Dr. Woodruff's...

Top Music Books for Practicing Piano

  1. Beethoven, Complete Piano Sonata (both volumes of all 32)
  2. Bach, Well Tempered Clavier, Book One
  3. Brahms, Complete Solo Piano Works, (excluding the sonatas)
  4. Chopin, Complete Etudes, Op. 10 and 25
  5. Liszt, Selected Hungarian Rhapsodies
"If someday I have the opportunity to seclude myself on a mountaintop like the greatest pianist in history Franz Liszt and practice the piano twelve hours a day, these are the collections I would take with me"

​- Dr. Warren L. Woodruff

Top Ten Recording Picks

  1. Beethoven, Symphonies Nos.1-9 (Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic)
  2. J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concertos 1-6 (Sir Neville Marriner with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields)
  3. Brahms, Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (Vladimir Ashkenazy with the Vienna Philharmonic)
  4. Beethoven, the Late String Quartets, Nos. 12-16 (Tokyo String Quartet)
  5. The Art of the Prima Donna with Dame Joan Sutherland, soprano
  6. Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3 performed by pianist Martha Argerich
  7. Beethoven, Piano Concerto Nos. 2 and 3 performed by pianist Martha Argerich
  8. Beethoven, Piano Sonata performed by Bruno Leonardo Gelber, particularly Op. 53 “Waldstein,” Op. 57 “Appassionata,” Op. 109 and Op. 111
  9. Liszt, Annes de pèlerinage-Suisse (Years of Pilgrimage) performed by pianist Stephen Hough
  10. Mozart, Die Zauberflöte (“The Magic Flute”) with Klemperer conducting the Philharmonica Orchestra and Chorus
"If I were to be stranded on a deserted island, assuming I had a means of playing recorded music, these are the recording I would grab from my personal collection. The hundreds of recordings in my collection are all very meaningful to me but if I had to narrow it down to ten, this would make up the list in the approximate order of importance (remember, I am a pianist)"
​
- Dr. Warren L. Woodruff
RUNNERS UP (if I had more time to grab):
  1. Bach, Unaccompanied works for violin and cello
  2. Chopin, Complete Ballades
  3. Mendelssohn, Piano Trios in c minor and d minor
  4. Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5
  5. Prokofiev Piano Concertos No. 1, 2 and 3

