# Piano concertos



## Sonata

I am falling hard for this genre. I am looking to put a quality boxset of concertos on my Christmas list. Who is your favorite composer of piano concertos? Or is there a mixed compassion boxset you recommend?


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## Klavierspieler

Beethoven
Schumann (including the two _Konzertstücke_)
Grieg


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## Aksel

Try this. But yes. Grieg. And Tveitt.


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## Rasa

Brilliant has a decent set with all the big ones.


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## kv466

May I suggest quality,...not quantity?


























Just to start, at least


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## Meaghan

What piano concertos have you enjoyed so far, and what eras/styles do you tend to like best? While I vastly prefer Beethoven's _sonatas_ to Mozart's, I think I actually like Mozart's _concertos_ better than Beethoven's, by a small margin. #20 is particularly spectacular, and possibly my all-time favorite piano concerto. I really like Mitsuko Uchida as a Mozart interpreter, and also Annie Fischer, though I will admit individual pianists are definitely not my area of expertise and other members can probably advise you better.


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## Polednice

The Schumann & Grieg are wonderful, and you will almost always find them on an album together.

I would also recommend Tchaikovsky - the 1st is a staple of the genre, the 2nd is neglected but the 1st's equal, and his other piano concerto fragments are actually very enjoyable too.


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## Sonata

So far, I have really enjoyed Mendelssohn's concertos, Beethoven's 2nd and 3rd (not big on the first), and Chopin's. Others I have heard and enjoyed are single movements on various compilations... I have really just gone beyond casual classical listening quite recently.


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## Vaneyes

Casadesus/Szell Mozart (Sony)
Fleisher/Szell Beethoven (Sony)
Anda/Fricsay Bartok (DG)
Ashkenazy/Previn Rachmaninov (Decca)
Tozer/Bamert Rawsthorne (Chandos)
List/Jochum Shostakovich (MCA)


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## Evelina

Mozart is my favorite for piano concertos. If you love Mozart's piano concertos as I do, I highly recommend the EMI Christoph Eschenbach / London Philharmonic Orchestra recording! You can find it on Rdio and have a listen before Christmas to see if you like it.


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## Sid James

THIS 5 cd set (click here) has a number of those mentioned above, with excellent pianists, and at budget price...


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## Art Rock

Off the beaten path, Ireland is my favourite.


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## Klavierspieler

Vaughan Williams wrote an excellent (albeit extremely difficult) concerto.


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## jalex

Prokofiev is the only other composer of note that I like who hasn't been mentioned yet. His first and second are excellent. Third is the most popular and probably the best but I like it less than the first two. Fourth is a bit uninspired compared to the others maybe but still good. Yet to hear number 5.


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## clavichorder




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## starthrower

Chandos has an excellent Prokofiev set of all five on 2 CDs. 

My other favorites are the Bartok's by Gyorgy Sandor, and the London 2 disc set of Poulenc concertos for piano, organ, and harpsichord. This set also features the sonata for two pianos. I'm also a fan of Barber's concerto. John Browning is the best known soloist for this work.


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## rocklandpiano

The major beauties of the concertos for the piano, in my opinion, are the two Chopin concertos. Beethoven's concerto number 5 "emperor" is also very nice.
Grieg's piano concerto in a minor is possibly the most famous piano concerto.
All of Rachmaninoff's piano concertos are famous, especially number 2, third movement.
Gershwin's piano concerto, although not very known, is one of the most "fun" piano concertos to play, since it has sort of a jazzy sound. Mendelssohn piano concerto in g minor is very very very very famous. My point is that possibly the most famous piano concertos are Grieg, Rachmaninoff, and maybe Mendelssohn.


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## cmudave

I highly recommend the Earl Wild recordings of the Rachmaninoff Complete Works for Piano & Orchestra. Mr. Wild made these recordings back in the 1960s when he was at his technical height. 30+ years later I attended masterclasses with Mr. Wild on the 3rd Concerto and the Rhapsody and was (as expected) blown away. I listened to these recordings soon afterwards and they are stunning.


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## Guest

Beethoven's 4th and 5th concerti - Wilhelm Kempff/Ferdinand Leitner (DG)
Bach's keyboard concerti - Murray Perahia's recent recordings on a piano are my pick
Tchaikovsky's 1st concerto - I still like the classic Van Clyburn recording
Rachmaninov's 2nd and 3rd concertos - I actually like the Stephen Hough/Andrew Litton recording on Hyperion

Beyond that, I would delve into some of the less well known ones. Hyperion has an excellent series - Romantic Piano Concertos - where you can experience less known piano concertos from the Romantic era from both well known, and lesser known, composers. Some of them are truly neglected gems.


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## Schubussy

'nuff said.


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## hreichgott

I also love the piano concerti of Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Saint-Saens.

Gershwin is indeed great too, and you will probably be able to find his Concerto on the same disc with Rhapsody in Blue (which is piano/orchestra too, just not in the same musical structure as a Concerto). We have Andre Previn's recording of both. His refined playing contrasts with the popular nature of the composition to excellent effect. But he unfortunately cuts out part of the Rhapsody in Blue.

I notice that for some reason Shostakovich has not been mentioned yet? I listen to his 1st and 2nd piano concerti probably at least once a month if not once a week. There is really no one like Shostakovich for taking you to a huge variety of musical universes within the space of one composition.

While Haydn's piano concerti are not as consistently interesting as his sonatas, there are a couple of gems. Number 11 in particular. No. 4 has a beautiful adagio movement that I often listen to on its own.


