Classical Music Playlist

Strong melodies, passionate expressions, and key changes are common characteristics of music I include in my classical repertoire. The music of Johann Strauss Jr., “The Waltz King” is some of the best music in the world! Beethoven’s Fifth is well known, but not as a piano or keyboard solo. I take pleasure in being able to play this, though challenging. I also have used the “Joy” (“Jupiter, The Bringer of Joy”) movement in Holst’s “The Planets” in church specials as well as in concerts. The “anthem” like theme in the middle of this piece is hauntingly beautiful and victorious!

One piece of music known as simply a movement of classical music, “Pavane” by Faure, was used in a spiritual sign off video in the 1970’s when TV stations signed off the air late at night. It took me many years to find the name of this rather obscure, but beautiful piece of music. I have since learned it and used it many times for Easter or Good Friday services or for solemn or reflective events, as well as in certain types of concerts.

Music that, to my knowledge, has never been played or recorded by an orchestra, “The Grand Canyon of Arizona” by Redewill, is a piece I learned from a fantastic player roll. It is a beautiful suite of waltz themes, each building upon another, and melodically captivating. It leaves the listener thinking of the beauty of the Grand Canyon, as well as its vast expanse. One of my music goals is to revive, play and perform music like this that is too beautiful to be obscure or suppressed. It is one of the physically hardest pieces of music to play on the piano, but well worth it! No matter what anyone says, any music that is supposed to bring joy, is not meant to be suppressed or obscure.

My repertoire in classical therefore goes along with my vision and theme of melodic and uplifting. It includes some of the obscure material as well as the more well known.