There’s a lot of great classical music that isn’t as popular or well-known, and I want to make it easier for people to find and enjoy. This month I’m curating a classical winter countdown playlist, featuring winter-themed/inspired pieces that are under 10 minutes. Hopefully, you’ll find some new favorites.
I’ll also provide a short note on why I selected that piece. I would encourage you to explore the albums that they’re from, which are part of a larger work or collection. You can listen and follow it here:
Day 1: Largo from Concerto No. 4 in F minor, “Winter” – Antonio Vivaldi
You may be more familiar with the first movement from Winter, which was featured in John Wick. The Four Seasons was written to accompany sonnets that evoked the feeling of the season. The sonnet that accompanied this movement: Before the fire to pass peaceful, Contented days while the rain outside pours down. For me, it reminds me of a horse carriage ride, where the light pizzicato (plucking) in the background emulates the horse’s hooves.
Day 2: Einsame Blumen (Lonely Flowers) from Waldszenen (Forest Scenes) – Robert Schumann
Waldszenen is more of an autumn vibe overall, but this short piece is quite cozy. It’s like having a warm drink and enjoying the sunlight reflecting on the snow. I’m adding this piece to my To Learn list!
Day 3: Crucifixus (No. 17) from Mass in B minor – Johann Sebastian Bach
I’m not Christian, but I appreciate the sacred choral works, which always remind me of the holiday season (ex. Handel’s Messiah). I found this particular movement from a piano arrangement, which led me to look for the original.
This is probably my second time listening to the entire Mass in B minor. It’s a significant time investment at 2 hours, but it is texturally complex and compelling to me, especially since I’m more familiar with orchestral, rather than choral works.
Day 4: Journey Through the Snow (Act 1, Scene 2, No. 8 from The Nutcracker) – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker is undoubtedly a Christmas favorite. The more well known parts of The Nutcracker, such as the March or Russian Dance, were popularized through the Nutcracker Suite, which were selected movements from the complete ballet.
Personally I love Swan Lake much more than The Nutcracker, but this movement plus another (which I will share later this month) stand out to me the most. It sounds lush and grand, and it’s all from simple scales (ascending and descending notes step-wise). The harp also adds a heavenly element to it, as if we are being greeted at the entrance of the magical forest.
Day 5: Bruyères from Preludes, Book 2 – Claude Debussy
If you love Claire de Lune but haven’t ventured beyond, I encourage you to listen to his Preludes. Each prelude depicts a different scene, similar to how Claire de Lune evokes moonlight.
Bruyères has been a favorite of mine for a long time, mostly for its calming quality, which is much needed for this Monday morning. For more winter themed, try Des pas sur la neige (Footsteps in the snow) from Book 1 or Feuilles mortes (Dead leaves) from Book 2.
Day 6: String Quartet No. 1 in E minor – Bedrich Smetana
Chamber music is a type of classical music for a smaller group – in this case, a string quartet of 2 violins, 1 viola, and 1 cello. Each part has 1 person to the part, unlike symphonic music where there are multiple people in a section.
I selected this string quartet because it’s been one of my favorites since high school. Smetana wrote this piece to depict experiences in his own life, so I enjoy the narrative that the music takes us on – from his youth, his love of dance, his relationship with his wife, and finally the decline of his health later in life.
I included the first movement (7 mins) here as a starting point, but I highly encourage you to listen to the entire piece (~25 mins) if you can. If you pay close attention, you may be able to identify recurring ideas (bits of melodies), especially in the last movement.
Day 7: String Quintet in C major, Op. 29, 1st mvt – Ludwig van Beethoven
When people think of Beethoven, they think Fur Elise or Symphony No. 5. However, his chamber works, such as his string quartets/quintets are also quite interesting. Just because it is a smaller group of people, does not mean it’s less exciting. I did cheat a little on the timing for this one, but it’s only over by 32 seconds!
I selected this string quintet out of nostalgia. A string quintet consists of a string quartet plus an extra violist. I played this piece for the first time at a summer camp in 2014 in our chamber music rotation. Since then, I’ve enjoyed listening to it every now and then. It’s a peppy piece to get you through Wednesdays.
Day 8: Violin Concerto, 2nd mvt. – Samuel Barber
I forgot when I discovered this violin concerto, but it is one of the most beautiful and sad movements from a violin concerto that I’ve ever heard. Not a first for Barber, who is known for his Adagio for Strings (sometimes played at funerals).
A violin concerto is a piece for solo violin and orchestra. At the beginning of this movement, the melody is introduced by an oboe solo and passed around the orchestra before the solo violin makes the entrance. The violin sounds languid as if exhausted from pushing on too much. Later, the beginning theme returns in the solo violin with a bit of determination, slowly building up energy for one last big push. Finally, the movement ends with the violin – it feels resigned and incomplete. However, if you move on to the 3rd movement, you may feel some shock, as it is a world away from the melodic and poignant 2nd mvt.
I might be anthropomorphizing this violin concerto a LITTLE too much, as I’m using it to describe how this end of the semester feels for me. Regardless, the entire violin concerto is worth listening to, if you have 20 minutes to spare.
Day 9: Children’s Corner, 4. The Snow is Dancing – Claude Debussy
I woke up this morning and saw a fresh blanket of snow, with more snow falling breezily. I realize that this is the second Debussy piece I’ve selected, but it was too relevant to pass up! As you may notice, Debussy was inspired by a lot of nature scenes, which is why we have Claire de Lune, The Snow is Dancing, and others, such as his collections of Images and Preludes.
Day 10: Violin Concerto, 3rd mvt. – Johannes Brahms
If exuberant joy made a sound, it would be this movement from Brahms’ violin concerto. Playing a violin concerto requires an immense amount of patience and endurance. It takes months to learn, practice, and memorize an entire concerto (usually lasts at least 20 mins or more!). Then it takes even more stamina to rehearse and perform with an orchestra. In Brahms’ violin concerto, the first movement alone is 25 minutes!
In some ways, I feel like my own journey this semester mirrors this concerto. The first two months felt like the first movement, where it was exciting at first, but also difficult at times. Then I entered a lull in my motivation for research and spent a month trying to recover from the first two months. Now finally, at the last stretch before winter break, I feel like I’m almost to the finish line and I want to celebrate!
Day 11: Symphony No. 7, 4th mvt. – Antonin Dvorak
Out of all of his symphonic works, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 is probably the most well-known. And for good reason too – it’s an exciting adventure from start to finish. I suggested playing this piece in the orchestra, and we finally got to perform the 2nd and 4th mvts this past semester.
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