# What solo piano music floats your boat?



## HenryPenfold

My favourite genres are symphonies, string quartets and solo piano.

Concerning the latter, I adore Debussy, Satie, Sorabji, Ravel, Medtner, Scriabin and Rachmaninov.

Someone on this forum (can't remember who) posted about solo piano music by a composer completely unknown to me - NIKOLAY ROSLAVETS - the post captured my imagination and I listened via Qobuz streaming, and loved what I heard.

Glorious late romantic Scriabin influenced music of the highest order (thank you to the poster who drew my attention to this composer, I owe you a beer!). I picked up a cheap second hand copy from a seller in Paris and I've ripped it to to me library, listening as I type.

Anyway, what solo piano music floats your boat?


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## SanAntone

Bach
Satie
Debussy
Schoenberg
Messiaen
Feldman
Mompou


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## HenryPenfold

SanAntone said:


> Bach
> Satie
> Debussy
> Schoenberg
> Messiaen
> Feldman
> Mompou


Mompou is off my radar (note to self, check Mompou out)

I was going to mention Feldman as I really enjoy his piano sound-world. I need to come back to him ....

Whilst I adore Schoenberg's orchestral music, I'm unmoved by his solo piano music for some reason.

Messiaen rewards exponentially with the amount of time one is prepared to put in. I can get totally lost in a strange kind of Nirvana in Messiaen's piano music on some days ......


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## Eclectic Al

Too much to list!
I wouldn't want not to pick out late Brahms though, as something particularly special.


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## Coach G

What solo piano music floats your boat?

Lots.

Namely and followed by preferred recording:

*Rachmaninoff*: _Corelli Variations_ (Vladimir Ashkanzy)
*Beethoven*: _Sonatas_, _Adieu_, _Moolight_, _Pathetique_, _Waldstein_, _Pastorale_, _Tempest_, etc. (Rudolf Serkin is very solid; Claudio Arrau is very classy; Glenn Gould eecentric but always interesting)
*Mozart*: _Sonata #11_ with the _Rondo Turca_ (Glenn Gould, even though he said he didn't like Mozart; Gould forsakes a see-how-fast-I-play-this display in the finale and slows it down capturing a more nuanced _Turkish March_) 
*Mussorgsky*: _Pictures at an Exhibition_ (The Stanislav Richter live from Bulgaria is clasic)
*Grieg*: _Piano Sonata_ (Glenn Gould, which is interesting as Gould avoided the very pretty High Romantic music)
*Ravel*: _La Valse_ (Again, Glenn Gould)
*Debussy*: _Preludes Book 1_, _Images Book 1_, _Estampes_ (Claudio Arrau)
*Kabalevsky*: _Piano Sonata #3_ (Vladimir Horowitz)
*Beethoven/Liszt*: _Symphony #6 "Pastorale"_ (Glenn Gould who slows down the second, slow, By-the-Brook movement to 20 minutes!)

I also have a special interest in American piano music by:
*Gottschalk*: _Souvenir de Puerto Rico_; _The Union_ (Leonard Pennario)
*MacDowell*: _Woodland Sketches_, _New England Idylls_ (James Barbagallo on Naxos)
*Ives*: _Concord Sonata_ (Steven Mayer on NAXOS, Nina Deutsch on VOX) 
*Cowel*l: _Miniatures_, i.e. _The Banshee_ (Henry Cowell)
*Cage*: _Sonatas for Prepared Piano_ (Yuji Takehashi)
*Joplin*: _The Entertainer_, _Pineapple Rag_, etc. (William Bolcom)
*Barber*: _Piano Sonata_ (Vladimir Horowitz, John Browing)
*Rzewski*: _People United_ (Yuji Takehashi)


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## SanAntone

HenryPenfold said:


> Mompou is off my radar (note to self, check Mompou out)
> 
> I was going to mention Feldman as I really enjoy his piano sound-world. I need to come back to him ....
> 
> Whilst I adore Schoenberg's orchestral music, I'm unmoved by his solo piano music for some reason.
> 
> Messiaen rewards exponentially with the amount of time one is prepared to put in. I can get totally lost in a strange kind of Nirvana in Messiaen's piano music on some days ......


Mompou's Musica Calada - check it out.


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## tdc

My favorites:

J.S. Bach
Mozart
Brahms
Debussy
Ravel
Bartok
Prokofiev
Albeniz
Rodrigo

I like Ives 2 piano sonatas a lot, outside of that haven't listened to much of his solo piano works. Some Messiaen is growing on me.


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## Bulldog

Bach
Froberger
Couperin, Louis
Rameau
Mozart
Haydn
Beethoven
Schumann
Schubert
Brahms
Prokofiev
Shostakovich
Ravel
Debussy
Chopin
Scriabin


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## HenryPenfold

SanAntone said:


> Mompou's Musica Calada - check it out.


Thanks, I shall check this out.


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## HenryPenfold

Bulldog said:


> Bach
> Froberger
> Couperin, Louis
> Rameau
> Mozart
> Haydn
> Beethoven
> Schumann
> Schubert
> Brahms
> Prokofiev
> Shostakovich
> Ravel
> Debussy
> Chopin
> Scriabin


Froberger outwith my ken ......


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## HenryPenfold

tdc said:


> My favorites:
> 
> J.S. Bach
> Mozart
> Brahms
> Debussy
> Ravel
> Bartok
> Prokofiev
> Albeniz
> Rodrigo
> 
> I like Ives 2 piano sonatas a lot, outside of that haven't listened to much of his solo piano works. Some Messiaen is growing on me.


Yes, I'm quite keen on the Ives piano sonatas


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## HenryPenfold

Coach G said:


> What solo piano music floats your boat?
> 
> Lots.
> 
> Namely and followed by preferred recording:
> 
> *Rachmaninoff*: _Corelli Variations_ (Vladimir Ashkanzy)
> *Beethoven*: _Sonatas_, _Adieu_, _Moolight_, _Pathetique_, _Waldstein_, _Pastorale_, _Tempest_, etc. (Rudolf Serkin is very solid; Claudio Arrau is very classy; Glenn Gould eecentric but always interesting)
> *Mozart*: _Sonata #11_ with the _Rondo Turca_ (Glenn Gould, even though he said he didn't like Mozart; Gould forsakes a see-how-fast-I-play-this display in the finale and slows it down capturing a more nuanced _Turkish March_)
> *Mussorgsky*: _Pictures at an Exhibition_ (The Stanislav Richter live from Bulgaria is clasic)
> *Grieg*: _Piano Sonata_ (Glenn Gould, which is interesting as Gould avoided the very pretty High Romantic music)
> *Ravel*: _La Valse_ (Again, Glenn Gould)
> *Debussy*: _Preludes Book 1_, _Images Book 1_, _Estampes_ (Claudio Arrau)
> *Kabalevsky*: _Piano Sonata #3_ (Vladimir Horowitz)
> *Beethoven/Liszt*: _Symphony #6 "Pastorale"_ (Glenn Gould who slows down the second, slow, By-the-Brook movement to 20 minutes!)
> 
> I also have a special interest in American piano music by:
> *Gottschalk*: _Souvenir de Puerto Rico_; _The Union_ (Leonard Pennario)
> *MacDowell*: _Woodland Sketches_, _New England Idylls_ (James Barbagallo on Naxos)
> *Ives*: _Concord Sonata_ (Steven Mayer on NAXOS, Nina Deutsch on VOX)
> *Cowel*l: _Miniatures_, i.e. _The Banshee_ (Henry Cowell)
> *Cage*: _Sonatas for Prepared Piano_ (Yuji Takehashi)
> *Joplin*: _The Entertainer_, _Pineapple Rag_, etc. (William Bolcom)
> *Barber*: _Piano Sonata_ (Vladimir Horowitz, John Browing)
> *Rzewski*: _People United_ (Yuji Takehashi)
> 
> View attachment 152266
> 
> 
> View attachment 152267
> 
> 
> View attachment 152268
> 
> 
> View attachment 152269
> 
> 
> View attachment 152270


A great list.

Among others, I have never 'properly' listened to the Mussorgsky Pictures in the solo piano. Something to do one afternoon in the not too distant future ....

Any recommendations for a performance?


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## Allegro Con Brio

HenryPenfold said:


> A great list.
> 
> Among others, I have never 'properly' listened to the Mussorgsky Pictures in the solo piano. Something to do one afternoon in the not too distant future ....
> 
> Any recommendations for a performance?


Perhaps not directed at me, but I think a common consensus is Richter's '58 Sofia recital. Boxy, clangorous, vintage Soviet sound, but the orchestral effects that Richter achieves on his instrument are incredible - he conjures up everything from a whispering solo flute to mighty, sonorous organ chords. A great achievement on record.


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## Phil loves classical

I find this quite mesmerizing. A lot is definitely not traditional Classical piano music.


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## Prodromides

HenryPenfold said:


> what solo piano music floats your boat?


Boat floats without piano!










Does HenryPenfold watch too much BBC?


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## HenryPenfold

SanAntone said:


> Mompou's Musica Calada - check it out.


I listened to this CD on Qobuz and was very impressed, especially Musica Callada Book 4. Very much put me in mind of Satie's 'Le Fils des Etoiles'.

______________________________________________________________

I found this on Amazon, second hand very cheap so I snapped it up ....


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## HenryPenfold

Phil loves classical said:


> I find this quite mesmerizing. A lot is definitely not traditional Classical piano music.


That's a mad bit of music!


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## Pat Fairlea

Coach G said:


> What solo piano music floats your boat?
> 
> Lots.
> 
> Namely and followed by preferred recording:
> 
> *Rachmaninoff*: _Corelli Variations_ (Vladimir Ashkanzy)
> *Beethoven*: _Sonatas_, _Adieu_, _Moolight_, _Pathetique_, _Waldstein_, _Pastorale_, _Tempest_, etc. (Rudolf Serkin is very solid; Claudio Arrau is very classy; Glenn Gould eecentric but always interesting)
> *Mozart*: _Sonata #11_ with the _Rondo Turca_ (Glenn Gould, even though he said he didn't like Mozart; Gould forsakes a see-how-fast-I-play-this display in the finale and slows it down capturing a more nuanced _Turkish March_)
> *Mussorgsky*: _Pictures at an Exhibition_ (The Stanislav Richter live from Bulgaria is clasic)
> *Grieg*: _Piano Sonata_ (Glenn Gould, which is interesting as Gould avoided the very pretty High Romantic music)
> *Ravel*: _La Valse_ (Again, Glenn Gould)
> *Debussy*: _Preludes Book 1_, _Images Book 1_, _Estampes_ (Claudio Arrau)
> *Kabalevsky*: _Piano Sonata #3_ (Vladimir Horowitz)
> *Beethoven/Liszt*: _Symphony #6 "Pastorale"_ (Glenn Gould who slows down the second, slow, By-the-Brook movement to 20 minutes!)
> 
> I also have a special interest in American piano music by:
> *Gottschalk*: _Souvenir de Puerto Rico_; _The Union_ (Leonard Pennario)
> *MacDowell*: _Woodland Sketches_, _New England Idylls_ (James Barbagallo on Naxos)
> *Ives*: _Concord Sonata_ (Steven Mayer on NAXOS, Nina Deutsch on VOX)
> *Cowel*l: _Miniatures_, i.e. _The Banshee_ (Henry Cowell)
> *Cage*: _Sonatas for Prepared Piano_ (Yuji Takehashi)
> *Joplin*: _The Entertainer_, _Pineapple Rag_, etc. (William Bolcom)
> *Barber*: _Piano Sonata_ (Vladimir Horowitz, John Browing)
> *Rzewski*: _People United_ (Yuji Takehashi)
> 
> View attachment 152266
> 
> 
> View attachment 152267
> 
> 
> View attachment 152268
> 
> 
> View attachment 152269
> 
> 
> View attachment 152270


Yes, that's a selection I could live with, though I wouldn't choose Gould for the Grieg Sonata. Andsnes or de Larrocha.
And hoorah for Gottschalk!


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## Bulldog

HenryPenfold said:


> Froberger outwith my ken ......


I don't know what that means.


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## HenryPenfold

Bulldog said:


> I don't know what that means.


Here you go

....


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## HenryPenfold

beyond your kenIf something is *beyond your ken, you do not know about it or understand it. The quirks of the antiques business werebeyond his ken. The scientific subject matter is beyond the ken of the average person. Note: `Ken' here means the fullrange of someone's knowledge or understanding. The Scottish verb `ken' means `know'.*
*See also: beyond, ken*
*Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012*
*beyond your ken** outside your range of knowledge or understanding.See also: beyond, ken
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
*


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## HenryPenfold




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## SanAntone

HenryPenfold said:


> I listened to this CD on Qobuz and was very impressed, especially Musica Callada Book 4. Very much put me in mind of Satie's 'Le Fils des Etoiles'.
> 
> ______________________________________________________________
> 
> I found this on Amazon, second hand very cheap so I snapped it up ....


I am glad you enjoyed the Mompou. There is a Satie relationship.

That Stephen Hough recording ought to be very good.


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## ArtMusic

Mozart, Haydn piano sonatas on a fortepiano.


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## Animal the Drummer

Staggered by the lack of love for Chopin here. While there's a great deal of piano/keyboard music by others that I'd hate to be without, for 60 years plus no piano music has meant more to me - as both listener and player - than Chopin's.


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## Kiki

Ravel for the ice-cold beauty of precision, e.g. Gaspard de la nuit, Miroirs.

Chopin for the touching and inspiring humanity, e.g. Polonaises, Ballades.

The only piano piece of Messiaen that I'm familiar with is Catalogue d'oiseaux. I like it very much. There's something that sucks you in!

Nice to see Satie mentioned. No Poulenc? I like both. Genial and elegant in a good way.


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## Malx

I would add Janacek and Bartok.

On the subject of Mussorgsky's Pictures - I'd suggest sampling Pletnev for a Russian take in more modern sound, Kissin is not too shabby either, the Richter mentioned earlier is a classic but the sound isn't great. One I personally like is Steven Osborne's on Hyperion (a bit harder to sample) which is coupled with some pleasing Prokofiev.


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## Art Rock

Not my favourite genre, but here we go:

Bach
Beethoven
Schubert
Mendelssohn
Chopin
Grieg
Mussorgsky
Debussy
Ravel
Shostakovich


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## HenryPenfold

Eclectic Al said:


> Too much to list!
> I wouldn't want not to pick out late Brahms though, as something particularly special.


Ah yes, late Brahms - I'd overlooked that :tiphat:


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## HenryPenfold

Art Rock said:


> Not my favourite genre, but here we go:
> 
> Bach
> Beethoven
> Schubert
> Mendelssohn
> Chopin
> Grieg
> Mussorgsky
> Debussy
> Ravel
> *Shostakovich*


What's interesting for me, is that some composers whose orchestral and string quartet writing I adore, such as Schoenberg and DSCH, their solo piano music does littler for me. Sadly, I must include Beethoven and Mozart in this ......


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## HenryPenfold

Prodromides said:


> Does HenryPenfold watch too much BBC?


Henry gave up his BBC TV Licence around 7 years ago and regards the BBC as a perfidious culture bending purveyor of fake news .....


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## Art Rock

I have the same with Brahms - love his symphonies, concertos, requiem and especially most of his chamber works, but I cannot get into his piano works.


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## HenryPenfold

Art Rock said:


> I have the same with Brahms - love his symphonies, concertos, requiem and especially most of his chamber works, but I cannot get into his piano works.


I particularly like Brahm's late piano works and of course I should have said LvB's Hanmmerklavier and a a couple of other late sonatas


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## Dirge

The biggest chunk of my solo piano listening time is spent on works from around and about the time of The Great War … from five or ten years before to five or ten years after. Here's a sampling of some relatively brief favorites (most under 10 minutes, nothing much over 15 minutes) from that period …

Charles IVES: _Three-Page Sonata_ (1905)
:: Trythall [Centaur '92/'95]





Arnold SCHOENBERG: Drei Klavierstücke, Op. 11 (1909)
:: Arrau [BBC, live '59]





Leos JANACEK: _In the Mists_ (1912)
:: Firkusny [Columbia '53]





Alexander SCRIABIN: _Vers la flamme_, Op. 72 (1914)
:: Horowitz [Columbia '72]





Zoltán KODÁLY: "Epitaph" from Seven Pieces for Piano, Op. 11 (1910-18)
:: Sándor [Vox Candide '74]





Béla BARTÓK: 3 Studies (1918)
:: Lowenthal [Pro Piano '96]





Charles T. GRIFFES: Piano Sonata (1918/rev. 19)
:: Masselos [M-G-M/Naxos Classical Archives '57]





Karol SZYMANOWSKI: Mazurkas, Op. 50 Nos 1-4 (1924-26)
:: Rubinstein [RCA, live '61]





Aaron COPLAND: Piano Variations (1930)
:: Blackwood [Cedille '94-'96]


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## HenryPenfold

Dirge said:


> The biggest chunk of my solo piano listening time is spent on works from around and about the time of The Great War … from five or ten years before to five or ten years after. Here's a sampling of some relatively brief favorites (most under 10 minutes, nothing much over 15 minutes) from that period …
> 
> Charles IVES: _Three-Page Sonata_ (1905)
> :: Trythall [Centaur '92/'95]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Arnold SCHOENBERG: Drei Klavierstücke, Op. 11 (1909)
> :: Arrau [BBC, live '59]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Leos JANACEK: _In the Mists_ (1912)
> :: Firkusny [Columbia '53]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Alexander SCRIABIN: _Vers la flamme_, Op. 72 (1914)
> :: Horowitz [Columbia '72]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Zoltán KODÁLY: "Epitaph" from Seven Pieces for Piano, Op. 11 (1910-18)
> :: Sándor [Vox Candide '74]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Béla BARTÓK: 3 Studies (1918)
> :: Lowenthal [Pro Piano '96]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Charles T. GRIFFES: Piano Sonata (1918/rev. 19)
> :: Masselos [M-G-M/Naxos Classical Archives '57]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Karol SZYMANOWSKI: Mazurkas, Op. 50 Nos 1-4 (1924-26)
> :: Rubinstein [RCA, live '61]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Aaron COPLAND: Piano Variations (1930)
> :: Blackwood [Cedille '94-'96]


Fascinating that those works all come from that period. One composer whose piano music I enjoy, but have not so far mentioned is John Ireland - many of his best solo piano works coming from the period you identify.


