Best of Piano Classics - 50 Famous Pieces - Solo Piano - (ED 9060)

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If you’re feeling sombre and brooding, the Sonata Pathétiqueis the perfect accompaniment. Timeless and joyously recognisable for the unique motif line Beethoven uses throughout, it’s no surprise this sonata remains one of the composer’s most celebrated compositions.

Despite its unfortunate first outing, this sonata has become one of the best-loved and most performed piano works. Traditionally, sonatas have four movements – but Liszt was never one to play by the rules. The Sonata in B minor is one unbroken stretch of music, built around a handful of motifs which re-appear in various guises throughout. A brilliant series ends on a note worthy of all the previous volumes – Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s desire to share his affection for Haydn’s music with us is infectious. A superb survey. No song screams "The '70s" louder than "Stayin' Alive" by the British-Australian trio the Bee Gees. Its catchy, unmistakable melody is usually enough to put a smile on the face of everyone who hears it—especially if you're the one bashing it out on the piano. The sonata’s third movement Rondo alla Turca is so popular, it is often played as its own musical entity. The movement imitates the sound of Turkish military bands, which was in vogue with European composers at the time.The Well-Tempered Clavier was completely innovative for its day, and it paved the way for composers writing for keyboard instruments for the next few hundred years. Bach wrote the first of the two books that make up his workin 1722, making this one of the earliest pieces on our list. Each of the two books contain 24 Preludes and Fugues (the whole work is sometimes known as ‘The 48’), in each key of the Western scale – and each book opens with a preludein C major, closing with a fugue in B minor.

Really lovely playing from Stephen Hough, who offers us the most beautifully shaped sound, and a vision of Schubert’s music that feels as exploratory as it does rich in understanding of those wonderful works. In every issue of Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford selects 10 of the new releases reviewed as 'Editor's Choice', with one 'Recording of the Month'. Here are all of the solo piano recordings chosen for these accolades in 2022. This song helped define the Britpop movement of the '90s, and it's still belted out anytime a crowd just wants to sing something. Because everybody knows the words. There are versions in four skill levels available to learn through flowkey. From beginner to pro, each starts with that classic feel-good melody, which is bound to hook everyone within earshot. The busy middle section may require plenty of practice for newcomers, but once you have it down, there's a good chance "Stayin' Alive" will become one of your favorite songs to play. 7. The Police – Every Breath You Take (1983)A fascinating and thought-provoking piece of programming – spanning the Baroque to the 21st century – that works wonderfully, thanks of course to Inon Barnatan’s hugely impressive pianism. All those ninth chords make the piano cover suitable for more advanced pianists, but even less experienced players can enjoy playing either the left- or right-hand part of the song on its own. 8. Alphaville – Forever Young (1984) A poetic survey of Hahn miniatures from pianist Pavel Kolesnikov which, writes Michelle Assay, brings us ‘closer to the core of these pieces than any other available recording’.

Like the original, our piano cover is especially soothing and minimal, built around simple chords and soft melodies. And the lyrics, perfect for a solo sing-along, are about being there for somebody—in Eilish's case, it's Finneas, her brother and cowriter. What starts sad and contemplative builds into something more upbeat and hopeful. If you're looking to play a song that will take you through a whole range of emotions, this is an excellent choice. Learn piano with flowkey A list of pop classics wouldn't be complete without a song from The Beatles. We could've chosen any of the eight Beatles songs available to learn on flowkey for this article, but something about the melancholy melody of "Yesterday" gives us goosebumps—probably the same thing that makes it the most covered song of all time (according to This Day In Music). Following up his superb Stanchinsky album last year, Peter Jablonski turns his attention to Bacewicz, offering equally fine advocacy to a composer whose music is coming to be much more widely recognised. This song is a staple for the first dance at weddings, which is why we have three versions of it available to learn through flowkey: one for weddings, a version with the melody, and a version without the melody specifically arranged for sing-alongs or other instrumental accompaniments. Whichever you choose, the sparks of romance should fly. 2. The Beatles – Yesterday (1965) The first time this was performed, Mozart took up the role of soloist – because who could possibly play it better than young Wolfgang himself? The concerto’s final movement is legendary for its shift from a dark and restless mood to an utterly jubilant D Major finale. The young Beethoven is said to have adored this concerto, and kept it in his core piano repertoire.Beethoven Symphony No 3, ‘Eroica’ (transcr Liszt) Mozart Piano Concerto No 20, K466 (transcr Alkan) Alexander Gadjiev – the second-placed pianist at last year’s Chopin Competition – further enhances his reputation with an adventurous and brilliantly played Russian programme. Chopin composed his most well-known nocturne at the tender age of 20, which perhaps accounts for its youthful passion. The build-up from the main theme and waltz-like accompaniment to the dramatic trill-filled finale makes the Nocturne in E-flat Major a strong contender for the most beautiful piano work ever written. Curiously, ‘Clair de Lune’ also means ‘Moonlight’– but there’s a stark contrast between Beethoven’s Romantic classicism and Debussy’s Impressionism. Don’t be fooled by the initial simplicity of ‘Clair de Lune’: it took Debussy 15 years to write the third movement of the Suite Bergamasque, and the result is a work that sounds simple, but demands the very best from its performers. Get it right, and it allows the most accomplished pianists to shine. Literally meaning ‘little bell’ in Italian, La Campanella borrows its melody from the final movement of Paganini’s Violin Concerto No.2, in which the tune is accompanied with a handbell. This is the third of Liszt’s six Grandes Etudes de Paganiniand it has an ethereal beauty in its tinkling, bell-like notes.