Classical Music Top 100 (Works 51–80)
Here you will find the works no. 51–80.
Continue to the works 81–100 here.
Works 51–80
51) Antonio Vivaldi – The Four Seasons (1725)
Voices of Music
Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons are four violin concertos that include not only some of the best-known melodies of all, but also imitations of storms, thunderstorms, and even dogs barking.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
52) Frédéric Chopin – Fantaisie-Impromptu (1834)
Daniil Trifonov (piano)
Frédéric Chopin combines virtuosity with lyricism in his Fantaisie-Impromptu. However, he himself was not particularly satisfied with his composition: the work was not published until six years after his death.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Chopin, Fantaisie-Impromptu Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
53) Johann Pachelbel – Canon in D major (1694)
Voices of Music
The baroque composer Johann Pachelbel from Nuremberg used a harmonic “formula” in his Canon in D major, which is almost a “hit guarantee” until today. His canon is world famous, the harmonic formula went down in music history as the “Pachelbel Scheme”.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Pachelbel, Canon in D major Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
54) George Frideric Handel – Messiah (1741)
Choir of The Queen’s College, Academy of Ancient Music, Rowan Pierce, Esther Brazil, Ted Blac, Ashley Riches, Owen Rees
George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah gave us many musical numbers that simply belong at Christmas. Just think of the famous “Hallelujah!” Above all, the fantastic choral numbers make Messiah a work that can be heard especially well, but not only, at Christmas.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Handel, Messiah Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
55) Johann Sebastian Bach – Christmas Oratorio
RIAS Chamber Choir, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Anna Lucia Richter, Stefanie Irányi, Maximilian Schmitt, Roderick Williams, Hans Christoph Rademann
For many people, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is as much a part of Christmas as gingerbread and the Christmas tree. Bach wrote the six individual cantatas that together make up the Christmas Oratorio for the six services during the Christmas season in 1734.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Bach, Christmas Oratorio Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
56) Heinrich Schütz – Christmas Story (1660)
Dresdner Kammerchor, Isabel Schicketanz, Jonathan Mayenschein, Georg Poplutz, Tobias Mäthger, Martin Schicketanz, Hans Christoph Rademann
With his Christmas Story, the early Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz laid the foundation for later monumental Christmas works (such as Bach’s Christmas Oratorio or Handel’s Messiah). The description of the birth of Christ is set to music here.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Schütz, Christmas Story Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
57) Franz Liszt – La Campanella (1838)
Yoav Levanon
With the piano etude La Campanella, Franz Liszt wrote a piece based on a theme by Paganini that is short but devilishly difficult. Accordingly, it is often played as an encore.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Liszt, La Campanella Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
58) George Frideric Handel – Trumpet Concerto in D major (1717)
Manuel María Moreno, Orchestre de Chambre Paris, Horst Sohm
Handel’s Trumpet Concerto in D major is a compilation from the famous Water Music: an overture, an air, a march and two dance movements are combined.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Handel, Trumpet Concerto in D major Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
59) Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 4 (1806)
Javier Perianes, hr Symphony Orchestra, Andrés Orozco-Estrada
In his Piano Concerto No. 4, Beethoven breaks new ground: at the very beginning, he breaks with convention; later, lyrical passages take on an unusually large role.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
60) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – String Quintet in G minor (1787)
Quatuor Van Kuijk
Mozart’s String Quintet in G minor follows a strange dramaturgy: the work becomes progressively slower and more somber, with a sudden brightening only just before the end. Irony? Who knows.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Mozart, String Quintet in G minor Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
61) George Frideric Handel – Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749)
hr Symphony Orchestra, Richard Egarr
There are several curious anecdotes to tell about George Frideric Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks: Handel defied the English king, the fireworks were a disaster and the dress rehearsal of the Fireworks Music caused perhaps the first traffic jam in history – well, that’s something 🙂
You can find the full work presentation here:
Handel, Music for the Royal Fireworks Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
62) Johann Strauss I – Radetzky March (1848)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Georges Prêtre
The Radetzky March by Johann Strauss I is heard every year at the conclusion of the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert, making it one of the best-known pieces of all. However, far fewer people are aware that numerous moral problems accompany its performance.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Strauss I, Radetzky March Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
63) Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 9 (1824)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Riccardo Muti
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 marks a turning point in music history. By using a chorus to sing Schiller’s Ode to Joy in the final movement of this monumental work, Beethoven created a new genre: the so-called “symphonic cantata” combines elements of the (instrumental) symphony and the (vocal) cantata.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
64) Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 9 (1945)
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Dmitri Shostakovich created an “Anti-Ninth” with his Symphony No. 9: The work is short instead of monumental, sarcastic instead of heroic, and ends with a circus instead of a triumphal march.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 9 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
65) Antonín Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 (1893)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Antonín Dvořák set a musical monument to the USA with his Symphony No. 9: inspired by Dvořák’s stay in America and his study of Native American melodies, the work bears the epithet “From the New World”.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
66) Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Sonata No. 32 (1822)
Maria João Pires (piano)
The Piano Sonata No. 32 is Ludwig van Beethoven’s last piano sonata and is considered a milestone in piano literature. Its unusual structure (a ten-minute first movement plus a twenty-minute second movement) has led to all kinds of interpretations: There is talk of “height and depth,” of “will and grace,” and even of “this world and the hereafter.”