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## joen_cph

Liszt - _La Lugubre Gondola I-II_
Satie - _Le Yachting_
Ravel - _Une Barque sur l'Ocean_
Debussy - _Voiles, En Bateau_
Tausig - _The Ghost Ship_
Schierbeck - _Southwester, sweater and shag_
Mendelssohn - _Gondoliera Veneziana_
Poulenc - _En Bateau_

On a more serious note, some that weren't mentioned, or much mentioned: '

- *Feinberg*'s _piano sonatas._ If one is into Scriabin or Roslavets, they're in that style. Magnificent.
- *Nielsen*'s piano works. Have come to appreciate basically all of them. The _Chaconne_ might be a good start.
- *Janacek*'s ditto, remains so fresh no matter how much one listens.
- *William Baines* - often very atmospheric, in spite of the composer being young. Such as _Tides._
- *Skalkottas* - including for example _4 Etudes _and _32 Piano Pieces._ Very innovative.

Early music:

*CPE Bach*- Sonatas etc./Pletnev
*Benda* - Sonatas /Pirricone 
*Gibbons *- Fantasias etc. /Pienaar


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## Coach G

Animal the Drummer said:


> Staggered by the lack of love for Chopin here. While there's a great deal of piano/keyboard music by others that I'd hate to be without, for 60 years plus no piano music has meant more to me - as both listener and player - than Chopin's.


Yeah, where is Chopin? Perhaps Chopin's a bit to cloying and pretty to make the cut; the greatest piano genius for the casual classical listener but not for those who know better. Prokofiev, who I guess was an accomplished pianist as well as composer thought so. In his typical smart-aleck way, a young Prokofiev, still a student in old Russia, refused to include Chopin in a recital much to the annoyance of his sad, old, Russian masters. And Prokofiev quipped, "We'll do very well without Chopin."

The first time I heard a Chopin _Nocturne_ was on a Liberace record, and a rare occasion where Liberace plays a piece of classical music without the embellishments or as Liberace himself would say "cutting out the boring parts." I was quite impressed and I still think those _Nocturnes_ are quite masterful, mysterious, and even though they are the very essence of the High Romantic spirit, very pretty and cloying; there's also just a hint of Debussy in there. Perhaps it's just a tiny glimpse of the Early Modern, mood as much as melody. I have a the complete Chopin _Nocturnes_ on a CD by Claudio Arrau, and Arrau's classy and elegant touch makes it the kind of recording that goes well at night, maybe with a candlelight dinner, or for sitting in front of the fireplace with a cup of coffee. Chopin is still not a favorite with me though as I don't enjoy a steady diet of Chopin, and am quite satisfied with the Chopin recordings I already own which I can probably count on no more than both hands, and maybe just one hand, and it's hard to say why.


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## HenryPenfold

*Giacinto Scelsi* (1905 - 1988)
Piano Sonata No.3 (1939) - Elisabeth Klein, Piano


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## HenryPenfold

Animal the Drummer said:


> Staggered by the lack of love for Chopin here. While there's a great deal of piano/keyboard music by others that I'd hate to be without, for 60 years plus no piano music has meant more to me - as both listener and player - than Chopin's.


Gosh yes!

I adore his Nocturnes, but completely forgot about them (was listening to my beloved Idil Biret/Naxos CDs only last week).


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## Allegro Con Brio

The mention of Ireland piques my interest. It seems as if solo piano music is a blind spot for most British composers. All the big names - Elgar, RVW, Bax, Walton, Britten - seemed to have little to no interest in the genre (unless we go back to Byrd and Purcell). Any recommendations for British piano music?

Edit: I forgot about Frank Bridge’s piano sonata; that’s a great one.


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## joen_cph

Bax wrote a good deal, including sonatas.

Frank Bridge, William Baines come mind.





'


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## Kjetil Heggelund

I like all the famous guys, especially Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Grieg. Since I'm a guitarplayer I like Albeniz & Granados. More modern music I like is Messiaen, but don't remember listening to much solo piano music by contemporary composers. I like John Cage. I'm maybe a bit easy to impress. Hey, forgot my favorites Mozart and Bach...


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## HenryPenfold

Allegro Con Brio said:


> The mention of Ireland piques my interest. It seems as if solo piano music is a blind spot for most British composers. All the big names - Elgar, RVW, Bax, Walton, Britten - seemed to have little to no interest in the genre (unless we go back to Byrd and Purcell). Any recommendations for British piano music?


Ireland
Bax
Simpson
Rubbra
Maxwell Davies
Tippett
Sorabji
Moeran
Berkeley
Nyman
Rawsthorne


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## joen_cph

Kjetil Heggelund said:


> I like all the famous guys, especially Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Grieg. Since I'm a guitarplayer I like Albeniz & Granados. More modern music I like is Messiaen, but don't remember listening to much* solo piano music by contemporary composers.* I like John Cage. I'm maybe a bit easy to impress. Hey, forgot my favorites Mozart and Bach...


*Lubos Fiser, *Sonata 4 (Scriabin-inspired)






*Murail*, Territoires de l'Oubli






*Gubaidulina*, Chaconne /Rauchs


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## Allegro Con Brio

^That Gubaidulina Chaconne is awesome! Thanks for posting that. 

More recent piano music (post-1960-ish) that I love comes from Dutilleux, Ligeti, Takemitsu, Rzewski, Ginastera, Messiaen. But I don’t think I’ve hardly scratched the surface of what’s out there.


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## Botschaft




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## Pat Fairlea

An hour of Mompou played by Stephen Hough was very much the high point of today.


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## Barbebleu

Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart and Shostakovich.


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## gregorx

Thanks for the heads up on Mompou. Listened to an hour or so last night and I'm looking for a CD to buy. Debussy, Ravel, Satie, Szymanowski. Also Janacek and Medtner. I have in my collection Takemitsu's Complete Solo Piano Works played beautifully by Noriko Ogawa. Fantastic, but only one disc. He must have written more than that.


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## joen_cph

I think you can basically have all Takemitsu's in one disc, maybe with a little more on a second disc. But the piece Corona seems often to be omitted, for example. Les Yeux Clos can have some variety in the playing, among others.


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## Iota

Allegro Con Brio said:


> ^That Gubaidulina Chaconne is awesome! Thanks for posting that.


+1

Adding necessary characters.


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## gregorx

Another guy I forgot to mention is Wellesz. He kind of gets lost in the shuffle with his more famous colleagues. Great piano, great SQ's.


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## consuono

I really like Debussy, Satie, later Liszt and late Brahms.


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## consuono

Botschaft said:


>


That's really an interesting sound, closer to the modern grand than it is to the fortepiano of Mozart that was a subject of contention in another thread. I looked up other movements of the work performed by Brautigam, and I have to say I really like it.


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## HenryPenfold

*Nikolai Medtner* - Forgotten Melodies, Op.20 - _30 mins
_Geoffrey Tozer, piano. Chandos


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## Roger Knox

The Piano Music of William Albright (includes Five Chromatic Dances) - Thomas Warburton
John Ireland's piano music - Eric Parkin
Jacques Hétu: Variations, Ballade, Piano Sonata -- various recordings
John Corigliano: Etude Fantasy (1976)
J.-G. Ropartz: Nocturnes (especially no. 3)


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## starthrower

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Any recommendations for British piano music?


Bax piano sonatas. I have 1-2 on Naxos and they are quite good. Also the John Ogden CD of Michael Tippett's sonatas 1-2, and piano concerto. Paul Crossley recorded all four sonatas.


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## starthrower

gregorx said:


> Another guy I forgot to mention is Wellesz. He kind of gets lost in the shuffle with his more famous colleagues. Great piano, great SQ's.


I have the 3 disc set on Capriccio. Wellesz played piano his entire life so he knew the instrument well. It's a fine collection of music that deserves some attention.


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## starthrower

HenryPenfold said:


> What's interesting for me, is that some composers whose orchestral and string quartet writing I adore, such as Schoenberg and DSCH, their solo piano music does littler for me. Sadly, I must include Beethoven and Mozart in this ......


How about the sonatas of Berg, and Dutilleux?


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## EnescuCvartet

Another vote for Mompou. I have two sets of his complete works for solo piano, both spanning 5xLP's. The set I favor the most is Mompou interpreting Mompou. Ditto my Rachmaninoff.

I think the early Brahms solo piano works are perfectly charming and get a bad rap in these parts. At the very least, they were a way into Brahms for me and helped me find composers other than Beethoven, Bach and Chopin early in my listening career. 

I really like the piano sonatas of Carl Maria von Weber, especially as played by Hamish Milne. I have several interpretations of them but the Milne really brings out the magic in them like none other I've heard.

My favorites haven't changed much since my early days. I still fancy Beethoven, Bach and Chopin, I've just added to them. Chiefly Schubert and Scriabin. There are far too many to go on, and I will feel remiss if I stop now, but that's a typical feeling.


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## SONNET CLV

I remain fascinated by the Liszt Sonata in B Minor. That Liszt fellow must have known something about piano playing, eh?















And too that Richter fellow. He's no slouch.

Also, the Brahms Klavierstücke, Op.118 enchant me, especially the Intermezzo in A Major (and especially in the Hélène Grimaud performance on the Denon CD ‎cat# CO-79782).









In another hundred years of so of practice, I ought to be able to play these pieces convincingly -- or die trying.


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## WNvXXT

Dirge said:


> Leos JANACEK: _In the Mists_ (1912)
> :: Firkusny [Columbia '53]


Thanks - going to check this one out.

Here's one:

Franz Schubert - Impromptu D.935, Op. posth. 142 - No. 2
:: Maria João Pires


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## Roger Knox

Florent Schmitt -- piano music, a recent discovery 
Reger -- Dreaming at the Fireside, op. 143 (12 pieces, very expressive)
Koechlin -- Preludes et marines


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## HenryPenfold

starthrower said:


> How about the sonatas of Berg, and Dutilleux?


I enjoy all Dutilleux, but I'm not sure about Berg, I haven't listened to his solo piano music in a while. I listened to the chamber concerto today, which the piano features in and I really enjoyed it


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## golfer72

Brahms Suk Rachmaninov Shostakovich Ravel Beethoven Shubert Bax


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## HenryPenfold

Arrived in the post a couple of days ago. Wonderful music. As is often said, his music is like a blend of Satie and Faure.

(I need to listen to more Faure solo piano music)

Currently listening to ........

_Cants Mágics _(1920) - _ 9 mins 36 secs_


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## Mark Dee

Let's just say Einaudi would sink my dinghy....


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## HenryPenfold

Have been surfing on Qobuz listening to solo piano music by Gabriel Faure and came across the Belgian pianist, Jean-Philippe Collard. Having listened to the first two Barcarolles, I felt compelled to investigate further. I found this 4 CD set on Amazon Prime UK for £11.23 and decided to snap it up. It arrives Sunday, along with a bottle of Johnny Walker Black!


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## Phil loves classical

Listened to this recently, and thought WOW! I think it's my favourite piece of piano music long or short.


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## WNvXXT

SanAntone said:


> Mompou


Thanks - going to check out:


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## chu42

I've listened to just about every solo work under the sun, but Schumann remains my favorite composer for the piano.


----------



## Josquin13

The solo keyboard works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, Faure, Satie, & Shostakovich, and occasionally Scriabin & Bartok all "float my boat". In addition, I listen avidly to the keyboard works of Handel, Domenico Scarlatti, & J.S. Bach played on a piano, when I'm not in the mood to hear a harpsichord.

However, since those are all major composers and most seasoned listeners will be acquainted with them, I'd rather focus on a variety of solo piano works that are more or less off the beaten path, which have become enthusiasms of mine in recent years (though some go back further):

1. I'm not surprised that the Catalan composer Federico Mompou has been mentioned, and specifically the Book 4 of his Musica Callada, or "Silent Music", which was inspired by the poetry of St. John of the Cross. The partial recording by Alicia de Larrocha is exceptional, I agree. She was a friend of the composer's, & he dedicated Book 4 to her. (Though I wish she'd recorded the other three books, and probably didn't do so out of deference to Mompou, who had recorded the Musica Callada himself.) Mompou also named his "Preludio VII a Alicia de Larrocha" after her: 



. De Larrocha used to play the Prelude as an encore: which was how I first encountered Mompou's music, at one of her recitals in New York City (& for me, it was the highlight of the concert).

It's also essential to hear Mompou's own recordings of the complete Musica Callada, along with the rest of his solo piano works: which he recorded in their entirety. In addition to the Mompou & De Larrocha recordings, I'd also recommend Rosa Sabater's recording of the 6 Impresiones intimas: 



. (I don't know if Sabater ever recorded the Musica Callada, does anyone know?) Sabater, Mompou, & De Larrocha all played the 6 Impresiones intimas exceptionally well. De Larrocha actually recorded it twice, early in her career among her very first recordings in Spain (now available on both Eloquence & in DG's "The Liszt Legacy" box set), and secondly, digitally, for Decca, on the same recording as her Musica Callada, Book 4: 



. The same three played Mompou's Cançons i danses (or Songs & dances) exceptionally well, too, and I'd recommend their recordings. Here's a link to Sabater's Cançons i danses: 



, and to De Larrocha's (released on both RCA & Newton): 



.

https://www.amazon.com/Cancons-I-Da...ds=rosa+sabater&qid=1616003643&s=music&sr=1-2
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FQPB7PR/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp
https://www.amazon.com/First-Record...rocha+eloquence&qid=1616003591&s=music&sr=1-2
https://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Song...+mompou&qid=1616003376&s=music&sr=1-1-catcorr

Among digital era surveys, the Catalan pianists Adolf Pla and Josep Colom have both specialized in Mompou's music. Their sets of the complete solo piano works are available on individual CDs or together in a set. Pla's set was sponsored by the Fundació Federico Mompou, & is highly regarded. He is also an authority on Mompou and has written a valuable book entitled "Mompou, el eterno recomenzar": or in English, "Mompou, the eternal restart".

--Pla: 
https://www.amazon.com/Mompou-Complete-Adolf-Pla-Frederic/dp/B00FR0M7E0
https://www.adolfpla.com/book-cd-mompou
Here's an interview with Pla: https://www.factsandarts.com/music-...mpositions-find-their-place-todays-repertoire





--Colom:
https://www.amazon.com/Mompou-Complete-Piano-Works-Josep/dp/B00005JHH5





There's also a complete survey on Naxos from pianist Jordi Masó that I've not heard.

In addition, the pianist Marcel Worms has made several excellent Mompou recordings, including an especially valuable addition to the Mompou catalogue of the composer's 'unpublished' piano works: 



.

If you're looking to hear or sample even more versions of Musica Callada, there's also a good, if slightly less idiomatic recording on the Steinway & Sons label, played by Jenny Lin, which comes in audiophile sound: 



. & for a slightly more modern take on Mompou, Herbert Henck has recorded the Musica Callada on ECM: https://www.amazon.com/Mompou-Músic.../ref=tmm_msc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=. One of Colom's former students, Javier Perianes has also recorded the Musica Callada for Harmonia Mundi: 



.

Lastly, I'd also recommend the Mompou playing of Luis Fernando Pérez, on Mirare: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074KJ4XR3/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp.

But, best of all, IMO, are Mompou's own solo piano recordings (then De Larrocha), which were originally released by the Spanish label, Ensayo, and have since been reissued in a 4 CD box set by Brilliant Classics as a discount set (presently it's $17.51 "new" on Amazon US, which is a fantastic bargain). I'd strongly recommend this set (unless you want digital sound), especially since once it goes out of print it's likely to get pricey and hard to find, I'd imagine:





https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Pia...RVRRB826BVB&psc=1&refRID=3HWPEZK29RVRRB826BVB

2. Speaking of Rosa Sabater, I wish that her 1967 Spanish Decca recording of Isaac Albeniz's Iberia would finally get issued on CD!! (for the first time). She is one of the most unjustly neglected pianists of the latter half of the 20th century. Next to Rafael Orozco's Iberia, Sabater's is my other favorite version, & they compliment each other well. I even prefer Sabater's Iberia to De Larrocha's two accounts. (By the way, she & De Larrocha both studied with Enrique Granados' student Frank Marshall, so they're worth hearing in Granados' music, as well.)

Rosa Sabater, Iberia:





Rafael Orozco, Iberia: 




3. Another work that I admire is Frances Poulenc's Melancolie. Pascal Roge and Gabriel Tacchino play it very well. I sometimes find Poulenc's piano music derivative of Satie (& in a bad way, since he can be influenced by Satie's piano works for the French music hall where he worked, which I dislike, and so did Satie looking back...), but this work by Poulenc is hauntingly beautiful:

Roge (digital): 



Tacchino (analogue, for EMI): 



Tacchino (digital, recently, a new recording, on Erato): 




4. I also think highly of Serge Prokofiev's 9 Piano Sonatas & Visions Fugitives, which I'd consider to be very underrated piano music. The Piano Sonatas no. 8 & 9 are essential listening (as are Nos. 2, 6, & 7). Both Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter made benchmark recordings of the 8th Sonata, while Prokofiev dedicated his 9th Piano Sonata to Richter, & any of Richter's several recordings are worth hearing.

--Richter, Piano Sonata no. 8: 



--Gilels, Piano Sonata no. 8: 



--Richter, Piano Sonata no. 9, the allegretto movement, live--this may be my favorite of Richter's several recordings of the 9th. It's a work that he grew to like and enjoy playing more over the years than he did initially when Prokofiev first dedicated the sonata to him: 




I've also like Matti Raekallio and Nikolai Petrov in the 9th Sonata (both of whom recorded excellent sets of the complete Piano Sonatas 1-9): 



, and Tatiana Nikolayeva, Elisso Wirsaladze, Lazar Berman, & Andre Gavrilov in the 8th. Pianist Boris Berman's survey of Prokofiev's complete solo piano works for Chandos is invaluable, too, as is his book on the subject:https://www.amazon.com/Prokofievs-P...erman+prokofiev&qid=1616618435&s=books&sr=1-1. There are other pianists that I may ultimately prefer in Prokofiev, but Berman's Visions Fugitives are remarkable: 



, plus, he's recorded all of the more obscure piano works that seldom (if ever) get done: Such as Prokofiev's "Tales of the Old Grandmother", Op. 31: 



. I also like Raekallio's Visions Fugitives very much. He's a bit more mercurial than Berman and has a more stunning technique, with very fast hands, like a young Richter: 



. And, of course, the incomplete Visions Fugitives that Gilels and Richter recorded are essential, too.

