# Neglected (but Great) Piano Works of Famous Composers



## teccomin

I am fond of studying neglected pieces  But since theres already a "Neglected Piano Composers" thread, I am going to start this thread in search for neglected pieces from the Chopins and Schumanns. So post suggestions!


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## kv466

Sorry no Chopin or Schumann. While not exactly neglected, I wish there were as many different pianists' recordings of Debussy's piano works as there are of say Grieg's piano concerto or stuff that basically every major pianist and their granny recorded. I love the versions that are out there but always find myself wondering how so and so would have sounded. Anyway,...I'll start thinking about something for those two.


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## Ukko

I was going to suggest several works by Alkan, but then considered some of the recordings out there by pianists who, judging by their interpretations, didn't understand the music. Don't need any more of those.


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## Operadowney

Hilltroll72 said:


> I was going to suggest several works by Alkan, but then considered some of the recordings out there by pianists who, judging by their interpretations, didn't understand the music. Don't need any more of those.


Alkan is incredible!
I'd love to see more recordings of Hamelin's works.


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## humanbean

Chopin's amazing Op. 9 No. 1 is neglected in comparison to the overplayed and inferior Op. 9 No. 2. Typically the piece is only played as part of a cycle so it counts as neglected in my mind.

And as mentioned in another thread, Schumann's Humoreske is a good example.


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## Lisztian

Liszt

Apparition No. 1.
Aux cyprès de la Villa d'Este I: Thrénodie.
Aux cyprès de la Villa d'Este II: Thrénodie.
Ballade No. 1.
Pensée des morts. 
Andante lagrimoso.
Variations on a theme from Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen. 
Mosonyis Grabgeleit.
Trauervorspiel und Trauermarsch.
Mephisto Waltz's 2-4.
Les Adieux. Rêverie sur un motif de l'opéra Romeo et Juliette.
Illustrations de l'Africaine No. 1.
Die Lorelei (Solo piano).
Liebesträume 1 and 2.
Am Rhein im schönen Strome (Solo piano).
Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam (Tranc Busoni). (From 0:45 in that video).

And many, many more. I've also noticed than many of his better known, but not hacked to death works aren't well known, or at least appreciated for what they are, around here.


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## Crudblud

Well, hate to be so predictable, but I rarely see Messiaen's solo piano pieces besides the Vignt Regards get any praise. The Catalogue d'oiseaux is the most engrossing book (or rather, set of books) of piano pieces I know of.


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## Sid James

All above are known to me, and I'm a generalist in classical, not focused on piano repertoire.

But I would say Busoni and Godowsky. I haven't heard much of the former but in recent weeks gotten into some of his music.

*Leopold Godowsky* (1870-1938) - of Polish origin - was amazing on many levels, I will provide a potted history of what I know -

- *As a virtuoso, composer *admired by the likes of Busoni and Rachmaninov (who dedicated his _Polka de W.R._ to Godowsky)

- *As an innovator in piano technique *- eg. use of penatonic scale in his _Java Suite _(REALLY worth a listen guys - an excerpt HERE) & also things like his _Triaktomeron_ - a collection of 30 miniatures which to my ears sound as varied and visual/symbolic as things like Debussy's _Preludes_. From that set, HERE is the nostalgic _Alt Wien _(Old Vienna), a popular encore of yesteryear, but the pieces making up _Triaktomeron_ are very varied, with everything from African rhythms to mountain music of the Alps to ragtime and tango and more (sometimes mixing these up with the most unexpected results!).

- *As a great transcriber and arranger *of other composer's pieces - eg. from Baroque to early 20th century (his Schubert transcriptions esp. fine, as are his _Symphonic Metamrophoses _on waltzes and operettas of J. Strauss II), & like Liszt, he did not transcribe by the book, he did it in a way that was creative and imaginative.

- *As a teacher *- most significantly in Vienna and USA.

I am only at basic to intermediate level with Godowsky, but I really think it's a pity he's less known than his contemporaries, the likes of Debussy and Rachmaninov, I think he's just as good as them.

Look out for Marc Andre Hamelin's recordings, but there are a number of others available now too.


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## elgar's ghost

Paul Hindemith composed quite a few piano works but only the three sonatas seem to maintain any kind of significance, probably due to them being recorded and championed by Glenn Gould. Perhaps the rest are shied away from for the same reasons as to why many other of Hindemith's works are ignored, whatever the genre - accusations of coldness and/or triumphs of academic endeavour over emotional inspiration (so what - I can listen anything by him and still gain satisfaction). 

