Can you recognise these pieces when they’re played REALLY fast?

1 February 2018, 14:04

Some pieces are supposed to be played terrifyingly quickly, like Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee or Chopin’s Minute Waltz. But can you even recognise these pieces when they’re played at over 500bpm?

Pianist Fabricio Vinheteiro had the idea to create a video of himself playing the most popular pieces in classical music, about three times faster than their metronome markings.

Only, he’s not playing them – his piano is playing the pieces by itself, (it's one of those spooky self-playing ones). You could argue that the pianist doesn’t even need to be there, but then we’d be missing his signature camera stare.

Did you watch the video and you still can’t work out what the pieces are? Here they are in order:

1. Für Elise – Beethoven
2. Happy Birthday
3. Flight of the Bumblebee – Rimsky-Korsakov
4. Moonlight Sonata (third movement) – Beethoven
5. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik – Mozart
6. Ride of the Valkyries – Wagner
7. Dance of the Reed Flutes – Tchaikovsky
8. The Washington Post – John Philip Sousa

OK, we admit we didn’t get the last one, either...

If you need more pianos and intense staring in your life, find Vinheteiro on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for more videos!