If pressed to name other pianists that I've enjoyed in this repertory, Ivo Janssen, Vladimir Ovchinnikov, and Anne-Marie McDermott come to mind, & particularly Jansen--though both McDermott and Ovchinnikov have recorded complete sets of the Piano Sonatas 1-9 (unlike Jansen). Barbara Nissman likewise recorded a fine set of the complete piano sonatas. Nor would I want to be without Ivo Pogorelich's recording of Piano Sonata no. 6 (coupled with a phenomenal Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit), or Maurizio Pollini, Vladimir Horowitz, Alexander Toradze, and Glenn Gould in the Piano Sonata no. 7. However, it all starts with the great Soviet era pianists that knew the composer and lived through those harrowing times: especially Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, & Tatiana Nikolayeva (who, btw, recorded her own transcription of Peter & the Wolf).

--Nikolayeva, no. 8: 



--Jansen, nos. 6, 7, 8: 



--Raekallio, complete 1-9: 




I remember hearing a radio program years ago, where the presenter compared, in a blind test, three different pianists playing the Precipitato movement of Prokofiev's Piano Sonata no. 7. She chose Glenn Gould, Vladimir Horowitz, and I can't remember the third, but it might have been Richter... It made for a fun comparison:

--Toradze, playing the 3rd movement of No. 7, live in concert (not his EMI recording): 



.
--Pollini, the same: 



--Gould, the same: 



--Horowitz, the same: 




After Debussy & Ravel, for me, Prokofiev is the next greatest composer of keyboard works in the 20th century.

5. I also admire a number of the Scandinavian composers' solo piano works. For example, I've particularly enjoyed the following album of piano works by the Finnish composer Joonas Kokkonen, played by pianist Janne Mertanen, on the Alba label--which offers 1st rate audiophile sound engineering (it almost sounds like the piano is in the room with you):

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8033902--joonas-kokkonen-piano-works. 
https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Works-...ds=janne+mertanen+piano&qid=1616006946&sr=8-4

Kokkonen's "Pielavesi Suite" is an underrated work, in my estimation, & it surprises me that it doesn't get played in the concert halls (or recorded) more often.

Vagn Holmboe's solo piano music can be interesting, too (but maybe not quite as much so), here played by pianist Anker Blume: 



.

Glenn Gould's recording of Fartein Valen's Piano Sonata no. 2, Op 38, is worth hearing, too. As you'll hear in Gould's spoken introduction to the piece, he thought highly of Valen's music. A friend of mine had introduced Gould to Valen's music when Gould was looking for a coupling to go with his Columbia recording of Grieg's Piano Sonata, and after playing through the score of Valen's Piano Sonata no. 2, Gould was astonished at both the quality of the music and that he'd never heard of Valen before!: 



.

In addition, pianist Katrina Korte has recorded a fine CD of selected piano works by three Finish composers--Jean Sibelius, Paavo Heininen, and Harri Vuori: https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...ius-piano-pieces-vuori-beyond-night-and-frost. This CD served as my introduction to Vuori's music, via his solo piano work, "Ylapuolla yon ja hallan" (or Beyond Night and Frost). It's a fascinating contemporary work. Korte has also recorded Vuori's "The Moon in three windows"--which can be heard on You Tube:

--Harri Vuori: The Moon in three windows:













Heininen's "Runoilijan soitteita", or "The Poet's Tunes", op. 55 (in three movements), was also new to me, and likewise increased my interest in Heininen's music.

The recordings by pianist Liisa Pohjola in the Scandinavian repertory are worth exploring, as well, such as her playing of Aarre Merikanto's Six Piano Pieces, Op. 20: 



, and Usko Meriläinen's Piano Sonata no. 2:

https://www.amazon.com/Liisa-Pohjola-Selected-Recordings-1969-2004/dp/B00E3SJJXE

I can't find Pohjola's Meriläinen Sonata recording on You Tube, but pianist Jaana Karkkainen has also recorded it, if you have Amazon prime: https://www.amazon.com/Merilainen-Piano-Sonatas-Nos-Papillons/dp/B00EUEZGZ6

In addition to his Kokkonen CD, Janne Mertanen has also recorded the piano works of Heino Kaski, on a CD entitled "Yö meren rannalla" (Night by the sea--it's Kaski's Op. 34, no. 1): 



 and an exceptional Sibelius recording for Sony: 



). (Pianist Risto Lauriala has likewise recorded "Yö meren rannalla", if you wish to compare them: 



.)

While pianist Leif Ove Andsnes has recorded Bent Sørensen's fascinating "The Shadows of Silence" for EMI: 



.

Lastly, Leevi Madetoja's "Kehtolaulu", Op. 12, No. 5, (or Lullaby) is worth hearing, too. It's part of Madetoja's 6 Piano Pieces, Op. 12. Here it is played by Risto Lauriala: 



.

6. Like others, I'd also recommend Leos Janacek's "In the Mist" and "On an Overgrown Path". Three Czech pianists are very special in this repertory (yet offer such different interpretations): Rudolf Firkusny, Josef Palincek, and Ivan Moravec. It may surprise people, but my favorite of the three is the lesser known Palincek.

--Firkusny, Into the Mist: 



--Palincek, Into the Mist:



--Moravec, Into the Mist: 




--Palincek, On an overgrown path, series 1: 




7. Orlando Gibbons: keyboard works, played on a piano. Gibbons was Glenn Gould's favorite composer. He considered Gibbons to be the last vestige of a noble spiritual tradition that began anonymously in the Middle Ages, and ended with Gibbons. According to Gould, after that, music went into decline. Pianist Daniel Ben-Pienaar has recorded the complete keyboard works by Gibbons:





https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7958051--orlando-gibbons-complete-keyboard-works.

Here is Gould playing keyboard works by both Gibbons and William Bryd, who I'd likewise claim to be one of the great keyboard composers of the Renaissance (though of course neither Gibbons or Bryd composed for the piano, but then neither did Bach, Handel, or Scarlatti... and btw, I prefer Gould's playing of Gibbons to Ben-Pienaar's, as I believe you can hear how deeply Gould loved this music in the high quality of his playing): 



. A good case can be made for Gibbons and Byrd being the two most underrated keyboard composers in music history, IMO.

8. Being a huge fan of Claude Debussy's music, I've recently bought & enjoyed a new Naxos recording of solo piano (& chamber) works that were composed in elegy or homage to him: by Bartok, Dukas, Falla, Goosens, Malipiero, Ravel, Roussel, Satie, Schmitt, & Stravinsky: who all took part in a joint artistic project entitled, "Le tombeau de Claude Debussy", as a musical tribute to Debussy after his death. The pianist on the recording is Tomer Lev, who is new to me, & he's an excellent pianist: 



.

https://www.amazon.com/tombeau-Clau.../ref=tmm_msc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

9. I've also particularly enjoyed the solo piano works of Henri Dutilleux. Anne Queffelec has recorded a superb survey on Virgin of Dutilleux complete works: 



. However, the recordings by Dutilleux's wife, the pianist Genevieve Joy--for whom he composed his 1958 Piano Sonata, for example--are essential listening (and may be even better): 




10. In recent years, I've also become a fan of the solo piano music of French composer, Charles Koechlin. His "Paysages et Marines" and "Les Heures Persanes" (The Persian Hours) are especially worth hearing. There have been a bunch of excellent recordings, but the complete digital survey by Michael Korstick on Hanssler is exceptionally fine & well recorded. From the analogue era, Christoph Keller's recordings are excellent too, on the Accord label (but may be harder to find nowadays, especially the box set, which also includes several excellent, essential chamber music recordings: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Jun06/Koechlin_chamber_465894.htm). In addition, Kathryn Stott has made a fine recording of Koechlin's "Les Heures Persanes" on Chandos. (Btw, at the end of his life, in 1949, Koechlin arranged his 1917 piano work, "Paysage et Marines" into a remarkable chamber piece, & IMO, it's one of the most underrated chamber works of the late French 'impressionist' period. The Ensemble Zurich/Keller recording is the one to hear, IMO--of only two so far recorded: 



.)

Korstick, Paysages et Marines (partial, nos. 1 & 2): 









Korstick, Les Heures persanes (partial): 





Stott, Les Heures Persanes (partial): 





To be finished at a later time, in a second post (since this one is getting rather lengthy).


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## HenryPenfold

Josquin13, thank you so much for such an interesting, erudite post. I enjoyed my first read - but I'll need to come back to it often to get my head around everything, and you say that's just part 1 :tiphat:

P.S. I'm always cheered when Alicia Delarocha gets praised. She was the first pianist I 'stumbled' across many years ago.


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## Josquin13

Henry,

It was my pleasure (I'm a pianophile). I promise part 2 will be shorter... I didn't mean for you to explore the above post all at once--which may be overload, but rather over time, at your leisure.

I'm pleased to hear that you're a fan of Alicia de Larrocha! So am I. & I don't think she gets enough recognition around these parts, especially for her beautiful phrasing & ornamentation in Mozart & Haydn, along with her Handel, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Ravel, & Scarlatti, not to mention her playing of the Spanish repertory (for which she does get more recognized). I used to live across the hall from her in NYC for many years (when she wasn't residing in Spain), and would try not to stare at her fingers on the elevator. I couldn't believe how tiny they were. How did she manage to play Liszt? Of course, I'd occasionally stand in the hall and listen to her practice, and at other times, I found that if she left her bathroom door open, I could press my head closely against my shower tile and hear her play (without the fear of getting caught). One day, on the elevator, we were chatting, and she suddenly asked me, with a look of concern on her face, "I hope my playing does not bother you?" To which I replied, "As far as I'm concerned, you can move your piano into my living room." She laughed.

I did catch her once standing outside in the hallway listening to a recording that I was playing on my stereo of Prokofiev's Piano Sonata no. 9. It was Matti Raekallio's recording, which was new at the time. Towards the beginning of sonata, I heard her return & as was her custom, she set down her groceries to get her door keys out, with the usual jingling of keys. However, this time, I didn't hear her open or close her front door. I continued to listen to Raekallio's Prokofiev, and when the music was over, I suddenly heard the jingling of de Larrocha's keys again, but this time, the front door actually opened and closed. So, evidently, she'd been standing out in the hallway all that time! listening to Raekallio play Prokofiev's 9th with great interest. 

It probably wasn't a sonata that she knew or knew well, or a repertory that she'd considered playing herself, due to her small fingers.


----------



## Allegro Con Brio

That's an awesome anecdote, Josquin! De Laroccha has a very beautiful, natural way of playing that I find quite appealing. There's a Schubert D960 from her that I think is fairly obscure, but which just sounds so ineffably _right_. And of course her Albeniz and Granados are so engaging and colorful. A similar pianist that I love is Maria Joao Pires - like De Laroccha, she adds lots of fascinating touches but all of her musical decisions sound totally inarguable; she has some truly superior Mozart, Schumann, and Chopin.


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## HenryPenfold

Josquin13, I must echo Allegro Con Brio's comment on your Delarocha anecdote. What a thing to live across the corridor to her!!

I must say that amongst the technical mastery, there is something utterly beautiful in her playing that can't quite be put into words.


----------



## Josquin13

Henry writes, "I must say that amongst the technical mastery, there is something utterly beautiful in her playing that can't quite be put into words."

Yes, I agree. In Mozart, I find her phrasing to be more beautiful and engaging than most other pianists. These two recordings go with me to my desert island:

https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano...larrocha+mozart+vol+.+5&qid=1616640324&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sonat...a+de+larrocha+eloquence&qid=1616640370&sr=8-3

I also forgot to mention her Bach, which is likewise very beautifully played & special: https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Piano-W...h+de+larrocha+eloquence&qid=1616641810&sr=8-1

Allegro Con Brio,

I completely agree with you on Maria João Pires. She's another favorite 'digital era' pianist of mine. I particularly like her Mozart (on Denon & DG), her Bach, her beautiful Chopin Nocturnes, and her Schumann (on DG & Erato), which you likewise mention favorably. But I also love her Schubert. Unlike many pianists, she's not afraid to bring out some of the darker, more uncomfortable elements in Schubert's piano music; which after listening to Pires, you have to admit are there. By the way, just yesterday I bought a hand signed CD by Pires of her Schubert Moments Musicaux on DG, which I'm going to have framed & put on my wall. I wish she hadn't retired because I never had the chance to hear her play a solo recital, though I did once hear her play a Mozart Piano Concerto live, & for that I am grateful. But I guess it was time.

No, I haven't heard De Larrocha's Schubert D. 960, but would like to. I think it's been reissued as part of the Eloquence De Larrocha series, which is terrific, btw, though it seems to be going out of print lately. However, I see that her Schubert Eloquence disc is still available on Amazon, so I'll have to try to pick it up: https://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Son...e+larrocha+schubert+960&qid=1616641098&sr=8-1. I can't justify buying her big Decca box set, because I already own so much of it, & it has gotten pricey, recently. But it looks wonderful.


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## chu42

HenryPenfold said:


> Josquin13, thank you so much for such an interesting, erudite post. I enjoyed my first read - but I'll need to come back to it often to get my head around everything, and you say that's just part 1 :tiphat:
> 
> P.S. I'm always cheered when Alicia Delarocha gets praised. She was the first pianist I 'stumbled' across many years ago.


I have never heard a better Humoreske:


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## HenryPenfold

Complete Nocturnes & Impromptus, Claudio Arrau, Philips arrived in the post this morning. Currently listening to Impromptus 1-4.

I wish I'd payed more attention to Arrau years ago .....

EDIT: I bought a Philips 'Duo' that includes the impromptus - the CD cover shown here is the earlier release of the Nocturnes, only.


----------



## Pat Fairlea

HenryPenfold said:


> Arrived in the post a couple of days ago. Wonderful music. As is often said, his music is like a blend of Satie and Faure.
> 
> (I need to listen to more Faure solo piano music)
> 
> Currently listening to ........
> 
> _Cants Mágics _(1920) - _ 9 mins 36 secs_


Oh yes, that's a lovely compilation, sensitively played.


----------



## Josquin13

Here are my thoughts on recordings of Robert Schumann's Humoresque:

Yes, Alicia de Larrocha gets underrated in Schumann. Her Humoreske is very fine, I agree, especially if you like a more Bach-like approach to Schumann, which helps to keep the mercurial, episodic nature of Schumann's imagination together, or more unified structurally (always the big challenge for a pianist in this music). I do, at times, since I don't think that Bach was ever far from Schumann's mind (nor should he be in performances). However, sometimes I also like to hear the Humoreske played more dreamily with a stronger sense of introspection, in performances that bring out the more poetic "Eusebius" side of Schumann's character (versus his more passionate, voluble "Florestan" side). But it takes a fierce concentration for a pianist to pull that off, and not have the structure break apart and become flaccid. With that in mind, Deszo Ranki is at the other end of the spectrum in the Humoreske from de Larrocha (& Yves Nat, who takes a similar approach to her), while Richter, de Brunhoff, Gianoli, and Ashkenazy (1972) are somewhere in between (and I love all of these performances!!):

-Alicia de Larrocha: 



-Yves Nat: 




-Deszo Ranki, live in Budapest, 2009: 




-Thierry de Brunhoff: 



-Sviatoslav Richter: 



-Reine Gianoli: 



-Vladimir Ashkenazy : in 1972 on Decca, but not his 1986 Humoreske-which sounds more like a 'sight reading' in comparison to his early Decca recording: 




There's also Vladimir Horowitz's Humoreske recording on RCA, which is good, too, but I think Horowitz was slightly past his prime when he made that recording. IMO, his Schumann is better heard on his earlier Columbia/CBS recordings: for example, his Schumann Kreisleriana, Kinderszenen, and Arabesque for CBS. I'd consider his Columbia Kreisleriana to be among the two or three best recordings I've heard of that work (& it's arguably a first choice):










It's too bad that Clara Haskil never recorded the Humoreske, as she was a great Schumann pianist. Her incredible 1938 Abegg Variations, for example, remains the finest I've ever heard: 



, and her later Abegg recording is very good, too: 



 , as are her Waldenszenen & Kinderszenen for Philips: 



.

Among the more recent digital era recordings of Schumann's Humoreske, the less well known pianist Sylvie Carbonel has stood out to me, as I find her playing sensitive & poetic (Andras Schiff, Paolo Giacometti & Eric Le Sage are also good):

-Carbonel's whole performance is on You Tube, but frustratingly, it's not put in the proper order, and gets all mixed up with movements from her Fantasiestücke--here are two movements:


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## HenryPenfold

I'm halfway through the Deszdo Ranki performance on YouTube. I definitely like this more romantic approach. Tried to find a recording, but nothing seems to be available.


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## Josquin13

HenryPenfold said:


> I'm halfway through the Deszdo Ranki performance on YouTube. I definitely like this more romantic approach. Tried to find a recording, but nothing seems to be available.


It's a problem with Ranki. After his years with Hungaroton, & after Denon stopped promoting the most promising young pianists on the planet (such as Ranki, Schiff, Pires, etc., or did they go out of business?), I'm not sure which label Ranki records for anymore? I regret to say that I've not bought or seen a new Ranki CD recording for many years. Which is both frustrating and sad; one, because he's a great pianist who deserves to be heard, and two, because I'd like to own that 2009 live Humoreske in my Schumann collection (and anything else). Meanwhile, the British classical rags are content to pump inferior performances from the likes of Hewitt, Lupu, and Uchida (which is nothing against those three pianists, who I've liked in other repertory, but not so much in Schumann).


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## HenryPenfold

Josquin13 said:


> It's a problem with Ranki. After his years with Hungaroton, & after Denon stopped promoting the most promising young pianists on the planet (such as Ranki, Schiff, Pires, etc., or did they go out of business?), I'm not sure which label Ranki records for anymore? I regret to say that I've not bought or seen a new Ranki CD recording for many years. Which is both frustrating and sad; one, because he's a great pianist who deserves to be heard, and two, because I'd like to own that 2009 live Humoreske in my Schumann collection (and anything else). Meanwhile, the British classical rags are content to pump inferior performances from the likes of Hewitt, Lupu, and Uchida (which is nothing against those three pianists, who I've liked in other repertory, but not so much in Schumann).


Unfortunately the British music press and the record labels don't look beyond the usual suspects.


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## chu42

Josquin13 said:


> .....
> 
> Among the more recent digital era recordings of Schumann's Humoreske, the less well known pianist Sylvie Carbonel has stood out to me, as I find her playing sensitive & poetic (Andras Schiff, Paolo Giacometti & Eric Le Sage are also good):


An excellent post. I'm particularly glad you mention Eric le Sage, because I've found him to be a wonderfully faithful Schumann interpreter.

His Schumann cycle blows Jorg Demus' out of the water. So does Florian Uhlig, but to a lesser extent.


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## Mandryka

Here's my favourite recording of Humoreske.









You can get it in digital formats, but there's something so wonderful about the collar of his shirt that I couldn't resist.

Here's Volodos


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## Mandryka

HenryPenfold said:


> Unfortunately the British music press and the record labels don't look beyond the usual suspects.


The latest Ranki I have is a recital in Budapest in 2014 with the Chopin preludes.


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## HenryPenfold

*Frederic Chopin *(1810-1849) - Piano Sonata No.3 (1844-5) - _27 mins_
Daniil Trifonov. Decca

A young Trifonov and a late Chopin work. It is when I listen to discs like this one that I realise I am missing out one some of the most incredible piano music by focussing more on later composers .....


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## Malx

All these mentions of Alicia de Larrocha have reminded me of a concert back in 1991 when she played Beethoven's third concerto with the RSNO under Bryden Thomson, I appreciate this is not solo piano music as per thread title but if you can indulge me - I marvelled at the ease with which she played the piece making it sound both monumental and deliciously sweet at turns. Yet she isn't regarded highly as a Beethoven interpreter as far as I know - a wonderful talent.


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## HenryPenfold

*Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji *(born Leon Dudley Sorabji, Chingford Essex, UK) 1892 - 1988

*St. Bertrand de Comminges *(KSS 64) Michael Habermann, Piano, recorded live, Naxos. - _20 mins

_A wonderful piece from this most unusual composer, recorded live on an inexpensive 3 CD Naxos set.


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## chu42

HenryPenfold said:


> *Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji *(born Leon Dudley Sorabji, Chingford Essex, UK) 1892 - 1988
> 
> *St. Bertrand de Comminges *(KSS 64) Michael Habermann, Piano, recorded live, Naxos. - _20 mins
> 
> _A wonderful piece from this most unusual composer, recorded live on an inexpensive 3 CD Naxos set.


If you enjoy Sorabji you must check out Lukas Huisman's channel, who plays everything from Takemitsu to Finnissy with extraordinary sensitivity:


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## HenryPenfold

chu42 said:


> If you enjoy Sorabji you must check out Lukas Huisman's channel, who plays everything from Takemitsu to Finnissy with extraordinary sensitivity:


Thanks, I hadn't realised that there are so many interesting YouTube channels. I think things have got much better over the last few years.


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## Pat Fairlea

I spent a lovely hour this morning listening to Stott playing Faure for solo piano. Lyrical, sometimes harmonically complex, but the complexity never overwhelms the lyricism. Delightful and played with care.


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## cheregi

Really excited to dig through suggestions in this thread!






I love this recording of Fanny Davies, student of Clara Schumann, in 1929 playing Kinderszenen with that characteristically expressive Romantic rubato. And I've found that I don't particularly mind how lo-fi it is either - I think the way early recording technology cuts off instruments' higher overtones actually works much better with piano keys' density/complexity of sound than with other instruments. Or, I may be responding to the fit between the tone of the music and the cliche association of old recorded sound with nostalgia/innocence...


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## Josquin13

chu42 said:


> An excellent post. I'm particularly glad you mention Eric le Sage, because I've found him to be a wonderfully faithful Schumann interpreter.
> 
> His Schumann cycle blows Jorg Demus' out of the water. So does Florian Uhlig, but to a lesser extent.


In addition to winning the international piano competitions at both Porto and Leeds in the 1980s, Eric le Sage also won 1st prize at the Schumann competition at Zwickau in 1989. I try to keep up with the winners of that competition, since they've included some good Schumann pianists in the past, such as Eric Le Sage, Dezso Ranki, Elisso Wirsaladze, & Annerose Schmidt. As for Florian Uhlig, I only know his Ravel recordings. I've been waiting for Hänssler to box his Schumann cycle for a long time. Do you know if he's finished the survey yet? For many years, Jorg Demus and Reine Gianoli were the only complete sets in the catalogue, so if you wanted to hear some of Schumann's most obscure piano works, you had to turn to one of those two pianists. That has certainly changed. (Though I used to generally prefer Gianoli over Demus. By the way, there was also a Schumann survey by Yves Nat, on EMI References, but he only recorded the better known works.)

I just checked for Ranki recordings on Presto Classical, and they offer only one, a reissue of an old Bartok recording. What was even more shocking is that they don't even list Ranki in their "pianists" category, under "R", which is comprised of hundreds of pianists, many of whom I've never even heard of, but no Ranki. (That is strange. I can remember a time when Andras Schiff, Zoltan Kocsis, and Ranki were considered three of the brightest young piano talents on the planet.)


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## chu42

Josquin13 said:


> In addition to winning the international piano competitions at both Porto and Leeds in the 1980s, Eric le Sage also won 1st prize at the Schumann competition at Zwickau in 1989. I try to keep up with the winners of that competition, since they've included some good Schumann pianists in the past, such as Eric Le Sage, Dezso Ranki, Elisso Wirsaladze, & Annerose Schmidt. As for Florian Uhlig, I only know his Ravel recordings. I've been waiting for Hänssler to box his Schumann cycle for a long time. Do you know if he's finished the survey yet? For many years, Jorg Demus and Reine Gianoli were the only complete sets in the catalogue, so if you wanted to hear some of Schumann's most obscure piano works, you had to turn to one of those two pianists. That has certainly changed. (Though I used to generally prefer Gianoli over Demus. By the way, there was also a Schumann survey by Yves Nat, on EMI References, but he only recorded the better known works.)


Uhlig has 9 volumes released so far and seems to be quite close to completing the cycle.

Demus is only listenable in the slower and more introspective works. He simply lacks the technical chops for most of the virtuoso Schumann, which is always much harder than it sounds. His Toccata rendering is...sub-optimal, to say the least.






But to be fair, Yves Nat struggles in the Toccata as well, as well as great many other pianists. It is still one of the riskiest works in the repertoire. Not to mention the ending of the Fantasy 2nd movement, which mostly everyone makes a mess of.



> Though I used to generally prefer Gianoli over Demus.


Reine Gianoli I admire very much. She has exquisite taste and sensitivity.

Another pianist I admire is Klára Würtz, although she is a bit slower in recording her Schumann survey. I think she is only 2 volumes in but what she has done so far is excellent. Particularly her Kreisleriana.

Würtz commands magnificent technical powers-more so than both Demus and Gianoli-while no less lacking in musicianship.


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## Josquin13

I totally agree with you on Würtz's Schumann--those are some of her best recordings to date, and I also especially liked her Kreisleriana. I don't know if she plans to finish the cycle, however. It appears that Brilliant has completed it for her, with other pianists: https://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Com...te+schumann+piano+works&qid=1616819054&sr=8-1. But hopefully she will. I also agree that Demus was at his best in the slower, more introspective works. Thanks for the update on Uhlig's cycle.


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## Josquin13

I just listened to your YT link to Demus playing the Schumann Toccata, as I'd never heard him in this piece before. Yikes, I see what you mean...especially when compared to a young Ivo Pogorelich:


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## Josquin13

Mandryka, is that a young Nikolai Demidenko pictured on your LP cover?

I. MY THOUGHTS ON THE PIANISM OF CLAUDIO ARRAU & HIS 21 CHOPIN NOCTURNES, ETC.:

Claudio Arrau's recording of Chopin Nocturnes 1-21 has long been one of my favorite sets. I remember when I first bought Chopin's Nocturnes on LP at a record shop, debating over whether I should buy Arthur Rubinstein's RCA set in one hand, or Arrau's Philips set in the other. I ended up choosing Arrau's LP set, and it's a decision that I've never regretted. Later on, I did eventually hear Rubinstein's Nocturnes and while they are undeniably beautiful, he takes many liberties with what Chopin asks for, & too many for my tastes, for me to prefer him to Arrau, & a number of other pianists.

Arrau had such a beautiful, distinctive piano timbre, which helps to bring a special, unique quality to his Chopin Nocturnes. & therefore, finding the best remasters is important-in order to fully appreciate Arrau's pianism & special tone (not only for his Chopin Nocturnes, but also in his Debussy, Liszt, & Beethoven, etc.) Anyone that loves Arrau's Nocturnes owes it to themselves to hear these recordings played on the original Philips vinyl LPs (see my You Tube links below), where they still sound best, IMO, & get closest to what Arrau's piano timbre actually sounded like in concert. Otherwise, on CD, the now hard to find & often pricey Heritage remasters are the best that I've heard; although I don't know which remasters were used for the big Arrau Decca box set that came out a several years ago… if they are the Heritage remasters? then that's an ideal set to own, but if they're the old Philips remasters, then I can't get as enthusiastic about the set (though the old Philips remasters are certainly good).

Arrau was known to take greater pains in studying scores than most pianists, so you always get a thoughtful, engaging performance from him. However, as a result, sometimes he does things differently from others, interpretatively, and it may not be the way you're used to hearing a work (especially in some of his Schumann, for instance: 



). Plus, some listeners claim that his playing turned overly slow & ponderous in his later years, but the truth is that Arrau always had a tendency to slow down. It just became more noticeable in his later years, because his technique wasn't as dazzling & nimble as it had once been. However, the extra attention that he gave to scores paid off magnificently in his Chopin Nocturnes, as the pieces actually sound like 'night music' in Arrau's hands. & when combined with his beautiful tone, it's a unique experience. Here are some YT clips of his Nocturnes recorded from the original Philips LP set:









& here's the whole set: which may be recorded from CDs, but, to my ears, they sound like the Heritage remasters: 




By the way, I'd also recommend that you hear Arrau in Beethoven's Piano Concertos 1-5, if you haven't already done so. I prefer his middle cycle (of three) with a young Bernard Haitink & the Concertgebouw Orchestra on Philips (the other two being with Sir Colin Davis in Dresden-when Arrau was past his prime, though never better in the slow movements!, and his first set with Alceo Galliera & the Philharmonia Orchestra, which is technically his best cycle (it comes in the EMI Icon box set), but doesn't offer some of the deeper insights into this music that Arrau brought out in his later cycles with Haitink & Davis. For example, very few pianists enter as faintly or softly on the piano as Arrau does at the beginning of the 2nd movement of the 5th "Emperor "Concerto, and it works beautifully (speaking of music that "floats my boat"!). Here's a YT clip of Arrau playing this movement with Haitink: 



. The movement is a prime example of how Arrau's boyhood training in Berlin with Martin Krause--whose teaching lineage went back to Beethoven through his teacher Liszt (and Liszt's teacher Czerny), influenced how Arrau perceived and played this music in a different way from most other pianists.

Yet Arrau's slow movement with Sir Colin Davis may be even more profoundly beautiful, despite that, in his early 80s, Arrau wasn't quite as nimble in the outer movements as he had been with Haitink & Galliera. Nevertheless, the musical interplay between Arrau and the Staatskapelle Dresden is a dream combination: 



. For me, the Staatskapelle was, in those days the finest & most 'in tune' orchestra in the world (for example, have you heard their orchestral playing in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde?!, conducted by Carlos Kleiber--it's incredible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjMwDbFng_g):

(By the way, Emil Gilels, Rudolf Serkin-live with Kubelik on Orfeo, & Edwin Fischer are the only other pianists that I've heard who enter nearly as softly as Arrau, or at least get close to him. & not surprisingly, Fischer was another Krause student. All the other pianists I've heard play too loudly when they enter, in comparison.)

Arrau's Liszt is very special too. Here again, it makes a huge difference that he studied with Krause when he was a boy, who was Liszt's favorite last pupil. What I like most about Arrau's Liszt is that he doesn't play this music in an overly loud display of virtuosity, at least not in the same way that the "big virtuosos" of the 20th century did. Arrau disliked how they played Liszt and told Joseph Horowitz in the book "Conversations with Arrau" that they had misunderstood Liszt's music, & done it a disservice. In the 1930s, a Liszt student, Emil von Sauer, said much the same thing to one of his students-that Liszt "wouldn't recognize his own music" the way it was being played by the pianists of the day, who all played it "too loud" and "too fast". Students of Liszt & Krause didn't make that mistake. Plus, we know from various accounts by Liszt's students, that Liszt would become furious when he encountered a pupil that showed off their virtuosity for the sake of virtuosity, without more deeply understanding the allegorical, poetic, philosophical, and sometimes literary core elements of the music they were playing.

Arrau also told Horowitz that Krause taught his students to very seldom use their full technical reserves, but rather to always appear like they had more to draw upon, should they need to use those reserves. & that's what separates Arrau's Liszt B minor Sonata from most other pianists' recordings that I've heard. It's also what makes his interpretation of the Sonata more engaging and more deeply moving than most other pianist's: 



. The only other pianist that I've heard on record that approaches the Sonata in B minor in a similar way (i.e., without bludgeoning the keys) is Alfred Brendel, who, not surprisingly, was a student of Edwin Fischer (hence, he too had a connection to Krause). In fact, both Arrau and Brendel have related aspects of Liszt's music that were passed down to them from Krause: such as, for example, that the Ballade No. 2 is a retelling of the Hero & Leander myth, with Leander swimming across the Hellespont each night to be with his love, Hero, only to drown on the 4th night, as represented in the music: 



, and that the Sonata in B minor is actually a Faustian drama (which is crucial to understanding the final notes of the sonata, as well as the entire work).

Arrau's Philips recording of Robert Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze is another essential recording of his (unfortunately it's no longer posted on You Tube). When Joseph Horowitz asked Arrau if there was one recording that he was most satisfied with from his career, or that he felt he'd gotten most right & wouldn't change, interestingly, Arrau named his recording of Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze on Philips. What makes this recording even more valuable is that the great Schumann pianists of the past didn't tend to play or record the Davidsbündlertänze (which happens to be one of my favorite Schumann solo piano works)--such as Sviatoslav Richter, Vladimir Horowitz, Annie Fischer, Edwin Fischer, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Clara Haskil, Yves Nat, Solomon, etc.; although there is a partial recording by Clara Schumann's student, Fannie Davies. (Btw, Geza Anda, Walter Gieseking, Thierry de Brunhoff, & Wilhelm Kempff also recorded it.)

Here's a link to Horowitz's book of interviews with Arrau--initially entitled, "Conversations with Arrau", but later reissued as "Arrau on Music and Performance", which was recommended to me by a composer friend when I first became interested in classical music, it's a fascinating read:

https://www.amazon.com/Arrau-Music-...rformance+conversations&qid=1616716210&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Conversation...21&sprefix=arrau+conversations,aps,189&sr=8-1

I'd also strongly recommend the Heritage remasters for Arrau's Philips Debussy, too (which are often more affordable than the other Heritage boxes), where again the remasters are superior to the initial Philips' transfers to CD, and give the listener a good idea about how Arrau's unique piano timbre sounded: https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Works-Piano-Claudio-Arrau/dp/B00008NR7A

II. MY OTHER FAVORITE SETS OF CHOPIN'S NOCTURNES:

If anyone's interested, here's a list of my other 13!! most treasured sets of Chopin Nocturnes on record--in addition to Arrau's set (yes, over the decades, I've tended to collect many recordings of music that I especially love, and I love Chopin's Nocturnes!). Granted, I like some of these sets more than others, such as Arrau's, but I think that all the various pianists below have something very special to say in this music (& they're all different; hence, I've not tried to put them into any kind of ranking):

-Guiomar Novaes: 




--Nikita Magaloff (on Philips): Magaloff had a direct connection back to Chopin through his studies with Isidor Philipp at the Paris Conservatory, since Philipp had studied with Georges Mathias, who had been a pupil of Chopin's. However, Magaloff is said to have rejected Philipp's more 'sentimental' approach to Chopin later in his career. Nevertheless, Magaloff's Chopin tends to be on the slow side and very poetic:









-Thierry de Brunhoff: 




-Maria Tipo:









-Nadia Reissenberg: 




-Samson François: by the way, the most recent French EMI masters are easily the best: 




-Maria João Pires: 




--Brigette Engerer: 




-Vladimir Ashkenazy-When I want to hear a pianist that pays extra close attention to the score and what Chopin asks for, I play Vladimir Ashkenazy's recording, which is underrated, in my opinion. Ashkenazy is the opposite of Rubinstein, in that respect, as well as many of the other older pianists, who took greater liberties with Chopin's markings. Hence, I tend to prefer Ashkenazy's Chopin to Rubinstein's; although not everyone will agree with me. (I know some listeners find Ashkenazy too literal to the score, but I find him more poetic than that.) He also has the unique distinction of being the only pianist to ever record all of Chopin's solo piano works according to the order in which they were composed during Chopin's life time. In other words, on each of Ashkenazy's original Decca LP releases, the works were all mixed together & ordered according to the month or year that Chopin had composed them. Unfortunately, this unique listening experience wasn't replicated on the later CD releases: 




--Livia Rév: https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDD22013.

-Ivan Moravec: note that the later Teldec Ultima or Supraphon reissues have been remastered in DDD, as the initial Nonesuch set was AAD, & not even ADD: 




-Halina Czerny-Stefanska: Czerny-Stefanska's Pearl CD is a 'desert island disc' in my Chopin collection, and she plays selected Nocturnes on that CD incredibly well (& it's only $902.81 on Amazon at the moment!--what is going on over there?): https://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Halin...Stefanska+Pearl&qid=1616777765&s=music&sr=1-1). I'd urge anyone who's interested to be sure toread music critic Jeffrey Lipscomb's excellent, informative review under the Amazon listing for her Pearl CD. In Lipscomb's words, "This recital by Halina Czerny-Stefanska (1922-2001) contains some of the most exquisitely intimate and poetic Chopin ever recorded." However, Czerny-Stefanska did record a complete set of Nocturnes later in her career in the 1980s (released by RCA in Japan), but the set is hard to find nowadays: https://www.amazon.com/CHOPIN-COMPLETE-NOCTURNES-HALINA-CZERNY-STEFANSKA/dp/B000BV7T66. Granted, her earlier Pearl recordings may be a bit better. Nevertheless, it's a treasured Nocturnes set in my collection, and unlike her mono Pearl CD, it was digitally recorded: 









(I'd also recommend Czerny-Stefanska's playing of the complete Chopin 51 Mazurkas--on Japan's Canyon Classics, as well as her earlier selected Mazurkas for Supraphon, which are among the finest Mazurka performances I know: 



. The Mazurkasare among Chopin's most difficult works to play well (& idiomatically). As Franz Liszt said, each Mazurka requires "a pianist of the first rank".)

-Nelson Freire: 



.

For individual recordings of selected Nocturnes, I'd strongly recommend the Polish pianist, Maryla Jonas, who was an incredible Chopin player: 



. Among other Polish pianists, Moriz Rosenthal deserves to be heard as well (though he recorded late in his life): 



. Interestingly, Rosenthal studied with both Karol Mikuli, Chopin's teaching assistant, and Franz Liszt! Pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski likewise had ties back to Mikuli, through his mother, who had studied with Mikuliand was Horszowski's first piano teacher when he was a boy: 



. Not surprisingly, Horszowski's Chopin sounds unusually authentic and idiomatic.

The French pianist, Jeanne-Marie Darré was another great Chopin player, who was especially fine in the Waltzes--which, for a change, actually sound like they can be danced to: 



, & the Etudes: 



, but also in the few Nocturnes that she played: 



. It is likewise worth hearing Stefan Askenase's complete set of Nocturnes from 1954, on DG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IRJDMOw1XI; along with any Nocturnes played by Leopold Godowsky: 



, and Vladimir de Pachmann, whose teacher (in Florence) was Madame Vera Kologrivoff Rubio, who had been Chopin's last teaching assistant: 



. Interestingly, Franz Liszt greatly admired de Pachmann's Chopin, and instructed him privately on what he remembered of Chopin's playing, according to de Pachmann's son.

-Lastly, among other digital era Nocturnes sets, apart from Pires, Czerny-Stefanska, Freire, Engerer, & Rév, who I've already mentioned, I've liked the digital sets by François Chaplin, Israela Margalit, & Ewa Poblocka:

--François Chaplin: 



--Israela Margalit: 




III. JOHN FIELDS' NOCTURNES:

Have you heard John Fields' Nocturnes?, which strongly influenced Chopin in his Nocturnes. They are essential listening, IMO. The Irish pianist Míceál O'Rourke is exceptional in this music, and has recorded all of Fields' Nocturnes for Chandos: 



.

IV. CHOPIN 4 IMPROMPTUS:

For me, Claudio Arrau isn't quite the right pianist for Chopin's 4 Impromptus, which require a lighter, more nimble touch, & quicker hands than Arrau possessed in his later years for Philips.

Instead, I'd recommend listening to the 4 Impromptus by Tamas Vasary on DG (which is an analogue recording). It's a remarkable performance, & one of the best things that Vasary has done, IMO: 




Dubravka Tomsic is also excellent in the 4 Impromptus. For me, her performances stand out among other digital era recordings. What I love about Tomsic's playing is that she plays without ego, and has incredibly quick, nimble fingers (which are also great for Mozart, Scarlatti, & Bach). She's also a terrific musician. Arthur Rubinstein once called her "a perfect pianist": 



. Bella Davidovich is another digital era pianist that excels in the 4 Impromptus (on Philips): 



. Finally, there is also a wonderful recording of the 4 Impromptus by one of my favorite Chopin pianists, Agustin Anievas, on EMI. It's an analogue recording, and was once a part of the classic "Seraphim" series on Angel EMI LPs (which were all great recordings): 



. (By the way, Anievas is also one of my favorite pianists in Chopin's Etudes--along with Darre, Backhaus, & Ashkenazy--because he's able to turn the Etudes more into music than most, rather than virtuosic showpieces: 



.)

For me, those four pianists have stood out in Chopin's 4 Impromptus, & if you listen to any of their recordings, I'd be surprised if you prefer Arrau in this music. For me, Arrau can sound a tad too slow & heavy in the Impromptus, and occasionally slightly clumsy, in comparison. But he's still Arrau, and as always, he has interesting, engaging ideas, which shouldn't be dismissed too lightly: 



.


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## HenryPenfold

Thank you Josquin 13 for such an interesting post. For many years I've been happy with Idil Biret's Chopin Nocturnes on Naxos. Last week I felt the need to finally move on and get a different take on the music. I followed the dedicated thread on here and and went for the Arrau 2 CD set on Philips. I think there is so much more in his performance and the recorded sound is gorgeous. Any suggestions concerning some selections would be welcome, I struggle to get through all 21 in one go.

Coincidentally, I decided to get a set of John Field's Nocturnes. I saw a cheap CD on Amazon that had quite good reviews, so I bought it. John O'Conner on Telarc. I have only played them through once, but I enjoyed them very much. Obviously Chopin takes the business of the nocturne to a whole new level, but Field's music stands up very well to anything in the genre.

Having enjoyed the orchestral music of Koechlin, you've whetted my appetite for his piano music.


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## Josquin13

Henry writes, "I struggle to get through all 21 in one go."

Chopin never intended that we listen to them all at once. Unlike his cycle of 24 Preludes (which is a single opus, no. 28), the Nocturnes weren't written in succession, as one program of music (no wonder you're struggling!). That was one of the things that was so fascinating about Ashkenazy's first Decca LPs to his complete Chopin survey (see my post above), is that we got to hear what else Chopin was composing in conjunction with his various Nocturnes, around the same time. For instance, the Nocturnes were composed between 1827-1846, and have various Opuses, while the 24 Preludes were composed in a much shorter time, between 1835 and 1839, and as noted, have a single opus.

O'Connor's Nocturnes are good, too, but did he record them all, or just a selection? (I seem to recall just one Telarc CD.) I prefer O'Rourke myself, and he recorded all of Fields' Nocturnes. But you could do worse than those two...

I'm pleased to hear that you're enjoying Charles Koechlin's piano works. By the way, if you're looking to make a purchase, Michael Korstick's entire Koechlin solo piano music survey on 3CDs is included in the SWR Hanssler label's 7 CD 'discount' box set of "Koechlin Chamber Works" or "Musique de chambre"--although I'm not sure what it's selling for these days on the Amazoo (& am afraid to look...).

Here it is on Amazon UK, and I see that it isn't available, so it may take some searching for, if interested: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charles-Ko...s+Koechlin+swr+hanssler&qid=1616898405&sr=8-2. I mention the set because when it first came out it was less expensive than buying Korstick's 3 CD cycle individually, and therefore you got four excellent, extra CDs of Koechlin's beautiful chamber music, in addition. Plus, Korstick's playing is first rate, & he's very well recorded (which is a big plus in Koechlin's music).


----------



## HenryPenfold

Thanks again Jostquin 13!

In my music library (I rip all my CDs to my hard-drive) I had arranged my Idil Biret Chopin Nocturnes into individual groups according opus number. Those that were singular, I put together, eg 20 & 21 and ended up with about 10 groups. I may do the same with Arrau, but will try to put some of them together for a 15-20 minute minute listening selection.

The Korsick Koechlin 7 CD set is coming up a bit expensive, so it's streaming for me at the moment, although Qobuz has 4 sets of the SWR releases as individual downloads for £8 each. I may indulge in some of those.


----------



## chu42

Josquin13 said:


> I just listened to your YT link to Demus playing the Schumann Toccata, as I'd never heard him in this piece before. Yikes, I see what you mean...especially when compared to a young Ivo Pogorelich:


Pogorelich's Toccata is so concise, transparent, and crystal-clear, especially in comparison to Demus' half-baked rendition that doesn't know which way it is going. Young Ivo in the Toccata and his Islamey recording are what really made him stand out as a master of articulation and limpidity.

Two other great Toccata recordings are by Gilels and Argerich-Gilels virtually turns it into a tone poem while Argerich makes a spectacle out of the horrid difficulties.

But overall, my absolute favorite Toccata is by Lugansky:


----------



## Mandryka

Is this better than the Demus and if so why?


----------



## Mandryka

Is this better than the Demus and if so why?

How about this


----------



## chu42

Mandryka said:


> Is this better than the Demus and if so why?
> 
> How about this


I enjoy Lhevinne's recording, which is sensitive and elegant. It certainly has a better sense of coherence than Demus' recording even though the technique is not always there.

Barere on the other hand went overboard. He starts in a frenzy but he has to slow down when he encounters difficulties-which is all throughout the piece. His Reminiscences de Don Juan is a better example of his virtuosity.

If you want speed, Tian Ying takes the same superhuman pace as Barere while handling the difficulties better.






But on a whole I much prefer the work at a slower tempo.


----------



## Mandryka

The only one I have ever enjoyed is Lhevinne's -- but I suspect he's as far from what Schumann wrote as Demus, though I don't know. I think you either do a Berere with this sort of music, make a circus piece out of it, or embellish it like Lhevinne. I'm not convinced there's a middle ground which works for me.


----------



## chu42

Mandryka said:


> The only one I have ever enjoyed is Lhevinne's -- but I suspect he's as far from what Schumann wrote as Demus, though I don't know. I think you either do a Berere with this sort of music, make a circus piece out of it, or embellish it like Lhevinne. I'm not convinced there's a middle ground which works for me.


Have you tried Gilels?






He makes certain spots-such as 6:16-absolutely sublime.


----------



## cwarchc

Sate, especially Reinbert de leeuw's interpretations
Galina Ustvolskaya


----------



## cheregi

Among recommendations from this thread, I have been thoroughly enjoying Mompou, especially his own Musica Callada. To paraphrase, I feel like if there had not been a composer to synthesize the meeting point of Debussy and Satie (plus additional influences of course) into a career's worth of harmonically-adventurous spare/sparse piano miniatures, it would have been necessary to invent such a composer. And to continue my thoughts on the interaction between repertoire, performance technique, and the physicality of the instrument, I'm thinking about the way that the modern grand's overtone complexity, longer decay, and lower action relative to earlier pianos seems well-suited to this kind of music which is often about reveling in an interesting harmony and listening to it fade... (which is of course not to denigrate the value of finding new approaches to technique in the interest of adapting older repertoire to the modern grand, e.g. slowing it down, which increasingly interests me as well)

I'm also delving into Rosenthal, whose style I predictably enjoy, and am intrigued by the great variety of different approaches among pianists trained in the 19th century, including many who seem to anticipate modern developments in certain respects, perhaps more than I expected...

Anyway, here's Marius-Francois Gaillard, who recorded almost all of Debussy's solo piano music between 1928 and 1930 (on a Pleyel, if I recall correctly), playing one of my favorites, Pagodes:






If anyone has any more favorite examples of 20th-century composers playing their own works, or decently-listenable recordings from the early 20th century which preserve now-archaic playing styles, they would be much appreciated!


----------



## HenryPenfold

*Re*: cwarchc's post #109 - yes, Reinbert de Leeuw's Satie performances are superb.

*Re*: cherigi's post #110 - Mompou being "the meeting point of Debussy and Satie" is an interesting observation (I too am enjoying everything I hear by Mompou).


----------



## HenryPenfold

*Sergey Rachmaninov *(1873-1943) - Piano Sonata #1 in D Minor (1908) - _*41 minutes
*_Idil Biret (Ankara, Turkey 1941), piano, Naxos.

This is possibly my favourite late Romantic solo piano composition. Enormous at over 40 minutes, with wave upon wave of powerful, soul-stirring and impassioned music that unites Apollo and Dionysus in a Romantic _look-back_ during the modernist age.

A complex, alternately Mercurial and fleetingly reflective first movement of just under 15 minutes (in this performance), followed by a serene, dream-like 10 minute central movement that gives onto a 17 minute third movement of turbulent and finally reconciliatory sumptuous piano music.

I can only say from a visceral, rather than cerebral perspective, that Idil Biret plays this music with an exquisite, gloriously apposite proficiency, that I'm convinced Rachmaninov himself, would have loved!.

A 10/10 disc (that's to say nothing of the coupling - Piano Sonata #2, original uncut version).

And this CD is bloody cheap!!


----------



## Allegro Con Brio

Seeing Mompou's name here for the first time piqued my interest, so I listened to de Laroccha's recital. The music is a bit too static and "ambient" for me but I did enjoy the unique Spanish flavors mixed with Debussy-esque impressionism.

But Geoffrey Tozer's complete Medtner sonatas has been on my soundtrack lately, and has reminded me of just how great a piano composer that Medtner was. Passionate late-Romanticism chromaticism that blends Rachmaninoff's Russian wistfulness with Chopin's delicate vocal lyricism. The "Sonata-Ballade," "Night Wind," and "Sonata Romantica" come especially recommended. And the playing and recording quality here are bar none.


----------



## Phil loves classical

Never heard the Schumann Toccata till now, but can't say I like it. I prefer Prokofiev's






In Romantic piano, I quite like Liszt


----------



## Animal the Drummer

HenryPenfold said:


> *Sergey Rachmaninov *(1873-1943) - Piano Sonata #1 in D Minor (1908) - _*41 minutes
> *_Idil Biret (Ankara, Turkey 1941), piano, Naxos.
> 
> This is possibly my favourite late Romantic solo piano composition. Enormous at over 40 minutes, with wave upon wave of powerful, soul-stirring and impassioned music that unites Apollo and Dionysus in a Romantic _look-back_ during the modernist age.
> 
> A complex, alternately Mercurial and fleetingly reflective first movement of just under 15 minutes (in this performance), followed by a serene, dream-like 10 minute central movement that gives onto a 17 minute third movement of turbulent and finally reconciliatory sumptuous piano music.
> 
> I can only say from a visceral, rather than cerebral perspective, that Idil Biret plays this music with an exquisite, gloriously apposite proficiency, that I'm convinced Rachmaninov himself, would have loved!.
> 
> A 10/10 disc (that's to say nothing of the coupling - Piano Sonata #2, original uncut version).
> 
> And this CD is bloody cheap!!


Delighted to come across another fan of this wonderful work. The only thing I'd add to your excellent summary of it is that there's a big tune in the first movement which I enjoy as much as any of the better-known others Rachmaninov wrote. Judging by recital programmes and number of recordings, pianists seem to prefer no.2 but that's never floated my boat to anything like the same extent.

If you don't know it already, try Howard Shelley's Protean account on Hyperion as well.


----------



## Jacck

I have no boat, but as far as solo piano is concerned, I like almost everything, but the numero uno is Bach. After Bach, Liszt, Alkan, Schubert, Schumann, Prokofiev, Scriabin, Hindemith, Brahms, Chopin, Medtner, Ravel, Debussy, Janáček, Beethoven, Schoenberg, Messiaen, Rameau, Bartok.... and I am also quite a fan of the Boulez Piano Sonata 2





(though it took many repeated forced listenings to become a fan)


----------



## HenryPenfold

Animal the Drummer said:


> Delighted to come across another fan of this wonderful work. The only thing I'd add to your excellent summary of it is that there's a big tune in the first movement which I enjoy as much as any of the better-known others Rachmaninov wrote. Judging by recital programmes and number of recordings, pianists seem to prefer no.2 but that's never floated my boat to anything like the same extent.
> 
> If you don't know it already, try Howard Shelley's Protean account on Hyperion as well.


I hope we're not alone in this!

Thank you for the steer to Howard Shelley, I don't know any performances other than the Idil Biret, but I'm now eying the complete solo piano music set on Hyperion, which seems reasonably priced for an 8 CD set. But I do enjoy Idil Biret in almost anything she plays.


----------



## HenryPenfold

Oops! Back in post #55 I gave the Opus number of the Medtner composition I was listening to as 20. It is in fact 40. Good job no-one paid any attention to the original post :lol:



HenryPenfold said:


> *Nikolai Medtner* - Forgotten Melodies, Op.20 - _30 mins
> _Geoffrey Tozer, piano. Chandos


----------



## Pat Fairlea

HenryPenfold said:


> *Sergey Rachmaninov *(1873-1943) - Piano Sonata #1 in D Minor (1908) - _*41 minutes
> *_Idil Biret (Ankara, Turkey 1941), piano, Naxos.
> 
> This is possibly my favourite late Romantic solo piano composition. Enormous at over 40 minutes, with wave upon wave of powerful, soul-stirring and impassioned music that unites Apollo and Dionysus in a Romantic _look-back_ during the modernist age.
> 
> A complex, alternately Mercurial and fleetingly reflective first movement of just under 15 minutes (in this performance), followed by a serene, dream-like 10 minute central movement that gives onto a 17 minute third movement of turbulent and finally reconciliatory sumptuous piano music.
> 
> I can only say from a visceral, rather than cerebral perspective, that Idil Biret plays this music with an exquisite, gloriously apposite proficiency, that I'm convinced Rachmaninov himself, would have loved!.
> 
> A 10/10 disc (that's to say nothing of the coupling - Piano Sonata #2, original uncut version).
> 
> And this CD is bloody cheap!!


I agree. Biret's performance is a full-blooded, over-the-top surge of pianism. Exactly what these two pieces need. She has recorded other SVR works for Naxos and can do subtle as well.


----------



## HenryPenfold

Pat Fairlea said:


> I agree. Biret's performance is a full-blooded, over-the-top surge of pianism. Exactly what these two pieces need. She has recorded other SVR works for Naxos and can do subtle as well.


Yes, her other SVR recordings on Naxos are first rate.

I collected all her Naxos releases as they came out in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

Was fortunate to catch her in a concert in the Istanbul Harbiye district, around 1992/3. She played Bach, Mozart and the Wilhelm Kempff (her sometime tutor) Italian Suite.

I attended a fair amount of classical concerts in Turkey in the 1990s. Sadly, I think the cultural climate has changed.


