# Piano Concertos



## Davila (Aug 4, 2016)

I've never been too interested in piano concertos. So far, I've only listened to Grieg's, Tchaikovsky's, and Rachmaninoff's 2nd. I would love to expand my listening experience, so please tell me your favorites.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

What kind of classical music/composers do you like otherwise?

There are so many, very different ones to choose from ...


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## Davila (Aug 4, 2016)

I'm mainly interested in music from the Romantic and Contemporary eras.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Rachmaninov 3 is one of the very greatest romantic concertos.


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## Hildadam Bingor (May 7, 2016)

If you like Grieg's, then... 



.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

6 very good ones on top of my head, also illustrating some stylistic differences and more recent works, could be

Schumann: Piano Concerto - Argerich/Harnoncourt 



Debussy: Fantaisie 



 (wrong link edited)
Respighi: Concerto in a 



Stravinsky: Capriccio 



Prokofiev: Piano Concerto no.3 



Nørgård: Concerto in Due Tempi


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Prokofiev
Ravel
Bartok
Stravinsky
Schoenberg
Rautavaara
Ligeti


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

You might try Liszt's two concertos, Brahms' two, Schumann's. Then, getting a bit more 20th-century, listen to Shostakovich's two, Prokofiev's first three, the Khachaturian, Ravel's two. Those will certainly get you started.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

You have to give Mozart a try. 21, 23, 24, 27... people argue over which is best.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Some very good suggestions. I would add 

Beethoven's 5th(arguably Romantic, although written in the Classical period) 
Saint-Saens' 2nd


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

My favourite is Rachmaninoff third. I know I will get some
Criticism but I do love it performed by Lang Lang!!


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## chesapeake bay (Aug 3, 2015)

Bartok 3 
Schostakovich 2
Ravel piano concerto in G
Rautavaara 3 "gift of dreams"
Chopin 1 and 2
Alkan concerto for piano
Paderewski op 17
Moszkoski op 59
Macdowell no 1
Tansman no 2
Scriabin piano concerto


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

Unsuk Chin
Roger Sessions
Beethoven 4 (especially 2nd movement)
Mozart 20 in D minor


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Beethoven (all) / Chopin / Mendelssohn/ Mozart to start with.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Try Chopin 1 & 2 with Argerich or Zimmerman (his first not his second recording)


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## aglayaepanchin (Jul 24, 2016)

Rachmaninoff 3, Chopin 1 & 2, Schumann, Prokofiev 3 off the top of my head


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

isorhythm said:


> Prokofiev
> Ravel
> Bartok
> Stravinsky
> ...


Wow, that Ligeti concerto was pretty good. It reminds me of the Unsuk Chin, which has a slow movement I prefer to the Ligeti slow movement, but otherwise the Ligeti is just as good if not more so, on the whole. I would guess that anyone who likes one or the other, would appreciate the other one too.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

For a little odd (and long) but very fun and enjoyable romantic concerto I recommend Moszkowski Op. 3. 
It was only recently released for the first time on Hyperion. You can listen to the first live performance on youtube.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I would go for some meaty works that may, perhaps, be less showy: the concertos of Beethoven, Brahms and Bartok. Then there is the wonderful Schumann, the Ravel and Prokofiev's 2nd and 3rd. And I would try some of the Mozarts as well. My own experience is that I found the more showpiece concertos in the repertoire to be harder to get on with at first.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Davila said:


> I'm mainly interested in music from the Romantic and Contemporary eras.


Try:

Bartok's 2nd
Samuel Barber's 1st






Prokofiev's 2nd and 3rd


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Heck, keep listening. If the album says "Piano Concerto", give it a hearing. If you like it, keep the disc and listen again. If you don't, put it aside. Many are the good recommendations thus far on this thread. But one of my favorite piano concertos is not listed as such on a record cover, and that is the _Nights in the Gardens of Spain _by Manuel de Falla -- a work that _should _appeal to the Grieg/Tchaikowsky/Ravel/Rachmaninoff piano concertos admiring crowd. But it's a work uniquely its own, too.

All the best in your exploration of this fascinating genre of "classical music."


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## SimonDekkerLinnros (Jun 15, 2016)

Piano Concerto 20. Mozart.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Prokofiev No.2 is awesome! As are the Bartok's.


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## Five and Dime (Jul 8, 2016)

Geirr Tveitt has some nice ones − I like his PC #1, #5, and Variations on a Folk-song.

Also Busonl, Lyapunov, Beethoven #4, etc.

