O Mio Babbino Caro

I wouldn't call myself a big fan of opera,  but I know what I like.  An aria is an expressive melody usually performed by a solo singer, most often as part of an opera.  O Mio Babbino Caro is an aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini. It is deeply moving and beautiful to the ear. 

Sarah Brightman

British soprano Sarah Brightman, though not an opera singer, does a splendid job of delivering the emotion and aural beauty of this wonderful opera classic.


Here is a link to Sarah Brightman singing O Mio Babino Caro...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Alx2BnF64

Scherzo by Felix Mendelssohn

One of the greatest composers of the 19th century. Mendelssohn was a child prodigy born in Germany in 1809.  His Scherzo is part of the incidental music he wrote to accompany Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Nights Dream.  Other works of Mendelssohn that remain popular to this day include his Violin Concerto in E Major, Op 64,  the Italian Symphony, and the Scottish Symphony. He died too young at the age of 38.

Felix Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn's  scherzo is a mellifluous blend of joyous grace and complexity. I never get tired of hearing it.

Here is a link to Felix Mendelssohn's Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHTV3GFyHfM

Tchaikovsky

This guy's music is awesome. He only lived 53 years (1840-1893), but the mark he left on the world can never be erased..  Among his great works, Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed magnificent pieces for the ballet, including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty,  and The Nutcracker. He wrote amazing symphonies, operas, concertos, sonatas, songs, and overtures. 

Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky

I don't claim to be an expert or to have a well trained critical ear. I just know what I like.  There are so many brilliant pieces of music writen by Tchaikovsky.  They don't seem to share or reflect a particular 'Tchaikovsky style'.   Each great work stands alone; sublime and scintillating in its own way.

Swan Lake

Here is a brief video of a selection from Swan Lake...
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S76CGGPqI3s


Another piece my wife and I both love is Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto.  Here is a link to a video of that piece played by brilliantly by Van Cliburn and the Moscow Symphony in 1962...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M7M4UoqBpA

Another awesome piece by Tchaikovsky is Marche Slave.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5poSw7tFLB4


Finally, a wonderful segment from Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, made famous in the sound track for the movie, The Right Stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAyviZx7Ifw

Claire de Lune

 Claire de lune is a wonderful piece for piano created by the great, 19th century French composer, Claude Debussy.

I'm no expert, but I do find Debussy's compositions to have come from a place separate from the fountain that yielded earlier forms of classical music.  

Here is a wonderful video rendition for piano...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKOrtDRnGMY&feature=related


If you liked that, try this one on for size. It's the same piece performed exquisitely by the Philadephia Orchestra...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gElTKhbnQxU&feature=related

Les Preludes

I like classical music, and one of my favorite pieces is Les Preludes, a symphonic poem by the great Hungarian composer, Franz Liszt.(1811-1886).  Equal parts majesty and grace, Les Preludes  has become a timeless favorite in the repetoires of orchestras the world over.

Franz Liszt

The following is a link to a stirring rendition of Les Preludes presented by the Vienna Philharmonica, to an outdoor audience in front of one Vienna's great Palaces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnITC-IkPVg