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## Pianomaniac

I indulge myself in your very interestings lists and recommendations - there's always something new to discover. Besides the usual ones I especially like the work of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji who has been mentioned already a few times. During the last years there has been a considerable amount of releases which are all worth checking out. Jonathan Powell's "Sequentia Cyclica" is marvelous but not so easy to swallow. For beginners I'd recommend the 100 "Transcendental Studies" split over five releases and played by Fredrik Ullén.


----------



## cheregi

Sorabji is wonderful. I can't get enough of the way he builds entire worlds in solo piano playing, the way you can aurally 'zoom in' or 'zoom out', seemingly infinitely in either direction.


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## chu42

cheregi said:


> Sorabji is wonderful. I can't get enough of the way he builds entire worlds in solo piano playing, the way you can aurally 'zoom in' or 'zoom out', seemingly infinitely in either direction.


Sorabji was a true visionary. Like Cage, his reputation has been tarnished by works that people see as "gimmicks" rather than "music".


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## HenryPenfold

Pianomaniac said:


> I indulge myself in your very interestings lists and recommendations - there's always something new to discover. Besides the usual ones I especially like the work of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji who has been mentioned already a few times. During the last years there has been a considerable amount of releases which are all worth checking out. Jonathan Powell's "Sequentia Cyclica" is marvelous but not so easy to swallow. For beginners I'd recommend the 100 "Transcendental Studies" split over five releases and played by Fredrik Ullén.
> View attachment 153536


Sequentia Cyclica is wondrous, I even think it's the best thing he ever wrote. But I can't eat a whole one at a single sitting, so I listen to episodes. Lately I've been listening to No. 4, Tranquillo e piano: Pt. 1. At 50 minutes. it's quite enough. I know someone who knew Sorabji quite well and he doesn't approve my episodic approach.


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## Phil loves classical

I tried out some of those etudes by Sorabji. I still can't get into him. I just don't find anything really memorable.


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## chu42

Phil loves classical said:


> I tried out some of those etudes by Sorabji. I still can't get into him. I just don't find anything really memorable.


You should try these instead:











I find the post-Romantic harmonic language to be rather intoxicating. Much less cerebral than his later Etudes, Sonatas, etc.


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## Phil loves classical

^ I agree. Definitely easier to get into. More flavour.


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## chu42

Phil loves classical said:


> ^ I agree. Definitely easier to get into. More flavour.


And some would argue too much flavor! It's Liszt meets hyper-Impressionism, creating a very heady mixture-like a strong rum or mead.

But personally I like it.

Also do try this:


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## Phil loves classical

^ Ya, there sounds to be an element of Jazz too. I still feel I want to hear some motifs though.


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## hammeredklavier

Phil loves classical said:


> I tried out some of those etudes by Sorabji. I still can't get into him. I just don't find anything really memorable.


opus clavicembalisticum


----------



## Pianomaniac

HenryPenfold said:


> Sequentia Cyclica is wondrous, I even think it's the best thing he ever wrote. But I can't eat a whole one at a single sitting, so I listen to episodes. Lately I've been listening to No. 4, Tranquillo e piano: Pt. 1. At 50 minutes. it's quite enough. I know someone who knew Sorabji quite well and he doesn't approve my episodic approach.


But then Sorabji did not approve much...  Of course you know that for a long time he was strictly against anyone playing his compositions at all. 
As for Sequentia Cyclica: Jonathan Powell was meant to play it in five parts over three days in Heidelberg this spring. But the Covid-19 restrictions make it impossible. What a pity!


----------



## Pianomaniac

chu42 said:


> You should try these instead:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I find the post-Romantic harmonic language to be rather intoxicating. Much less cerebral than his later Etudes, Sonatas, etc.


Habermann is well known for his Sorabji. But so far I never heard of Eric Xi Xin Liang. This is absolutely brillant! Thanx a lot, Chu42. Would buy a cd with this on the spot!


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## ArtMusic

*Leopold Koželuch*


----------



## HenryPenfold

Pianomaniac said:


> But then Sorabji did not approve much...  Of course you know that for a long time he was strictly against anyone playing his compositions at all.
> As for Sequentia Cyclica: Jonathan Powell was meant to play it in five parts over three days in Heidelberg this spring. But the Covid-19 restrictions make it impossible. What a pity!




That's too bad - so much time and intellectual effort put into the preparation by Jonathan Powell.

I saw Powell perform Sorabji's Piano Symphony #6 at the UK premiere on 2nd November 2013 at the Jacqueline Du Pre Music Building St Hilda's College Oxford University.

Five hours, in three parts! but the time simply flew, or did it stand still? I remember looking at my watch at one stage and thinking that it must have been 30 minutes ago that I last looked, and 1 hour 20 minutes had actually elapsed!

One interesting moment came when Powell nearly throttled the page turner (an ever so slightly premature turn). Only 2 people on stage and they managed to have a fight!

Five hours with just one short break, if I remember correctly. I had a light breakfast that day, skipped lunch and took an empty lemonade bottle with me.


----------



## Pianomaniac

HenryPenfold said:


> That's too bad - so much time and intellectual effort put into the preparation by Jonathan Powell.
> 
> I saw Powell perform Sorabji's Piano Symphony #6 at the UK premiere on 2nd November 2003 at the Jacqueline Du Pre Music Building St Hilda's College Oxford University.
> 
> Five hours, in three parts! but the time simply flew, or did it stand still? I remember looking at my watch at one stage and thinking that it must have been 30 minutes ago that I last looked, and 1 hour 20 minutes had actually elapsed!
> 
> One interesting moment came when Powell nearly throttled the page turner (an ever so slightly premature turn). Only 2 people on stage and they managed to have a fight!
> 
> Five hours with just one short break, if I remember correctly. I had a light breakfast that day, skipped lunch and took an empty lemonade bottle with me.


:lol: That sounds fantastic. Saw Sorabji's Second Organ Symphony (played by Kevin Boyer) in 2019 at Elbphilharmonie. 9.5 hours of music... It was quite an experience (but there were breaks). 
Right now I'm checking out the Sorabji pieces played by Eric Xi Xin Liang, mentioned by Chu42. Really astonishing since this guy is an amateur and looks like he is barely 20 years old.


----------



## chu42

Pianomaniac said:


> Habermann is well known for his Sorabji. But so far I never heard of Eric Xi Xin Liang. This is absolutely brillant! Thanx a lot, Chu42. Would buy a cd with this on the spot!


Eric is a computer science major at the University of Waterloo who plays piano on the side. He is a brilliant sight-reader and learns extremely quickly, allowing him to juggle his many fields at once.

Here is his Youtube channel where he records a lot of complex 20th century repertoire:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Musicforever60/videos


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## HenryPenfold

Pianomaniac said:


> :lol: That sounds fantastic. Saw Sorabji's Second Organ Symphony (played by Kevin Boyer) in 2019 at Elbphilharmonie. 9.5 hours of music... It was quite an experience (but there were breaks).
> Right now I'm checking out the Sorabji pieces played by Eric Xi Xin Liang, mentioned by Chu42. Really astonishing since this guy is an amateur and looks like he is barely 20 years old.


Wow! Those Organ symphonies are amazing, I would have loved to have been at that recital!

I have never come across Eric Xi Xin Liang and know nothing about him. Sounds like he's worth checking out.

P.S. I had to edit my post #134, the concert took place in 2013, not 2003 - a typo.


----------



## Josquin13

To finish up my survey of recommended piano music that is more or less 'off the beaten path', which I began in an earlier post on this thread with suggestions 1-10:

11. Next on my personal list of solo piano works to explore are the complete works of Max Reger, which I presently only know through the recordings of Rudolf & Peter Serkin of Reger's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Bach, Op. 81:

--Rudolf Serkin, Reger's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Bach, Op. 81: 



--Peter Serkin, playing the same: 



https://www.amazon.com/Reger-Variat...rudolf+serkin+reger+cbs&qid=1616006667&sr=8-2

However, the German pianist, Markus Becker, has recorded the entire Reger piano works for NCA, & his set has been boxed and I just ordered it yesterday. Most of the works in the set will be new to me: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E6B1F9...olid=21SJHDTIM1UQ9&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

12. Lately, I've also been enjoying Darius Milhaud's "Le Printemps", Books 1 & 2, played by the composer/pianist William Bolcom, who was one of Milhaud's students. LP collectors will likely remember Bolcom's recording when it was a highly regarded Nonesuch LP (& the CD sports the same vinyl cover): https://www.amazon.com/Milhaud-Saud...ilhaud+bolcom&qid=1615791260&s=music&sr=1-1):

--Bolcom, Le Printemps, Books 1 & 2: 



.

13. In addition to Janacek's piano works (which I've already mentioned), I'd also recommend Rudolf Firkusny's recordings of Bohuslav Martinu's solo piano music, and more specifically Firkusny's CD of Martinu's Piano Sonata no. 1, Les Ritournelles, Fantasie et Toccata, Julietta, and Etudes & Polkas, on RCA: https://www.amazon.com/Bohuslav-Mar...rudolf+firkusny+martinu&qid=1617579588&sr=8-1.

--Piano Sonata No. 1 (Firkusny): 




If you wish to explore Martinu's solo piano music further, you might sample from a 7 volume series by the pianist Giorgio Koukl on Naxos, which I've yet to get to myself, but plan to, eventually (that is, unless a better survey comes along, which is unlikely).

In the 1980s, Rudolf Firkusny also recorded Martinu's Piano Concertos 2, 3, & 4 for RCA (along with the Cello Sonatas 1-3 with Janos Starker): https://www.amazon.com/Martinu-Conc...rudolf+firkusny+martinu&qid=1617579588&sr=8-8. However, the complete Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5 set by pianist Emil Leichner on Supraphon is very recommendable, too. Most surprisingly, it was only the first time that a pianist had recorded all of Martinu's piano concertos together as a cycle: https://www.amazon.com/Martinů-Pian...ano+concertos+supraphon&qid=1617579945&sr=8-1. In my view, Martinu's piano concertos deserve to ranked alongside the better known piano concertos by Bartok, Shostakovich, Ravel, and Prokofiev as being among the finest PC cycles of the 20th century:

--Emil Leichner, Piano Concertos 1-5: 



.

Taken on an individual basis, Martinu's Piano Concerto No. 4 "Incantation" is essential listening; as is his No. 3, especially in the Josef Palenicek recording with Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic on Supraphon (although Martinu dedicated the 3rd to Firkusny, and as noted, Firkusny recorded it): https://www.amazon.com/Bohuslav-Mar...artinu+piano+concertos&qid=1617580243&sr=8-29.

--Piano Concerto No. 3 (played by Josef Palenicek):



. 
--Piano Concerto No. 4 "Incantations" (Firkusny): 




I also think highly of Martinu's Piano Concerto No. 5, entitled "Fantasia concertante". Another gem is Martinu's lesser known Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, which neither Firkusny, Leichner, or Palenicek recorded. The two performances that I own & like are (1) by Piano Duo Genova & conductor Eiji Oue, on CPO, and (2) a performance by pianists Vera Lejskova and Vlastimil Lejsek, with the Brno State Philharmonic, conducted by Jiri Waldhans, on the Pro Arte label. Lastly, there is Martinu's better known Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani, which is well worth hearing, too.

--Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1943): 
Piano Duo Genova, & the Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR orchestra, conducted by Eiji Oue: 



Here too is a link to the Czech performances mentioned above, although be warned the 5th PC coupling is inferior to Leichner's: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FB15KX8/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp
--Concerto No. 5 "Fantasie concertante" (Leichner): 



--Double Concerto (Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor): 



.

14. As for modern & contemporary American composers, the Boston composer, Martin Boykan's solo piano music interests me: Here it is played by pianist Donald Berman: 



.

I also occasionally listen to the 9 Piano Sonatas by the Philadelphia composer, Vincent Persichetti, played by pianist Geoffrey Burleson:










as well as Samuel Barber's "Four Excursions", Op. 20, which I believe influenced Dutilleux's Piano Sonata (mentioned in my earlier post): 



.

Among other notable American piano works, there's Charles Tomlinson Griffes "The Pleasure-Dome of Kubla Khan": 



, which is a big romantic work in the vein of Liszt & Scriabin, and his more French impressionist influenced "The White Peacock": 



. (Griffes later orchestrated both works.)

I also occasionally listen to Elliot Carter's solo piano works (which pianist Charles Rosen recorded in their entirety), & especially Carter's Piano Sonata and imaginative "Night Fantasies":

--Paul Jacobs, Carter Piano Sonata: 



--Charles Rosen, Carter Night Fantasies (interestingly, this piece was commissioned by four pianists: Charles Rosen, Paul Jacobs, Ursula Oppens, and Gilbert Kalish, and they each recorded it): 




"Night Fantasies" has also been recorded more recently by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, on DG: 




15. Lately, I've also been listening to Oliver Knussen's solo piano music--his "Sonya's Lullaby": 



, and "Ophelia's Last Dance", Op. 32, which are special works, in my opinion: 



. (Debussy's strong influence on Knussen fascinates me.)

16. Arvo Part's piano music has been another interesting discovery for me. His complete solo piano works have been recorded by Jeroen van Veen: 



, and Marcel Worms: 



. While Katarina Ström-Harg: https://www.amazon.com/Arvo-Pärt-So...na+Ström-Harg+arvo+pärt&qid=1615842999&sr=8-1, and Ralph van Raat (on Naxos) have made partial recordings: https://www.amazon.com/Pärt-Piano-R...+van+raat+part&qid=1615843187&s=dmusic&sr=1-1

17. I first got to know the solo piano music of Alexander Tcherepnin several years ago, and was surprised at the quality of his compositions and how Ravel influenced they are (although I'm not claiming that his music has quite the same imaginative power as Ravel's). Interestingly, the great French pianist, Monique Haas, was an early champion of Tcherepnin's piano music: 



. His father, Nikolai Tcherepnin--who composed the 1909 ballet "Narcisse et Echo" for Sergei Diaghilev & the Ballets Russes in Paris--likewise wrote some interesting piano music: Here, for example: 




18. There's also an enjoyable CD recorded by pianist Roland Pöntinen of piano works used in 20th century movies (by film directors Fellini, Kubrick, Bergman, Malle, etc.), entitled "Pianorama" that I'd recommend. The late Penquin Guide awarded it a rosette. The CD includes works by Schubert, Janacek, Debussy, Rota, etc., and Pöntinen's own fascinating 'improvisation' on Vladimir Cosma's "Promenade sentimentale" from the French film, "Diva", which is wonderful (and kind of Satie-like): 




I'd also recommend another fascinating BIS CD by Pöntinen, where he plays a selection of some of his favorite "legendary" encore pieces on a Steinway D from 1898: which was, most unusually, found in virtually perfect, unused condition without any need for replacement parts. So, it's as interesting to hear Pöntinen's interpretations of these encores, as it is to hear the beautiful sound of his vintage Steinway D. It made me wonder if the (often broken) sound of the historic period pianos that we hear today is more due to the poor condition they were found in, and their needing lots of replacement parts (which I doubt are exactly duplicated by modern craftsmen, according to the old materials, glue formulas, etc.): considering that this historic Steinway piano sounds a lot more beautiful than the pianos I've heard of a similar vintage made by other piano makers.

Here is Pöntinen playing one of my favorite Chopin Mazurkas, the Op. 17, no. 13 on this rare Steinway: 



. (For me, Pöntinen is one of the more underrated Chopin players today.) & here he is playing Chopin's Nocturne in B Major, Op. 32, No. 1, on the same historic piano: 



. & lastly, here he is playing the minuet from Handel's Keyboard Suite No. 1 (arranged by Wilhelm Kempff) & Albeniz's "Evocation", from book 1 of Iberia--both on the Steinway D:









https://bis.se/performers/pontinen-roland/evocation-legendary-encores

By the way, it's worth keeping an eye on Pöntinen's recording projects, as he tends to record some unusual repertory (in addition to more familiar works).

19. Years ago, I bought a CD issued by the Unicorn label that was intriguingly entitled, "The Unknown Debussy". It was comprised of a selection of Debussy's lesser known piano works, played by the pianist Boaz Sharon. The main "unknown" work on this CD was a single piano version of Debussy's ballet, "La Boîte à joujoux" (in English, "The Toybox")--which many notable Debussy pianists had not included in their "complete" Debussy piano surveys (such as Walter Gieseking, Monique Hass, Jacques Fevrier, Zoltan Kocsis, Jacques Rouvier, etc.)--hence, the title of the CD. In addition, Sharon also recorded solo piano versions of the "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun", and a selection of incidental music from "Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien", among other works. Since then, a number of other pianists have likewise recorded these rarely heard works. So, the pieces have become a bit better known as solo piano works. Nevertheless, I still enjoy this album very much. It's one of those special CDs that makes for good late night listening:

--La Boîte à joujoux: 



--Prélude à l'Après midi d'un faune: 



Here's a link to the CD reissue (which is no longer entitled "The Unknown Debussy"): https://www.amazon.com/Klavierwerke-Boaz-Sharon/dp/B00005QE15. Btw, the sound quality is excellent: https://www.allmusic.com/album/clau...lude-à-laprès-midi-dun-faune-etc-mw0001373607.

