next home previous

Soothing Stuff 5
Lush Life

Here is the old romantic itself... Sunset, Watsons Bay, Sydney NSW

Have no fear, the piano can sing, even if it may not carry the expressive voice of the violin.

However, the piano has other virtues that make it the most versatile of all instruments. The reason the piano is so popular is that it can carry a tune and provide its own backing harmony.

Classical composers have relished the versatility; it can be bold, glittering and powerful. It can be seductive. It can do just about anything musical. After all, the piano features in just about every type of music - from classical to blues.

A piano The great piano concertos are usually known for their demands on the soloist for skill, speed and power. Yet, in the second, slow movements of concertos the piano frequently gets the chance to reveal a softer side.

Here are ten of the seductive best...

  1. Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, op.73, "Emperor" – 2. Adagio un poco mosso
  2. Chopin – Piano Concerto No. 1 in e minor, op.11 – 2. Romanze. Larghetto
  3. Grieg – Piano Concerto in a minor, op.16 – 2. Adagio
  4. Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major K467, "Elvira Madigan" – 2. Andante
  5. Mozart – Piano Concerto No.23 in A major, K 491 – 2. Adagio
  6. Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No. 1 in f sharp minor, op.1 – 2. Andante
  7. Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No. 2 in c minor, op.18 – 2. Adagio sostenuto
  8. Ravel – Piano Concerto in G major – 2. Adagio assai
  9. Shostakovich – Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, op.102 – 2. Andante
  10. Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto No. 1 in b flat minor, op.23 – 2. Andantino semplice-Prestissimo-Tempo I
next home previous