Tag: piano

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Sergei Rachmaninoff, My Favorite

Sergei Rachmaninoff playing a Steinway & Sons piano

This headline should start arguments. In any subject, mentioning a favorite results in arguments in the comment section. People by nature tend to be passionate about their favorites.

I am a huge fan of several composers. I found myself debating with myself over who is my number one piano composer. It was Franz Liszt who got me into classical piano… before I even know of the different eras. He was a composer during the Romantic era.

I bought my piano this past spring and began taking lessons. At the same time, started to expand my collection of favorite pieces. Since I like Liszt, I decided to explore more composers from the Romantic era. I found Sergei Rachmaninoff among several others.

I was blown away the first time I heard Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor aka Opus 3 Number 2. It immediately became my new favorite piece. I dream of being able to play it someday.

I then discovered a wonderful current-day pianist named Yuja Wang while I was looking for more pieces by Rachmaninoff. I found two videos of Yuja Wang playing Rachmaninoff pieces. Both Prelude in B Minor, Opus 32, Number 10, and Prelude in G Minor, Opus 23, Number 5 are wonderful pieces which invoke emotions.

My love of classical piano grew exponentially and continues to grow each day. I have discovered several more pieces by Rachmaninoff which lead me to state that he is my favorite composer.

I also love Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin, Claude Debussy, Johannes Brahms, and Erik Satie. It just seems that Rachmaninoff has the most pieces which resonate deeply with me. I found my style.

As I continue to explore the wonderful world of classical music, I expect to find many more wonderful pieces by all my favorite composers and others.

I will leave you with my current list of favorite pieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

TitleOpusNumber
Prelude in C# Minor32
Prelude in B Minor3210
Prelude in G Minor235
Piano Concerto No. 218
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor30
Suite No. 1 for 2 Pianos in G Minor52
Prelude in Db 3213
Favorite pieces composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Be sure to visit Steinway & Sons Piano.

https://www.steinway.com/artists/sergei-rachmaninoff

This post now lives on FanClassical, a site for classical music by yours truly.

Sergei Rachmaninoff, My Favorite
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September 2021

It’s the start of a new month. We are still going through this global panic. I still carry spare masks and sanitizer everywhere I go. Yes, I’m fully vaccinated.

When I was a child, the beginning of September was always a sad time. It meant the summer was over and we had to return to school. I was privileged enough to have most of my childhood friends living on the same 10-acre block as me. Returning to school was nothing special and even meant I’d have less time to see some of my friends as we went to different schools.

As a working professional, the first week of September has no significance to me. Yet, somehow I still feel a sadness about the end of summer, although it doesn’t officially end until the 21st.

Regardless of season or time of year, there is one constant in my life and that is classical piano.

The peace and joy experienced from listening to classical piano is out of this world. The Romantic era of classical piano has pretty much cured my depression. Well, to be honest, it is a good remedy.

There were so many great pianists throughout history. There are many great pianists today.

Be sure to check out Seong-Jin Cho, a young virtuoso pianist who hails from my second country, South Korea.

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Favorite Classical Pianists

Franz Liszt
from the private archive of Weingut Steinmühle www.weingut-steinmuehle.de

My favorites are listed in two separate lists. The first one is for classical pianists who have long ago departed this world. The second is for the current generation.

My original favorite classical composer was Tchaikovsky. The piano in Symphony No. 1 blows me away each time I hear it.

Recently, I have been focused on the piano. I started listening to pieces by Franz Liszt around 2015. Mid-2021, I began to take piano lessons.

I discovered many wonderful pieces composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff. YouTube Music became my go-to place for discovery. Rachmaninoff’s style really resonates with me.

The Romantic era (1800-1910) gave rise to most of my favorite virtuoso pianists. I am drawn to the complexity, emotion, and rich sound.

Classical Composers

NameLivedCountry of Birth
Franz Liszt1811 – 1886Hungary
Sergei Rachmaninoff1873 – 1943Russia
Erik Satie1866 – 1925France
Frederik Chopin1810 – 1849Poland
Claude Debussy1862 – 1918France
Johannes Brahms1833 – 1897Germany
Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky1840 – 1893Russia
Alexander Scriabin1872 – 1915Russia
Amy Beach1867 – 1944United States
Sergei Prokofiev1891 – 1953Russia
Classical Pianists

Today, there are several incredible pianists who I draw inspiration from. These pianists are beyond description. They bring pure joy to my life each and every single day.

Current Virtuoso Pianists

NameCountry of Birth
Jan LisieckiCanada
Tiffany PoonUnited States
Evgeny Igorevich KissinRussia
Valentina LisitsaUkraine
Yuja WangChina
Lang LangChina
Seong-Jin Cho (조성진)South Korea
Jun AsaiUnited States
Hayato SuminoJapan
Nahre SolUnited States
Joe HisaishiJapan
H.J. Lim (임현정)South Korea
Yiruma (이루마)South Korea
Vladimir AshkenazyRussia
Daniil TrifonovRussia
Daniel BarenboimArgentina
Yeol Eum Song (손열음)South Korea
Current Pianists

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