Classical Music Suggestions?

I am going on vacation tomorrow and would like to download some classical music to accompany my in-flight reading. I prefer pieces that have some connection to skating but are not warhorses (as I own most of the major ones already), and I am not a fan of Baroque music. Other than that, anything goes! Do you have any ideas?

Do you want classic, or just non-lyrical?

As old, I am a big fan of Requiem by Mozart. Classical Beethoven ones, too (Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise). Now, if you are looking for musics that should be used in figure skating, check Two Steps from Hell. Some of them were already used in competition, such as Radionova's Nero.


I am a fan of Winterspell and Blackheart. Heart of Courage is probably their most known song.

Have you ever heard of Brian Crain? My favourite music by him is called Wind. He's got plenty of others, such as Time Forgotten.

And my absolute favourite music, which won an Oscar, is The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Michael Nyman.

Hopefully you will like some of them, and enjoy your trip! I will need suggestions for my next week trip, too

bellflower said:

Do you want classic, or just non-lyrical?

As old, I am a big fan of Requiem by Mozart. Classical Beethoven ones, too (Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise). Now, if you are looking for musics that should be used in figure skating, check Two Steps from Hell. Some of them were already used in competition, such as Radionova's Nero.


I am a fan of Winterspell and Blackheart. Heart of Courage is probably their most known song.

Have you ever heard of Brian Crain? My favourite music by him is called Wind. He's got plenty of others, such as Time Forgotten.

And my absolute favourite music, which won an Oscar, is The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Michael Nyman.

Hopefully you will like some of them, and enjoy your trip! I will need suggestions for my next week trip, too

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Thanks so much! Now I'll give you some!

1. My absolute favorite piece of classical music right now is "Primavera" by Ludovico Einaudi. It has been used in skating at least twice, but not nearly enough to be a warhorse, and it's still fairly unfamiliar to most people. If you like piano music or "modern classical" (which is by contemporary composers but in a classical style), you might like this piece.

2. I know it's a warhorse, but I'm currently digging Rach 2.

3. You seem pretty well-versed in classical music, so you've probably heard it, but Meditation from Thais is another of my favorites.

4. There are some lesser-used sections of Swan Lake that are absolutely gorgeous. (Actually, ost warhorses that are ballets/operas have less than five major pieces that are used in most music cuts, so there's quite a bit of non-overused variety even within those works.)

5. I used to be in an orchestra and we played Capriccio Espagnol in the last concert I was in. It's now one of my favorite pieces.

6. Concierto de Aranjuez is a piece I have a love-hate relationship with: some days I can't get enough of it, others I want to hurl the steering wheel through the window when it comes on the radio in the car. If you happen to fall into the can't get enough category, I would highly recommend it.

7. Masquerade Waltz is a good piece to listen to while home alone because I think it is an excellent piece to walk stiffly with your chin up to, looking down on your subjects...or your houseplants. Simply put, this is a good pick-me-up song (for those of us who aren't into sickly-positive, "pep talk in a song" pop written for 14-year-old girls).

8. If you want more for your money, buy a movie you love that has a great score. You'll get great music and a show!

9. Some of the newer versions of Romeo & Juliet are really gorgeous; I most recommend the Abel Korzeniowski version (used by H/B and So Youn Park this season).

10. Anything opera-esque with lyrics in French = in my book! (Although I guess that defeats the purpose of "no lyrics"...) However, I would advise you to look up what the lyrics mean in English just as a precautionary measure, or if you care about things like accidentally singing French curse words in a plane while singing along because you didn't know what they meant...I almost did that once (at my house, though, and luckily I found out in time ).

Well, that's my Lizst! (Haha, see what I did there? #BadJokesRule)

Javier Navarette is amazing. All of his music is haunting and comforting all at the same time. I love all the music from Pan's Labyrinth he did with "the Labyrinth" being my favorite

Here is an example of his music below. I edited and remixed three tracks together to match a video project I made for a tribute to Mao Asada. I'm not sure if anyone has ever skated to this music but I think it would be perfect for so skating on so many levels and to tell you the truth......it's just good music IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJnxhd3yfDA

This post is after the fact but I could not resist posting possibly for a future trip.
Lute: John Dowland wrote the galliards but I love these best:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F-nPG5awYts Fortune is my Foe and. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h8GbpM2okBs. Mrs White's Nothing. Dowland often wrote musical portraits of people he knew... I often wondered what "Mrs. White" was like and who she was when I listen to this.

Violin: The Lark Ascending. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OLhpkvQLDt0. Vaughn Williams... Beautiful. I think Yuna Kim skated to this one.

