My Favourite Works of Classical Music

Favourite Pieces of All Time

1. The Enigma Variations, Op. 36, by Sir Edward Elgar
My favourite variations are Nimrod, W.M.B. and Troyte, in that order. It is one of the most dramatic pieces of music I've ever heard.

2. Vocalise, by Sergei Rachmaninov
My favourite rendition of this vocal piece is by American opera singer, Renee Fleming. I have heard numerous other versions by other singers, but Ms. Fleming's is the best. The orchestral version is also very nice.

3. The Moonlight Sonata, by Ludwig Van Beethoven
My dad once told me that Beethoven wrote this piece to show a blind girl how beautiful moonlight looks. After researching on my own, I found that this isn't true, but I like it more than all the more plausible stories of this piece's origin.

4. Rêverie, L 68, by Claude Debussy
I first heard this piece when the Great Gordeeva and Grinkov skated to it as an exhibition number at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. I now have all three versions: violin & harp, piano, and orchestra.

5. Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85, by Sir Edward Elgar
My favourite rendition of this piece is by Jacqueline Du Pre. I have spent some time listening to other versions by other cellists, but Du Pre's version is my favourte because of how she plays the opening of the first movement: Adagio - Moderato. When she goes from the low note immediately the high note, it's the most dramatic of all the version's I've heard.