"Must Have" Recordings for Beginner and Intermediate Classical Music Lovers

BAROQUE PERIOD (1600-1750):
  1. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741):
    1. ​The four Season Violin Concertos
    2. Concerto in C for Two Trumpets and Strings
    3. Gloria in D Major
  2. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750):
    • Six Brandenburg Concertos
    • Harpsichord Concerto in d minor
    • Violin Concerto in a minor
    • Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major
    • Unaccompanied Violin Partita in E Major
    • Toccata and Fugue in d minor for organ
    • Italian Concerto for piano in F Major
  3. George Frederick Handel (1685-1759):
    1. The Messiah
    2. Royal Fireworks Music
    3. Water Music
    4. Concerto Grosso No. 7 in B-flat Major
CLASSICAL PERiOD (1750-1800):
  1. Franz Schubert (1797-1828):
    1. Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished
    2. Quintet in A Major, “Trout”
    3. Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major
    4. Wanderer Fantasy for Piano
    5. Die Schöne Müllerin Cycle of Songs
  2. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
    1. Symphony No.  94, “Surprise”
    2. Symphony No.  100, “Military”
    3. Symphony No.  104, “London”
    4. Piano Sonatas in e minor (Hob. XVI: 34)
    5. Piano Sonata in D Major (Hob. XVI:37)
    6. Piano Sonata in E-flat major (Hob. XVI: 52)
    7. Concerto in E-Flat Major for Trumpet and Orchestra
    8. String Quartet No. 6 in A Major
    9. The Creation Oratorio
  3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791):
    1. Symphony No. 40 in g minor
    2. Symphony No. 41 in C Major “Jupiter”
    3. Symphony Number 35 in D “Haffner”
    4. Piano Concerto No. 20 in d minor
    5. Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major
    6. Eine kleine Nachtmusik (“A Little Night Music”)
    7. Piano Sonata in a minor, K. 310
    8. Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545
    9. Fantasia in d minor for piano
    10. Piano Trio in E Major, K. 542
    11. Quintet in A Major for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581
    12. Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat Major, K. 447
    13. Mass, Exultate Jubilate
    14. Opera, The Magic Flute
    15. Opera, The Marriage of Figaro
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827):
(Classical/Romantic Period Crossover “Titan” Composer)
  1. Symphonies (in order of importance):
    1. No. 9 in d minor, “Choral”
    2. No. 3  in E-flat Major, “Eroica”
    3. No. 5 in c minor
    4. No. 7 in A Major
    5. No. 6 in F Major, “Pastoral”
  2. Piano Sonatas (of the 32):
    1. No. 23 “Appassionata”
    2. No. 21 “Waldstein”
    3. No. 8 “Pathetique”
    4. No. 14 “Moonlight”
    5. No. 26 “Les Adieux”
  3. Piano Concertos (in this order):
    1. No. 5 in E-flat Major, “Emporer”
    2. No. 4 in G major
    3. No. 3 in c minor
    4. No. 1 in C Major
    5. No. 2 in B-flat Major
  4. String Quartets:
    1. Op. 59, No. 9 in C Major
    2. Op. 130, No. 13 in B-flat Major
    3. Op. 131, No. 14 in c-sharp minor
  5. Other Important Works:
    1. Violin Concerto in D Major
    2. Choral Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra
    3. Sonatas for Violin and Piano, Op. 24 “Spring” and Op. 47 “Kreutzer”
ROMANTIC PERIOD (1800-1900):
  1. Giacchino Rossini (1792-1868):
    1. William Tell Overture
    2. The Barber of Seville, opera
  2. Franz Schubert (1797-1828):
    1. Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished
    2. Quintet in A Major, “Trout”
    3. Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major
    4. Wanderer Fantasy for Piano
    5. Die Schöne Müllerin Song Cycle
  3. Hector Berlioz (1803-1869):
    1. Symphonie fantastique
  4. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847):
    1. Symphony No. 4 in A Major, “Italian”
    2. Violin Concerto in e minor
    3. Piano Concerto No. 1 in g minor
    4. Octet in E-flat Major for Strings
    5. Piano Trio in d minor
    6. Songs Without Words for Piano Solo
  5. Robert Schumann (1810-1856):
    1. Piano Concerto in a minor
    2. Symphony No. 4 in d minor
    3. Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano and Strings
  6. Frederick Chopin, all for piano, (1810-1849):
    1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in e minor
    2. Piano Sonata No. 2 in b-flat minor
    3. Piano Etudes, Op. 10 and 25 (all 24, 12 in each set)
    4. Fantasie Impromptu for Piano
    5. Waltz in E-flat Major, “Grande valse brilliante,” Op. 64, No. 1
    6. Waltz in c-sharp minor, Op. 64, No 2
    7. Ballade No. 1 in g minor
    8. Scherzo No. 1 in b minor
    9. Polonaise in A Major, “Military,” Op. 40, No. 1
    10. Polonaise in A-flat Major, “Heroic,” Op. 53
  7. Franz Liszt, all for piano except where indicated (1811-1886):
    1. Piano Concerto in E-flat Major for piano and orchestra
    2. Piano Concerto in A Major for piano and orchestra
    3. Totentanz for Piano and Orchestra
    4. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in c-sharp minor
    5. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-flat Major
    6. Mephisto Waltz
    7. Sonata in b minor
    8. Concerto Etude “Un Sospiro”
    9. Liebesträume, No. 3
    10. Consolation in D-flat Major
    11. La Campanella
    12. Dante Sonata
    13. Symphonic Poems No.s  2, 4 and 6
  8. Richard Wagner, opera (1813-1883):
    1. Lohengrin
    2. Tannhäuser
