By Maddy Shaw Roberts
Salzburg Symphony No. 1
(‘Divertimento in D major’) – Mozart
The perfect, high-spirited slice
of musical motivation to throw you head-first into your study session.
Extensive interplay between the violins will drive you on and set you up for an
efficient day of revision.
Canon in D – Pachelbel
An easy-but-a-goodie. The way
Pachelbel’s Canon builds on that one, steady cello line makes it the ideal
concentration soundtrack.Take a deep breath, a warm sip of tea and listen to
this beautiful, minimal piano piece. Sometimes, the simplest melodies can bring
the deepest thoughts…
Goldberg Variations – Bach
A masterpiece of classical
repertoire. Bach’s music has a deep, disciplined measure and precise structure
that make it the ideal soundtrack to a stimulating study session.Time to up the
pace a little. Brahms is the perfect pace-quickener for when you need to blast
through long passages of text – and when that brass fanfare hits, it’s just
pure joy.
Time (Inception) – Hans Zimmer
Intense, moving and disturbing:
Zimmer’s main theme for Inception has the power to take you into a world of
pure focus, determination and brain power.
The Well-Tempered Clavier – Bach
Fingers starting to feel a bit
clumsy on the old laptop keys? J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier is a
masterpiece of precision, designed to train your mind as well your keyboard
technique.
Etudes – Chopin
Lunch break is over, you’ve had a
coffee, now let’s get back to it. The ambitious arpeggio passages in Chopin’s
fiendish Etudes are the perfect brain-trainer.
Piano Concerto No. 23 – Mozart
It’s long been rumoured that
listening to Mozart is good for focusing (some studies even say it could make
your baby smarter). While there may be no proof in that particular pudding, the
gorgeous rising melodies and beautifully balanced rhythms in Mozart’s Piano
Concerto No. 23 will guide you into the right mindset.
The Hours – Philip Glass
A genius work of minimalism.
Simple layers on simple layers build, creating beautiful cross-rhythms to spur
you on in the moments where it feels like the revision may never end.
Etudes – Debussy
Debussy designed each of his
etudes to focus on a different practice technique. The perfect framework for an
efficient study session.
A Beautiful Mind – James Horner
For those moments when you feel
like your brain just isn’t up to it, pop this on. Horner’s gorgeous orchestration
and spinning melodies give you the power and drive to make you feel capable of
anything.
I Giorni – Einaudi
A gentle, hypnotic piece to bring
you peace while you work, and to help you breathe if you ever feel like there’s
just too much on your plate.
Moonlight Sonata (I) – Beethoven
A slow, hypnotic set of arpeggios
lulls you into Beethoven’s most loved solo piano piece. Reflective and calm,
it’s the ideal background music to your studies.