# A Chronological History of Keyboard Music through 25 Composers.



## Selby

If you were to reduce the history of keyboard music down to 25 composers (excluding Jazz) what would it look like? Who would you add and who would you remove and why?

1	1685 - 1750	Bach, Johann Sebastian
2	1685 - 1757	Scarlatti, Domenico 
3	1732 - 1809	Haydn, Franz Joseph
4	1756 - 1791	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
5	1770 - 1827	Beethoven, Ludwig van
6	1797 - 1828	Schubert, Franz
7	1810 - 1856	Schumann, Robert Alexander
8	1810 - 1859	Chopin, Frédéric
9	1811 - 1886	Liszt, Ferenc
10	1830 - 1888	Alkan, Charles Valentin
11	1843 - 1907	Grieg, Edvard
12	1845 - 1924	Fauré, Gabriel
13	1860 - 1909	Albéniz, Isaac
14	1862 - 1918	Debussy, Claude
15	1866 - 1925	Satie, Erik
16	1867 - 1916	Granados, Enrique
17	1872 - 1915	Scriabin, Alexander
18	1873 - 1943	Rachmaninov, Sergei
19	1875 - 1937	Ravel, Maurice
20	1880 - 1951	Medtner, Nikolai
21	1887 - 1959	Villa-Lobos, Heitor
22	1891 - 1953	Prokofiev, Sergei
23	1908 - 1992	Messiaen, Olivier
24	1911 - 2000	Hovhaness, Alan
25	1923 - 2006	Ligeti, György


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## Bulldog

I think Mitchell's list needs some pre-Bach composers for the keyboard - Sweelinck, Weckmann, Scheidemann, Frescobaldi, Froberger and Buxtehude.

That's six, so I'd dump Grieg, Hovhaness, Villa-Lobos, Faure, Haydn and Medtner (not that I want to dump any of them).


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## Alypius

Recommended additions:

(1) Leos Janácek (1854-1928) - Best known for his operas and orchestral works (and excellent pair of string quartets), his complete solo piano works are not numerous, but fill two discs (the same size as Ravel's output). And his three major works are gems: 
*Sonata I.X.1905 (1905)
*In the Mist (V mlhách) (1912)
*Po Zarosthlem chodnicku (On an Overgrown Path), 1st series (1901-1908)

(2) Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) - A virtuoso pianist himself, he composed a modest size corpus of excellent solo piano works. Major ones:
*Masques, op. 34 (1916)
*Métopes, op. 29 (1915)
*20 Mazurkas, op. 50 (1924-1925)
*Piano Sonata #3, op. 36 (1917)
His Symphony #4 (Symphonie Concertante) has a piano obbligato that turns it effectively into a piano concerto.


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## Alypius

Bulldog said:


> I think Mitchell's list needs some pre-Bach composers for the keyboard - Sweelinck, Weckmann, Scheidemann, Frescobaldi, Froberger and Buxtehude.
> 
> That's six, so I'd dump Grieg, Hovhaness, Villa-Lobos, Faure, Haydn and Medtner (not that I want to dump any of them).


Agree on the need for pre-Bach composers, especially Frescobaldi and Buxtehude.

I would strongly defend the inclusion of both Faure and Medtner. Medtner and the 20th century may not have gotten along -- he seems to have been a composer who should have lived 50 years earlier and is best seen as in continuity with Scriabin. His Sonata in B flat minor, op. 53 /1 ("Sonata Romantica") is a masterpiece on par with any of the great 19th-century piano sonatas.






(I prefer Marc-Andre Hamelin's performance of this).


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## joen_cph

Mitchell said:


> If you were to reduce the history of keyboard music down to 25 composers (excluding Jazz) what would it look like? Who would you add and who would you remove and why?
> 
> 1	1685 - 1750	Bach, Johann Sebastian
> 2	1685 - 1757	Scarlatti, Domenico
> 3	1732 - 1809	Haydn, Franz Joseph
> 4	1756 - 1791	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
> 5	1770 - 1827	Beethoven, Ludwig van
> 6	1797 - 1828	Schubert, Franz
> 7	1810 - 1856	Schumann, Robert Alexander
> 8	1810 - 1859	Chopin, Frédéric
> 9	1811 - 1886	Liszt, Ferenc
> 10	1830 - 1888	Alkan, Charles Valentin
> 11	1843 - 1907	Grieg, Edvard
> 12	1845 - 1924	Fauré, Gabriel
> 13	1860 - 1909	Albéniz, Isaac
> 14	1862 - 1918	Debussy, Claude
> 15	1866 - 1925	Satie, Erik
> 16	1867 - 1916	Granados, Enrique
> 17	1872 - 1915	Scriabin, Alexander
> 18	1873 - 1943	Rachmaninov, Sergei
> 19	1875 - 1937	Ravel, Maurice
> 20	1880 - 1951	Medtner, Nikolai
> 21	1887 - 1959	Villa-Lobos, Heitor
> 22	1891 - 1953	Prokofiev, Sergei
> 23	1908 - 1992	Messiaen, Olivier
> 24	1911 - 2000	Hovhaness, Alan
> 25	1923 - 2006	Ligeti, György


Not a bad list, but I´d certainly skip Hovhaness (very few piano works, actually) and replace him and Granados with Janacek and also Sorabji, whose time will come - some day.

Feinberg, though great, is probably too much in debt to Scriabin, but on a personal list though, I´d prefer him to Alkan. The eccentricity of Alkan is reasonably covered by composers such as Liszt, Satie and Debussy, IMO.

Likewise on a personal list, I´d replace Haydn with Szymanowski, and I might-might replace Villa-Lobos with Skalkottas. Skalkottas has a quite large piano oeuvre, influenced by the Neue Wiener Schule and well recorded by BIS, which would add some more flavour to the selection.

This still leaves out a long series of fine and/or important piano composers, including Bartok, but still ...


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## PetrB

The absence of earlier keyboard composers than Bach is glaring, as is the absence of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, whose keyboard musc combined with his _Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments_ was enormously influential.

And I'm not at all clear from that list whether this is just a series of composers who wrote a fair body of work for the keyboard or is meant to be those who through time very much influenced what keyboard music is. [_Clarifying that intent might be more than a little helpful._] If the latter, J.S. Bach hardly belongs, even with the huge body of organ and 'klavier' pieces, and C.P.E. Bach should be there instead.

Scarlatti is a must, as would be a number of the French _Clavecinistes_ such as Couperin, Rameau, etc.

Someone on TC wrote that Rachmaninoff "revolutionized piano technique," but without cited sources -- and those very much in a context -- I vehemently disagree. Liszt and Chopin did, maybe Messiaen did, yada yada.

(Hovhaness? the only reason I can think of for his inclusion is that the OP likes the Hovhaness piano pieces he has heard


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## Selby

PetrB said:


> The absence of earlier keyboard composers than Bach is glaring, as is the absence of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, whose keyboard musc combined with his _Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments_ was enormously influential.
> 
> And I'm not at all clear from that list whether this is just a series of composers who wrote a fair body of work for the keyboard or is meant to be those who through time very much influenced what keyboard music is. [_Clarifying that intent might be more than a little helpful._] If the latter, J.S. Bach hardly belongs, even with the huge body of organ and 'klavier' pieces, and C.P.E. Bach should be there instead.
> 
> Scarlatti is a must, as would be a number of the French _Clavecinistes_ such as Couperin, Rameau, etc.
> 
> Someone on TC wrote that Rachmaninoff "revolutionized piano technique," but without cited sources -- and those very much in a context -- I vehemently disagree. Liszt and Chopin did, maybe Messiaen did, yada yada.
> 
> (Hovhaness? the only reason I can think of for his inclusion is that the OP likes the Hovhaness piano pieces he has heard


There is not a real intent; I'm making a playlist which progresses keyboard works through time and was wondering who others thought should be included.

The number was arbitrary, seemed like a good round number and a manageable playlist. But, then again, aren't most lists arbitrary?

I was unfamiliar with pre-Bach works, so this thread is already a success for me, because I have new music to track down.

I agree that Feinberg, Sorajbi, Bartok, and Janacek should all be considered.