Among other Debussy works that seldom get included in the many 'complete' sets of his solo piano music are the "Six épigraphes antiques". Which are more often played as two piano music, even though a single piano version does exist (apparently). Among the available recordings, I've liked Arthur Schoonderwoerd's performance on a period piano very much--from an album entitled, "Une flûte invisible...: Musique française à l'aube du XXe siècle" (where the six pieces are mixed in between various French melodies). I've also liked Georges Pludermacher's recording on Harmonia Mundi, as well as Michel Beroff's on Denon. In comparison to the better known two piano arrangement, I prefer the single piano version myself:

--Arthur Schoonderwoerd (on a fascinating sounding period piano):
No. 1: 



No. 2: 



No. 3: 



No. 4: 



No. 5: 



No. 6: 



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001L06WX2/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

--Georges Pludermacher (via an underrated Debussy disc): 




--Michel Beroff: 
No. 1: 



No. 2: 



No. 3: 



No. 4: 



No. 5: 



No. 6: 




Another more slightly 'off the beaten path' Debussy piano work that I've started to like a lot more in recent years are his 12 Etudes. Despite being a huge Debussy fan, for some reason it took me a long time to get on board with his 12 Etudes & like them as much as I do the rest of his piano music. But I do now, & my favorite 12 Etudes recordings are those by pianists Michel Beroff (his later set on Denon), Margit Rahkonen (on Finlandia), Monique Haas (on DG), Claude Helffer, Noel Lee, Livia Rev, Anne Queffelec, Philippe Cassard, Håkon Austbø, & François Chaplin (and probably in that order, more or less). Michael Korstick, Yvonne Loriod, Cecile Ousset, Alain Planes, Werner Haas, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, & Paul Jacobs are all excellent, too:

--Michel Beroff:
https://music.apple.com/jp/album/ドビュッシー-12の練習曲-エレジー-他/681103178?l=en
https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-12-Etudes-Elegie-Etc/dp/B007JLLSXQ
https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Comp...y+denon&qid=1617584352&s=music&sr=1-2-catcorr 
--Margit Rahkonen (Rahkonen's brilliantly played, youthful Etudes were the recordings that the British music critics were duped into believing were played by a sick, elderly Joyce Hatto, & they raved about this recording, but sadly, only briefly, before they turned back to recommending Uchida's recording as the benchmark): 








--Monique Haas, on DG: 



--Claude Helffer: 



--Noel Lee: 




Interestingly, critic Jed Distler's 'benchmark' recordings for the 12 Etudes at ClassicsToday are those by Jean Efflam-Bavouzet and Mitsuko Uchida. For me, Uchida isn't nearly as idiomatic in this music as Beroff & several others, though her pianism is special (& I'd be remiss not to mention that she won a Rosette award from the old Penquin Guide for this recording). While Bavouzet is a very fine pianist, granted, but I can find his Debussy slightly bland at times (such as with his 24 Preludes), though he's arguably at his best in the Etudes: 



.

20. Finally, to finish on a high note, Emil Gilels' legendary February 2nd, 1969 concert from Carnegie Hall is one of my favorite & most treasured piano recitals on record (and btw, you won't hear Medtner's "Sonata-Reminiscenza" played better or more idiomatically by any other pianist on record, IMO). Now, if only some enlightened label would remaster and reissue this great concert (which sounded better on LP than it has on CD to date):






Of course, my many piano enthusiasms above (& in the previous post) aren't meant to be explored all at once, but rather over time, at your leisure, if & when the spirit moves you (or anyone else out there) to do so.

P.S. Sorry Henry, my 2nd post has turned out to be slightly longer than I had expected...

EDIT: P.S.S. I just realized now that I totally forgot about some of the solo piano works that I like by Georges Enescu and Zoltán Kodály. So, maybe I'll have to write a third post in the future ...


----------



## HenryPenfold

Josquin13 said:


> To finish up my survey of recommended piano music that is more or less 'off the beaten path', which I began in an earlier post on this thread with suggestions 1-10:
> 
> P.S. Sorry Henry, my 2nd post has turned out to be slightly longer than I had expected...
> 
> EDIT: P.S.S. I just realized that I totally forgot about some of solo piano works that I like by Georges Enescu and Zoltán Kodály. So, maybe I'll have to write a third post in the future ...


The longer the better!!

I shall work through your super observations and recommendations at leisure!

Many thanks josquin13 :cheers::cheers: :tiphat:

I look forward to the third .......


----------



## chu42

Josquin13 said:


> To finish up my survey of recommended piano music that is more or less 'off the beaten path', which I began in an earlier post on this thread with suggestions 1-10:


As usual, this is a great list. I am particularly glad that you mentioned Carter's piano sonata, as it is not only one of his more accessible works but also a masterpiece in its own right.


----------



## ArtMusic

*Domenico Cimarosa*


----------



## Josquin13

Sorry, I posted a bit prematurely above, and had to fiddle with certain parts of it. I also added some recommendations & You Tube links that hadn't occurred to me, initially. So, I apologize to those that may have read through the first posting, before I had revised & corrected it.


----------



## Captainnumber36

Many great suggestions in this thread. Being a composer of solo piano music myself, I lean towards listening to this genre too! Awesome thread.


----------



## Captainnumber36

I've always loved Brendel's Beethoven takes. He takes the furry out, and replaces it with grace. I enjoy that!


----------



## HenryPenfold

*Edward Elgar* - Enigma Variations
Ashley Wass. piano. Naxos.

A very interesting arrangement of the famous variations.


----------



## Allegro Con Brio

Captainnumber36 said:


> I've always loved Brendel's Beethoven takes. He takes the fury out, and replaces it with grace. I enjoy that!


Ah, but that's precisely why he's less effective in my mind! If you enjoy the more lyrical approach, try Louis Lortie's set. A more colorful, restrained "classical" approach but with more imagination than Brendel IMO.


----------



## Captainnumber36

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Ah, but that's precisely why he's less effective in my mind! If you enjoy the more lyrical approach, try Louis Lortie's set. A more colorful, restrained "classical" approach but with more imagination than Brendel IMO.


I'm aware that's the general consensus regarding Beethoven and Brendel, but I still love it. I tried out the Lortie and still found myself preferring the Brendel, finding it softer and gentler in touch.


----------



## Jacck

Reubke piano sonata


----------



## SanAntone

Captainnumber36 said:


> I'm aware that's the general consensus regarding Beethoven and Brendel, but I still love it. I tried out the Lortie and still found myself preferring the Brendel, finding it softer and gentler in touch.


I too enjoy Brendel's Beethoven. In general I prefer a pianist to emphasize the Classical side of Beethoven over the Romantic side, which is why I also prefer the early and middle periods more than the late works..


----------



## pianozach

Coach G said:


> What solo piano music floats your boat?
> 
> Lots.
> 
> Namely and followed by preferred recording:
> 
> *Rachmaninoff*: _Corelli Variations_ (Vladimir Ashkanzy)
> *Beethoven*: _Sonatas_, _Adieu_, _Moolight_, _Pathetique_, _Waldstein_, _Pastorale_, _Tempest_, etc. (Rudolf Serkin is very solid; Claudio Arrau is very classy; Glenn Gould eecentric but always interesting)
> *Mozart*: _Sonata #11_ with the _Rondo Turca_ (Glenn Gould, even though he said he didn't like Mozart; Gould forsakes a see-how-fast-I-play-this display in the finale and slows it down capturing a more nuanced _Turkish March_)
> *Mussorgsky*: _Pictures at an Exhibition_ (The Stanislav Richter live from Bulgaria is clasic)
> *Grieg*: _Piano Sonata_ (Glenn Gould, which is interesting as Gould avoided the very pretty High Romantic music)
> *Ravel*: _La Valse_ (Again, Glenn Gould)
> *Debussy*: _Preludes Book 1_, _Images Book 1_, _Estampes_ (Claudio Arrau)
> *Kabalevsky*: _Piano Sonata #3_ (Vladimir Horowitz)
> *Beethoven/Liszt*: _Symphony #6 "Pastorale"_ (Glenn Gould who slows down the second, slow, By-the-Brook movement to 20 minutes!)
> 
> I also have a special interest in American piano music by:
> *Gottschalk*: _Souvenir de Puerto Rico_; _The Union_ (Leonard Pennario)
> *MacDowell*: _Woodland Sketches_, _New England Idylls_ (James Barbagallo on Naxos)
> *Ives*: _Concord Sonata_ (Steven Mayer on NAXOS, Nina Deutsch on VOX)
> *Cowel*l: _Miniatures_, i.e. _The Banshee_ (Henry Cowell)
> *Cage*: _Sonatas for Prepared Piano_ (Yuji Takehashi)
> *Joplin*: _The Entertainer_, _Pineapple Rag_, etc. (William Bolcom)
> *Barber*: _Piano Sonata_ (Vladimir Horowitz, John Browing)
> *Rzewski*: _People United_ (Yuji Takehashi)


The ones in blue above

Also big on all the *Bach* keyboard works, but especially *WTC, English Suites, Italian Suites, Partitas*

Love the *Haydn* and *Mozart sonatas* and the *Scott Joplin* catalog

There's some *Debussey* I like, mostly the usual suspects.


----------



## Iota

Coach G said:


> What solo piano music floats your boat? ...
> 
> *Grieg*: _Piano Sonata_ (Glenn Gould, which is interesting as Gould avoided the very pretty High Romantic music)


Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that Gould's maternal grandfather was Grieg's cousin? I don't know, just a speculation.


----------



## HenryPenfold

*Maurice Ravel* (1875-1937) - _Ma__ mère l'Oye _(1908-10)
Pascal Rogé, piano.

I adore this composition and enjoy Pascal Rogé's playing so much.


----------



## golfer72

Animal the Drummer said:


> Delighted to come across another fan of this wonderful work. The only thing I'd add to your excellent summary of it is that there's a big tune in the first movement which I enjoy as much as any of the better-known others Rachmaninov wrote. Judging by recital programmes and number of recordings, pianists seem to prefer no.2 but that's never floated my boat to anything like the same extent.
> 
> If you don't know it already, try Howard Shelley's Protean account on Hyperion as well.


I just took a listen to Shelleys version on Hyperion. Very good sonata. Big fan of Rachmaninov anyway


----------



## Pianomaniac

A big thank you especially to Josquin13 for all the very interesting suggestions far from the beaten path. I did not have the time to check everything right away but found some great stuff I just bought:



























Also waiting for Janne Mertanen's account on Joonas Kokkonen to become available again. It is just fascinating how much wonderful piano music is out there that hardly anyone knows about...

One question for the knowlegable: I would like to expand my Debussy collection. Is there anything (I guess there is...  ) you would absolutly point me too? So far I really like Cathy Krier (Images 1 + 2), Yeol Eum Son (Preludes 1), Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (Preludes 1 + 2) and Ju Ying Song (Etudes 1 + 2). I know there is a Complete Piano Music set (Decca). Is it worth checkig out? Thanks for any suggestions!


----------



## FastkeinBrahms

A new discovery: Kodaly, Dances of Marosszek, played by Annie Fischer from the BBC Legends box. Incredibly exciting, and a sublime free-floating middle section that sounds almost like something by Keith Jarret.


----------



## ArtMusic

*Jan Ladislav Dussek* (1760 - 1812) was a Czech composer and pianist. He was an important representative of Czech music abroad in the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Some of his more forward-looking piano works have traits often associated with Romanticism.


----------



## Captainnumber36

I really enjoy both Uchida and Gould's Mozart cycles. Lang Lang has a nice Mozart CD as well, but it's not a full cycle and not all solo piano, some concertos are also present.


----------



## cybernaut

Listening to Henio Kaski now. This is what I love about music forums: getting turned on to composers, pieces and performers I didn't know about.






Here's a review:
https://www.classicstoday.com/review/heino-kaski-master-miniaturist/

"The music is not trite, nor is it convoluted, and not one note is wasted: all hallmarks of a master miniaturist. Janne Mertanen brings nobility and loving care to these 20 selections, playing beautifully at all times. Alba's gorgeous sonics further enhance my recommendation."


----------



## Azol

Most solo piano music never worked for me for some reason.
But I quite enjoy listening to some minimalist works for solo piano like Morton Feldman, Wim Mertens, Simeon Ten Holt etc. Favorite works: Feldman/Triadic Memories, Simeon Ten Holt/Soloduiveldans II.
And I am very much a fan of solo Keith Jarrett output - in fact, I believe I have most his concert and studio recordings for solo piano in my collection (both on CD and DVD formats). The fun is: I am not a fan of jazz music either! Jarrett's playing just hits some sweet spot with me. Favorite album: Paris Concert.


----------



## advokat

Bach
Schubert
Rachmaninov
Beethoven
Chopin
Field
Haydn
Schuman
Debussy
Chabrier
Faure
Granados


----------



## Orfeo

Glazunov: As with so many listed below, Glazunov's piano music is fairly neglected, unfathomably so, but well worth knowing.
Myaskovsky
Lyapunov
Arensky
Balakirev
Rebikov
Lyadov
Kabalevsky
Catoire
Feinberg
Shostakovich
Weinberg
Obukhov
Mossolov
Roslavets
Felix Blumenfeld
Rachmaninoff
Scriabin
Arensky
Stanchinsky
Protopopov
Alexandrov
Bortkiewicz
Gottschalk
Joplin
Schmitt
Ravel
Debussy
Koechlin
Faure
Poulenc
Ireland, John
Bax
Moeran
Coke
Mompou
Granados
Chopin
Schumann
Tubin
Melartin


----------



## chu42

advokat said:


> Schuman


Robert Schumann or William Schuman?

I'm guessing the former because he's one of the greatest composers for solo piano, while the latter hardly touched the genre.


----------



## advokat

chu42 said:


> Robert Schumann or William Schuman?
> 
> I'm guessing the former because he's one of the greatest composers for solo piano, while the latter hardly touched the genre.


Robert Schumann. I was not aware of the other one. Sorry for the typo.


----------



## HenryPenfold




----------



## HerbertNorman

Too much to list , but these are the main ones:

Beethoven
Schubert
Mozart
Bach
Debussy
Grieg
Schumann
Shostakovich
Scriabin
Ravel
Chopin
Poulenc


----------



## HenryPenfold

*Giacinto Scelsi* (1905-1988) - Suite #9 Ttai


----------



## HenryPenfold

*Beethoven* - Diabelli Variations Op.120 (1819-23)

I cannot find my Vladimir Ashkenazy CD of this work, and eager to have hard copy ASAP, I looked for a cheap second hand copy on Amazon UK and was happy to get out at under £4.00 all in. I narrowed my choice down to Arrau or Richter on Philips and Anderszewski on Virgin Classics. I went for the latter.

Any views on this marvellous work, and/or my chosen CD?


----------



## Josquin13

HenryPenfold said:


> *Beethoven* - Diabelli Variations Op.120 (1819-23)
> 
> I cannot find my Vladimir Ashkenazy CD of this work, and eager to have hard copy ASAP, I looked for a cheap second hand copy on Amazon UK and was happy to get out at under £4.00 all in. I narrowed my choice down to Arrau or Richter on Philips and Anderszewski on Virgin Classics. I went for the latter.
> 
> Any views on this marvellous work, and/or my chosen CD?


Arrau, Richter, & Anderszewski (who the British critics & Jed Distler raved about) are all very good in the Diabelli Variations, and especially Richter's earlier live recording on Profil/Hänssler from 1951 (I believe there are actually four live Richter performances, in total), where he is more consistently concentrated throughout this very long work (which is no small feat). At his best, Richter had a very special affinity for Beethoven's music, in my view:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8348038--sviatoslav-richter-plays-beethoven
Unfortunately, there is only one movement available from Richter's 1951 performance on You tube, as the rest are blocked in the US--though that may not be the case outside of the US?: 



.

I liked Anderszewski's performance, as well: 




But I've also especially liked Alfred Brendel in this music, as it was a work that he kept returning to (& rethinking & getting better at) throughout the course of his career, recording it several times. The finest of Brendel's Diabellis, IMO, is his live BBC concert performance from 2001, but I also like his 1976 live BBC concert performance for Philips, along with his 1988 digital studio recording for Philips (which gets underrated, in my view). For me, Brendel makes more sense of the 33 Waltzes than many pianists I've heard (including Anderzewski & Arrau, and Richter's live Praga performance from 1986), as he seems to be more deeply attuned to the score than most, which is probably because he was so preoccupied with the Diabellis throughout his long career.

& he thought so, too: In Brendel's booklet notes to the live BBC performances, the pianist wrote that the various performances in his live set "reproduce my musical intentions more faithfully and immediately than did the perhaps more 'impeccable' studio recordings of these works", which included the 2001 live Diabelli Variations. It is also significant that Brendel considered the Diabellis to be the "greatest of all piano works", which explains why he made it such a priority throughout his career. So, if you're game to listen to more Diabellis, I'd suggest hearing Brendel play this music, as well, if you haven't already:

Here is Brendel playing the Diabellis on You Tube, although I'm not sure which the following two performances are, as they don't say, but the first one looks later, so it might be the 2001 live BBC performance? and sounds like it on my initial impression:










--Brendel, 2001 live concert performance, digital: If you have Amazon Prime you can listen to this performance in its entirety on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015ZRDYA/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp
https://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Brend...ve+performances&qid=1619355648&s=music&sr=1-1

--Brendel, 1976, live concert performance, analogue (which the old Penquin Guide rated very highly; plus, this is the Brendel Diabellis that the "Great Pianist" series chose to reissue in their set):

https://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Brend...+great+pianists&qid=1619354197&s=music&sr=1-2
https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/...MItczr5bSZ8AIVLhitBh0zTgMfEAQYAiABEgKk3_D_BwE

--Brendel, 1988, studio recording for Philips, digital: https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Variations-Op-120-Diabelli-Variation/dp/B000V6M5ZG.

I also occasionally listen to a Diabellis recording by a pianist that I don't normally recommend in Beethoven--because I don't usually find him mercurial enough in the piano sonatas--but who made a very good recording of the Diabellis early in his career for Philips, and that is Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich, or just Stephen Kovacevich today. Though I can find Brendel more mercurial and better attuned to the humor in this music (& maybe a bit less bland in places), but it's a fine performance, nonetheless:

--Kovacevich, 1968, Philips (& I prefer this to his later 2009 digital performance): 



.

I'd also recommend looking into the American scholar/pianist William Kinderman's recording, as well as his book & lectures on the subject of the Diabellis, which are particularly valuable:





https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Diabelli-Variations-William-Kinderman/dp/B000W8FWC6
https://www.amazon.com/Beethovens-Diabelli-Variations-Structure-Interpretation/dp/0195342364

Here's what Alfred Brendel had to say about Kinderman's book on the Diabellis: "William Kinderman is a very rare bird. His book on Beethoven's Diabelli Variations must be one of the best monographs a musical masterpiece has ever received."

Among older recordings, one of my most favorite Beethoven pianists, Rudolf Serkin is well worth hearing in this music, too, both his 1954 & 1969 performances:

--Serkin, 1954, live from the Prades Festival: 



--Serkin, 1969: 




Maria Yudina's 1961 recording is another top pick, among older vintage recordings: 




More recently, Ronald Brautigam is also essential listening on a fortepiano (while others have liked Andreas Staier's award winning recording); if for no other reason than I believe interpretatively, it can be informative to hear how this music sounds on the kind of instrument & sound potentialities that Beethoven had in mind for the Diabellis. Plus, Brautigam is a very fine Beethoven interpreter: 



.

