Top 10 Under-Loved Pieces of Classical Music

Some pieces of music get all the attention. If I say "Beethoven's 5th," most people know at least the first four notes. In contrast, many great pieces are swept under the rug and ignored. Social, cultural, and governmental conditions can keep a piece of music out of the limelight. Sometimes, it's a bad premiere. Sometimes, there's no good reason why a piece falls off the radar.

10) Zdeněk Fibich: Sonata in D Major for Violin and Piano
One of my new favorite Czech composers, Fibich wrote more prolifically than many more famous composers. In his relatively short life (1850-1900), Fibich worked in all the instrumental and vocal genres, writing several symphonies and other orchestral works, vocal and choral works, operas, and all different types of chamber music. The Sonata in D Major stands out as a gem with its folksy rhythms and open harmonies. I see no reason why Fibich is no more famous than he is.


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9) Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Four Pieces from "Much Ado About Nothing"
The Austrian born Wunderkind, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, found his compositional voice early in life. He would improvise on the piano in a harmonic idiom that no one could have taught him. Korngold wrote incidental music for various plays early in his career. After writing incidental music for Shakespeare's " Much Ado About Nothing," he arranged an orchestral suite and a violin and piano suite. This music brings light and fun elements into Korngold's highly chromatic harmonic style.


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8) Mieczysław Karłowicz: Violin Concerto, Op. 8
This is the quintessential romantic virtuoso violin concerto. With its myriad double stops, high positions, and lyrical themes, it is everything violinists love, and everything other musicians hate about violinists. Karłowicz lived through the late half of the 19th Century and a few years into the 20th. He admired Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, and he brings a definite Tchaikovskian and Brahmsian influence to this concerto. Karłowicz only has 14 catalogued works, including this one and only violin concerto, a symphony, several tone poems, and a few songs.


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7) Giovanni Sgambati: Piano Quintet No. 1, Op. 4
The Italian pianist, conductor, and composer, Giovanni Sgambati began his musical studies early. Though he was not a prodigy, he built his skills, and became a respectable musician. Sgambati wrote this Quintet in 1866 when he was 25 years old , and soon would conduct the Italian premieres of Beethoven's Third and Seventh Symphonies. Of special note in this Quintet is the quirky and delightful second movement that has its main theme in 5/8 time, which gives an asymmetric feel, and was certainly unusual at the time.


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 6) Anton Arensky: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 35
When you think of a string quartet, you might think of two violins, a viola, and a cello. Arensky turns this concept on its head by using two cellos and one violin with the viola in the middle. Arensky wrote this quartet shortly after the death of his friend, Pyotr Tchaikovsky in 1893, and is dedicated to the memory of Tchaikovsky. A funereal mood runs through the piece despite the joyous buildup at the end of the third and final movement. The second movement is a set of variations on Tchaikovsky's 16 Songs For Children, Opus 54, No. 5 'Legend,' and brings back the initial theme of the first movement. In the third movement, Arensky uses a Russian folk tune previously used in Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 59, No. 2. Arensky's contrapuntal treatment of this theme is scarily similar to Beethoven's.


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5) Joachim Raff: Symphony No. 3 "Im Walde"
A truly underappreciated composer, Joachim Raff wrote prolifically in his 60 year life. His works span virtually every genre imaginable. Possibly his best Symphony, "Im Walde" (written in 1869) highlights his love of nature. Of his 12 Symphonies, 9 are programmatic, and 6 of those 9 are on nature themes. Raff's career resulted from an unlikely mentorship from Franz Liszt. Raff reportedly walked 50 miles through the rain to hear Liszt, arrived just in time for the concert, and was given a seat on the stage by Liszt's command. What Liszt saw in that moment, we may never know, but it is impossible to argue with Raff's catalog of compositions.


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4) Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 3
A familiar composer to most classical music fans, Jean Sibelius wrote several famous pieces, including his 2nd and 5th Symphonies and his Violin Concerto. This symphony, smaller in scope and length, was simply overshadowed by other works. I first found this piece relegated to side 2 of a vinyl record that featured Sibelius's Violin Concerto. Almost classical in form, length, and sound, this symphony is a stark contrast to Sibelius's earlier grandiose works. Sibelius himself said that his Symphony No. 3 was a disappointment for the audience, because it was such a contrast from his Second Symphony.


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3) Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 2 in c sharp minor, Op. 129
Many violinists are familiar with Shostakovich's monumental Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 99, but fewer know about this one. Written in 1969, this was Shostakovich's last Concerto. This work combines all the musical and emotional ingredients typical of Shostakovich--brooding lines that weave through different keys, sardonic and strident little fanfares, and an overall bleak outlook despite a big smile on the outside.


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2) Ernő Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1, Op. 1
When Johannes Brahms saw the manuscript of Dohnányi's new Piano Quintet in 1895, he was very happy. This Quintet has everything a piece of romantic chamber music should have: a strong sense of tonality despite lots of chromaticism, sweeping lyrical lines, a strong sense of form, cyclical coherence (themes from previous movements returning in later movements) through the piece, and a giant plagal cadence capping everything off. AMEN to that!


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1) Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 4
Now we come to to the worthy #1 on the list. Like Symphony No. 3, Symphony No. 4 by Sibelius gets dwarfed by the ever-popular Symphonies 2 and 5. Sibelius wrote this Symphony at a troubled time in his life, and it is very introspective. This piece created confusion and many strange feelings among the audience at the premiere; they saw the greatness, but didn't know how to react. Despite his sensitivities to audience reaction, Sibelius was happy with the piece and promptly prepared it to be published. This is Sibelius at his wild and wonderful best, with complex counterpoint, and a unique mix of bright and dark emotions.