Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Amy (class of 2025) which explores how classical music can convey many emotions.
Emotional Classical Music
When people hear I enjoy listening to classical music, they often assume it’s the soft repetitive music most associate with studying. However, classical music is much more than just something to put on in the background. It is compelling storytelling, music I am not able to listen to while working because I am too enthralled by the story unfolding in my ears to pay attention to anything else. This is why I created this playlist: to show new classical music listeners that classical music is not a one-size-fits-all genre, it can convey anything you want it to.
Richard Wagner – Die Walkure, Act II: Ride of the Valkyries
Dimitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: IV. Largo
Dimitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93: II. Allegro
Gustav Holst – The Planets, Op. 32: 1. Mars, the Bringer of War
Carl Orff – Carmina Burana, Introduction, Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: O Fortuna
Johann Sebastian Bach – Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565: 1. Toccata
Johann Sebastian Bach – Orchestral Suite No. 2 in No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067: VII. Badinerie
Giuseppe Verdi – Requiem, Dies Irae
Sergei Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet Op. 64, Act 1, Scene 2: Dance of the Knights
Antonin Dvorak – Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”: IV. Allegro con fuoco
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Requiem in D Minor, K. 636 Sequence: VI. Lacrimosa Dies Illa
Pyotr IIyich Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 10, Scene. Moderato
Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSwAwMtTLDwg9SWLgHg8b8oTYudIv8wSu&si=_wDnpCg7fHAYvRkS
And here it is on Spotify:
