Selected and reviewed by ANDREW EALES
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In recent years, Edition Peters have published biennial Piano Anthology collections of exam pieces linked to each new ABRSM syllabus, recently adding Grade 5, 6, and 7 volumes to their popular, long-standing Grade 8 series.
These offer great value, and a broader range of music than the exam board’s own Selected Exam Piece publications. You can read my review of the 2025-26 Edition Peters Piano Anthologies here. I have often recommended these useful collections, and it is only a pity that due to regular syllabus changes, they have a short shelf life.
Sound the trumpet, strike the drum, and give a warm welcome to the recently arrived Edition Peters Piano Classics. Unshackled from any specified syllabus, this sturdy anthology has been designed for longevity, and offers a compelling selection of repertoire that will surely have wider international appeal, beyond just those taking UK grade exams.
Presenting a judicious selection of 32 “selected examination and performance pieces“, with scores revived from their past and present Edition Peters Piano Anthology publications, this bumper compendium offers a broad range of core classics suitable for the advancing player at around Grade 8 level.
Read on for a full list of pieces (including their previous ABRSM grading), and my general thoughts about this hugely rewarding anthology…
Piano Classics
The music included in this publication certainly offers a solid introduction to most of the piano literature’s greatest names, while covering all the key genres and styles from the Baroque, through Viennese Classicism, the Romantic Era, and concluding with a smattering of early twentieth century and jazzy works.
Here’s the complete list:
- Bach: Partita No. 1 in B flat, Prelude and Gigue
- Bach: Prelude and Fugue in G (Wohltemperiertes Klavier, Book 2)
- Handel: Prelude and Allegro (Fugue) (Suite No.8, HWV 433)
- Scarlatti: Sonata in E, K.162
- Haydn: Presto from Sonata in E minor Hob.XVI:34
- Haydn: Rondo: Presto from Sonata in C Hob.XVI:48
- Mozart: Allegro in B flat KV.400
- Mozart: Allegro moderato from Sonata in C KV.330
- Beethoven: Minuet and Trio from Sonata in D Op.10/3
- Beethoven: Presto alla tedesca from Sonata in G Op.79
- Schubert: Impromptu in A flat Op.142/2
- Schubert: Allegro moderato from Sonata in E, D.459
- Schumann: Romance in F# Op.28/2
- Schumann: Intermezzo Op.26/4
- Chopin: Mazurka in A minor Op.17/4
- Chopin: Nocturne in G minor Op.37/1
- Hensel: Melody Op.4/2
- Tchaikovsky: January, At the Fireplace, from The Seasons
- Grieg: Butterfly from Lyric Pieces Op.42/1
- Liszt: Consolation No. 5 in E
- Farrenc: Étude op. 42/10
- Brahms: Intermezzo in B flat minor Op.117/2
- Debussy: Arabesque No. 1 in E
- Debussy: Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum (Children’s Corner No.1)
- Janáček: Andante in D flat from In the Mists
- Ravel: Menuet from Le tombeau de Couperin
- Gonzaga: Tango in E flat
- Rachmaninov: Elegie from Morceaux de fantaisie Op.3/1
- Gershwin: Prelude No. 1
- Russell: Jamaican Dance No. 2
- Bartók: Dance in Bulgarian Rhythm No. 6
- Blake, arr. Bolcom: Capricious Harlem
As well as amassing so many enduringly popular piano works, a key attraction for players and teachers will be that so many of these pieces have been benchmarked and appeared in the ABRSM Grade 8 syllabus in recent years. Indeed, at the time of writing (2025) one could even make up a full programme of pieces from the current syllabus lists using this volume alone.
Bearing this in mind, it’s worth noting the particular exceptions to that rule, so that those using the volume don’t fall foul of the board’s benchmarking. Edition Peters don’t themselves include this information, but a little digging shows that the pieces by Hensel, Grieg, Liszt, and Russell have previously been set for ABRSM Grade 7, not Grade 8.
Meanwhile, the anthology includes three pieces that to the best of my knowledge have not appeared in the ABRSM syllabus to date. They are Louise Farrenc’s Étude in G minor (which I must confess to finding rather dull), Francisca Gonzaga’s delicious Tango in E flat, and William Bolcom’s ambitious version of ragtime legend Eubie Blake’s Capricious Harlem.
These last three are certainly interesting as interlopers in what is otherwise a solid ABRSM “greatest hits”, not least because, oddly, they don’t quite match the level of the rest of the content. The Farrenc and Gonzaga pieces seem unlikely choices above Grade 6, while the challenges of the Bolcom/Blake piece seem to me better suited for the ARSM diploma.
Edition Peters’ avoidance of listing the Grade levels is perhaps, then, a wise move on their part! Taken as a whole, this publication offers a highly tempting anthology of music for players approaching, or preparing for, a Grade 8 exam, but not yet ready to commit to the syllabus directly. In the UK, the collection can also be highly recommended for those preparing for an A’ Level recital.
The Publication
Edition Peters Piano Classics is a handsome 160-page volume with a flexible soft cover and excellent binding. The cover is attractive, if rather sober, and matches the continuing Piano Anthology series from which these selections have been drawn.
Within, the title and contents pages lead to the scores without further comment, but a significant bonus is found at the rear of the book. Here, Edition Peters have provided extensive Performance Notes for each and every piece. Written in English (seven pages) and German (nine), they are mostly the work of Norman Beedie, again lifted from the Piano Anthology series. They are lucid, insightful, and a welcome help.
Unlike the ABRSM Selected Exam Pieces books, Edition Peters do not give music sources or any other editorial commentary. At this level, these would have been welcome and useful to those interested in the background and provenance of the material.
While it is natural for any publisher to draw on existing assets, a minor downside here is that the engravings clearly have a range of origins, some appearing with supreme clarity in the latest software engraving typeface, others older, and with a less contemporary appearance. Many pieces include no fingering suggestions, while a few (mostly those in older engravings) have ample.
Reviewing the latest batch of Edition Peters Piano Anthologies, I was disappointed by their plain white paper, so it is pleasing to note that for Edition Peters Piano Classics, the publisher have returned to using quality cream paper in keeping with their beloved house style. This certainly makes these scores a more inclusive and comfortable read.
Closing Thoughts
While there are many graded and classical anthologies for learners at elementary to intermediate level, there are rather fewer choices for advancing players moving towards Grade 8. It’s a gap in the market that publishers are waking up to, and the Edition Peters Piano Classics volume is a strong choice for those who are ready to explore the most important voices and musical streams within the core literature.
While Edition Peters Piano Classics may not be the most sexy piano anthology around, it is certainly one of the most praiseworthy. And although the publisher avoids pitching it directly at the exam market, an undeniably clear advantage is that most of the included pieces are already syllabus favourites with established benchmark levels, oven-ready for assessment use.
I believe the success here is equally a triumph for ABRSM, who have included such an array of popular and enduring masterpieces in their syllabus, while others have vacillated between obscure rarities and iffy arrangements of pop songs. No wonder they remain the world’s most popular music examining board!
Edition Peters Piano Classics can of course happily be supplemented with the lighter and appealing fare found in snazzy collections such as the recently updated Lang Lang Piano Book reviewed here, and the many excellent jazz and popular collections available for advanced players.
But this selection of core repertoire will undoubtedly and significantly enrich the advancing pianist’s musical diet, bringing depth and understanding to their appreciation of the wondrous classical piano literature.
Oh, and did I mention that you get all this astonishing music for less than twenty pounds? Truly, we live in amazing times!!
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