# Composer pianist tradition



## clavichorder

I'd like to see it more alive these days? Perhaps there are more people active than I am aware?

I'm getting interested in listening to composers-pianists play their works or improvisations. Medtner, Kapustin, Thelonius Monk, Rachmaninoff, Hamelin, Art Tatum. Piano rolls open up older things and I've been hugely impressed with Gershwin's playing.


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## PetrB

Frederic Rzewski has quite a reputation, and the high admiration of many a pianist, as having the technique to deliver an impressive range of tone color, power, etc.
In the 'Ballades' thread, I've posted his Four North American Ballades (performed by their dedicatee Paul Jacobs.)
A link of his fifth ballade, written independent of the set of four, is performed by the composer.

Joseph Fennimore: 
a seriously fine and 'intelligent' composer is quite the formidable pianist, here performing his Concerto Piccolo for piano and orchestra. (love this piece.)




This composer playing Brahms, D minor Rhapsody





Charles Wuorinen is another formidable composer / pianist, and has performed one or more of his piano concerti with major orchestras (until April 15th last, he was the youngest composer to have won the Pulitzer prize - at age 32 in 1970; just got 'bumped' by this years winner, age 30
Wuorinen ~ Piano Concerto No. 1





Alfred Schnittke was the pianist (prepared piano) on _the_ recording of Part's _Tabula Rasa._

To hear Prokofiev playing Prokofiev would make you weep, because he had such an uber velocity he plays all far too fast -- a typical composer / pianist flaw, their being so familiar with the music that they forget how others hear. It is nonetheless 'breathtaking' virtuosity.
Recordings of Ravel playing Ravel have the same 'problem.'

Stravinsky ~ Piano sonata (the uploader has switched the order of the movements, though listed them as such (?)





I laugh when I read a question as to 'the best recorded performance' of music of Rachmaninov' - he recorded much of it, and not having that 'Prokofiev / Ravel' flaw, there you go, an infamously virtuosic pianist / composer playing his own work.... nothing like going to the source when you can.

Without doing a tally, it seems that most of 'the big boys and girls' well knew their way around a keyboard more than enough to play their own works, those not being much limited in the way of technical requirements.

I would be curious to know if there is one really worthwhile piano concerto written by a non-pianist, since there are numerous instrumental concerti written by non-players of the solo instrument 

[ADD: Leonard Bernstein knew his way around a piano, but his recording of the Ravel G major is one of the most painfully bad 'high end' performances of that work I have yet to hear. END ADD]

P.s. If you stumble across a link to Thelonius Monk's _Lulu_ in the solo piano recording, I'd appreciate your sending it my way


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## clavichorder

How have I never heard that Stravinsky sonata?


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## PetrB

clavichorder said:


> How have I never heard that Stravinsky sonata?


Dear Fellow: you state yourself you are young.

The only other of Stravinsky's solo piano pieces (a very small part of his overall works) quite directly as neoclassical is:
Serenade en La, that more Franco / Italianate as a suite, the Sonata more North European 18th Century contrapuntal.

The Sonata is perhaps more tricky than 'difficult,' but tricky and difficult can be equal and interchangeable. It is a LOT of fun to play


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## joen_cph

I´m not wholly up-to-date with later developments, but can´t think of any interesting ones alive other than_ Kapustin_ either.

There are a few fascinating_ Scriabin_ rolls too, including a complete sonata movement, also on you-t, such as 



, 




_Niels Viggo Bentzon_ (1919-2000) wrote a lot, including 13x24 "Preludes & Fugues" and many sonatas and concertos. He recorded a bunch of these works too, the earlier works being by far the most interesting. The recording of sonatas 4+5 (Fona LP issue) is definitely worth hearing, for instance. But nothing on you-t, it seems.

_Samuil Feinberg_ recorded very little of his own music, but it´s fascinating to hear him IMO: 




And there´s _Shostakovich_´s recordings of some of the piano works, the selected "Preludes & Fugues" and the Concerti being the most interesting. Examples: 



 




_Bartok_ also recoded some Bartok, such as the "Suite op.14" 



 and the "Sonata for 2 Pianos": 



 The later recordings made by his wife Ditta are not good (Concerto 3).

_Ilya Bergh_ (1927- ) is an obscure, flamboyant local figure here of Russian origins, but never got a break-through. There´s a documentary in Danish here: 



. Very little recorded too, and apparently no really important works.

Also, there are a few _Busoni_ piano rolls - 



 etc.

And _Medtner_ played Medtner, often in a rather robust or slow style 




Probably more, but these are on top of my head.


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## DavidA

In terms of composer pianists, Britten was a pretty good pianist, though he usually just chose the role of accompanist.

Andre Previn was (is) also a fine pianist who seemed to be able to play anything from classical to light music to jazz.


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## PetrB

Here is Rzewski playing Beethoven, Appassionata


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## Kazaman

The Turkish composer Fazil Say is a very good pianist.


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## PetrB

a Few More:
Robert Helps ~ Three Etudes for piano




Three Hommages





Not sure if William Bolcom is 'up to' a concert level presentation of his _Twelve New Etudes_, though I would be surprised if he could not play them more than 'well enough.'
Here, as rendered by one in the top three of my very least favorite / cared for or about contemporary pianists 





Bolcom accompanies singers in his own songs, quite holding his own there... and playing the compositional field from the Etudes ranging to popular cabaret 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTdWQdxCUFM


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