Orchestral: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wj1Kh2NxGas. Joseph Suk's Scherzo

Piano: Can't beat Mozart's sonata in A major which includes the Turkish Rondo but listen to the whole thing from start to finish..https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PJoTvSsBwZQ. Especially the beginning of the second movement at 5:16 (hand crossings & fingering)

Finally - for fun - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yLPQRTdkzrU. Month Python. Needs NO explanation

As a fan of Schubert, I recommend you everything Schubert, this is Death and the maiden: http://youtu.be/Jlzv1yUFo-A

For your return trip, or for next time:

I. Albeniz, Leyenda
S. Barber, Concerto for Violin & Orchestra
S. Barber, Adagio for Strings
L. Beethoven, Moonlight Sonata
A. Copland, Appalachian Spring
F. Chopin, Fantasie, Impromptu Op. 66
F. Chopin, Ballade No. 1
F. Chopin, Revolutionary Etude
C. Debussy, Prelude, L'apres-midi d'un faune
C. Debussy, Claire de Lune
J. Massenet, Orchestral Suites No. 3 & No. 6
F. Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto
S. Rachmaninoff, Elegie in E flat minor
S. Rachmaninoff, Trio Elegiaque no. 2
C. Saint-Saens, Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor

To see who skated to what, check Wikipedia entries for Jeremy Abbott, Sasha Cohen, Patrick Chan, Yuzuru Hanyu, Adam Rippon, Josh Farris, Alexander Johnson

Opera: this season one of the Chinese pairs (I think) is using music from Bizet's Pearl Fishers, which is much less known than Carmen. Not sure what cuts they're skating to, but here is the most famous duet. First recording is live, modern. Second is probably best recording ever but it's quite old so the sound isn't great:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p2MwnHpLV48&autoplay=1

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9ekaMQP_Fwc&autoplay=1

Not quite classical:

Yo Yo Ma & Silk Road Ensemble, Ambush from Ten Sides, from New Impossibilities (D. Ten); Attaboy, from Goat Rodeo Sessions (J. Brown).

Happy listening!

(Me, I like baroque & don't care whether music is associated with figure skating, so I'm currently obsessed with Bach Violin Sonatas & Partitas recorded by Itzhak Perlman. I also love Schubert String Quintet in C & Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A Minor, Opus 50).

papagena said:

For your return trip, or for next time:

I. Albeniz, Leyenda
S. Barber, Concerto for Violin & Orchestra
S. Barber, Adagio for Strings
L. Beethoven, Moonlight Sonata
A. Copland, Appalachian Spring
F. Chopin, Fantasie, Impromptu Op. 66
F. Chopin, Ballade No. 1
F. Chopin, Revolutionary Etude
C. Debussy, Prelude, L'apres-midi d'un faune
C. Debussy, Claire de Lune
J. Massenet, Orchestral Suites No. 3 & No. 6
F. Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto
S. Rachmaninoff, Elegie in E flat minor
S. Rachmaninoff, Trio Elegiaque no. 2
C. Saint-Saens, Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor

To see who skated to what, check Wikipedia entries for Jeremy Abbott, Sasha Cohen, Patrick Chan, Yuzuru Hanyu, Adam Rippon, Josh Farris, Alexander Johnson

Opera: this season one of the Chinese pairs (I think) is using music from Bizet's Pearl Fishers, which is much less known than Carmen. Not sure what cuts they're skating to, but here is the most famous duet. First recording is live, modern. Second is probably best recording ever but it's quite old so the sound isn't great:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p2MwnHpLV48&autoplay=1

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9ekaMQP_Fwc&autoplay=1

Not quite classical:

Yo Yo Ma & Silk Road Ensemble, Ambush from Ten Sides, from New Impossibilities (D. Ten); Attaboy, from Goat Rodeo Sessions (J. Brown).

Happy listening!

(Me, I like baroque & don't care whether music is associated with figure skating, so I'm currently obsessed with Bach Violin Sonatas & Partitas recorded by Itzhak Perlman. I also love Schubert String Quintet in C & Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A Minor, Opus 50).

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Thanks for the comprehensive list! On the baroque thing, I was in an orchestra for four years and we had to play TONS of baroque, so I think that might be why I don't care for it. And the skating thing just makes me connect with the music more. I will definitely check out some of your suggestions!

Mahler's Piano Quartet in A minor
https://youtu.be/zPXinFjtIyg

Meoima said:

Mahler's Piano Quartet in A minor
https://youtu.be/zPXinFjtIyg

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Thank you, Meoima, that is just gorgeous. I have a spotty knowledge of chamber music and this somehow managed to escape me (despite the fact that at conservatory I had a very melodramatic Russian friend who worshipped Mahler and was given to staring off in the distance and proclaiming, "Mahler, man."). I think I will have to delete some stuff from my iphone to make room for it!

Wouldn't it be nice if Rohene had used part of this for Jason's free skate?

As long as we're veering off a bit from Layback11's request, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IbzxhZT6akk

This is quite an old recording but I like the faster tempo.

papagena said:

Thank you, Meoima, that is just gorgeous. I have a spotty knowledge of chamber music and this somehow managed to escape me (despite the fact that at conservatory I had a very melodramatic Russian friend who worshipped Mahler and was given to staring off in the distance and proclaiming, "Mahler, man."). I think I will have to delete some stuff from my iphone to make room for it!

Wouldn't it be nice if Rohene had used part of this for Jason's free skate?

As long as we're veering off a bit from Layback11's request, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IbzxhZT6akk

This is quite an old recording but I like the faster tempo.

Click to expand...

Not crazy about Vaughn Williams, but love my "hometown team", the Fabulous Philadelphians. And light years ahead of the Piano soundtrack.