Not one of the Times writers' selections showed the piano in its full peacock splendor. Ravel's "Ondine" from his "Gaspard de la Nuit" runs the gamut from delicate filigree to a tsunami of excited strings in about 6 minutes. I personally guarantee that it will blow you away in, for example, Martha Argerich's recording.
52
the Goldberg variations. 1955 Glenn Gould recording.. or. beethovens 5 th concerto brendl and CSO conducted by James Levine... particularly the transition to the final movement
27
One of the great pleasures of being the host of an overnight classical music show, among the many great honors and priveliges of such work, was to schedule Artur Rubenstein playing one Chopin Nocturne each night until all 21 of them had been played. Quite often, after this almost sacred ritual, I'd slip in a crossover piano treat by a fine composer-performer like Florian Fricke, especially his haunting "Spirit of Peace 2", and just about anything by the remarkable Liz Story. They always lit up my phone board in the middle of the night.
28
I, too, recommend Oscar Peterson. But of these selections my favorites: Chopin's "Mazurka in A," Debussy's "La Terrase des audiences du clair de lune," Meredith Monk's "Railroad,"(mesmerizing), and John Adams's "China Gates," which made me cry. Thank you NYT!
16
Music to make you fall in love with classical music?
Anything recorded by guitarist Pepe Romero: solo, chamber, with The Romeros guitar quartet, or with orchestra!
16
Awesome!
I read with dismay recently that piano sales are down and a much lower percentage of families have a piano in the home compared to "back in the day" (like when my mother was growing up and learned to play, passing that interest along to me). What a shame. How is a kid to learn without access?
42
It varies over time. Right now, it's Schumann's Arabesque. I heard it played two weeks ago by Anna Polansky, and now my wife is working on it. A couple of months back, it was anything by Granados.
14
No Philip Glass?
23
Please allow me to chime in on the chorus of voices below who are asking the NY Times to make this a series !
Give the series a catchy name and make it easily accessible as these tunes are and it WILL be a hit for the times.
I envision the series evolving into a collection of genres from classical to boogie woogie, jazz, etc.
ps Chopin is so wonderful!
69
@Bob
Maybe even some spoken word!
10
Enjoyed almost all of them. LOVED discovering the Ethiopian nun. Fantastic music and back story.
23
Thank you for the Chopin and the Joplin especially, two old friends from childhood. Childhood was a long time ago. The music remains ever poignant.
17
Thank you, these are delightful! If your music tastes are expansive, listen to "The Maiden's Prayer" as given here and then listen to a bluegrass version of it by fiddler Chubby Wise, a beloved and well-known fiddler in his day, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEC88K9eGEs. The Youtube poster describes it as "an old fiddle song".
There's a lot of variance there! I wouldn't stake my life on it but I'm pretty sure it's the same tune in a very different genre!
5
Not a single mention of Schubert from all those piano music lovers in print. My love for the piano and for Schubert says his:
Fantasie in C major, Op. 15 (D. 760), The Wanderer.
44
I heard Rudolf Serkin play Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy over 40 years ago and was completely blown away. Apparently he never recorded it, to my everlasting regret. I still remember it.
24
Thanks so much for this piece. Please continue with more.
21
A beautiful 5 minutes of my Sunday morning with my coffee. Thank you New York Times. Maybe for the next article could you explore some jazz?
21
What! No Bach?
32
James Booker's album: "Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah"
6
Bill Evans? Oscar Peterson? Art Tatum? Teddy Wilson?.....
21
Thank you for a lovely way to start Easter Sunday!
5
I first heard the Scott Joplin piece in the movie "The Sting," where it accompanies a tender scene between Robert Redford's character and a diner waitress the night before the big sting is to be carried out. That movie, and especially that scene with this music, is worth seeing if you haven't, and worth revisiting if you have.
13
This is fascinating. I would also be curious to do the same survey with well-known jazz pianists.
14
This may break the rules because it involves orchestra, but I think the second movement of the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2 is the most achingly beautiful piece of music you’ll ever hear.
15
@FlipFlop You are so right - it would make you love whatever instrument it was written for, but it's best suited to the piano.
4
What a marvelous way to begin this Sunday! I've spent sixty years chasing rock 'n' roll and the blues, so I don't know any of these pieces (or most of the names). This is a true gift to people like me. Thank you!
30
Thank you for introducing me to Guebrou! Her piece gave such a jaunty start to my Easter Sunday. I’m not on Spotify but would consider joining if this playlist was included.
3
Quite like being offered a superb buffet ,where you want to at least sample everything.
Let's now hear about the most loved jazz pianists, compositions, and recordings. Having just heard Bob James play (live) recently, I'm in the mood to go in that direction.
11
Really appreciate the inclusion of #32 final movement in this article. It’s the paradigm destroying nec plus ultra of piano music. Along with one other: Jess Stacy’s completely mind blowing solo at the end of Benny Goodman’s live version of SingSingSing. Just devastating.
9
Thanks. The music opened this old widow's heart again. Off to Amazon to acquire Lang Lang's new album.
10
What I noticed most from this list is that 8 out of 10 of "our favorite artists" asked to make selections are male.
17
It must be exhausting going through life counting everything.
