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ABC News
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Classic 100 Piano – Highlights
For more than 20 years, the Classic 100 has been one of the most anticipated events on the Australian classical music calendar: a chance for music-lovers across the country to nominate the music that means the most to them. This year's theme is the piano: from solo gems all the way to concertos with a full orchestra, from music fallen in love with during piano lessons to virtuoso concert showpieces, this is a celebration of all the sounds and colours of one of Australia's favourite instruments. Listen or Buy Here Tracklist CD1 1.-3. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor' (complete) 4. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 'Moonlight': I. Adagio sostenuto 5. Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. 6. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue 7. Debussy: Suite bergamasque: III. Clair de lune CD2 1. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2: II. Adagio sostenuto 2. Satie: Gymnopédie No. 1 3. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito 4. Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini: 18th Variation 5. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 'Elvira Madigan': II. Andante 6. JS Bach: Goldberg Variations: Aria 7. Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel 8. Grieg: Piano Concerto: I. Allegro molto moderato 9. JS Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier: Prelude No. 1 in C major CD3 1. JS Bach arr. Hess: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring 2. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 'Pathétique': II. Adagio cantabile 3. Beethoven: Für Elise 4. Rowland: The Man from Snowy River: Jessica's Theme 5. Nyman: The Piano: The Heart Asks Pleasure First 6. Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor 7. Saint-Saëns: The Carnival of the Animals: The Swan 8. Satie: Gnossienne No. 3 9. Kats-Chernin: Eliza Aria 10. Joplin: The Entertainer 11. Hisaishi: Howl's Moving Castle: Merry-Go-Round of Life 12. Tiersen: La Valse d'Amélie (Amélie's Waltz) 13. Einaudi: I giorni 14. Schubert: Impromptu in G-flat major 15. Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11: III. Rondo alla Turca 16. Morricone: Cinema Paradiso: Main Theme 17. Liszt: Liebestraum No. 3 18. JS Bach arr. Petri: Sheep May Safely Graze 19. Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 3 'Tristesse' CD4 1. Blake: Walking in the Air 2. Hisaishi: Spirited Away: One Summer's Day 3.-4. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade & I. Gnomus (Gnome) 5. Sculthorpe: Left Bank Waltz 6. Debussy: Préludes: The Girl with the Flaxen Hair 7. Liszt: Paganini Études No. 3 'La Campanella' 8. Brahms: Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2 9. Kats-Chernin: Russian Rag 10. Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte 11. Schumann: Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood): Träumerei 12. Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 16 'Sonata facile': I. Allegro 13. Grainger: Country Gardens 14. Grieg: Wedding Day at Troldhaugen 15. Bartsch: Brightness in the Hills 16. Liszt: Consolation No. 3 17. Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2 18. Glass: Etude No. 9 19. Glanville-Hicks: Etruscan Concerto: I. Promenade 20. Whitwell: Road Trip
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
What the piano means to me: Jeremy Fernandez and Megan Burslem
Like many of us, ABC presenters Jeremy Fernandez's and Megan Burslem's first memories of the piano are from their childhood lessons. Fernandez started learning when he was seven and played until he was in his early twenties. He still plays from time to time, on the piano his parents bought when he started learning. It's served three generations in the family home. In the small town of Lakes Entrance, Victoria, Burslem had lessons from the wife of the local Anglican priest. Burslem's instrument of choice went on to be the viola, but the piano would remain an important companion during her music studies. As the pair get ready to host a celebration of one of Australia's favourite instruments in the Classic 100 in Concert, we asked them what the piano means to them. Jeremy Fernandez: …it arriving in the driveway of our home, and watching it being heaved off a truck by a group of men who prised it out of its wooden casing and positioned it in the lounge room where I would learn to play. I remember gazing up at the hulking mass of rosewood, and black and white keys, filled with excitement and trepidation at the thought of conquering this glimmering beast with my feet literally off the ground. Megan Burslem: ...Suzuki piano lessons from Mrs Lenthall, who was the local Anglican priest's wife. I used to go to the front room of their house and have piano lessons on their old upright piano. And I could never read a note. But I pretended that I could. Jeremy: ...I come from quite a musical family of people who played everything from the piano, guitar, ukelele, and violin, to spoons and buckets for family 'jam sessions' during which everyone would dance. It always struck me that the piano had such an enormous range, and it's still my favourite form of expression. Megan: ...It's an instrument that has guided me in the world of classical music in so many different iterations. We often play alongside the piano when we're learning our instruments as a viola player, and then I fell in love with piano music when it came to piano concertos. Jeremy: ...To me, the piano can mimic the sound of a teardrop, perfect stillness, or joyful exuberance. Like any relationship, there's frustration too, when your fingers and the keys are out of sync. I've banged on my piano keys out of annoyance many times, but we've always managed to work things out. Megan: ...I think [the piano] can bring us together because it's an instrument that we can gather around. I feel it's an instrument that says 'Come to me. You're going to have a great time.' Jeremy: ...hearing a piano in concert with a full orchestra, one of my favourite things. As we learned from the Classic 100: Piano, some of Australia's favourite pieces for piano wouldn't be the same without a soaring orchestral treatment. Megan: ...Australian music. There is something so special about hearing music that is created in the here and now and music that reflects who we are. I'm very excited to hear the music of Nat Bartsch, the newest composer in the Classic 100: Piano. I deeply relate to her style of composing. The Classic 100 in Concert premieres at 7.30pm on Saturday 21 June. Watch on ABC TV and ABC iview and listen on ABC Classic and the ABC listen app.