With Liszt, his piano output was so gargantuan I'd have though it impossible for every piece of his to be popular.


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## Taneyev

Reger's var. and fugue on a Telemann theme. IMHO, best piece in that form since Hendel-Brahms.


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## Guest

I agree that Hamelin is a wonderful proponent of more obscure piano works that deserve attention - Alkan being one of the better examples. Not to mention the fact that Hamelin is a top-notch performer.

I would add Haydn to the list. Too often his piano works are over-looked being sandwiched in between Bach and Mozart/Beethoven. They are justifiably good in their own right. Hamelin again makes these shine, but Ronald Brautigam also brings these to life, especially if you like them performed on the fortepiano.


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## martijn

I don't know if Hummel's and Dussek's piano sonatas fall in this category, but they are works that deserve more attention.

What's this Clara Schumann thing by the way? It reminds me of the movie Invasion of the body snatchers, where all humans become replaced by aliens. If this continues, pretty soon we will all be Clara Schumann's.


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## Romantic Geek

Some of these aren't neglected...but most of them are. I think almost every single one of Grieg's Lyric Pieces are absolutely fantastic.

Edward MacDowell's Piano Sonatas deserve mention too (they are undervalued as massive works especially behind his character pieces.)

Amy Beach's Variations on Balkan Themes and Prelude and Fugue are pretty incredible on their own right as well.


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## Crudblud

^Yes, Grieg is a fantastic piano composer.


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## Novelette

Schubert's Divertissement on Original French Motifs in E Minor, D 823!
And his Grande Marche Funèbre in C Minor, D 859!

Both are for four hands; undeservedly neglected works!


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## Guest

One doesn't hear Grieg's Ballade or Busoni's Fantasia Contrapuntistica very often. I could add just about any piece by Sorabji, but I know many would question his status as a "great composer"!


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## Orpheus

Janáček doesn't seem particularly well known for his piano music, but I've recently discovered it and been tremendously engrossed, particularly by his "On an Overgrown Path" cycle. It's a mesmerisingly intense work, and quite consistently inventive as well. "In the mists" is pretty good, too. (I really must listen to more Janáček, in general!)



Crudblud said:


> Well, hate to be so predictable, but I rarely see Messiaen's solo piano pieces besides the Vignt Regards get any praise. The Catalogue d'oiseaux is the most engrossing book (or rather, set of books) of piano pieces I know of.


Seconded. I don't find the Catalogue D'oiseaux particularly easy to get to grips with though. It's one of those works where the reward is directly proportional to the listening effort put in, at least for me. It was several years before I could get much consistent enjoyment from my set, and took probably a dozen or so listens; it seems necessary to familiarise yourself with the very idiosyncratic muscial language he is using and use it to become quite deeply immersed in the soundscapes it creates. Probably the path to understanding these works is made easier if one has some prior knowledge of the sounds of the birds that he incorporated, too.


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## elgar's ghost

I second the comments re: Janacek - he was wrote some very personal music for solo piano and it seems he was writing right at the end a collection of little pieces that were sadly never finished, or even if he intended to make them available - two or three of these were posthumously released in the 90s with some older items under the title 'Intimate Sketches'. The final one of the set in terms of time although not in published order, a fragment entitled 'One Golden Ring', was transcribed from his diary and breaks off suddenly like Bach's uncompleted Art of Fugue and is all the more poignant for it. All of his piano output fits comfortably onto two discs and there are some real pearls outside of the three principal works.


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## Wandering

This doesn't have a great deal to do with this thread, and yet it does. EMI has these six disc sets, you can often find them cheap if you are patient and wait a bit. I got the 100 best of piano music, mostly solos, it had Brahms' famous waltz, but there weren't any, not a single intermezzo in the entire 6 disc set, therefore in that particular 100 best EMI set, a good deal of great Brahms piano music is neglected. There is a similar 99 'must have' piano set cheap on Amazon mp3, it has a good many intermezzi, therefore Brahms' isn't neglect in that set.


:tiphat:


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## Vaneyes

elgars ghost said:


> Paul Hindemith composed quite a few piano works but only the three sonatas seem to maintain any kind of significance, probably due to them being recorded and championed by Glenn Gould. Perhaps the rest are shied away from for the same reasons as to why many other of Hindemith's works are ignored, whatever the genre - accusations of coldness and/or triumphs of academic endeavour over emotional inspiration (so what - I can listen anything by him and still gain satisfaction).
> 
> With Liszt, his piano output was so gargantuan I'd have though it impossible for every piece of his to be popular.


Good point re GG Hindemith. His Sibelius, Krenek, etc., also illustrate the less-beaten path.


