.
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 26 “Les Adieux” [Maurizio Pollini]
Legendary Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini (5 January 1942 – 23 March 2024) plays Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a, also known as the Les Adieux sonata.
Schubert: Ständchen (Serenade) [Camille Thomas, cello, Beatrice Berrut, piano]
Franco-Belgian cellist Camille Thomas and the Swiss pianist and composer Beatrice Berrut perform Franz Schubert’s Ständchen (Serenade), a beautiful love song originally written for voice and piano. Thomas plays the voice part on the cello in this performance which was recorded at Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels on June 5, 2011.
Tárrega: Recuerdos de la Alhambra [Isabel Martínez]
Spanish classical guitarist Isabel Martínez plays Francisco Tárrega’s famous guitar piece Recuerdos de la Alhambra (English: Memories of the Alhambra). This is the first single of Martínez’s album “Noche Andaluza”, inspired by the Arab heritage and the popular music from Andalusia. This performance was recorded in the Hammam Al-Andalus in Granada.
Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15 [Tiffany Poon]
Hong-Kong born American pianist Tiffany Poon plays Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen (English: “Scenes from Childhood”), Opus 15, a set of thirteen pieces of music for piano written during the spring of 1838. This performance was recorded during the Dresden Music Festival 2023 on June 17, 2023, at the Palais im Großen Garten.
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 [Marc-André Hamelin]
Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer Marc-André Hamelin performs Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, S.244/2, the second in a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by the Hungarian composer, and is by far the most famous of the set. Cadenza is written by Hamelin himself. This performance was recorded at the Casals Hall, Tokyo, on December 11, 1997.
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 [Maria João Pires, Frans Brüggen]
Accompanied by the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Maria João Pires performs Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37. Conductor: Frans Brüggen. Both Pires and the orchestra perform on period instruments. This performance was recorded on November 4, 2010, at the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, Poland.