Lots of good ones to choose from.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

My first post was with Romantic/20th c. in mind, but I also think Mozart's piano concertos are the best ever written - from number 17 on, plus number 9.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Definitely have a listen to the Khachaturian Piano Concerto


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

So many piano concerti, so little time. A few that I would strongly recommend to anyone exploring the format are:
Beethoven 4
Grieg (yes, well known but really listen to it!)
Saint-Saens 2nd (for high romantic)
Rachmaninov 3rd
Shostakovich 2nd (for sheer lyrical charm)
Barber (percussive, rhythmic)


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## aglayaepanchin (Jul 24, 2016)

Pat Fairlea said:


> So many piano concerti, so little time. A few that I would strongly recommend to anyone exploring the format are:
> Beethoven 4
> Grieg (yes, well known but really listen to it!)
> Saint-Saens 2nd (for high romantic)
> ...


I absolutely love the Shostakovich 2nd concerto's Andante but somehow to me the other movements seem too cheerful and oddly happy, they remind me of a circus or something. I feel like the contrast is too sharp, that they don't fit together with the second movement. Do you like the other movements aswell as the second or perhaps more?


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## jdec (Mar 23, 2013)

My favorite ones are, in no particular order:

Brahms 1 & 2
Rachmaninov 2 & 3
Beethoven 3, 4 and 5
Mozart 9, 20, 21, 23, 24 and 27
Schumann's
Ravel's for the left hand
Mendelssohn 1
Tchaikovsky 1
Prokofiev 3


Honorable mentions  :

Beethoven 1 & 2, Grieg's, Chopin's (both), Liszt's (both), Prokofiev 1 & 2, Ravel in Gm, Rachmaninov 1, Saint-Saens 2


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## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

This is very good and not widely known.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Davila said:


> I've never been too interested in piano concertos. So far, I've only listened to Grieg's, Tchaikovsky's, and Rachmaninoff's 2nd. I would love to expand my listening experience, so please tell me your favorites.


Me neither actually, but Brahms 2, Bartok 3, Prokofiev 3, Rachmaninov 3, Beethoven 4 and Mozart 23 are all great piano concertos you may enjoy.


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## pcnog11 (Nov 14, 2016)

Davila said:


> I've never been too interested in piano concertos. So far, I've only listened to Grieg's, Tchaikovsky's, and Rachmaninoff's 2nd. I would love to expand my listening experience, so please tell me your favorites.


Try Mozart for a change. Start with no. 20, 21, 25, 26, 12 and 17. You will fall in love with them.

Beethoven is a must if you love PC.


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## jailhouse (Sep 2, 2016)

the 3 by bartok. check out the boulez led versions:









the bartok 2 piano concerto (both orchestrated version and unorchestrated) owns too.


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## arnerich (Aug 19, 2016)

I reserve my highest praise for Brahms' second piano concerto. What a piece!


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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

I think you may firstly go through every popular PC by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms, especially Mozart whose works defined the genre.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Anything by Mozart from piano concerto 9 onwards. They are the most sublime set of piano concertos ever written


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

I love piano concertos but feel the older ones aren't surprising enough and the newer ones don't go far enough. I am not a big fan of his other works but Nyman's Concerto for Harpsichord is pretty inventive. I would like to hear new piano concertos that were also inventive.


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## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

My favourite piano concerto has always been Beethoven's 5th ("Emperor") and in particular the astonishing stereo late 1944 / early 1945 (no one seems to be quite sure of the exact date) Berlin performance by Walter Gieseking and the Grosses Funkorchester conducted by Artur Rother. Well worth a listen if you haven't already heard that version. Infamously, anti-aircraft fire can faintly be heard in the background during the quieter sections, but I just love it for Beethoven's artistry and the very high quality of the performance, by both Gieseking and the orchestra.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

chill782002 said:


> My favourite piano concerto has always been Beethoven's 5th ("Emperor") and in particular the astonishing stereo late 1944 / early 1945 (no one seems to be quite sure of the exact date) Berlin performance by Walter Gieseking and the Grosses Funkorchester conducted by Artur Rother. Well worth a listen if you haven't already heard that version. Infamously, anti-aircraft fire can faintly be heard in the background during the quieter sections, but I just love it for Beethoven's artistry and the very high quality of the performance, by both Gieseking and the orchestra.


This one and his 3th , Van Cliburen and Serkin for me.


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## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

Pugg said:


> This one and his 3th , Van Cliburen and Serkin for me.


Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto is really good as well. I have a recording somewhere taken from a 1953 Moscow radio broadcast of Richter playing it with, I think, Kondrashin conducting. Sound isn't perfect but a great performance. Not sure if it's ever been officially released though, I got it from a collector years ago along with a load of other unreleased Russian broadcasts of Richter concerts from the 50s and 60s. Richter never seems to have played the Emperor though, not sure why.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Davila said:


> I'm mainly interested in music from the Romantic and Contemporary eras.


Try the two Brahms Piano Concertos and the Schumann Piano Concerto.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

arnerich said:


> I reserve my highest praise for Brahms' second piano concerto. What a piece!


Any favourite pianist?


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## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

Pugg said:


> Any favourite pianist?


