Diana Kupke Writes

Diana Kupke's children, Nick Kupke, Suzanne Grima, and Amanda Smith.

Favourite Music

All sorts but mostly classical

When I was about twelve, my uncle, Lester Dudley, bought a large Phillips radiogram. For some unknown reason he kept it at my parents' house where it brought me joy every Sunday. Lester used to visit on Thursday after he finished work and on Sundays for many hours when he played his growing collection of records. One of the first records he bought was Joan Sutherland singing Caro Nome. That aria still has the power to bring tears to my eyes.

I have been keeping a list of my favourite pieces of music for several decades and add to it whenever I find something new that I like, or, more often, when I finally discover a name for a piece which I have loved for years. In addition to all the items mentioned below I enjoy Wooden Heart as sung by Elvis Presley.

I had forgotten to add another of my early favourites by Litolff which I heard (15 January 2018) on ABC Classical FM which is the scherzo from Concerto Symphonique No. 4 in D minor, by Henry Litolff. I can clearly remember hearing it for the first time. I had come home from work, in Melbourne, and was so cold I retained my fake yellow fur coat and sat between two heaters in the house in Grange Road, Glenhuntly. On came the scherzo. I missed hearing the name and rang what must have been 3LO in those days, and they told me what it was.

Interestingly, a decade or so after I began keeping my music list, I found one written by Lester and our top ten are very similar.

I have now recoded this page so the items appear alphabetically by composers surnames.

I realise I have failed to add many of Haydn's compositions. Basically I love everything written by Haydn. I suspect this may have started way back when I was seven, staying with my aunt, Lesley Young, who taught me the fingering for "Papa Haydn's dead and gone, but his memory lingers on".

I have added Antonio Soler, Sonata in D Major which I have loved for years but, until recently, couldn't track down.

I have ABC Classic radio station on radios throughout my house, on my computer, on the television, and in my car. The presenters are wonderful and the music they play is also wonderful.

  • Albeniz, Isaac, Suite espanola No. 1
  • Anderson, Leroy, Concerto in C for Piano and Orchestra
  • Arndt, Felix, Nola
  • Bach, Johann Sebastian, Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major
  • Bazzini, Antonio, Morceaux Op 46
  • Bernstein, Leonard, Candide, Glitter and be Gay.
  • Beethoven, Ludwig van, Piano Trio in B-flat major
  • Beethoven, Ludwig van, Sonata No. 5 in F major
  • Beethoven, Ludwig van, Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56: III. Rondo alla polacca
  • Beethoven, Ludwig van, Piano Sonato No. 18 in E flat major.
  • Boccherini, Luigi, Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D major 'Fandango'
  • Boccherini, Luigi, String Quintet in E
  • Brahms, Johannes , Violin Concerto in D Major
  • Brahms, Johannes, Lullaby
  • Brahms, Johannes, Piano Trio in B major
  • Bruch, Max, Violin Concerto no. 1 G minor
  • Bruckner, Anton, Lancer Quadrille No.3
  • Chabrier, Emmanuel, Habanera
  • Chaminade, Cecile, La Lisonjera, Opus 50.
  • Davies, Harry Parr, Bluebird of Happiness (Jan Peerce)
  • Dvorak, Antonin, Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor
  • Elgar, Edward, Cello Concerto in E minor
  • Elgar, Edward, Salut d’Amour
  • Elgar, Edward, La Capricieuse
  • Farrenc, Louise, Valse brillante
  • Faure, Gabriel, Dolly Suite
  • Giménez, Geronimo, La Boda de Luis Alonso
  • Giuliari, Bartolomeo, Concerto No. 1 in A
  • Giuliari, Bartolomeo, Guitar Concerto
  • Giuliani, Mauro, Guitar Concerto No. 1 in A major, Op 30
  • Gottschalk, Louis Moreau, everything!
  • Gounod, Charles, Jewel Song from Faust
  • Haydn, Joseph, Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major
  • Haydn, Joseph, Violin Concerto in G major
  • Haydn, Joseph, Symphony No. 94 in G major
  • Haydn, Joseph, absolutely everything!
  • Hellmesberger, Joseph, danse diabolique
  • Hummel, Johann, Serenade No. 1
  • Joplin, Scott, Treemonisha "A Real Slow Drag"
  • Koehne, Graeme, Divertissement: Trois Pièces Bourgeoises
  • Koehne, Graeme, Palm Court Suite
  • Kreisler, Fritz, Liebesleid
  • Lincke, Paul, Gavotte Pavlova
  • Liszt, Franz, Hungarian Rhapsody (all 19 of them!)
  • Litolff, Henry , Scherzo, Concerto Symphonique No. 4 in D minor
  • Luna, Pablo, El Nino Judio zarzuela "De España vengo"
  • Marquez, Arturo, Danzon No. 2
  • Marquez. Arturo, Conga del fuego nuevo
  • Mendelssohn, Felix, Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor
  • Moszkowski, Moritz, Spanish Dances for piano
  • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, Count and Susanna duet, Act 111, Marriage of Figaro
  • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, String Quartet No. 14 in F
  • Paganini, Niccolò, Quartet No. 9 in D Major, MS 36
  • Pärt, Arvo, Spiegel im Spiegel
  • Rota, Nino, The Leopard
  • Rubinstein, Anton, Melody in F
  • Saint-Saens, Charles-Camille, Symphony No. 3, "Organ Symphony"
  • Saint-Saens, Camille, Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major
  • Saint-Saens, Camille, Danse Macabre
  • Saint-Saens, Camille, Piano Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, opus 29
  • Saint-Saens, Camille, Samson and Delilah, Mon coeur s'ouvre a to voix
  • Satie, Erik, La Diva de l'Empire
  • Satie, Erik, Gymnopedies
  • Satie, Erik, Je te veux
  • Schubert, Franz, Piano Quintet in A major
  • Schubert, Franz, Notturno E Flat Major for piano and trio
  • Schubert, Franz, 4 Impromptus for piano
  • Schumann, Robert, Traumerei
  • Schumann, Robert, Cello Concerto in A minor
  • Schumann, Robert, Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 44
  • Shostakovich, Dmitri, Tahiti Trot
  • Shostakovich, Dmitri, Ballet Suite No. 1
  • Shostakovich, Dimitri, The Gadfly
  • Shostakovich, Dmitri, Jazz Suite 2
  • Shostakovich, Dmitri, Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102
  • Shostakovich, Dmitri, The Bolt, Suite from the ballet, Opus 27a: Tango
  • Sibelius, Jean, Humoresque Op 89, Nos 4 and 5
  • Smetana, Bedrich, String Quartet No. 1
  • Soler, Antonio, Sonata in D Major
  • Strauss, Johann, Laughing Song, from Die Fledermaus
  • Strauss, Johann, Simplicius Waltz - (Joseph Schmidt)
  • Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich, Violin Concerto in D major
  • Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich, Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33: Theme and Variations
  • Toselli, Enrico, Serenata, I love the one with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra with nightingale
  • Verdi, Giuseppe, Caro Nome, from Rigoletto - (Joan Sutherland)
  • Verdi, Giuseppi, La donna e mobile, from Rigoletto
  • Weber, Carl Maria von, Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 74
  • Yepes, Narcisco, Romance for Guitar
  • de Zespedes, Juan Garcia, Convidando esta la noche

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This page was updated by Diana Kupke (Diana Mann) on 5 January 2024

Thank you ABC for your wonderful music and for your delightful presenters.