I am fully unfamiliar with the piano works of Szymanowski and Skalkottas, which I'll have to look into.

Yes, I love Hovhaness. You should listen to his piano works. The list also reflects my tendency towards the French and Spanish.


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## Guest

I would consider Boulez and Shostakovich, but I'm not entirely sure. But since you have Hovhaness in there, we both know there's space  

(For the record I actually like a few Hovhaness pieces. *Ducks*)


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## PetrB

Mitchell said:


> There is not a real intent; I'm making a playlist which progresses keyboard works through time and was wondering who others thought should be included.
> 
> The number was arbitrary, seemed like a good round number and a manageable playlist. But, then again, aren't most lists arbitrary?
> 
> I was unfamiliar with pre-Bach works, so this thread is already a success for me, because I have new music to track down.
> 
> I agree that Feinberg, Sorajbi, Bartok, and Janacek should all be considered.
> 
> I am fully unfamiliar with the piano works of Szymanowski and Skalkottas, which I'll have to look into.
> 
> Yes, I love Hovhaness. You should listen to his piano works. The list also reflects my tendency towards the French and Spanish.
> 
> View attachment 38207


The inclusion of Hovhannes is a real idiosyncratic choice, and he stands out in the context as an anomaly, but it was your choice. I'd have included Darius Milhaud, for one example, before I would have included your choice there.

But, then, overall, it is quite a good list 

The number 25 is limiting, but a higher number could make the thing just too wieldy.


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## Selby

Just for a little context:

Ligeti wrote 10 opp. for solo piano,

Ravel wrote 27,

Satie wrote 57,

Hovhaness wrote 90.

Granted, music is not a quantitative study, but there might be more to chew on then some realize.

I see a lineage of tone from Schubert to Satie to Hovhaness. Although this sort of meandering and meditative piano writing is not the high fashion of the classical world, I really enjoy it.

Also interesting, Hovhaness descended from Beethoven through pedagogy: his piano
professor Heinrich Gebhardt was a student of Theodor Leschetizky, who was a student of Carl Czerny, who was a student of Beethoven.

Also important to note: the quote at the end of my posts is from Hovhaness.

Also important to note: my previous defense of Hovhaness came on my 500th post, which seems significant to me.

Also important to note: I love Hovhaness.


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## Mandryka

Mitchell said:


> If you were to reduce the history of keyboard music down to 25 composers (excluding Jazz) what would it look like? Who would you add and who would you remove and why?
> 
> 1	1685 - 1750	Bach, Johann Sebastian
> 2	1685 - 1757	Scarlatti, Domenico
> 3	1732 - 1809	Haydn, Franz Joseph
> 4	1756 - 1791	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
> 5	1770 - 1827	Beethoven, Ludwig van
> 6	1797 - 1828	Schubert, Franz
> 7	1810 - 1856	Schumann, Robert Alexander
> 8	1810 - 1859	Chopin, Frédéric
> 9	1811 - 1886	Liszt, Ferenc
> 10	1830 - 1888	Alkan, Charles Valentin
> 11	1843 - 1907	Grieg, Edvard
> 12	1845 - 1924	Fauré, Gabriel
> 13	1860 - 1909	Albéniz, Isaac
> 14	1862 - 1918	Debussy, Claude
> 15	1866 - 1925	Satie, Erik
> 16	1867 - 1916	Granados, Enrique
> 17	1872 - 1915	Scriabin, Alexander
> 18	1873 - 1943	Rachmaninov, Sergei
> 19	1875 - 1937	Ravel, Maurice
> 20	1880 - 1951	Medtner, Nikolai
> 21	1887 - 1959	Villa-Lobos, Heitor
> 22	1891 - 1953	Prokofiev, Sergei
> 23	1908 - 1992	Messiaen, Olivier
> 24	1911 - 2000	Hovhaness, Alan
> 25	1923 - 2006	Ligeti, György


Cage, Takemitsu, Gobaidulina, Cowell, LaMonte Young, Feinberg, Boulez and Finissy. Others have spoken of the need for earlier music, I'd go back to the Buxheimer Orgelbuch.

