Lisztonian: Classical Piano Music

This piece is one of the short pieces presented in Schumann's Opus 15, Scenes from Childhood. This is the final piece in the Opus and can be interpreted a thousand different ways. I have always loved this work. Perhaps because I love poetry so much? In any case, this short piece is both inspirational and thought-provoking. I have dedicated this recording to a wonderful woman, Judy Stockett and her dear husband, Jerry Stockett. You can read my full dedication to them on my SignMyPiano blog or by clicking here.

This Nocturne was one of Chopin's earliest known Nocturnes and was composed in 1827 when Chopin was only 17 years old. However, Chopin never desired the work to be published and so it was not published until 1855 after his death. This work is one of my favorite of Chopin's Nocturnes. It was recorded at my home on my studio upright. If you enjoy listening to this piece, please consider making a donation towards my future Steinway Model B Piano.

I am a little rusty on this nocturne, and unfortunately, it shows! However, I couldn't help recording this for Mother's day because it has special meaning to my wife and me. So I am dedicating the recording of this Nocturne to my beloved wife. Happy Mother's Day!

This is the Andante section of Mozart's Sonata in C Major. Although the Sonata begins and concludes in C Major, this particular excerpt from the piece is in F Major. It was composed in the summer of 1778. I am dedicating this recording to my dear mother. Mozart is her favorite composer and I have grown to adore this andante section of the sonata. Visit www.signmypiano.com to learn how you can sign your name to my piano and be a part of my music!

This piece is one of Schubert's vocal pieces arranged for piano solo by Franz Liszt. It has become a very popular piece for voice as well as many other instruments. This recording is dedicated to my dear mother-in-law. This is one of her favorite classical works. This recording was completed at my home on my upright piano. If you would like to learn how you can be a part of my music, please visit www.lisztonian.com and click on the "Sign My Piano" button.

This nocturne was published posthumously, which simply means that it was published after Chopin past away. It was composed in 1830 (Chopin would have been about 20 years old at the time) but not published until 1875. This piece, like most of Chopin's nocturnes, has a mysterious and enchanting quality to it. I cannot help but wonder why Chopin never published this work. Perhaps it did not live up to his standard? Or perhaps it was simply not intended for public performance? The first edition of this work included the following instruction: "For my sister Louise to play, before she practices my second Concerto." -- so perhaps Chopin wrote this merely as a "prelude" for practicing and as such never had it published? Whatever the reason, this work has become one of the more well known of the Nocturnes despite Chopin's disinterest in publication. This recording is dedicated to the Lloyd family. This work was recorded at my home on my studio upright. As always, I invite you to consider a donation towards t

This brief piece, composed by Frederic Chopin, has a majestic beauty. The melody is reminiscent of one of his many Nocturnes, while the accompanying harmonies are almost hymnal - even concluding with a fifth-to-dominant cadence that is such a common ending in church service music (although this piece is more subtle than a typical hymn). This recording was another from the collection, Classical Music for the Church Service: Volume 2 (published by Alfred - my favorite sheet music publisher). The recording was performed at my home on my studio upright. If you enjoy this recording, please consider making a donation towards the purchase of a new piano.

This arabaseque is the first of two arabesques that are associated together (although they were composed several years apart). It was written while Debussy was still rather young (26 years old) and is not considered to be representative of his impressionist style that is generally associated with his name. However, there are certain aspects of his style that are apparent even in this early work. For study, I used Alfred's Masterwork Edition edited by Lynn Freeman Olson. This recording is dedicated to the Robertsons who acted as my parents-away-from-home while I lived in Japan for two years doing volunteer missionary service for my church. Thank you for your compassion, patience, love, and sincere friendship. This recording was completed at home on my studio upright. This piece was particularly difficult to record on my upright due to the sensitive dynamics present throughout the work. Much of the interpretation and have attempted to convey is lost in the limitations of the piano. If you have enjoyed m

This prelude was written in 1910 during a period that many people consider to be the pinnacle of Rachmaninoff's composational career. It is one of a set of 13 preludes and is one of the more popular of the set. All 13 of these preludes were written during a period of 19 days. The first time I encountered this piece was during a talent competition I had entered in 1998. I was just 18 years old then, and a girl about the same age as I played this piece. I really enjoyed it but never actually attempted to learn it until quite recently. In fact, I didn't spend very much time studying this one (as is probably apparent in my performance). I hope you enjoy it, nonetheless. Oh, and if you were wondering, I was fortunate to take first place in the competition with Chopin's Revolutionary Etude (Op. 10 No. 12). That one is always a crowd-pleaser. This was recorded at my home on my studio upright. Please consider making a donation to help me purchase a new piano.

This is one of Rachmaninoff's most popular pieces. It is one of 5 pieces in the set entitled "Morceaux de Fantaisie" (Fantasy Pieces). It is often called "The Bells of Moscow". It is unlikely that Rachmaninoff gave it that title himself. Although this piece became one of his most popular and most requested pieces, Rachmaninoff came to dislike the piece because it was demanded over some of his other great works. This recording is dedicated to my dear friend, Dane Laverty. He performed this piece for me while we were serving as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since that time I have grown to respect him as a great thinker and lifelong example. This was recorded at my home on my studio upright.

This is another recording from the music book Classical Music for the Church Service: Volume II by Alfred. I really enjoy the simple, yet beautiful melody of this work. I've always enjoyed playing pieces where the accompanying harmony interchanges between both hands. This was recorded at my home on my studio upright. If you would like to help improve the quality of my recordings and be honored at the same time, then click here to see how you can help!

This is another recording from the music book Classical Music for the Church Service: Volume II by Alfred. This piece is a short excerpt from Moussorgsky's Pieces Diverses. It is sometimes known as "Meditation". To me this piece has a very modern sound to it that could perhaps be considered a precursor to some contemporary piano pieces. This was recorded at my home on my studio upright. Click here to see how you can have your name printed on the lid of a piano and assist me in improving my recordings!

This is my first recording of a set I am planning from the music book Classical Music for the Church Service: Volume II by Alfred. This was recorded at my home on my studio upright.

This recording is a live performance given at a solo recital in January of 2003. The recording was made on a nine-foot concert grand piano in a small recital hall. This Etude was the first of Liszt's transcendental Etudes that I studied. I fell in love with the harmonies and chord progressions that Liszt uses in this piece. It also happened to be the piece that I was working on when I first met my wife. For that fact, this work is among our favorites.

This is the first in the set of 12 Transcendental Etudes. The set of Etudes is wonderful and this piece provides a great "prelude" into the rest of the series.

This recording was performed on a studio upright piano and thus does not deliver the greatest sound quality but gives the listener an idea of one interpretation of this piece. Many artists perform this selection at a faster tempo than is heard here but the I feel as though this is an appropriate tempo for the mood that I am attempting to convey.

This was my first competition-piece. I didn't do very well ;) My mother tried to encourage me to play the piano by offering me $25 to learn this piece. I refused for several months until finally my sister brought me a recording of it. After listening to the recording, I just couldn't keep myself from learning to play it. This piece was one of the stepping stones into my love for the piano and thus holds a unique place in my heart.

This piece was the first classical work that I fell in love with. In fact, this was the gateway that led to my love for the piano and my endeavor to study and practice. I heard it as "background" music for a popular Japanese film (I believe it was titles "Dreams") back in high school. Upon hearing the music, I went home and rummaged through my mother's sheet music collection until I found a copy of this piece. I played it over and over until I had committed it to memory. Although this was not the "tipping point" for me and the piano, it was definitely a key point in my love for classical music.