    3. The Ring of the Nibelungen
  9. Giuseppi Verdi, operas (1813-1901):
    1. Aida
    2. Rigoletto
  10. Anton Bruckner (1824-1896):
    1. Symphony No. 7 in E Major
    2. Symphony No. 8 in c minor
    3. Symphony No. 9 in d minor
  11. Johann Strauss (1825-1899):
    1. Complete Waltzes
    2. Die Fledermaus Overture
    3. The Pizzicato Polka
  12. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897):
    1. Symphony No. 1 in C Minor
    2. Symphony No. 4 in e minor
    3. Piano Concerto No. 1 in d minor
    4. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major
    5. Violin Concerto in D Major
    6. Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
    7. Horn Trio in E-flat, Op. 40
    8. Piano Miniatures:
      1. Rhapsody in b minor, Op. 79, No. 1
      2. Rhapsody in g minor, Op. 79, No. 2
      3. Capriccio in d minor, Op. 116, No. 2
      4. Intermezzo in b-flat minor, Op. 117, No. 2
      5. Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118, No.2
      6. Ballade in g minor, Op. 118, No 3
      7. Rhapsody in E-Flat Major, Op 119, No. 4
  13. Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
    1. Symphony No. 3, “Organ”
    2. Danse Macabre
    3. Carnival of the Animals
    4. Cello Concerto No. 1 in a minor
    5. Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor
  14. Georges Bizet, (1838-1875):
    1. The Opera “Carmen”
  15. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881):
    1. Pictures at an Exhibition
    2. A Night on Bald Mountain
  16. Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (1840-1893):
    1. Symphony No. 4 in f minor
    2. Symphony No. 5 in e minor
    3. Piano Concerto No. 1 in b-flat minor
    4. Violin Concerto in D Major
    5. The Nutcracker Suite
    6. Swan Lake
    7. 1812 Overture
    8. Trio in a minor
  17. Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904):
    1. Symphony No. 9 in e minor
    2. Slavonic Dances
    3. Violin Concerto in a minor
  18. Edvard Grieg (1843-1907):
    1. Piano Concerto in a minor
    2. Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and 2
  19. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
    1. Symphony No. 2 in c minor, “Resurrection
    2. Symphony No. 9 in D Major
  20. Giacomo Puccini, opera, (1858-1924)
    1. Madame Butterfly
    2. Tosca
    3. La Bohème
  21. Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
    1. Orchestral: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
      La Mer
    2. Piano works:
      1. Clair de lune
      2. Arabesques Nos. 1 and 2
      3. The Children’s Corner
      4. Estampes
      5. La fiulle aux cheveux de lin
    3. Chamber Works:
      1. Quartet in g minor
  22. Richard Strauss (1864-1949):
    1. Tone Poems:
      1. Don Juan
      2. Thus Spake Zarathrustra
      3. Ein Heldenleben
    2. Opera:
      1. Dr. Rosenkavalier
    3. Vocal:
      1. The Four Last Songs
  23. Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
    1. Symphony No. 1 in e minor
    2. Symphony No. 2 in D Major
    3. Violin Concerto in d minor
    4. Tone Poem, Finlandia
  24. Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943):
    1. Piano Concerto No. 2 and 3
    2. Piano Preludes in c-sharp minor and g minor
    3. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra
    4. Etudes Tableu, Op. 39
    5. Symphony No. 2 in e minor
  25. Maurice Ravel (1875-1937):
    1. Bolero
    2. Rhapsodie Espagnole
    3. La Valse
    4. String Quartet in F Major
    5. Suite for Piano: Gaspard de la nuit
    6. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
    7. Piano Concerto in G Major
    8. Piano Concerto in d minor for the left hand
MODERN ERA (late 1800’s-present)
  1. Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
    1. Concerto for Orchestra
    2. String Quartet No. 4
    3. Violin Concerto No. 2
    4. Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3
  2. Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
    1. Symphony of Psalms
    2. The Firebird Suite
    3. Petrushka
    4. The Rite of Spring
  3. Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
    1. Symphony No. 1 “Classical”
    2. Symphony No. 5
    3. Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3
    4. Violin Concerto in D Major
    5. Peter and the Wolf
    6. Love for the Three Oranges, Orchestral Suite
    7. Piano Sonatas Nos. 6, 7 and 8 “the War Sonatas”
    8. Romeo and Juliet, Ballet Suite
  4. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975):
    1. Symphony No. 1 in F Major
    2. Symphony No. 5 in d minor
    3. Symphony No. 10 in e minor
    4. Piano Quintet in g minor
    5. Sonata for Cello and Piano
Six Brandenburg Concertos
The Messiah
Die Schöne Müllerin Cycle of Songs
The Creation Oratorio
Piano Trio in E Major, K 542
No. 5 in c minor
No. 5 in E-flat Major, “Emporer”
Violin Concerto in D Major
Quintet in A Major, “Trout”
Octet in E-flat Major for Strings
Fantasie Impromptu for Piano
Piano Concerto in A Major for piano and orchestra
Dante Sonata
Symphony No. 7 in E Major
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major
Ballade in g minor, Op. 118, No 3
A Night on Bald Mountain
1812 Overture
Symphony No. 9 in D Major
The Children’s Corner
Ein Heldenleben​
Piano Preludes in c-sharp minor and g mino
Suite for Piano: Gaspard de la nui
The Firebird Suite​
Love for the Three Oranges, Orchestral Suit
Photo used under Creative Commons from Alexander.Hüls