I would cut Schubert, Rachmaninov, Granados, Fauré, Haydn, Grieg, Ravel, Villa Lobos. Can't comment on Hovhaness or Medtner.


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## JakeBloch

Mandryka said:


> Cage, Takemitsu, Gobaidulina, Cowell, LaMonte Young, Feinberg, Boulez and Finissy. Others have spoken of the need for earlier music, I'd go back to the Buxheimer Orgelbuch.
> 
> I would cut Schubert, Rachmaninov, Granados, Fauré, Haydn, Grieg, Ravel, Villa Lobos.


- - - - -

We gotta make space for Brahms!

Definitely add Szymanowski.

Prokofiev is also important.

The Early Modern period is by far the most interesting to me - from 1900 to 1945. So many paths to follow. Janacek and Bartok and Faure' all had great piano music. If you are including ORGAN, though, you need Reger. Messiaen is already on the list. Frescobaldi is important for both types of keyboards, as well as being really good to listen to. You musn't cut Ravel!


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## Selby

Takemitsu! How could I forget?


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## Selby

1562-1621	Sweelinck, Jan Pieterszoon Denmark
1583-1643	Frescobaldi, Girolamo Italy
1595-1663	Scheidemann, Heinrich Germany
1616-1674	Weckmann, Matthias Germany
1616-1667	Froberger, Johann Jakob	Germany
1637-1707	Buxtehude, Dieterich Germany
1668-1733	Couperin, François France
1683-1764	Rameau, Jean-Philippe France
1685-1750	Bach, Johann Sebastian Germany
1685-1757	Scarlatti, Domenico Italy
1714-1788	Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel	Germany
1732-1809	Haydn, Franz Joseph Austria
1756-1791	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Austria
1770-1827	Beethoven, Ludwig van Germany
1778-1837	Hummel, Johann Nepomuk	Austria
1797-1828	Schubert, Franz Austria
1810-1856	Schumann, Robert Alexander	Germany
1810-1859	Chopin, Frédéric Poland
1811-1886	Liszt, Ferenc Austria
1830-1888	Alkan, Charles Valentin France
1833-1897	Brahms, Johannes Germany
1843-1907	Grieg, Edvard Norway
1845-1924	Fauré, Gabriel France
1854-1928	Janácek, Leos Czech Republic
1860-1909	Albéniz, Isaac Spain
1862-1918	Debussy, Claude France
1866-1925	Satie, Erik France
1867-1916	Granados, Enrique Spain
1872-1915	Scriabin, Alexander Russia
1873-1943	Rachmaninov, Sergei Russia
1875-1937	Ravel, Maurice France
1880-1951	Medtner, Nikolai Russia
1881-1945	Bartók, Béla Romania
1882-1937	Szymanowski, Karol Ukraine
1887-1959	Villa-Lobos, Heitor Brazil
1890-1962	Feinberg, Samuil Russia
1891-1953	Prokofiev, Sergei Russia
1892-1988	Sorajbi, Kaikhosru Shapurji	United Kingdom
1893-2002	Ornstein, Leo Russia
1862-1974	Milhaud, Darius France
1897-1965	Cowell, Henry USA
1904-1959	Skalkottas, Nikolaos Greece
1906-1975	Shostakovich, Dmitri Russia
1908-1992	Messiaen, Olivier France
1911-2000	Hovhaness, Alan USA
1919-1992	Cage, John USA
1923-2006	Ligeti, György Romania
1925-	alive	Boulez, Pierre France
1930-1996	Takemitsu, Tōru Japan
1931-	alive	Gobaidulina, Sofia Russia
1935-alive	Young, LaMonte USA
1946-	alive	Finissy, Michael United Kingdom


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## Selby

If we made it a competition:

The Olympic History of solo keyboard composing:

France - 10
Germany - 9
Russia - 8
Austria - 5
USA - 4
United Kingdom - 2
Romania - 2
Spain - 2
Ukraine - 1
Japan - 1
Denmark - 1
Greece - 1
Norway - 1
Czech Republic - 1
Brazil - 1


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## Alypius

Of living composers for the piano, none, to my mind, surpasses Frederic Rzewski. His _The People United Will Never Be Defeated_, a theme-and-variations work on a Chilean revolutionary song, is one of the finest piano works of the 20th century (composed in 1975). It's the 20th-century's answer to Bach's Goldbergs and Beethoven's Diabellis. There are many fine performances of it, including by the composer himself. There is, as well, a brand-new collection of his piano works from Naxos.

























