Best of Chopin on YouTube

Introduction:  While Chopin was composing from the age of 7, you only care about the 

                         music he wrote from about the age of 17 (c. 1827).   Over 90% of the 

                         music he wrote was for solo piano.  Other than that, he completed six 

                         works for piano and orchestra, four chamber works, and 19 Polish art 

                         songs (the songs do not compare to the lieder of Schubert or Schumann).

  

                         Here are the compositions usually considered to be his best:


Piano with Orchestra: 

      Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11  (1830)  

                Evengy Kissin, piano  (40:00)  (Play)

                Martha Argerich, piano  (1970 - black & white)  (43:00)  (Play)

      Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21  (1829)  

                Yuja Wang, piano (w/ Michael Tilson Thomas)  (31:00)  (Play)


      Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E-flat, Op. 22  (1830 - 1834)    

                 Dominika Grzybacz, piano  (15:00)  (Play)

                 Kate Liu (Solo Piano Version, No Orchestra)  (15:00)  (Play)  


Chamber Music: 

      Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 8  (1830)  His best chamber work. 

                 Trio Fibonacci  (30:00)  (Play) 

      Cello Sonata in G minor Op. 65 (1845–46)  Good.  

                 Natalia Gutman, violin & Sviatoslav Richter, piano  (30:00)  (Play)


Solo Piano Music:

      Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor,  Op. 35  (1839–40, Funeral March fr. 1837)

               Vladimir Ashkenazy  (25 min)  (Play)  Excellent, Famous 3rd movement!!

      Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58  (1844–45)  Excellent! 

  
               Daniil Trifonov  (26 min)  (Play)  


      24 Preludes Op. 28  (1839)   Considered a Masterpiece!!!

               Yuja Wang  (39 min)  (Play)      Vladimir Ashkenazy  (40:25)  (Play)


      12 Études Op. 10  (1833)      -   Valentina Lisitsa  (26 min)  (Play)  

      12 Études Op. 25  (1837)       -   Daniil Trifonov  (28 min)  (Play)   


       Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49  (1841)   Anna Fedorova  (14 min)  (Play)  


       Barcarolle in F♯ major, Op. 60 (1845–6)   Krystian Zimerman  (9:30)  (Play)  


       Polonaise-fantaisie in A flat major, Op. 61  (1846)   

               Kate Liu  (14:30)  (Play)     Daniil Trifonov  (12:10)  (Play)


      Polonaise in F# minor, Op. 44 No. 5  'Tragic' (1841) Evgeny Kissin  (Play, 12:30)


       Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23  (1831)  Very Good!

               Valentina Lisitsa  (10:10)  (Play)   

       Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52  (1842, rev. 1843)  A masterpiece!! 

               Anna Fedorova  (12:15)  (Play)  


       Scherzo No. 2 in B♭ minor, Op. 31  (1836–37)  Most popular of the four scherzi

               Martha Argerich  (10:00)  (Play)  

       Scherzo No. 3 in C♯ minor, Op. 39  (1839–40)  

               Daniil Trifonov  (7:00)  (Play)  


       Rondo in E♭ major (or 'Introduction and Rondo'), Op. 16  (1832)  

               Vladimir Horowitz  (10:45)  (Play)  


       Impromptu No. 1 in A♭ major , Op. 29  (1837) 

               Dmitry Shishkin  (4:10)  (Play)  


       Fantaisie-Impromptu in C♯ minor Op. 66 (post)  (1834)  Excellent, famous!

               Valentina Igoshina  (4:35)  (Play) 

       Berceuse in D♭ major, Op.57  (1844)

               Arturo Michelangeli  (4:40)  (Play)


          Zoltán Kocsis plays the complete (19) Chopin waltzes  (Audio only)
 

           Arthur Rubinstein  (audio only):   

                  The Compete (21) Nocturnes  (2 hours)  (Play)  Excellent!

                  The Complete (51) Mazurkas  (2 hours, 20 min)   (Play)  


           Vladimir Ashkenazy  (audio only):

                 The Complete (16) Polonaises  (100 min)  (Play)    Excellent!