You can find the full work presentation here:
Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 32 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
67) Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 10 (1953)
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Semyon Bychkov
The Symphony No. 10 is Dmitri Shostakovich’s first major composition after the death of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. The work has therefore often been interpreted as a “reckoning” with the Stalin regime. In addition to musical personifications of Stalin, Shostakovich, and Shostakovich’s close confidante Elmira Nəzirova, Shostakovich’s Tenth has a completely exaggerated (ironic?) ending that is worth noting.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 10 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
68) Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 7 (1813)
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Iván Fischer
While Beethoven was working on his Symphony No. 7, all of Europe was fighting Napoleon and Beethoven was fighting his deteriorating hearing. Nevertheless, his 7th Symphony is perhaps his brightest, most radiant, and altogether most positive symphony.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
69) Edvard Grieg – Piano Concerto (1869)
Matthias Kirschnereit, Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Wernigerode, Christian Fitzner
Edvard Grieg was inspired for his Piano Concerto by Robert Schumann, August Winding and the Norwegian jumping dance “Halling”. The result is a rousing piece of music that has been one of Grieg’s most popular works since its premiere (although it was detested by his fellow composer Hugo Wolf).
You can find the full work presentation here:
Grieg, Piano Concerto Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
70) Joseph Haydn – Symphony No. 104 (1795)
Sinfonietta Riga, Alexei Ogrintchouk
With his Symphony No. 104 Joseph Haydn crowned his famous London symphonies, and a little bit perhaps the classical symphony as a whole. In any case, Haydn shows us in this work once again all his craftsmanship and of course – as always – A LOT of his famous humor.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Haydn, Symphony No. 104 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
71) Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet No. 14 (1826)
The Danish String Quartet
Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 has led to much confusion, especially as to form (and actually still does today). Most people today divide the piece into 7 movements, but this is not so clear from Beethoven’s autograph. Also interesting: Beethoven showed remarkable humor in his correspondence with his publisher as well as in the music of the String Quartet No. 14 itself…
You can find the full work presentation here:
Beethoven, String Quartet No. 14 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
72) Joseph Haydn – Emperor Quartet (1797)
Attacca Quartet
The Emperor Quartet belongs to Haydn’s late string quartets and many people know it without knowing that they know it 🙂 In the second movement Haydn writes variations on that melody on which the German national anthem is sung to this day.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Haydn, Emperor Quartet Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
73) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 6 ("Pathétique") (1893)
NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Manze
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky said goodbye to the world with his Symphony No. 6, nicknamed “Pathétique“: it is his last work and seems almost like a requiem, also because Tchaikovsky died under mysterious circumstances only 9 days after the premiere.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 („Pathétique“) Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
74) Edward Elgar – Cello Concerto (1919)
Bryan Cheng, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Giordano Bellincampi
Edward Elgar composed his Cello Concerto in a politically and personally somber time. It became his last great work, in which he really let off steam once again, especially as far as form is concerned.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Elgar, Cello Concerto Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
75) Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 (sometime between 1729 and 1740)
Beatrice Rana, Amsterdam Sinfonietta
In his Harpsichord Concerto No. 1, Johann Sebastian Bach also employed the “parody technique” – that is, he made extensive use of his own (and probably others’) works. With his passionate Harpsichord Concerto No. 1, as with all 7 of his completed harpsichord concertos, he gave his two eldest sons the opportunity to perform as soloists.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Bach, Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
76) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No. 40 (1788)
hr Symphony Orchestra, Andrés Orozco-Estrada
It was not initially foreseeable that Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 would one day be among his most popular works: A performance during Mozart’s lifetime is said to have been such a disaster that Mozart preferred to leave the hall 🙂
You can find the full work presentation here:
Mozart, Symphony No. 40 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
77) Franz Schubert – Piano Sonata No. 21 (1828)
Krystian Zimerman (1st movement)
Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 21 can really send a cold shiver down your spine: the work starts out so simple and folksong-like, almost naive, and then becomes more and more stirring. The last movement is just Schubert’s desperate search for a positive ending, which is not crowned with success.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 21 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
78) Johann Sebastian Bach – Violin Partita No. 2 (1720)
Shunske Sato (violin)
In his Violin Partita No. 2, Bach follows the conventional sequence of dances, but adds something weighty: a massive chaconne as the final movement, which alone lasts as long as all the preceding dances combined.
You can find the full work presentation here:
Bach, Violin Partita No. 2 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
79) Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Sonata No. 23 ("Appassionata") (1807)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano)
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 23 is nicknamed the “Appassionata” (“The Passionate”) because it marks a high point of Beethoven’s subjective expressive will. Very often it has been related to Shakespeare’s works (The Tempest, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear).
You can find the full work presentation here:
Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 („Appassionata“) Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
80) Franz Liszt – Liebestraum No. 3 (1850)
Khatia Buniatishvili (piano)
With Liebestraum No. 3 Franz Liszt succeeded in writing a piano piece that has both the typical character of a nocturne and a remarkable form (with virtuoso cadenzas).
You can find the full work presentation here:
Liszt, Liebestraum No. 3 Explained (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