New York Times story about him here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/arts/music/27gure.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


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## joen_cph

As a side remark, Sweelinck was Dutch. Concerning Danish composers of piano music, the most important ones would be

- Buxtehude (Baroque; well, some would call him German)
- Langgaard (3 sonatas, various pieces, a concerto; late-Romantic as well as experimental)
- Nielsen (various pieces, including Chaconne, Suite, Theme & Variations, 3 Piano Pieces)
- Vagn Holmboe (the "_Suono da Bardo_" is a great, if unknown, work especially in the early Anker Blyme LP recording)
- Niels Viggo Bentzon (many sonatas, 13 Books of "The Well Tempered Piano", piano pieces, concertos etc.)
- Per Nørgård (2 sonatas, various pieces, 2 concertante works)

There are many more, though.


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## Selby

Alypius said:


> Of living composers for the piano, none, to my mind, surpasses Frederic Rzewski. His _The People United Will Never Be Defeated_, a theme-and-variations work on a Chilean revolutionary song, is one of the finest piano works of the 20th century (composed in 1975). It's the 20th-century's answer to Bach's Goldbergs and Beethoven's Diabellis. There are many fine performances of it, including by the composer himself. There is, as well, a brand-new collection of his piano works from Naxos.
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> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/arts/music/27gure.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


Will definitely look into him.


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## PetrB

Carl Czerny really ought to be present on there.


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## joen_cph

Only a handful of Czerny´s roughly 1000 piano works have been recorded, also as regards the many 100s of etudes.

IMO, that´s a good thing.

A couple of sonatas shoud be heard from time to time, and that´s about it.

Even Clementi, for example, seems to have had more to say.

All this of course IMO ... an excerpt of a piano concerto gives a pretty good idea of his style




 Probably composed around 1830. Cf. also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Carl_Czerny


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## Blancrocher

I would suggest adding James Dillon for his "Book of Elements" if you haven't heard it; I've taken a lot of interest in this work of late.






Stravinsky is a stretch for inclusion on your list since he didn't compose very many solo keyboard works, though I'd like to make a plug for his 4-hand piano version of The Rite of Spring (which preceded the orchestral version). Many will find it lacking by comparison with the final version, but I find it fascinating: no other piano work sounds quite like it. In any case, despite limited interest in writing for the piano, Stravinsky had a deep impact on many later composers for the instrument.

*p.s.* Also Schoenberg and Carter.

*p.p.s.* I'd recommend people to drop out to make room--but it's still a pretty short list :lol:


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## violadude

What about Stockhausen? As I understand his "Klavierstucke" pieces are pretty massive works in the 20th century piano repertoire.


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## GioCar

and where is Ferruccio Busoni (1886-1924)?


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## Vaneyes

PetrB said:


> The absence of earlier keyboard composers than Bach is glaring, as is the absence of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, whose keyboard musc combined with his _Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments_ was enormously influential.
> 
> And I'm not at all clear from that list whether this is just a series of composers who wrote a fair body of work for the keyboard or is meant to be those who through time very much influenced what keyboard music is. [_Clarifying that intent might be more than a little helpful._] If the latter, J.S. Bach hardly belongs, even with the huge body of organ and 'klavier' pieces, and C.P.E. Bach should be there instead.
> 
> Scarlatti is a must, as would be a number of the French _Clavecinistes_ such as Couperin, Rameau, etc.
> 
> Someone on TC wrote that Rachmaninoff "revolutionized piano technique," but without cited sources -- and those very much in a context -- I vehemently disagree. Liszt and Chopin did, maybe Messiaen did, yada yada.
> 
> (Hovhaness? the only reason I can think of for his inclusion is that the OP likes the Hovhaness piano pieces he has heard


I like a Rachmaninov insertion. Clementi should be, too.