58
I am an amateur musician. I listened to these pieces, which are not to my taste, beautiful as they may be to many. To each their own.
I would love to hear the same type of approach used for jazz piano. Blues. And yes, popular music. Music is for the soul and need not be limited to one genre.
13
@DB Agreed. Two words: Bruce Hornsby
4
Wonderful. Some old favourites and several new friends.
5
The answers here are part of the problem for turning someone on to the piano. Most people don’t want to listen to music composed hundreds of years ago to appreciate the piano. Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Elton John are the artists I would recommend. BTW, I grew up in a classical music family and I still play classical music on my piano. It’s not the classical artists that turn the average person onto the piano.
5
@Wayne
Billy Joel's father was a classical pianist.
Elton John is a classically trained pianist.
Those beautiful writings call out the best in many listeners.
16
@Wayne Okay, but the project here is about falling in love with the piano, not a singer performer whose accompaniment is a piano.
30
@Wayne
Why does it matter that something was written a long time ago? Personally I would have been pretty surprised to click on something called "Five minutes that will make you love the piano" and found Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Elton John.
17
Well composed, well played piano music feeds the brain, calms the soul and makes life truly worth living. Thanks to all of the contributors in this article.
34
So many wonderful variations
8
Thank you. This is wonderful. Truly a life resource
17
@Carla Boussen Perhaps not quite in keeping with the classical motif I’d recommend the lilting piano solo of Jess Stacy from the 1938 Carnegie Hall performance of Sing, Sing, Sing, by the Benny Goodman Jazz Band. The entire 10 or so minutes preceding his solo is worth it to arrive at that spot;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NigiwMtWE0&feature=share
5
I'm only just about half-way in and am really enjoying this. The piano is my favorite instrument, no matter the musical genre, and this is a great combination of culture and tech coming together inspirationally.
12
Wow. Where can I get this exact performance of Chopin’s Mazurka in A minor? Rubinstein has several recordings of it, but I can't seem to find this one.
9
@Anna S. There is a recording of the complete Mazurkas on 3 CDs played by Arthur Rubinstein. You can get it on Amazon.
6
@Jacob Opper
Amazon, Amazon, Amazon.
I miss my local record store, where each section had a knowledgeable & enthusiastic person ready, willing, and able to turn you on to great music - much like this article.
28
@Jacob Opper
Yes, I know. Those CDs have a different Rubinstein performance, not this amazingly haunting one. (Note that Sony owns this recording, not RCA Victor.)
4
Thank you New York Times. After another harrowing week of news....ahhh....the relief of beautiful music.
63
Love these 5 'Minutes That Will make You Love ..... ' articles.
17
Nice suggestions, but aren't there some female experts you could have interviewed?
77
@Mariah Wu Han is one such. A brilliant pianist.
6
@Mariah Wu Han is a woman and a wonderful musician!
4
@Mariah
Wu Han is a woman (and an amazing musician!), but I agree with you that MORE female experts should have been included. Nine men followed by one lone woman = not a good look for 2019. Why not ask Gloria Chien, Yuja Wang, Hyeyeon Park, or Martha Argerich? Among many others.
25
Fitting that Chopin appears twice in this list. Thank you...perhaps do likewise with dance clips.
11
Of all the great keyboard works (none for piano) that Rameau wrote, I don't understand why one of the most boring and least engaging was chosen.
4
Maybe create and share a Spotify Playlist for your readers' convenience.
20
@Josh
Perhaps the journey will provide more than just another serve/receive cycle ?
3
Please, please continue this series!!
Sincerely,
A young Times reader
60
Nope. Didn’t work.
4
this article alone is worth a month's subscription.
39
Thanks. This is a great series. I suggest 5 minutes that will make you love violin:
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2
Stravinsky L'Histoire du Soldat
5 minutes that will make you love cello:
Haydn Cello Concerto no. 1 - last movement
Any Bach cello suite
It could just go on and on. I really appreciate it.
30
Nothing from Bach? Nothing from Mozart or Schubert, Schumann or Liszt? Or one of my favorites, Shostakovich's prelude in A major?
35
My sister, who passed away, in 2016, was a professional pianist. As soon as I saw the headline, I knew immediately that I would have wanted to send this to her. Instead I sent it to her children. The Scott Joplin was a particular favorite of hers, and ours. A heartbreak indeed. I do thank you for sharing all this music. Would love this as a series to introduce us to all types of music. Thanks again.
63
Joplin's "Solace" has long made my heart ache.
Let me add Krystian Zimerman's rendition of the second movement of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1. Oh...
25
I suggest the masterful Dinu Lipatti playing Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring (arr. by Dame Myra Hess) - 3.22 minutes of transcendental beauty.
17
Leave to Lang Lang to self promote his new album of children’s piano music. Crass, especially when there are so many other deserving pianists and astounding piano literature. His modesty knows no bounds.
34
@R Stiegel Yes, a bit off putting. But he has grown into a superb pianist and perhaps with age he will soften.
2
Can't we simply enjoy the discussion of a great art form without descending into vitriol?
13
This was exquisite. You could make this into a series, And introduce us to all kinds of music. Or perhaps any kind of art?
152
@Ana Arellano. Seconded!!
10