# Non-Famous Classical-Era Piano Concerti



## Roi N (Oct 22, 2013)

The classical era is, in my opinion, the high-point of music in general (Haydn, Mozart, early Beethoven - yeah, they're the best). 
The piano concerto was thouroughly developed during this time - thank you Mozart - and became an important part of the repertoire.
While there are many famous ones, which we all know (Almost all of Mozart's, Haydn's 11 in D Major and Beethoven's first couple), the are some great non-famous pieces - I happened to listen to Haydn's Piano and Violin concerto (Piano concerto no. 2 in D major) and it was great!
This tread's main objective is to help us discover new pieces of great music in the classical-era-piano-concerti genre.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The Hummel A minor is a very fine piano concerto.

The performance with Stephen Hough is recommended.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Not much to explore and even within this "not much", not much again to fall in love with. There is a fine cycle of piano concertos by Giovanni Paisiello and nice single concerto by Franciszek Lessel. I wasn't in awe for Salieri's.

And here is real curiosity, classical period Puccini:


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Check out the piano concertos of Mozart's son, Franz Xaver. If you like his dad's concertos, you will surely appreciate his son's. Same silky-smooth phrasing and some very compelling melodies.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

Though it's pretty late classical, (I think he's classical), Ferdinand Ries wrote some lovely piano concertos.






Also, let's not ignore Clementi


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

There seem to be hundreds of "put-tab-A-into-slot-B" piano concertos running around from the earlier classical period. Obviously several by Hummel and Czerny stand out. Another composer whose concertos I've gotten to like lately is Woelfl, famous mostly for his piano duel with Beethoven.


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## Roi N (Oct 22, 2013)

Bulldog said:


> Check out the piano concertos of Mozart's son, Franz Xaver. If you like his dad's concertos, you will surely appreciate his son's. Same silky-smooth phrasing and some very compelling melodies.


I actually heard his Concerti - I remember his C major to be much better than his E-Flat.. but I'll test them both again!


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

hpowders said:


> The Hummel A minor is a very fine piano concerto.
> 
> The performance with Stephen Hough is recommended.


I concur. In fact, all his piano concerti are worth a listen, as is much else that he wrote. It was his big misfortune to be a contemporary of Beethoven.


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## Novelette (Dec 12, 2012)

I really enjoy Sergei Lyapunov's Second Piano Concerto, Op. 38. Wonderfully inspired music.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Jan Ladislav Dussek wrote several. I don''t know many, but here is a great heroic sounding one.

But my favorite lesser known composer (who might be considered romantic, but he was a Beethoven contemporary and I am in the "Beethoven was classical" camp) is John Field, who wrote several fine almost Beethovenian piano concertos and sonatas, not to mention inventing the nocturne.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

KenOC said:


> There seem to be hundreds of "put-tab-A-into-slot-B" piano concertos running around from the earlier classical period. Obviously several by Hummel and Czerny stand out. Another composer whose concertos I've gotten to like lately is Woelfl, famous mostly for his piano duel with Beethoven.


I listened to that very CD a month or so ago. Much recommended.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Another composer whose concertos I've gotten to like lately is Woelfl, famous mostly for his piano duel with Beethoven.


Who in his right mind would get himself into a piano duel with Beethoven?


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

brianvds said:


> Who in his right mind would get himself into a piano duel with Beethoven?


There are those who say Woelfl won. See the second entry on this page for a contemporary account.

https://sites.google.com/site/kenocstuff/


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## DaDirkNL (Aug 26, 2013)

Listen to this heavenly slow movement of a concerto for fortepiano by JC Bach:


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

Amazing thread, I am finding all the recommendations here are great. Classical period music which is not Haydn, Beethoven or Mozart is a thing to be reckoned with.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I reckon!