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## Novelette

Beethoven's 24 Variations on Righini's Arietta "Venni Amore", WoO 65. 

Not too difficult to play, but it's very charming. 

Also, and I may be wrong here, Tchaikovksy's "The Seasons", Op. 37b seem neglected.

Nice narrative pieces.


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## Novelette

Also, all three of Beethoven's Kurfürsten Sonatas, WoO 47.

Very early works for him [composed, I believe, when he was an early adolescent].


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## Weston

These two Beethoven preludes are almost in the baroque style, which might explain why they are neglected, but I think they're amazing. The first is very Bach-like, but the second one is pure Beethoven to my ears.


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## kv466

^^

Good ol' Jeno! Yeah, man, these are wonderful and totally underplayed.


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## Lisztian




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## Orange Soda King

Rachmaninoff's 1st piano sonata?? It's loads better than the second in my opinion!!


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## KenOC

Weston said:


> These two Beethoven preludes are almost in the baroque style, which might explain why they are neglected, but I think they're amazing. The first is very Bach-like, but the second one is pure Beethoven to my ears.


Thanks for that! I'd never heard the Op. 39 preludes. I see they're called "Two Preludes through All Twelve Major Keys," which maybe accounts for their constant upward modulations. Wiki says they were written in 1779, well before Beethoven left Bonn and six years before his Opus 1 piano trios. Very interesting pieces!


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## cmudave

The piano works of Eugen d'Albert - some absolute musical gems that are rarely heard.


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## Feathers

Although far from "neglected", much of Scriabin's piano music (other than the famous D# minor etude) deserves more attention (impromptus, sonatas, etc).


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## TudorMihai

I find that Korngold's piano works are neglected, especially since quite a few of those works were written when he was a teenager and they are remarkable (his first piano sonata was written when he was 11 years old).


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## GSchiappe

Brahms Scherzo Op. 4 is pretty obscure, the only famous pianists I remember recording this piece are Zimerman and Katchen.

Sibelius piano music in almost entirely neglected, apart from the relatively well-known sonatines and Kyllikki. I like his "suite caracteristique" very much and many of his short pieces and bagatelles are interesting to say the least.

Hindemith's Ludus Tonalis is amazing and forgotten.

I was gonna say the 24 Preludes and Fugues by Shosta but then I remembered I have around 10 recordings of the complete set so...


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Sorry about my english


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## peeyaj

Schubert's Drei Klavierstucke is highly underrated compared to the Impromptus and Moments Musicaux.


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## Feathers

Speaking of Schubert, I suddenly remembered one of my favorite pieces when I was young:






It's an unfinished piece (not much of a surprise since it's Schubert), and it's quite simple, but I remember listening to it in back in elementary school, and when I first heard the second theme, I threw all my books onto the bed and just closed my eyes and listened.


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## GSchiappe

Great post, it made me remember a fragment of a sonata, this one:


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## brianwalker

Brahms Piano Quartet no. 2. It is unbelievably underrated.


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## worov

Granados' piano music is sadly underplayed. Listen to his Cunetos de la Juventud :


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## BartokBela

I find volume 5 & 6 of Bartók's Mikrokosmos pretty good. It's a shame his solo piano works are not that well known.


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## worov

> I find volume 5 & 6 of Bartók's Mikrokosmos pretty good. It's a shame his solo piano works are not that well known./QUOTE]
> 
> I like very much Zoltan Kocsis' recordings of Bartok. This one is my favorite :


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## ptr

When I'm sad, I often reach for an early Zoltan Kocsis Hungaroton album where he plays both volumes of Bartok's "A Gyermekeknek" (For Children), it cures me every time! 

/ptr


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## Ravndal

Grieg's Ballade was once upon a time standard repertoire for every pianist, but not anymore. Which is too bad, because it probably is his finest piece.


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## worov

I agree. Grieg's pîano music is really underrated. My favorite is the Holberg suite :






I love the Lyric Pieces too.


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## elgar's ghost

The reputation of Prokofiev's piano output rests largely on his later sonatas from the 1940s but he produced some groovy little piano works three decades before - the Toccata op. 11 is probably the best known but the Five Sarcasms op. 12 and the 20 Visions fugitives op. 22 are also worth investigation and sound more forward-looking than the first three sonatas which are roughly from the same period.


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## Andreas

A few years ago, Naxos released a double album of the complete music for piano by Bizet. One doesn't necessarily think of Bizet as a composer for piano. Most of these works are small-scale melody-and-accompaniment pieces, much in the vein of Chopin and Schumann. Lovely, charming, lyrical to the highest degree but - unlike Chopin and Schumann - mostly without any pompous virtuosity.