ABC News
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
How you voted in the Classic 100: Piano
This year at the ABC we've been celebrating the piano. Between our annual Classic 100 countdown and hit new show The Piano on ABC TV and iview, there's been something for everyone. With the Classic 100: Piano countdown now concluded, you cast 139,586 votes for your favourite works featuring the piano. These ranged from solo pieces, to concertos, to orchestral and chamber works and included several film, television and game scores. Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto, his Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, was Australia's favourite work for the piano. Previously, the 'Emperor' came in at number 1 in countdowns from 2021, The Music You Can't Live Without and 2007, Concerto. The 'Emperor' didn't make the list at all in the original Piano countdown in 2004, let alone the top ten, because only solo piano works were eligible for nomination. Instead, the 'Moonlight' Sonata made number 1 in the original Piano countdown, but this year it's been bumped to number 2. Although Beethoven topped the list again, for once he was not your only favourite composer. Beethoven was tied with Chopin for most number of works, with nine entries each in the final 100, followed by Bach with six entries and Rachmaninov with five. Rachmaninov was the only composer other than Beethoven with two entries in the top 10. Australia was divided between the top two Beethoven works. Voters from the ACT, NSW, Tasmania and WA favoured the 'Emperor', but folks in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Victoria went for the 'Moonlight' Sonata. In Queensland, both works broke even with an equal number of votes each. Voters 40 and over were similarly divided, with those aged 40-54 picking the 'Moonlight' Sonata and those 55 and up choosing the 'Emperor' Concerto. If you're aged 25-39, Chopin's Nocturnes are likely your piano go-to. For ages 18-24, they couldn't decide either: both Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto number 2 and Joe Hisaishi's Howl's Moving Castle soundtrack were their most voted-for works. Ages 10-17 concurred, with the latter at least, also showing their love for the music of the 2004 Studio Ghibli film. This year, we included ages nine and under as its own separate category. If that's you, your favourite piano work was most likely to be Scott Joplin's The Entertainer. Nearly half of the top 100 works for piano hailed from the minds of 20th or 21st century composers — including 27 who are still alive today. That's one more than in the Classic 100: Feel Good. The highest placed was Arvo Pärt, whose beloved Spiegel im Spiegel came in at number 12. The newest work on the list was Nat Bartsch's Brightness in the Hills, from her 2021 album Hope, landing the number 79 spot. Bartsch's Forever, and No Time at All came in at number 84. Bartsch's entries were two of a total of 11 by Australian composers this year, as well as 11 entries by female composers. However, Bartsch was beaten by Elena Kats-Chernin who had three entries at numbers 24, 52 and 58 respectively. The oldest confirmed work on the list was J.S. Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze, from his cantata BWV 208, Was mir behagt, is nur die muntre Jagd or Only the lively hunt pleases me (also known as the Hunting Cantata). The cantata was written in 1713, however, another work attributed to Bach, the iconic Toccata and Fugue in D minor at number 30, could potentially have been written earlier than that. Its composition time frame has only been narrowed down to 1704 to the 1740s, if indeed it is by Bach (another unanswered question). 19 out of 100 entries were works for the screen, proving you still love a good soundtrack, whatever the instrumentation. One game soundtrack made the final 100: the music from the ever-popular Minecraft, composed by C418, aka Daniel Rosenfeld. 16 entries were from films, ranging from Joe Hisaishi's work for Studio Ghibli, to Mancini's The Pink Panther score, to 2001's whimsical Amélie soundtrack by Yann Tiersen. Jane Austen made the list not once but twice — both screen adaptations of Pride and Prejudice reached your top 100. Carl Davis's 1995 television score was at number 28 and Dario Marianelli's 2005 film version was at number 47. Find out all the results of the Classic 100: Piano and relive your favourite moments on ABC Classic and the ABC listen app.
ABC News
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Live updates: The Classic 100: Piano countdown has begun but who will be #1?
It's the biggest day on the classical musical calendar. Classic 100 is here! This year ABC Classic wanted to know Australia's favourite piece of piano music, with tens of thousands of you sending in your votes. Join as we count down the top 45 songs as chosen by ABC Classic listeners. How to listen:
ABC News
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Quiz: How many of these piano pop culture moments do you know?
How well do you know your pianos in pop culture? From fashion to film test your knowledge as we celebrate one of the world's most popular instruments, the piano. And if you need more piano in your life, follow the Classic 100: Piano countdown this weekend, counting down Australia's top 100 pieces for the piano on ABC Classic and the ABC listen app. Stream The Piano free on ABC iview. Counting down Australia's favourite piano music in the Classic 100: Piano on ABC Classic and the ABC listen app.