I liked a poster's Szymanowski mention. I'd also think about adding Berio and Schnittke.

But lists are just lists, aren't they. :tiphat:


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## Alypius

GioCar said:


> and where is Ferruccio Busoni (1886-1924)?


In light of GioCar's comment, let me copy a post that I did over on the "Latest Purchases" thread. I had noted that I had recently purchased Marc-Andre Hamelin's new performance of the late piano music of Busoni. Here is what I wrote (and collected from reviews).










"You asked about this new collection of Busoni's music by Marc-Andre Hamelin (Hyperion, 2013). Busoni's music is new to me, but I have had very good experiences with letting Hamelin lead me to composers that I was unfamiliar with: Alkan, Scriabin, Medtner. This new release is both a magnificent performance and a magnificent recording. Busoni is similar to Scriabin, Szymanowski, and Medtner in a certain sense: namely, a composer whose training and instinct is towards Romanticism but who is a sensitive artist finding himself coping with the new currents of modernism in its various guises. Medtner's approach was to reject modernism and embrace a baroque version of late romanticism. Syzmanowski's was to embrace modernist currents and made them his own -- and to good effect. Busoni took a similar tack though his music is very different. He was a music theorist as well as a virtuoso pianist and embraced a "pantonalism" theory. Don't let that drive you off. He was also moved by Bach. In fact, his transcriptions and reworkings of Bach may be his best known works. For those who enjoy Scriabin, this is music that will appeal to you. Since this is a large 3 CD set, where to start? I would recommend 4 Sonatinas that make up disc 2 (especially "Ad usum infantis" (BV 268). A couple of excerpts from reviews:



> "The late piano works of Ferruccio Busoni can be characterized as virtuoso music par excellence, and because of their contrapuntal complexity, harmonic density, and technical difficulty, these pieces can have no greater champion than Marc-André Hamelin, the virtuoso's virtuoso. This Hyperion set of three CDs presents music that is far from well-known, and its obscurity adds another layer of unnecessary mystery. However, Hamelin is just the artist to sweep that all aside and present these seldom played pieces with clarity, precision, and élan to make them truly impressive. Busoni's music transcends any fixed style and is more than pastiche, though much of his work shows the influence of J.S. Bach, whose music Busoni frequently adapted for the modern piano and found to be a constant source of inspiration.... Hamelin is perhaps the best guide to the complicated world of Busoni, and thanks to his astonishing playing, this music communicates more directly and powerfully than many other attempts by other pianists. Hyperion's recording is clear and reasonably close to the piano, so virtually every note can be heard."
> -Blair Sanderson (All Music Guide). Rating: ****½ (out of a possible 5).





> "Though Ferruccio Busoni routinely gets a few pages in surveys of the music of the first half of the 20th century, he remains an elusive figure, hard to place convincingly in context. He was one of the great pianists of his time, and his writings on the future of music are often far-sighted, but his importance as a composer seems to escape us... The core of that output is the vast amount of music Busoni composed for piano. But apart from the transcriptions of Bach, most of those works are rarely heard today; that's partly because they, like so much of Busoni's music, have become unfashionable, but more importantly, it's because much of it is so difficult to play, and few pianists have the time and the technique to devote to music that is so little-known. Marc-André Hamelin is the shining exception... He ... has now assembled an extensive collection of solo piano works from the last 15 years of Busoni's life. Some of this music has apparently never been recorded before... Hamelin handles all of this with great intelligence. There's a swagger when the music demands it, a fabulously refined sense of sonority and transparency when required. The technical challenges are surmounted so effortlessly that you begin to take the confidence of his playing for granted, when in fact it's a remarkable achievement."
> -Andrew Clements (Guardian, Oct. 31, 2013). Rating: **** (of 5)


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## joen_cph

IMO, the main Busoni piano works are
- Piano Concerto
- 6 Sonatinas
- Fantasia Contrapuntistica
- 7 Elegien
- Toccata
- Bach Fantasy 

But there is also a lot of non-significant works, especially from his early period. The Indian Fantasy is a fun addition too.
Busoni is definitely worth considering for such a list.