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Hummel, Clementi, Kuhlau, Moscheles g-minor and Berwald stand out for me, the last two mainly charming. I've tried a lot of Field recordings, but in general he's not really something for me.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

KenOC said:


> There are those who say Woelfl won. See the second entry on this page for a contemporary account.
> 
> https://sites.google.com/site/kenocstuff/


_"That Wölffl's unassuming and pleasing behavior gains over Beethoven with his sometimes haughty manner is very natural..."_

Now why am I not surprised... :lol:


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## Roi N (Oct 22, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Another composer whose concertos I've gotten to like lately is Woelfl, famous mostly for his piano duel with Beethoven.


Wolfl was a true revelation for me. I found 3 recorded concerti (No. 1, 5 and 6) and they are fantastic - of the finer piano concerti composed in my opinion. On another note, I also discovered his piano sonata in c minor, which is highly recommended for everybody. One of the hardest sonatas I've played, and I enjoy every moment.
Thank you for introducing Wolfl to me!


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

Back in the early '70s, Turnabout issued a number of recordings of odd classical piano concerti with Felicja Blumenthal as soloist. One by Friedrich Kuhlau I remember really liking -- but I forget which it was and I no longer have the recording.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Roi N said:


> The classical era is, in my opinion, the high-point of music in general (Haydn, Mozart, early Beethoven - yeah, they're the best).
> The piano concerto was thouroughly developed during this time - thank you Mozart - and became an important part of the repertoire.
> While there are many famous ones, which we all know (Almost all of Mozart's, Haydn's 11 in D Major and Beethoven's first couple), the are some great non-famous pieces - I happened to listen to Haydn's Piano and Violin concerto (Piano concerto no. 2 in D major) and it was great!
> *This tread's main objective is to help us discover new pieces of great music in the classical-era-piano-concerti genre*.


Fans of classical era piano concerti are in luck, I hear. Hyperion, the label which launched the rather successful series "The Romantic Piano Concerto" which has gone to thus far to disc number 63, featuring a pair of concerti in minor keys by Benjamin Godard (I just listened to these yesterday, adding the disc to my other 62 Hyperion discs in the series) ... has announced a new series: "The Classical Piano Concerto".

Here's the official blurb from Hyperion:


Following on from Hyperion's hugely popular 'Romantic Piano Concerto' series, the 'Classical Piano Concerto' focuses on the lesser-known concertos from the dawn of the genre. Between about 1770 and 1820-the high classical period dominated by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven-musicians including Clementi, Cramer, Dussek, Steibelt, Woelfl and others made their names as composers and performers of piano concertos. This series aims to be the first in-depth recorded survey of this forgotten repertoire.

This first volume features three of Bohemian virtuoso Jan Ladislav Dussek's eighteen piano concertos, taken from different points in his career. As a group, these pieces are a fascinating study, with most of the earlier works largely reflecting the Mozartian model, and the later ones revealing stylistic traits sometimes at odds with the late eighteenth-century conception of the form, and anticipating future developments in the genre.

There could be no finer guide to the hidden gems of this repertoire than Howard Shelley, whose recordings of Clementi keyboard works, and Mozart and Hummel piano concertos, have received such acclaim. He appears here as pianist / conductor with the Ulster Orchestra.









Meanwhile, I may continue collecting the Romantic series. Hyperion also has a Romantic Cello and Romantic Violin series in the works, and I have most of those discs, so there's plenty to keep me busy. Meanwhile, perhaps some of you others will start collecting this new Classical series. It certainly sounds inviting.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Though he is a transitional figure and wrote primarily for harpsichord and clavichord, CPE Bach was a master of the keyboard concerto. He wrote like fifty of them and some are masterpieces.


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## Stavrogin (Apr 20, 2014)

Don't know if it should be labeled as classical or romantic, but I am listening to Ries' Piano Concerto No.3: very good piece of music.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Never forget the 7 John Field Concerti. Particularly 2 and 7.

I am not really familiar with them, but Ferdinand Ries' concerti are likely of interest, considering how terrific his symphonies and sonatas are.


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## Überstürzter Neumann (Jan 1, 2014)

Leopold Koželuch wrote quite a few (I believe more than 20), including a fine one for 2 pianos.


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