Admittedly, it's a random and superstitious thing to do: to comb through the list of compositions catalogued as Op. 19 in search of a musical starting point for 2019.
But once we started, it became a fun exercise in (re)discovery and we figure it can't hurt to begin 2019 by listening to these classical masterpieces.
Here are our five favourite Op. 19 compositions.
1. Sergei Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19
You probably turn to Beethoven and Brahms for your cello sonata fix, but really: is there a better slow movement than Rachmaninoff's?
2. Robert Schumann: Blumenstück, Op. 19
Blumenstück is the overlooked companion piece to Schumann's better-known Arabeske in C. Make it your new year's resolution to familiarize yourself with it. (You can hear the influence of Schumann on another excellent Op. 19: Tchaikovsky's Six Pieces for Solo Piano.)
3. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19
Beethoven said it was not one of his best compositions — possibly because it's the most classical of his piano concertos? — but we love it for that very reason.
4. Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19
Prokofiev did most of the work on his Op. 19 during 1917, a turbulent year in Russian history, whose events seem far away from this violin concerto's orderly structure and refined lyricism.
5. Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19
The successor to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Bartók's Op. 19 ballet score is a workout for any orchestra and a hair-raising experience for the audience. Here's the orchestral suite from The Miraculous Mandarin, conducted by its greatest champion, Pierre Boulez:
Related:
Jan Lisiecki's new all-Mendelssohn album will come out Feb. 1
8 things you may not know about The Nutcracker
Duos to Nonets, Boccherini and Beethoven to Ravel and Brahms....all performed by the great collaborators of our time. The rich and intimate world of classical music for small ensembles. Hear: Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonin Dvorak, Maurice Ravel and more!