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## Alypius

I hope Mitchell won't mind if I take advantage of this thread as a place to discuss certain of the pianist-composers he cites in his chronology and ask about recommended works and recordings. I plunged into the works of Scriabin a little over a year ago. I had not been particularly drawn to work after hearing his best-known orchestral works (Poem of Ecstasy, Prometheus), but once I began exploring his works for piano I was captivated. A few recordings that opened things for me were:

Marc-Andre Hamelin, _Complete Sonatas_ (Hyperion, 1996)










Yefgeny Sudbin, _Scriabin_ (BIS, 2007)










Olli Mustonen, _Scriabin: Etudes, Preludes, Ver la flamme_ (Ondine, 2012)










These gave me a good sampling of essentials (Sonatas #2, #5, #7, #9, #10; Ver la flamme; Etudes, op. 8, esp. #12). I appreciate that Artur Rubenstein is much acclaimed, but I found the poor quality of the recording a bit of a barrier. I know that Richter recorded various combinations (often idiosyncratic in selection). Recommendations?


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## Blancrocher

Alypius said:


> Recommendations?


Sofronitsky and Horowitz are classic interpreters. Vaneyes recently led me to Alexeev and Melnikov, both of whom are magical--and in great recorded sound. Many on the forum have mentioned Lettberg (my general advice is to keep an eye on "Current Listening"), but I haven't enjoyed her interpretations as much as yet-_but_ it's nice to have a complete set to fill in gaps (and it may grow on me).


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## joen_cph

Interesting that Mustonen has made a Scriabin album. I like his style, it is original and refreshing; can his Scriabin be characterized as "pointilistic" and with a good deal of "staccato" as well?

For modern-sound Scriabin, Ashkenazy´s decca double CD with the 10 sonatas etc. is good. 
Likewise Lettberg´s set of the complete works with opus-number, at times a bit soft, but overall nice. 
Szidon in Sonata 1 is a unique performance, on DG. 
There is a fine Horowitz album on both cbs-sony and rca, respectively. 

Some praise Alexeev on Brilliant Classics, but I haven´t heard it. I think Sokolov did some too, but haven´t heard it either.


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## Alypius

Blancrocher said:


> Sofronitsky and Horowitz are classic interpreters. Vaneyes recently led me to Alexeev and Melnikov, both of whom are magical--and in great recorded sound. Many on the forum have mentioned Lettberg (my general advice is to keep an eye on "Current Listening"), but I haven't enjoyed her interpretations as much as yet-_but_ it's nice to have a complete set to fill in gaps (and it may grow on me).


Thanks for the recommendations. I had written Rubenstein in my earlier post -- my mistake. I should have written "Horowitz" as one whose classic Scriabin didn't work for me (mainly the sound quality). I don't know Sofronitsky's performances. I'll explore Alexeev and Melnikov (I'm very fond of his version of Shostakovich's Preludes & Fugues). I've read mixed reviews on Lettberg. As you note, the advantage is that she does everything.


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## Alypius

joen_cph said:


> Interesting that Mustonen has made a Scriabin album. I like his style, it is original and refreshing; can his Scriabin be characterized as "pointilistic" and with a good deal of "staccato" as well?
> 
> For modern-sound Scriabin, Ashkenazy´s decca double CD with the 10 sonatas etc. is good.
> Likewise Lettberg´s set of the complete works with opus-number, at times a bit soft, but overall nice.
> Szidon in Sonata 1 is a unique performance, on DG.
> There is a fine Horowitz album on both cbs-sony and rca, respectively.
> 
> Some praise Alexeev on Brilliant Classics, but I haven´t heard it. I think Sokolov did some too, but haven´t heard it either.


Thanks for these recommendations. Helpful to see another mention of Lettberg and Alexeev. I'll check Ashkenazy. He can be brilliant in the Russian repertoire.

I would strongly recommend the Mustonen. I gather he has a reputation for a very quirky version of Beethoven. But in this domain, he's excellent (maybe because Scriabin is quirky). A sample review:



> "An extraordinary pianist for extraordinary music. This is Scriabin as you have never heard him before, played by one of music's most formidable and compulsive free spirits...The music is made to leap flame-like and uncontained from the page and you could cut yourself on Mustonen's glittering sonority...Mustonen's beady and dazzling pianism in truly hypnotic...Few pianists have a more potent sense of the demoniac in music."-Gramophone Magazine (June 2012)


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## Selby

For my money Hamelin's Scriabin is superlative.


