Valentine’s is here and to celebrate the day of love we’ve compiled a list of our favourite romantic songs, and our favourites from the Romantic Era. Paired best with a glass of wine, your loved ones, and plenty of time to indulge in the lingering notes that evoke one of humankind’s greatest emotions. Listen, and feel the love.
- Let the atmospheric melody of Carl Lowe’s “Symphony No.2 in E-minor” transport you back to a by-gone era.
- Vilem Blodek’s ambitious “Symphony in D-Minor” is bold and illustrious of the Romantic Era’s mass appeal.
- The whimsical tone of Edvin Kallstenius’ “A serenade in the summer night, symphonic poem, op.10” celebrates the era’s obsession with both nature and the supernatural.
- Highly emotional, the beauty of “The wood nymphs overture” by William Sterndale Bennett lies in its subjectiveness.
- Ludwig van Beethoven’s majestic “Ninth Symphony” characterizes the Romantics’ notion of national identity and a list of this era’s finest works would not be complete without it.
- The inherent storytelling of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty – Waltz” celebrates one of the greatest love stories ever told in gorgeous, resonant melody.
- The set of three piano solos that comprise Franz Liszt’s “Liebesträume” (Dreams of Love) extols the virtues of exalted love, erotic love, and unconditional mature love. Happy Valentine’s to that.
- Right from the opening melancholic notes of Cesar Franck’s “Violin Sonata, Recitativo-Fantasia” you’ll be wanting to sip a full-bodied red wine and reminisce of loves lost.
- The hopeful, pure notes of Edward Elgar’s “Salut d’amour” were written as an engagement present for his fiancee, Caroline Alice Roberts.
- A scandalous opera for its time, ‘Carmen’ is still one of the great romantic stories of all time, epitomized in George Bizet’s provocative “Aragonaise”.
- Lovely and seductive, “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix – Instrumental Version” from Camille Saint-Saëns’ ‘Samson and Delilah’ translates to “Softly awakes my heart”.
- Put on the light, operatic “Barcarolle” from ‘Les contes d’Hoffmann’, opéra fantastique by Jacques Offenbach and dream of Paris: the ultimate City of Love.
- “Adagio in G Minor” by Tomaso Albinoni simply begs to the be soundtrack to your own love story with its gorgeous violin overtures and understated drama.
- Quintessentially French, the love song “C’est l’amour” by Édith Piaf. The performing powerhouse led a romantic life, and her songs let us in on it just a little.
Any romantic or Romantic songs that should’ve made the list? Let us know in the comments below!