For Brahms 2nd piano concerto, I'll go for Edwin Fischer. His 1942 performance with Furtwangler and the Berliner Philharmoniker is great!


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

Dvorak's piano concerto in g minor , andante especially


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## arnerich (Aug 19, 2016)

Pugg said:


> Any favourite pianist?


I thought about it all day and for the Brahms second I honestly don't have a favorite! Garrick Ohlsson is a personal favorite because the first symphony performance I ever attended was of this piece with him as soloist at the San Francisco Symphony. I was about ten and despite being four movements and nearly an hour long I was sad when it ended!

I like the command of Sviatoslav Richter and Marc-André Hamelin. Pollini with Abbado conducting is a great recording. Alfred Brendel's recording is a unique interpretation that I like also.

What I love about the Brahms second is how all encompassing it is. It's a grand work but it's not pretentious. It's basically a four movement symphony with piano but there are moments that are like chamber music. Each movement seems to embody a different emotional state and character. All the movements contrast greatly but also compliment each other beautifully.

Did I mention it has the most beautiful melody ever written for cello in the 3rd movement? What a piece!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

arnerich said:


> I thought about it all day and for the Brahms second I honestly don't have a favorite! Garrick Ohlsson is a personal favorite because the first symphony performance I ever attended was of this piece with him as soloist at the San Francisco Symphony. I was about ten and despite being four movements and nearly an hour long I was sad when it ended!
> 
> I like the command of Sviatoslav Richter and Marc-André Hamelin. Pollini with Abbado conducting is a great recording. Alfred Brendel's recording is a unique interpretation that I like also.
> 
> ...


Amen to this!
One of my all time favourite is Ashkenazy / Haitink.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

arnerich said:


> I thought about it all day and for the Brahms second I honestly don't have a favorite! Garrick Ohlsson is a personal favorite because the first symphony performance I ever attended was of this piece with him as soloist at the San Francisco Symphony. I was about ten and despite being four movements and nearly an hour long I was sad when it ended!
> 
> I like the command of Sviatoslav Richter and Marc-André Hamelin. Pollini with Abbado conducting is a great recording. Alfred Brendel's recording is a unique interpretation that I like also.
> 
> ...


There are many great performances of Brahms 2

Richter / Leinsdorf
Gilels / Reiner
Angerlich / Javi
Serkin / Szell
Fleisher / Szell
That's just for starters!


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

The Beethoven 5 is an astounding work far outstripping in concept the piano Beethoven had available to him. For the first time piano and orchestra answer on equal terms. Outstanding performances I have:
Kovacevich / Davis
Serkin / Bernstein
Kempff / van Kempan
Fleisher / Szell
Ashkenazy / Solti
And for something a little different
Gould / Stokowski

I have many more. Just the start!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Rudolf Serkin and Leon Fleisher are terrific in the Beethoven #5.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

DavidA said:


> The Beethoven 5 is an astounding work far outstripping in concept the piano Beethoven had available to him. For the first time piano and orchestra answer on equal terms. Outstanding performances I have:
> Kovacevich / Davis
> Serkin / Bernstein
> Kempff / van Kempan
> ...


I now like to see the dessert .


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Two piano concertos worth a hearing are by Hilding Rosenberg.

Twentieth Century, but unashamedly romantic in idiom. Needless to say, "accessible".


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## Razumovskymas (Sep 20, 2016)

My favorites: Liszt 2, Prokofief 2


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## Magnum Miserium (Aug 15, 2016)

hpowders said:


> Two piano concertos worth a hearing are by Hilding Rosenberg.
> 
> Twentieth Century, but unashamedly romantic in idiom. Needless to say, "accessible".


So they're boring then.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Magnum Miserium said:


> So they're boring then.


Do you mean the works are likely boring because they are 20th century but unashamedly romantic in idiom or because they are "accessible"?


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Chordalrock said:


> Wow, that Ligeti concerto was pretty good. It reminds me of the Unsuk Chin, which has a slow movement I prefer to the Ligeti slow movement, but otherwise the Ligeti is just as good if not more so, on the whole. I would guess that anyone who likes one or the other, would appreciate the other one too.


Chin was Ligeti's student. She learned from the master.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Davila said:


> I've never been too interested in piano concertos. So far, I've only listened to Grieg's, Tchaikovsky's, and Rachmaninoff's 2nd. I would love to expand my listening experience, so please tell me your favorites.


Mozart 23rd.

Prokofiev 3rd.

Rachmaninov 3rd.

Bartok 2nd.

Mozart 21st.

Beethoven 4th.


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

Mozart 20th, 21st and 23rd

I cannot recommend Ravel's piano concerto in G enough. One of the most perfect of all compositions.

Beethoven's 4th and 5th 

Brahms 1st and 2nd

Prokofiev's 3rd is an essential masterpiece too


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## Omicron9 (Oct 13, 2016)

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto


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