Parsons Playlists: Sonnet 18

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Esther (class of 2025) which features some music for your Valentine’s Day enjoyment.

Sonnet 18

For the lovers and the dreamers! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 Andante

Schumann: Romance in F-sharp Major

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 Adagietto

Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 1

Liszt: Liebestraum No. 3

Sibelius: Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 78

Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, “Fantasy Overture”

Puccini: La bohème “O soave fanciulla”

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, “Prelude and Liebestod”

Mascagni: Intermezzo Sinfonica

Fauré: Après un Rêve

Bellini: I Puritani “A te, o cara”

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2, Adagio sostenuto

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3, Largo

Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZeyPRn_axqEthrkKs-1nckTU&si=I68XVX-RPvJ38CF0

Parsons Playlists: Spring-Themed Classical Music That Isn’t Vivaldi

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Amy (class of 2025) and features spring-themed classical music.

Spring-Themed Classical Music That Isn’t Vivaldi

When many think of spring, Vivaldi’s Spring movement of his Four Seasons violin concerto is often what comes to mind. However, there is a plethora of spring-themed compositions from other artists across music eras, including Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.”

Spring anime background art

Ludwig van Beethoven – Violin Sonata No. 1 Spring Movement (Itzhak Perlman, Vladimir Ashkenazy)

Igor Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring, Pt. 1: Adoration of the Earth (Teodor Currentzis, musicAeterna)

Edvard Grieg – Lyric Pieces, Op. 43, No. 6 “To Spring” (Lang Lang)

Christian Sinding – Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring) for Piano, Op. 32, No. 3 (Dubravka Tomšič)

Claude Debussy – Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (Orchestra National de Lyon)

Camille Saint-Saëns – The Swan, Carnival of the Animals (Yo Yo Ma, Kathryn Slott)

Florence Beatrice Price – Juba Dance from Symphony No. 1 (Akiko Fujimoto, Minnesota Orchestra)

Alexander Borodin: Quartet No. 2 in D major for Strings, I. Allegro moderato (Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center)

Bedřich Smetana – The Moldau (Polish National Radio Symphony)

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring – 1945 Suite – 1. Very slowly (LA Philharmonic)

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring – 1943 Suite – 7. Doppio movimento (New York Philharmonic)

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring – 1945 Suite – 2. Allegro (LA Philharmonic)

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring – 1945 Suite – 8. Moderato: Coda (LA Philharmonic)

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qizSgHRRbEo&list=PLSwAwMtTLDwitnvD5pQ8hTur4eSlqiamO

Parsons Playlists: Music from Tom & Jerry

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Xipeng (class of 2024) and features music used in the soundtracks of Tom & Jerry cartoons.

Music from Tom and Jerry

The Tom & Jerry cartoons provided me with so much inspiration for my piano practice when I was a kid, and this playlist of a small collection of the original soundtracks, reminds me of my childhood memories.

Tom and Jerry

Johan Pachelbel – “Canon in D” (London Symphony Orchestra)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No.41 in C Major “Jupitar” K.551 (English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner)

Johannes Brahms – 21 Hungarian Dances No.5 in G Minor: Allegro (Wiener Philharmoniker)

Ludwig van Beethoven – Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor, “Für Elise”, WoO 59 (Lang Lang)

Anonymous – “Sari Galin” (Farid Farjad)

Francois-Joseph Gossec – Gavotte in D Major, “Rosine” (arr. for violin and piano) (Takako Nishizaki)

Stephen Foster – “Old Folks At Home” (Tom Roush)

Anonymous – “Go Tell Aunt Rhody” (Woody Guthrie)

Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez – La Cumparsita, tango (Ensemble Contraste)

Frédéric Chopin – Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 18, No.1 in E-Flat Major (Lang Lang)

Anonymous – “Deck The Halls” (The Ames Brothers)

Eduardo di Capua – “Maria, Marì” (Luciano Pavarotti, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna)

Anonymous – “Froggie Went A-Courtin'” (Woody Guthrie)

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZewM9r0M6kQyxNW8PbpHUKWW

[Editor’s note: And here is a fun piece about classical music in cartoons from Classic FM: https://www.classicfm.com/composers/liszt/cartoonist-how-generation-learned-classical-music-bugs-bunny/ ]

Parsons Playlists: Chamber of Secrets

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student assistant Esther (class of 2025) and features an assortment of chamber music.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”

One of my favorite aspects of chamber music is exploring the intimacy of its subtle expressions. Here are some of my top chamber music pieces (including some I’ve been gatekeeping).

Chamber Orchestra

Robert Schumann – Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major Op. 44, Mvt. 1

Sergei Rachmaninoff – Trio élégiaque in G Minor No. 1

Johan Halvorsen – Passacaglia for Violin and Viola

Antonín Dvořák – Bagatelles Op. 47, Mvt. 5

Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet in F Minor Op. 18, No. 1, Mvt. 2

Felix Mendelssohn – String Octet in E flat Major Op. 20, Mvt. 3

Dmitri Shostakovich – Two Pieces for String Octet, Op. 11, Mvt. 2

Franz Doppler – Nocturne, Op. 19

Pablo de Sarasate – Navarra, Op. 33

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57Zew5NyVTiSg-ofiHKC01sZha

Parsons Playlists: Studying in the Parsons Music Library

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist features a selection of music for a Music Library study session curated by Music Library student assistant Amy (class of 2025).

Studying in the Parsons Music Library

Study music

Frederic Chopin – Waltz No. 19 in A Minor, Op. Posth.

Camille Saint-Saens – The Carnival of the Animals The Swan

Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor Op. 18 – II Adagio sostenuto

Bach – Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major, BWV 1010: 1 Prelude

Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker Op. 71, Act 2: No. 13, “Waltz of the Flowers”

Dvorak – Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22, B.52 – II Tempo di valse

Dvorak – Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22 – I Moderato

Ravel – Ma Mere L’Oye, M. 60 – I Pavan de la Belle au bois dormant

Piero Piccioni – Amore Mio Aiutami (Main Theme)

Dvorak – “Song to the Moon” Rusalka, Op. 114, Act 1

Respighi – Pini di Roma, P. 141: III I pini del Gianicolo

Borodin – Nocturne

Beethoven – Lenore, Op. 72, Act I “Mir ist so wunderbar”

Debussy – La Mer, L. 109, II Jeux de vagues

Lavinia Meijer – Dances for Harp and Orchestra, L. 103, II Danse profane

Shostakovich – Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102

Faure – Pavane, Op. 50

Gershwin – The Man I Love

Debussy – Deux Arabesques, CD 74: I. Andantino con moto

Liszt – Liebestraum

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSwAwMtTLDwjK99x65ClwlqXWXG6vyGRP

And here it is on Spotify: