The Swan Lake

The most beautiful music in the world. (OMG)Breathtaking...

Love the violin part here..

Music of the Day- The Tickling Clock

Feel the impulse of the march like tempo. Steady but exciting. Please note, Gould didn't play it fast. He played it steadily, but with very strict tempo. But it sounds so exciting and energizing.

Sometimes, being frantically fast does not bring excitement. :-) It is being grounded and metronome like rhythm that makes Beethoven's sonata rocks. I think this is the most perfect version of the seemingly simple and cyclic movement of Beethoven's sonata No 13 in E Flat Major. Tempo marking is Allegro. To me it is an Allegro Marcato.

Music of The Day

Glenn Gould - Bach French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816

Glenn Gould's performance of Bach French Suite No. 5 made me experience something nostalgia while listening to it. Embrace the major mode of the compositions and the seamlessly graceful ornaments that brightens up this rainy Sunday.

Music of the Day - The Winter Breeze

Chopin Etudes op. 25-11 is also nicknamed Winter Breeze.

Perahia is a very mature interpreter of many composers' works. I particularly like his performance of Chopin Etudes. I picked this out of the many etudes he recorded because I know it is hot out there. Let this "winter breeze" performed by Murray Perahia cools off the heat :). Enjoy!

Now you can download his recordings of all Chopin etudes here

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Music of the Day

The piano part is so sexy with the zest of the cello. Does anyone recognize some of the motifs? Interesting~! :-) I love the decisive strum on the different instruments respectively.

Tango Pathetique, Argerich, Kremer & Maisky

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Music of the Day

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 4 in G major

3rd Movement
Ruhevoll, poco adagio

performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Wiener Philharmoniker)

conducted by Leonard Bernstein


1/3


2/3


3/3

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MUsic of the Day

Gustav Mahler - Adagietto from Symphony no. 5

Very relaxing movement. If you listening carefully, you'll hear a beautiful story whispered behind the beautiful melody lines...

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Music of the Day

Franck: Cello Sonata in A Major: IV: Allegretto poco mosso; David Finckel, Wu Han

Engaging and dramatic. A romantic vibe from Franck. Enjoy.

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Music of the Day

Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in a minor, op. 50: Finale; Da-Hong Seetoo, Wu Han, David Finckel

Let the liveliness of the music infuses your beautiful Sunday.

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Gustav Mahler - Piano Quartet in A Minor

performed by Prazak Quartet
Very breathtaking and powerful. Quite therapeutic to the thirsting soul.
Part I

Part II

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Click here to buy the music from amazon.

Music of the day

The final 3 movements(Bouree I, Bouree II, and Gigue) of Bach's French Overture. Performed by Glenn Gould. I first heard it performed by Joyce Yang in her Van Cliburn Piano Competition Preliminary Round. The final movement (Gigue @4:45) is my favorite. Enjoy the waking power of this piece.

Sound and Space

There is an art in creating space in sound. It is like the art of creating space in painting or speech/thought.

Space could be silence, could be the depth of the space, or just the use of pedal.

Listen to the following recording. You can feel a lot of space in her playing. She uses pedal and the acoustic of the hall. You feel that the piano sound is swimming through a tremendous space. Loosening up an uptight mind.

Arturo Michelangeli - Debussy Reflets dans l'eau

Another water piece. Composed by Debussy. Performed by Legendary Michelangeli.

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 2

My most favorite part of the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 2. Magical. It feels like a snowball rolling, gaining momentum and dangerously rolling. Sound better on HQ recording.

Dance music - Tango

Playing dance music is a good way to develop good sense of rhythm and steady pulse. Beside avoiding the chance to get bored by steady beat music, dance music also helps students to cherish excitement accompanying the strong steady beat throughout the music.

A Sassy Tango- Tango for Piano by Igor Stravinsky



Another tango- Libertango (Piazzolla) - performed by Yo-Yo Ma and chamber group

Sviatoslav Richter plays Ravel "Pavane"

Maurice Ravel - "Pavane pour une Infante Defunte" Live recording, 1954

The Joy and Sorrow of Love

Originally composed by Kreisler, rearranged by Rachmaninoff for piano. Performed by Rachmaninoff.

Kreisler/Rachmaninoff, Liebesfreud (The Joy of Love)


Kreisler/Rachmaninoff, Liebesleid (The Sorrow of Love)

Inspiration from the legendary violinist, Niccolò Paganini's Violin Caprice 24

I think in our lives we do certain things everyday. It is the same everyday. But sometimes we don't realize the we can do the same thing differently. That is how you keep your creativity juice flowing.
In piano works, composers exercise their creativity by improvising on a theme. And detailed written-out improvisations on the same theme are always named "Theme and Variations"

Here is a theme originally composed by Paganini in his Violin Caprice 24. Amazing enough, he was able to exploit and improvise every aspect of the theme in each of the variation.

Can't get it out of my head after listening to the theme of Caprice 24. I guess the theme had also stucked in in the heads of Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff that they have to experiment with it and write it all out. Ha! Enjoy!

Jascha Heifetz plays Paganini Caprice No. 24, accompaniment part composed by Schummann. Thrilled by the double-stops.


Female violinist version (Hilary Hahn). Amazing double-stop.



LISZT's arrangement has darker color. Franz Liszt is an equivalence to Niccolo Paganini in piano world. This arrangement was performed by Daniil Tsvetkov, an amazing pianist with beautiful long fingers.


Brahms' arrangement is more romantic and has thicker texture.


Rachmaninoff's arrangement (Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini) has some mysterious, jazz flavor and has more tone color with orchestra sound. Performed by Stephen Hough with amazingly imaginative interpretation. If you watch the movie "Groundhog Day", you will recognize the reversed theme in the final variation.






Life is the same thing. We can do the same thing same way or differently and usually it turns out amazing. So, be resilient and practical. That will lead you to being creative, and you will have fun all the way through.

Van Cliburn plays Liszt Un Sospiro

Nutcracker Suite

A composition by Tchaikovsky arranged by Pletnev. For students who love Tchaikovsky. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Performed by Korean Pianist, Mee-Hyun Ahn
1. March
2. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
3. Trepak Dance
4. In the Christmas Tree
5. Chinese Dance (Tea)
6. Pas De deux: Intrada

She is very musical and confident. She is a real artist :)