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## DavidA

There is a live set from Argerich called Lugano Concertos on DG.

EMI also have a box of Argerich playing concertos which is really good and at a good price.


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## Ravndal

Klaus Egge - Piano Concerto No 2 "Symphonic Variations and Fugue on a Norwegian Folk Tune"

Håvard Gimse version. Worth checking out!


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## Feathers

Rubinstein 4, Scriabin 1, and Glazunov 1 popped into my head. I strongly recommend them!


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## rocklandpiano

My favorite composers of piano concertos

E-flat Major,
B-flat Major
D minor
G Major


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## moody

rocklandpiano said:


> My favorite composers of piano concertos
> 
> E-flat Major,
> B-flat Major
> D minor
> G Major


Pardon???
By the way,I don't think Mendelssohn's piano concerti are particularly famous at all.


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## moody

The Earl Wild Rachmaninoff concerti are without doubt the best,but don't forget the composer's versions.
Andre Previn made various recodings of Gershwin's Rhapsody and the Piano concerto. I think his first with Andre Kostelanetz is the best.
But I see that there is a recording of Earl Wild with Benny Goodman plaing the Rhapsody and Oscar Levant doing the concerto all conducted by Toscanini--that must be something!!
I most certainly enjoy the Mozart concerti,I have Lili Kraus playing the lot and she is fantastic.
Beethoven's Fourth ,I listen to it more than the others.
Both BrahMs'.
Tchaikovsky's Second,as long as it's the full version and not Siloti's bastardisation.
I think I'll go for Liszt rather than Chopin.
Talking of Oscar Levant,he made a great version of Khachaturian's monster Concerto with the New Yorkers under Mitropoulos.


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## ptr

By chance "saw" an all Gershwin Concert (Celebrate Gershwin) on late night telly last night, a concert from the WD Concert hall in LA (2011), with the Dude conducting the LAPO and Herbie Hancock as soloist in "Rhapsody in Blue." 
Blue me away, I've always had Earl Wild's classic recording with Boston Pops and Art. Fiedler as a reference in these works, but I think that I'd pay good handful of $ to see Mr Hancock do a repeat of this!

Full marks from me, quite reminded me how important Gershwin was for development of an idiom for American classical music!

/ptr


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## DrKilroy

I'd recommend Ravel (both), Gershwin, Grieg, Tailleferre (no. 1), Rautavaara (also no. 1), Kapustin and Górecki (though it works better on a harpsichord).

Best regards, Dr


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## Ravndal

Norwegian pianist and composer "Thomas Tellefsen", student and friend of Chopin wrote an amazing piano concerto.


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## Sonata

moody said:


> Pardon???
> By the way,I don't think Mendelssohn's piano concerti are particularly famous at all.


I find them to be very enjoyable personally


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## DavidA

moody said:


> The Earl Wild Rachmaninoff concerti are without doubt the best,but don't forget the composer's versions.


Unfortunately Wild employs the cuts in the third. There is some tremendous virtuosity but there are better recordings to my mind.
Wild is great in number 1 but don't forget Janis. I also have Richter playing it but the sound is poor.
Number two - Richter is incredible. The best to my mind. I know the moderato is very moderato but Richter is entirely convincing.
Number 3 - argerich live. Stunning! Complete. Janis makes small cuts but also plays fab..
Number 4 - Michelangeli puts everyone (including Rach) in the shade.
The Rhapsody? Wild is great. But there is also Rubinstein, Katchen, Hough, etc, etc.


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## DavidA

Sonata said:


> I find them to be very enjoyable personally


 Me too. They are great!


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## moody

Sonata said:


> I find them to be very enjoyable personally


I didn't menmtion whether or not they msy be enjoyable and I'm sure they are.
But if you read the thread Rockland piano stated that they were very, very, very famous--which they are not.


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## moody

DavidA said:


> Unfortunately Wild employs the cuts in the third. There is some tremendous virtuosity but there are better recordings to my mind.
> Wild is great in number 1 but don't forget Janis. I also have Richter playing it but the sound is poor.
> Number two - Richter is incredible. The best to my mind. I know the moderato is very moderato but Richter is entirely convincing.
> Number 3 - argerich live. Stunning! Complete. Janis makes small cuts but also plays fab..
> Number 4 - Michelangeli puts everyone (including Rach) in the shade.
> The Rhapsody? Wild is great. But there is also Rubinstein, Katchen, Hough, etc, etc.


Recording,sound, why the emphasis and if you are listening for performace sound is not important.


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## kv466

Another excellent choice


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## Sonata

moody said:


> I didn't menmtion whether or not they msy be enjoyable and I'm sure they are.
> But if you read the thread Rockland piano stated that they were very, very, very famous--which they are not.


yeah, I think I missed that particular post


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## DavidA

moody said:


> Recording,sound, why the emphasis and if you are listening for performace sound is not important.


'Recordings' is a general term not specific to sound.

I just listed those which, to me, are the best performances on disc.


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## Op.123

An excellent album on iTunes includes the recordings of these concertos played by the brilliant van Cliburn.

1. Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2
2. Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3
3. Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5
4. Schumann - Piano concerto
5. Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1
6. Brahms - Piano concerto No. 2
7. Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4
8. Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 3
9. MacDowell - Piano Concerto No. 2


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## Rehydration

My three favourites are Rachmaninov's 3rd, his 2nd, and Prokofiev's 3rd.
Brahms' 2nd and all of Hummel's I like, too.


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## treeza

Rachmaninoff
Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Mozart are also favourites.
Some days I love the Prokofiev ones but others I'm just puzzled with them.


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