I’d love to keep track of all the classical pieces and composers I’ve written about—whether from concert reflections or deep-dive listening sessions that make me curious about a piece’s background.
Music taste is hard to align, but I hope this list offers a practical glimpse into mine. Maybe you’ll find some insight—or even a new favorite piece.
I usually prioritize academic posts over musical ones, but when things get hectic, I turn to music. So if you spot a flurry of music posts, that’s me in full-on busy mode. Anyway—here’s the list:
Last update: July 15, 2025
- Symphony No.5 By Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra: Where Beethoven Still Sells Out
- Tchaikovsky on Wagner
- Concerts in Shanghai are expensive, but this one’s worth it — NY Phil opens Shanghai Summer Music Festival with French Impressionism Works
- The 2nd movement (valse) is really great: Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique | Background Story
- Chopin’s Grande Valse Brillante (Waltz No. 1 in E-Flat, Op.18) — I really like it.
- Tchaikovsky’s Swan Coda from the Appendix (Pair it with the final coda of the swan lake pas de deux)
- Gattaca (1997), and Schubert’s Impromptu No.3
- Barcarolle Battle | Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn and Offenbach
- Turns out researchers are fond of classical music in general: How music at work can fine-tune your research
- On the Alleged Lightness of Swan Lake as ‘Ballet Music’
- Schumann’s Kinderszenen: Childern’s Day Music and Traumerei, Vladimir in Moscow 1986
- Gieseking is much sensitive and delicate a player than Lang Lang (not that I don’t like him) — Listen Closer to, say, Walter Gieseking
- Frankly speaking, Chopin’s Nocturnes are NOT lullabies… — Insomnia talk
- I read the book and revisited the movie for Lolita. The movie’s music is beautiful and turns out composed byb Morricone! Elegant and Untrustworthyly Flirting with Sincerity — Music for Lolita, Morricone’s Lolita Theme.
- John Williams and the Berliner Philharmonic plays Hedwig’s Theme
- Clair De Lune: Debussy talks
- Wicked (2024) vs. The Little Mermaid: Ever had a musical déjà vu?
- Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Rachmaninoff’s Nostalgia—The Russian Soul
- the Brahms Schumann triangle
- Cosi Fan Tutte: At the LA Opera Premiere and some later thoughts A Little Mozart Wisdom
- A Classical Music’s Take on Ariana Grande’s ‘Technique Choice’
- Bandinerie (Suite No. 2 in B Minor BWV 1067)
- Chopin’s 215 Birthday | A Little Fact about the Composer
- Breakdown of Eugene Onegin’s Different Versions
- (Good) movie music counts Part of Your World (Jodi Benson)
- From Shostakovich to Synths | A Quick History of Film Music
- (Der Karajanuskopf) What’s in Karajan’s Head? (Rossini Remix)
- the “Glenn Gould vs. Mozart’s Greatest Concerto” series
- Fauré’s Pavane
- New Year Concert Series: Wiener Philharmonic (and its ticket lottery), Beliner Philharmonic, and Boston Symphony Orchestra.
- Dvořák’s Rusalka
- Whitney and Pavarotti sing opera
- Tugan Sokhiev with Munich Philharmonic at Shanghai, Closing the Shanghai International Art Festival: Polonaise from Eugene Onegin and Encore Piece Nutcracker’s Russian Dance
- Rachmaninov featured in Enio Morricone’s movie score, The Legend of 1900
- The encore piece on Nov. 5 2024 | Martha Argerich at Shanghai Oriental Concert Hall
- Bernstein’s recording of Carnival of the Animals
- The Story of Classical produced by Apple Music Classical
- Presto with Emmanuel Pahud
- concert etiquette: when to clap
- Sonatina for Flute and Piano | I. Moderato
- the famous Abbado-Agerich recording, featuring work of Prokofiev and Ravel
- Prokofiev Plays his Prelude Op.12 No.7 ‘Harp’
- two interesting Mendelssohn paraphrases
- Lucas Debargue | the Encore No.2 at Shanghai Oriental Art Center
- Vladimir Horowitz’s piano recitals
- Andante Cantabile II
- Andante Cantabile
- Zen and Art of Piano | Horowitz
- The Day Vladimir Horowitz and Sergei Rachmaninoff Arrived Together at Steinway Hall
- Variation 18 of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
- Sergei Rachmaninov | the beautiful and tortured soul
- all by myself by Celine Dion featuring Rachmaninov
- Mozart’s Flute Anecdotes
- the deceptive simplicity of Mozart’s sonata facile, K.545
- tango between shadows and light | Histoire du Tango: II. Café 1930
- Tchaikovsky in Met Gala: the Grande Valse from the Sleeping Beauty
- Shostakovich–the Return of Maxim, Op.45, No. 3, Valse
- My Favourite Overtures (2024 May)
- Tchaikovsky essential | The Nutcracker Miniature Overture
- Sunday Night Lieder | back to Schubert
- Saturday Night Lieder | at the opera
- Changyong Liao: ‘Foreign Audiences Prefer Hearing Me Sing Chinese Songs’
(From April. 2024 and on)