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## worov

> The reputation of Prokofiev's piano output rests largely on his later sonatas from the 1940s but he produced some groovy little piano works three decades before - the Toccata op. 11 is probably the best known but the Five Sarcasms op. 12 and the 20 Visions fugitives op. 22 are also worth investigation and sound more forward-looking than the first three sonatas which are roughly from the same period.


I do enjoy very much the sonatas but I must say they are certainly not my favorite piano works of his. My favorite are his Music for Children (opus 65) and his Visions fugitives (opus 22) which you mentionned. Both are truly amazing, full of humor. Pure Prokofiev.

I do enjoy very his Juvenilia. These are pieces he wrote when he was young and which were published posthumously.

Here are some excerpts.

Visions fugitives : 





Music for Children : 





Juvenilia :


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## JCarmel

My choice is Sergei Eduardovich Bortkiewicz...bet it took him ages to sign a cheque?!
I think I'll dig-out-a-disc of his piano music for tomorrow's Listening.


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## Janspe

Orange Soda King said:


> Rachmaninoff's 1st piano sonata?? It's loads better than the second in my opinion!!


I absolutely agree with you. The D minor sonata has always had a special place in my heart - it's so dark, even depressing at times; yet there are moments of hope and sweetness, mainly in the lyrical second movement. When observed from a purely technical point of view the piece is a nightmare for any pianist, but I find no meaningless bravura virtuosity here. This is a masterpiece, and should be played and recorded a lot more often.

I also think that Rach's first and fourth piano concertos are a bit neglected. They do get quite a lot of attention, for sure, but when compared to the far more popular second and third concertos, they do not fare very well. It's a pity, because they're both incredible pieces of music. The second movement of the F-sharp minor concerto sends shivers down my spine every single time...


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## worov

What about Messiaen's Preludes ?

(I warn you that this might be a bit dissonant)


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## userfume

People often neglect Ravel's "Sonatine"


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## ptr

And most of Poulenc's oeuvre!

/ptr


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## Feathers

Andreas said:


> A few years ago, Naxos released a double album of the complete music for piano by Bizet. One doesn't necessarily think of Bizet as a composer for piano. Most of these works are small-scale melody-and-accompaniment pieces, much in the vein of Chopin and Schumann. Lovely, charming, lyrical to the highest degree but - unlike Chopin and Schumann - mostly without any pompous virtuosity.


Your post made me want to go find some of Bizet's piano music. I'm listening to his nocturnes and they're wonderful! Do you have any recommendations of his piano works?


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## worov

I like Bizet's four hands piano music. Especially his Jeux d'enfants (opus 22) :


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## Feathers

JCarmel's mention of Bortkiewicz made me want to link the Op. 11 (Pensees Lyriques) that I enjoyed (particularly no. 1 and 5). Even though these miniatures may not be "great", I found them very enjoyable. However, I can't find them on Youtube. I guess that means they are truly neglected, which is perfect for this thread. :lol:


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## Lisztian

More Liszt!





 <---- Be sure to check this one out. A coupling of Allegri's Miserere and Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, with passages by Liszt.


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## ptr

I hardly think that it is neglected if You can find it on Youtube! 

/ptr


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## stevenski

Schumann intro and Allegro, OP. 134: very late piece; strange, moving and with a melting, obsessively repetitive second subject; Rudolf Serkin is good. Steve


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## Orfeo

Martinu's piano works are worthy of mention. The Naxos series is very revealing. 
I would also add Bortkiewicz, Catoire, Glazunov (his two piano sonatas for instance), Liadov (his Two pieces, eg).


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## Rachmanijohn

Balakirev's Piano Sonata in B-flat minor. Excellent piece. Don't find too many recordings of it.


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## spradlig

I don't know if Korngold's sonatas are exactly neglected but I think they deserve to be more well-known


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## Novelette

Lisztian said:


> More Liszt!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> <---- Be sure to check this one out. A coupling of Allegri's Miserere and Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, with passages by Liszt.


Liszt is _always_ a fabulous recommendation.


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## kangxi

Novelette said:


> Schubert's Divertissement on Original French Motifs in E Minor, D 823!
> And his Grande Marche Funèbre in C Minor, D 859!
> 
> Both are for four hands; undeservedly neglected works!


I'll second that, and expand it to include all his 4-hand piano music The Fantasia in f minor is a sublime piece, but perhaps not as neglected as the OP specified.

