50 Best Relaxing Piano este o compilație pe două discuri cu piese pentru pian din muzica clasică, axată pe lucrări liniștitoare și contemplative. Selecția cuprinde compoziții ale maeștrilor barocului precum JS Bach și Händel, ale romanticilor Chopin, Schumann și Liszt, până la impresioniștii Debussy și Ravel.
Printre interpreți se numără pianiști de renume mondial precum Maurizio Pollini, Maria-João Pires, Hélène Grimaud, Daniel Barenboim sau Nicolai Lugansky. Compilația include piese celebre precum Clair de lune, Für Elise de Beethoven, Tristesse de Chopin și Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring de Bach în transcripție pentru pian. Înregistrările combină piese solo pentru pian cu o selecție de părți lente din concerte pentru pian însoțite de orchestre precum Philharmonia Orchestra sau New Philharmonia Orchestra.
Melodii
CD 1
1. JS Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude no.1 in C major, BWV 846 - Christian Zacharias
2. Saint-Saëns - Le Carnaval des Animaux, R125: VII. Aquarium (Andantino)
- Nash Ensemble
3. Schubert - Auf dem Wasser zu singen, D774 (arr. Liszt)
- Bertrand Chamayou
4. Chopin - 12 Etudes, op.10/3 in E major, 'Tristesse'
- Nicolai Lugansky
5. Handel - Suite in D minor, HWV 437: III. Sarabande
- Andrei Gavrilov
6. Debussy - Suite bergamasque, L75: III. Clair de lune (Andante tres expressif)
- Kun Woo Paik
7. Chabrier - Pieces pittoresques: VI. Idylle
- Aldo Ciccolini
8. Schumann - Kinderszenen, op.15: XII. Kind im Einschlummern
- Maria-Joao Pires
9. Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major, M83: II. Adagio assai
- Hélene Grimaud
10. Chopin - Piano Concerto no.1 in E minor, op.11: II. Romanze (Larghetto)
- Maurizio Pollini, Philharmonia Orchestra / Paul Kletzki
11. JS Bach - “Jesus bleibet meine Freude”, BWV 147 (Jesu, joy of man's desiring) (arr. Myra Hess)
- Alexis Weissenberg
12. Liszt - 6 Consolations, S172: No.3 in D flat major (Lento placido)
- Tzimon Barto
13. Beethoven - Piano Sonata no.8 in C minor, op.13, “Pathétique”: II. Adagio cantabile
- Stephen Kovacevich
14. JS Bach - Keyboard Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056: II. Largo
- Maria-Joao Pires, Gulbenkian Orchestra of Lisbon / Michel Corboz
15. Beethoven - Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59, “Für Elise” (Poco moto)
- Moura Lympany
16. Borodin - Petite Suite: VII. Nocturne (Andantino)
- Aldo Ciccolini
17. Scriabin - Nocturne for the left hand in D flat major, op.9/2
- Alexis Weissenberg
CD 2
1. Mozart - Piano Concerto no.21 in C major, K467: II. Andante
- Piotr Anderszewski, Sinfonia Varsovia
2. Granados - 12 Danzas espanolas, op.37: II Oriental
- Jean François Heisser
3. Beethoven - Piano Concerto no.4 in G major, op.58: II. Andante con moto
- Daniel Barenboim, New Philharmonia Orchestra / Otto Klemperer
4. Chopin - 12 Etudes, op.10: No.6 in E flat minor
- Nicolai Lugansky
5. Satie - 3 Gymnopédies: No.1 Lent et douloureux
- Aldo Ciccolini
6. Fauré - Nocturne no.1 in E flat minor, op.33/1
- Jean-Philippe Collard
7. Chopin - 24 Préludes, op.28: No.7 in A major (Andantino)
- Samson François
8. Brahms - 16 Waltzes, op.39: No.9 in D minor
- Mikhail Rudy
9. Liszt - Liebestod (from “Tristan und Isolde” by Wagner)
- Aldo Ciccolini
10. Ravel - Pavane pour une infante défunte, M19
- Anne Queffélec
11. Mozart - Piano Sonata no.12 in F major, K332: II. Adagio
- Daniel Barenboim
12. Debusy - Reverie, L76
- Aldo Ciccolini
13. Schubert - 6 Moments musicaux, op.94, D780: No.3 in F minor (Allegro moderato)
- Stephen Kovacevich
14. Schumann - Kinderszenen, op.15: VII. Träumerei
- Maria-Joao Pires
15. Séverac - Cerdana: I. En Tartane (L'arrivée en Cerdagne)
- Aldo Ciccolini
16. Tchaikovsky - The Seasons, op.37a: VI. June (Barcarolle). Andante cantabile
- Mikhail Pletnev
17. Scriabin - Etude, op.2/1
- Georges Pludermacher
CD 3
1. Liszt - Liebesträume, S541
- Kun Woo Paik
2. Mozart - Piano Concerto no.23 in A major, K488: II. Adagio
- Mikhail Pletnev, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie
3. JS Bach - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: I. Aria
- Maria Tipo
4. Beethoven - Piano Sonata no.14 in C sharp minor, op.27/2, “Moonlight”: I. Adagio sostenuto
- François-René Duchâble
5. Chopin - Waltz no.7 in C sharp minor, op.64/2
- Samson François
6. Debussy - Petite suite, L71a: I. En bateau
- Jean-Philippe Collard
7. Ravel - Miroirs, M43: III. Une barque sur l'océan
- Bertrand Chamayou
8. Satie - 6 Gnossiennes: No.1 Lent
- Aldo Ciccolini
9. Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto no.2 in C minor, op.18: II. Adagio sostenuto
- Hélene Grimaud, Philharmonia Orchestra / Vladimir Ashkenazy
10. Chopin - 12 Etudes, op.25: No.6 in G sharp minor
- Nicolai Lugansky
11. Schumann - 6 Etudes in canon form for pedal piano, Op.56: II. Mit innigem Ausdruck
- Piotr Anderszewski
12. Mendelssohn - Songs without Words, op.67/2: Allegro leggiero
- Leif Ove Andsnes
13. Fauré - Dolly Suite, op.56: I. Berceuse (Allegro moderato)
- Jean-Philippe Collard
14. Granados - 6 Escenas romanticas: VI. Epilogo
- Jean-François Heisser
15. Haydn - Piano Concerto no.11 in D major, Hob. XVIII:11 1: II. Un poco adagio
- Alexandre Tharaud
16. Brahms - 3 Intermezzi, op.117: No.2 Intermezzo in B flat minor
- Nicholas Angelich
