Some of my favorite pieces:

Beethoven Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Op.125

Among all composers in history, Ludwig van Beethoven is always my favorite. His last symphony, in my opinion, is the greatest music artwork of all time which represents the peak of wisdom of human kind. My eyes are filled with tears every time I listen to this masterpiece.

Brahms Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98

The best symphony after Beethoven and before Mahler. Only after I listened to it I realized why Brahms is thought to be the greatest composer after Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. The tragedy involved in 4th movement always touches me deep inside.

Beethoven String Quartet No.13 in B-flat Major (Op.130) and Grosse Fuge (Op.133)

Grosse Fuge was originally the last movement of String Quartet No.13, which is really difficult to understand. It is described as “an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever” by Stravinsky. Its value was not recognized by people at that time, but nowadays it’s thought to be one of the greatest pieces of Beethoven. Besides Grosse Fuge, the exquisitely heartfelt Cavatina movement (5th movement) is also astonishing.

Bach, Chaconne, Partita No.2 in D Minor, BWV 1004 (Piano Transcription by Busoni)

I was immediately attracted by the theme at the very beginning when I listened to this piece for the first time. Brahms wrote: “Using the technique adapted to a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings.”

Beethoven Piano Sonata No.31 in A-flat Major (Op.110)

One of my favourite piano pieces. I was fortunate to have listened to Evgeny Kissin’s performance of this piece in Philadelphia. Very impressive.

To be continued…