Beethoven's 4-handed piano music is I think not in many people's repertoire. There's a lovely sonata, some sets of variations, and 3 *very* catchy marches which I often set to repeat play. Oh, and a little morceau, a tiny addendum if you like, to round things off: the 4-hand version of the Grosse Fuge.


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## worov

> I hardly think that it is neglected if You can find it on Youtube!


Well, many Poulenc works can be found on Youtube too, so I guess they aren't that neglected.

Here are some more neglected and foundable on Youtube works :


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## Roi N

Haydn's Sonatas. Pianists prefer the final E-Flat and final C major (No. 62 and 60) over the D Major (No. 61). But the 61st is beautiful two movement sonata, one of the best in the classical period.
Actually, other than his 50th, 60th and 62nd, there are almost no Haydn Sonatas in today's repertoire. And it's a shame.


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## HaydnBearstheClock

Roi N said:


> Haydn's Sonatas. Pianists prefer the final E-Flat and final C major (No. 62 and 60) over the D Major (No. 61). But the 61st is beautiful two movement sonata, one of the best in the classical period.
> Actually, other than his 50th, 60th and 62nd, there are almost no Haydn Sonatas in today's repertoire. And it's a shame.


Yeah, the C minor sonata is excellent as well. Always loved these works.


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## Forte

Does Busoni's Piano Concerto count?

Damn, it's like a piano concerto Mahler would write if he were a virtuoso pianist with the same harmonic language as Busoni-

okay, it's one of a kind.


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## Passiflor

I am hoping to hear Busoni's Piano Concerto tomorrow in London (Garrick Ohlsson - piano)


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## JACE

Passiflor said:


> I am hoping to hear Busoni's Piano Concerto tomorrow in London (Garrick Ohlsson - piano)


Wow! I wish I could attend that concert.

Let us know how it goes if you're able to attend.


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## Passiflor

JACE said:


> Wow! I wish I could attend that concert.
> 
> Let us know how it goes if you're able to attend.


What an experience, at last to hear the work "live". (Note to self - don't sit so close to piano - it's a work that needs to be heard from much further back.). They received huge shouts and applause, rightly deserved.

I don't know if you can get the broadcast, but it is here (the whole concert).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04tcbqy


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## JACE

Many excellent pianists have recorded Charles Ives' Second Piano Sonata, the "Concord." But his First Piano Sonata has received far fewer recordings. Even so, I think it's an excellent work.

If you'd like to listen the First, I recommend Joanna MacGregor's recording:


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## starthrower

Dutilleux's piano sonata

Szymanowski wrote quite a bit of fine piano music. Enough for a 4 disc set.

Ernst Krenek is another fine piano composer. Gould recorded his 3rd sonata.


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## hpowders

Around here I see a lot written about Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas but hardly anything about the wonderful Diabelli Variations.


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## Haydn man

hpowders said:


> Around here I see a lot written about Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas but hardly anything about the wonderful Diabelli Variations.


The Diabelli Variations are a favourite of mine as well


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## hpowders

Haydn man said:


> The Diabelli Variations are a favourite of mine as well


Beethoven at his most "playful"! I love the tongue in cheek variation on "Don Giovanni".


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## aajj

The music I am listing may not be truly "neglected" but to me is worthy of greater attention.

I wish Janacek's piano music was more widely performed. 
Same for Bartok - I can never get enough Bartok - but Out of Doors in particular does not seem to receive as much attention as other of his other solo works.
Mozart - Sonata for Piano Four-Hands in F major, K497 
Schubert - Sonatas in B major, D575 and A major, D664
Brahms - Four Ballades
Debussy - Reverie


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## maxsnafu

Cherubini: Capriccio ou etude pour le fortepiano


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## pianolearnerstride

Clementi's piano sonatas (110 of them I believe).


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## Hmmbug

Anything by Roslavets.


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## AClockworkOrange

York Bowen seems to be an oft overlooked Composer in general, but his Pian works whether solo, sonata or concerto are his greatest works - likely because he was phenomenal Pianist himself.


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## hpowders

I would say many folks who listen to Beethoven's music have probably never heard the Diabelli Variations.


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## KenOC

hpowders said:


> I would say many folks who listen to Beethoven's music have probably never heard the Diabelli Variations.


Surely there could be but a few such unfortunate people!


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## hpowders

I bet quite a few folks who know Ives through his second and third symphonies have never heard his Concord Sonata. Not neglected, surely, but not as well-known as this magnificent work deserves to be.


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## hpowders

Many folks know Aaron Copland through Billy The Kid and Appalachian Spring but how many are familiar with his Piano Variations?


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