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## Headphone Hermit

_Shostakovich!!!_









if only for the 24 Preludes and Fugues - surely. I cannot believe how little he has been mentioned in this thread - and he only seemed to sneak into the list rather than being one of the first on the list. Have so few posters on TC listened to the 24 Preludes and Fugues? Really, come on now colleagues - Shostakovich is a giant!


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## Selby

Giant you say? The twentieth century was blessed with piano geniuses from Russia. It makes since that Shost was overshadowed/forgotten in comparison to Rach and Scriabin and Prokofiev and Medtner and Ornstein.


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## KenOC

Headphone Hermit said:


> _Shostakovich!!!_
> 
> if only for the 24 Preludes and Fugues - surely. I cannot believe how little he has been mentioned in this thread - and he only seemed to sneak into the list rather than being one of the first on the list. Have so few posters on TC listened to the 24 Preludes and Fugues? Really, come on now colleagues - Shostakovich is a giant!


Well, aside from the 24 P&F (and yes, that's a pretty big "aside from") Shostakovich didn't write much for piano solo that's gained traction. It's reasonable that he's better known for other things.


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## helpmeplslol

For Scriabin's piano pieces, I find that if there's a recording by Igor Zhukov, it's usually the best one.


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## Selby

Any recommended recordings for Szymanowski (besides Hamelin) or Sorabji?

For Janáček, I have recordings by Schiff, Firkušný, and Rudy... is there something more preferable?

cheers.


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## Alypius

Mitchell said:


> Any recommended recordings for Szymanowski (besides Hamelin) or Sorabji?
> For Janáček, I have recordings by Schiff, Firkušný, and Rudy... is there something more preferable?
> cheers.


For Janáček, my favorite is Schiff. I also have Håkon Austbø, which is certainly solid. It is also the complete works, but for me, Schiff is better, and while only one disc, he has all the essentials.

Szymanowski's piano works are new to me. I found at a local library a well-reviewed recording by Piotr Anderszewski which has three esentials (Metopes, Masques and Sonata #3). High on my wishlist is a new recording getting excellent reviews: Cedric Tiberghien, Szymanowski: Piano Works (Hyperion, 2014), which has the Metopes, Masques, but also two sets of Etudes (the early op. 4 and the mid-career op. 33):










Review here:


> 'Few players of this music combine quite such clarity and articulation with shimmering sparkle and virtuosic flair: this is sophisticated pianism … The most famous of these Scriabinesque pieces, the sorrowful and haunting No 3 in B flat minor, was made popular by Paderewski, and Tiberghien's performance explains its enduring appeal … you will be left wanting to listen again' (BBC Music Magazine). Rating: 5 (of 5) performance / 5 (of 5) sound


Excerpts and further reviews:
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA67886


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## joen_cph

In _Janacek_´s Sonata, Postnikova is unique. 
I like collecting versions of the piano music, but have no clear favourite.

The Naxos series of _Szymanowski_´s complete piano music is IMO very recommendable, with engaged playing (4CD). For instance, most of the earlier, Polish Muza releases have a poor sound.


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## PetrB

Headphone Hermit said:


> _Shostakovich!!!_
> 
> View attachment 38704
> 
> 
> if only for the 24 Preludes and Fugues - surely. I cannot believe how little he has been mentioned in this thread - and he only seemed to sneak into the list rather than being one of the first on the list. Have so few posters on TC listened to the 24 Preludes and Fugues? Really, come on now colleagues - Shostakovich is a giant!


If this is a nutshell history of the progression of pianism and the accompanying literature which are the important cumulative markers of its development, Shostakovich and a bunch of Preludes and Fugues modeled directly upon Bach do not an important marker make (neither does Hovhaness belong on such a list,) but -- the OP seems to have it as not being any one specific angle, so... there you have it, oddfellow choices and listings.


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