Encore!

Always New Pieces to Discover in Classical Music

This page was last modified on June 13th, 2001
This is the beginning of my violin/classical music page. Yes, if you haven't guessed yet, I do play the violin. If I count the total years I've been "actively" playing the instrument, I think I played for about 6-7 years. Haven't practiced in about 2 years... Good news is, in Spring 2001 quarter, I started taking violin lessons from Dawn Harms again!!! Yay! I'm currently learning Bach's Partita #3 - Prelude.

My favorite composer is J.S. Bach, followed closely by Beethoven and Brahms. On this page, you will find information on the violin, famous pieces, classical music in general and more! So check back!

Recommended Listening of the Month (June, 2001):

This is my "pieces of the month" section. I'll try to update it every month for those of you interested in getting into classical music, exploring more pieces, or just want to have something nice to listen to. There will be three sections, for beginners, intermediate and advanced listeners. Hope you like this section!

BEGINNERS:
1. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
2. Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desirings"
3. Beethoven "Appasionata" Piano Sonata

INTERMEDIATE:
1. Beethoven Symphony No. 6 - "Pastoral"
2. Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
3. Orff - Carmina Burana

ADVANCED:
1. Bach Partita # 2 for Solo Violin
2. Brahms Symphony No. 1
3. Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2

Let me know what you think of these selections! My best friend Ray's tastes are slightly different, so if you want another opinion on what to listen to, check his Piano Page out!

Here's a list of my favorite Violin Concerti:
1. Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major
1. Brahms Violin Concerto in D major
3. Vieuxtemp Violin Concerto No. 5
4. Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in e minor
5. Sebelius Violin Concerto in d minor
6. Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No. 3
7. Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 1
8. Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major
9. Lalo Symphonie Espanole
10. Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2
10. Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major

According to my Violin Teacher, Edmund Wu, here are the top 10 Violin Concertos of all time:
1. Brahms Violin Concerto in D
2. Beethoven Violin Concerto in D
3. Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D
4. Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 in D
5. Sebelieus Violin Concerto in d
6. Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2
7. Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No. 3
8. Lalo Symphony Espanole
9. Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in e
10. Bruch Violin Concerto

***You can reach my violin teacher's page at AMAC
*Note: The top 2, 3, 4th concertos can be in any order. 5, 6, 7 can be in any order and 8, 9, 10 can also be in any order.

Top 10 Piano Concerti:
1. Rachmaninoff - No. 2 in c minor
1. Beethoven - No. 5 in E-flat Major ("Emperor")
3. Tchaikovsky - No. 1 in b-flat minor
4. Saint-Saens - No. 2 in g minor
5. Brahms - No. 1 in d minor
6. Brahms - No. 2 in B-flat Major
7. Grieg - in a minor
8. Schumann - in a minor
9. Chopin - No. 1 in e minor
10. Mozart - No. 20 in d minor

Top 10 Symphonies:
1. Dvorak - No. 9 in e minor ("From the New World")
1. Brahms - No. 4 in e minor
3. Beethoven - No. 9 in d minor ("Choral")
4. Brahms - No. 1 in c minor
5. Beethoven - No. 5 in c minor
6. Mendelssohn - No. 5 in d minor ("Reformation")
7. Schubert - No. 8 in b minor ("Unfinished")
8. Beethoven - No. 3 in E-flat Major ("Eroica")
9. Mendelssohn - No. 4 in A Major ("Italian")
10. Beetohven - No. 6 in F Major ("Pastoral")

There are many other small pieces that I really like, one of them the Chaconne from J.S. Bach's Six Sonatas and Partitas for the Solo Violin - Partita #2 is my all time favorite. 29 Variations on one chord progression, 14 minutes non-stop music that never gets boring. You should check it out if you ever have a chance. Get Nathan Milstein's Version (Orange box - Grammaphon). I'll put those small pieces on in the near future!

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