Lastly, while maybe not a first or second pick, I'd be remiss not to mention a fine recent account of the Diabelli Variations by the young Italian pianist Filippo Gorini on the Alpha label. Gorini won first prize in the Telekom-Beethoven Competition in Bonn, and was only twenty years old when he made this recording. The playing shows real promise, IMO. By the way, Gorini presently studies with Brendel, who I'm sure has had many things to teach him about the 33 Waltzes: 




Of the Diabelli recordings that I've not heard, I've read favorable reviews about the Diabelli Variations from Hans Petermandl, Igor Levit, and Charles Rosen.

P.S. Sadly, Emil Gilels--who, like R. Serkin, was one of my favorite Beethoven pianists (and especially when heard live)--was planning to record the Diabellis when his life was cut short prematurely by a doctor's error--a botched injection in a substandard Moscow hospital (if the rumor is true). What a pity!, as I would have loved to hear Gilels play this music, & especially live.


----------



## HenryPenfold

Thank you so much Josquin13 for such a considered reply - there's much there to keep me going for some time.

You've whetted my appetite further and I eagerly await delivery of my CD (4th May).

I have always enjoyed anything and everything that I've heard by Brendel and saw him perform a Beethoven concerto in London some years back, so I will follow up on your leads on the Diabelli in due course. I shall also dip into the others - Brautigam always delivers and the 22 year old Philippo Gorini is completely unknown to me and so I must follow that one up.

I can't believe so much is available on YouTube!! Thanks for locating them for us.

I did not know of the Gilels medical error. If true, it is so tragic and heartbreaking.


----------



## gregorx

York Höller Five pieces for piano (1964)


----------



## HenryPenfold

*Nikolai Medtner *- Forgotten Melodies, Op. 38 _cycle 1_ incl. No.1 Sonata Reminiscenza In A minor (1919-22) 
_*
36 mins*_

Geoffrey Tozer, piano. Chandos.


----------



## consuono

HenryPenfold said:


> *Nikolai Medtner *- Forgotten Melodies, Op. 38 _cycle 1_ incl. No.1 Sonata Reminiscenza In A minor (1919-22)
> _*
> 36 mins*_
> 
> Geoffrey Tozer, piano. Chandos.


Medtner and Sviatoslav Richter look a little bit alike, to me anyway.


----------



## ArtMusic

The great *Domenico Scarlatti* on a fortepiano sounds almost Romantic-Ravel-Liszt like at times,


----------



## consuono

ArtMusic said:


> The great *Domenico Scarlatti* on a fortepiano sounds almost Romantic-Ravel-Liszt like at times,


Listen at about 25:25. That sounds like fugue 24 from WTC I.


----------



## Coach G

Since I last visited this thread, I stumbled upon Piano Sonata #4 by Leo Ornstein who lived from 1895-2002. Having lived a whopping 106 years, Ornstein's life spanned within three centuries. When he was born, the last of the great Romantic composers such as Brahms, Dvorak, Verdi, and Rimsky-Korsakov, were still walking the earth. When he died, all manners of Neo-Classicism, Neo-Romanticism, Serial Music, Indeterminacy, Da-da, Post-Modernism, Minimalism, and so forth; had come and gone.

Ornstein was born in Czarist Russia, and being Jewish, left with his parents as a boy to escape the pogroms. As part of the great wave of immigration he settled New York City and took a turn to piano music that takes a bit after Ives and a bit after Cowell, but retains a faint connection to the composer's sad and soulful Russian/Jewish musical heritage.






Leo Ornstein:


----------



## Mandryka

Last night I listened to this masterpiece


----------



## HenryPenfold

Mandryka said:


> Last night I listened to this masterpiece
> 
> View attachment 154630


Not known to me, but quite a few references over the last few months about this guy's work has gotten him onto my radar. Thant looks like an excellent CD to start with - thanks


----------



## HenryPenfold

Coach G said:


> Since I last visited this thread, I stumbled upon Piano Sonata #4 by Leo Ornstein who lived from 1895-2002. Having lived a whopping 106 years, Ornstein's life spanned within three centuries. When he was born, the last of the great Romantic composers such as Brahms, Dvorak, Verdi, and Rimsky-Korsakov, were still walking the earth. When he died, all manners of Neo-Classicism, Neo-Romanticism, Serial Music, Indeterminacy, Da-da, Post-Modernism, Minimalism, and so forth; had come and gone.
> 
> Ornstein was born in Czarist Russia, and being Jewish, left with his parents as a boy to escape the pogroms. As part of the great wave of immigration he settled New York City and took a turn to piano music that takes a bit after Ives and a bit after Cowell, but retains a faint connection to the composer's sad and soulful Russian/Jewish musical heritage.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Leo Ornstein:
> 
> View attachment 154625


Good call, and thanks for the supporting information. I bought this Naxos CD in 2013 and play it quite often. It contains some beautiful music and I would strongly recommend it, especially given the modest outlay .......


----------



## Mandryka

HenryPenfold said:


> Not known to me, but quite a few references over the last few months about this guy's work has gotten him onto my radar. Thant looks like an excellent CD to start with - thanks


The problem - as always with Finnissy's piano music IMO - is the sound.


----------



## consuono

HenryPenfold said:


> *Beethoven* - Diabelli Variations Op.120 (1819-23)
> 
> I cannot find my Vladimir Ashkenazy CD of this work, and eager to have hard copy ASAP, I looked for a cheap second hand copy on Amazon UK and was happy to get out at under £4.00 all in. I narrowed my choice down to Arrau or Richter on Philips and Anderszewski on Virgin Classics. I went for the latter.
> 
> Any views on this marvellous work, and/or my chosen CD?


That one is my favorite recording of that work. Great choice, imo.


----------



## Coach G

HenryPenfold said:


> Good call, and thanks for the supporting information. I bought this Naxos CD in 2013 and play it quite often. It contains some beautiful music and I would strongly recommend it, especially given the modest outlay .......


I have that CD; it's wonderful. NAXOS has done more than anyone to promote our American classical music heritage; and it's not even an American firm; I think they were founded by a German and based in Hong Kong.


----------



## Amadea

I'm listening to Schubert at the moment, my sister is playing some of his works.


----------



## mossyembankment

*Schumann, Schumann, Schumann*
Bach
Mozart
Brahms
Ravel
Debussy
Tchaikovsky
Sibelius
Wagner (check out Fantasia in F# Minor WWV22 Op. 3)
Formerly Chopin, much less so these days

Currently listening to Schubert's D.899:


----------



## mark6144

What an interesting and useful thread - I missed it the first time around, so thanks for bumping it! Thanks to everyone who contributed, especially Josquin13, as usual!

I'd like to nominate a couple of my favourites. 

Medtner's Skazki. Nice to see a few mentions of Medtner but nobody yet suggested the Skazki, which are my personal favourites of his works. Some beautiful pieces, which I find more haunting and immersive than his sonatas. I listen to several pianists but Milne and Tozer are staples.

And, Rachmaninoff's Etudes-Tableaux. Simply wonderful, maybe even the pinnacle of piano composition, to my tastes. I like Ashkenazy.


----------



## Mandryka

mossyembankment said:


> *Schumann, Schumann, Schumann*


I listened to Kreisleriana played on a Streicher, and one not tuned equally. It transforms the music, not least because you can hear all the voices equally, Schumann was a contrapuntal composer. He must be rolling in his grave at the thought of his music being played on an equally tuned Steinway.


----------



## Josquin13

Here are some more 'off the beaten path' recommendations that I've enjoyed lately (to add to my previous posts),

In recent months, I've made two fascinating, new finds of solo piano music that was totally unknown to me, prior to the discoveries. The first came after listening to the orchestral works of Charles Tournemire via Roger Knox's thread "Unheralded French Orchestral composers", where I became curious about Tournemire's solo piano music. So I did a search & subsequently came upon a recording of Tournemire's "Douze Préludes-Poemes", Op. 58, from 1932, played by pianist Lise Boucher, on the Atma label (which offers audiophile sound engineering). This music should be better known than it is!:






While my second find was pianist Nino Gvetadze's beautiful album, "Visions" of the solo piano music of English composer Cyril Scott (who composes like he was a good pianist). Again, this is surprisingly fine music, IMO: 



.

If Gvetadze's pianism is new to you, I'd also strongly recommend her recording of Claude Debussy's Preludes Book 1, two Arabesques, & Estampes. While it may not be an absolute first choice in this repertory, nevertheless, Gvetadze's interpretations are freshly thought out & very engaging, and her pianism is first rate. Plus, the sound engineering is of a 'state of the art' audiophile quality, like Boucher's Atma disc (which is always a nice combination, & especially so in Debussy's piano music): 



.

I've also been recently listening to pianist Ashley Wass playing the solo piano music of British composer William Aldwyn, on Naxos. I don't know the music that well, yet, but there seem to be some gems in Wass' two volume collection, such as Aldwyn's 12 Preludes, for instance: 




Lastly, for listeners that like modern piano music, pianist Klára Würtz's recordings of the little known Hungarian composer Attila Bozay's two piano sonatas are well worth hearing:

Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 33a: 













Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 33b:













(By the way, I've also recently enjoyed Würtz's album of "Piano Music for Children": 



. And, she's very fine in Schumann, too, which I think we've already mentioned.)


----------



## Owen David

I just love composing for solo piano.

https://owendavidmusic.org/2021/06/20/all-journeys-end/

It's such a dynamic combination - human and machine. It's very physical and yet, despite it being a percussive instrument, it has this strong spiritual aspect. By spiritual I mean its ability to capture our thoughts and feelings...over a wide range.


----------



## SanAntone

Erik Satie
Frederic Mompou
Frédéric Chopin 
Karol Szymanowski


----------



## mossyembankment

Mandryka said:


> I listened to Kreisleriana played on a Streicher, and one not tuned equally. It transforms the music, not least because you can hear all the voices equally, Schumann was a contrapuntal composer. He must be rolling in his grave at the thought of his music being played on an equally tuned Steinway.


This sounds fascinating, is there a recording available anywhere?


----------



## Mandryka

The one I was hearing was this









It may be impossible to find, PM me if you want the files.


----------



## Mandryka

Josquin13 said:


> Here are some more 'off the beaten path' recommendations that I've enjoyed lately (to add to my previous posts),
> )


Maybe see what you think of this, I was rather impressed and so were the other people I shared it with


----------



## Mandryka

Richard Emsley is a composer I'm interested in, and he's written piano music. Lately I've been enjoying Piano 13 here


__
https://soundcloud.com/richard-emsley%2Ffor-piano-13


----------



## cheregi

Josquin13 said:


> Here are some more 'off the beaten path' recommendations that I've enjoyed lately (to add to my previous posts),
> 
> In recent months, I've made two fascinating, new finds of solo piano music that was totally unknown to me, prior to the discoveries. The first came after listening to the orchestral works of Charles Tournemire via Roger Knox's thread "Unheralded French Orchestral composers", where I became curious about Tournemire's solo piano music. So I did a search & subsequently came upon a recording of Tournemire's "Douze Préludes-Poemes", Op. 58, from 1932, played by pianist Lise Boucher, on the Atma label (which offers audiophile sound engineering). This music should be better known than it is!:


Thoroughly enjoying this, thanks (and also for at some point in the past recommending Charles Koechlin, who has also become a recent favorite!). My only prior awareness of Tournemire was via Todd McComb at medieval.org, who, on his Tournemire page, seems almost embarrassed to recommend something so, _relatively_ speaking, conventionally tonal!



Mandryka said:


> The one I was hearing was this
> 
> View attachment 156498
> 
> 
> It may be impossible to find, PM me if you want the files.


The soundcloud samples for this are excellent, what a wonderful find! How did you come across this recording?


----------



## Mandryka

cheregi said:


> The soundcloud samples for this are excellent, what a wonderful find! How did you come across this recording?


About five years ago I was curious about Schumann on different pianos.


----------



## Tristan

Chopin is #1 for me. 

When it comes to Bach, Couperin, and Scarlatti I'd usually rather hear it on harpsichord but I have some recordings of their keyboard music on piano.

I also enjoy Beethoven, Scriabin, Liszt, Ravel, and Debussy.

These are probably my favorite composers of solo piano music.


----------



## Roger Knox

Josquin13 said:


> Here are some more 'off the beaten path' recommendations that I've enjoyed lately (to add to my previous posts),
> 
> In recent months, I've made two fascinating, new finds of solo piano music that was totally unknown to me, prior to the discoveries. The first came after listening to the orchestral works of Charles Tournemire via Roger Knox's thread "Unheralded French Orchestral composers", where I became curious about Tournemire's solo piano music. So I did a search & subsequently came upon a recording of Tournemire's "Douze Préludes-Poemes", Op. 58, from 1932, played by pianist Lise Boucher, on the Atma label (which offers audiophile sound engineering). This music should be better known than it is!:


Josquin13, Thanks for these finds, I've only listened to the first two of Tournemire's Préludes-poemes and they already confirm his high stature as composer for the keyboard.

Thanks also for mentioning the Unheralded French Orchestral Composers. I'll be winding up my contributions there shortly. Just now am enjoying the orchestral compositions of Philippe Gaubert you recommended quite a while ago.


----------



## strawa

Such a nice thread! To read, listen and reread.

Since no one mentioned him, I would like to remark Villa-Lobos, whose piano works I would say make my boat float. Much of his piano is concentrated in the 1920s and it's possible to see the turn from the heavily influenced by Debussy to the more "primitivist nationalist" composer. There are excellent interpretations of both phases available by Sonia Rubinsky (Naxos), Marc-André Hamelin (Hyperion) and, of course, Nelson Freire (Teldec).

I read once that he was in the brazilian musical vanguard at the time, but when he first arrived in Paris in 1923 he was seen as old-fashioned. At a party at Tarsila do Amaral's studio, Villa-Lobos almost physically fought with Jean Cocteau, who mocked him as unoriginal. _A Prole do Bebe_ nº 1 and nº 2 (kind of our Children's Corner), _Cirandas_ and _Danças Características Africanas_ are of this phase. Here is the first national theme piece, _A lenda do caboclo_ (1920):






And here his great opus of the "barbarian" phase, which is his greatest work for piano, _Rudepoema_ (later to be orchestrated):


----------



## Phil loves classical

Something I've been hooked onto lately


----------



## Brahmsian Colors

Haydn
Mozart
Schubert
Brahms
Debussy
Ravel
Grieg 
Sibelius


----------



## HenryPenfold

Just settling down for an hour's worth of Scriabin .... Symphony #3 & Le Poeme De L'Extase (Piano Transcriptions)

Two solo pianos together, so it meets the thread's criteria :lol:


----------



## clavichorder

Overall love the outputs of

Scriabin
Medtner
Schubert
Faure
Debussy
Ravel
Beethoven
Haydn
Bach
Handel
Prokofiev
Rachmaninoff
Chabrier

I love some select works of

Bartok
Schoenberg
Sibelius
Bizet
Mendelsohn
Shostakovich
Hindemith
Hummel
Clementi

I don't tend to focus on but would be a fool if I didn't know immense the value of

Chopin
Liszt
Brahms
Schumann
Mozart
Scarlatti

Keyboard composers who can be played on piano but aren't at first associated with the modern instrument, that I also love

CPE Bach
Ernst Wilhelm Wolf
Sebastian D'Albero
William Byrd
John Bull
Orlando Gibbons
Johann Jakob Froberger
Louis Couperin
Gottlieb Muffat
Wilhelm Friedmann Bach


----------



## HenryPenfold

Chabrier caught my eye. What little I've heard of his solo piano music was a very long time ago. I'd like to find out more.



clavichorder said:


> Overall love the outputs of
> 
> Scriabin
> Medtner
> Schubert
> Faure
> Debussy
> Ravel
> Beethoven
> Haydn
> Bach
> Handel
> Prokofiev
> Rachmaninoff
> Chabrier
> 
> I love some select works of
> 
> Bartok
> Schoenberg
> Sibelius
> Bizet
> Mendelsohn
> Shostakovich
> Hindemith
> Hummel
> Clementi
> 
> I don't tend to focus on but would be a fool if I didn't know immense the value of
> 
> Chopin
> Liszt
> Brahms
> Schumann
> Mozart
> Scarlatti
> 
> Keyboard composers who can be played on piano but aren't at first associated with the modern instrument, that I also love
> 
> CPE Bach
> Ernst Wilhelm Wolf
> Sebastian D'Albero
> William Byrd
> John Bull
> Orlando Gibbons
> Johann Jakob Froberger
> Louis Couperin
> Gottlieb Muffat
> Wilhelm Friedmann Bach


----------



## Captainnumber36

Could we list more composers of solo piano music between the romantic and impressionist eras?


----------



## Captainnumber36

Captainnumber36 said:


> Could we list more composers of solo piano music between the romantic and impressionist eras?


Or romantic takes on non-romantic works like Lang Lang's Goldberg Variations.


----------



## HenryPenfold

Captainnumber36 said:


> Could we list more composers of solo piano music between the romantic and impressionist eras?


Forgive my ignorance, but what is the dateline for this?


----------



## Captainnumber36

HenryPenfold said:


> Forgive my ignorance, but what is the dateline for this?


18-20th century. But as I said, any sensual piano music will work.


----------



## HenryPenfold

Captainnumber36 said:


> 18-20th century. But as I said, any sensual piano music will work.


You have led me out of the river of ignorance into the sea of confusion!

1700 - 1999?


----------



## Mandryka

Captainnumber36 said:


> Could we list more composers of solo piano music between the romantic and impressionist eras?


Some French ones to get you started

Charles Koechlin (Paysages et Marines, Les Heures Persanes)
Antoine Mariotte (impressions urbaines.)
Gabriel Dupont's (Les Heures Dolentes)
Raynaldo Hahn (Le Rossignol Eperdu)
Albéric Magnard (Promenades)
Abel Decaux (Clairs de lune)


----------



## Captainnumber36

Mandryka said:


> Some French ones to get you started
> 
> Charles Koechlin (Paysages et Marines, Les Heures Persanes)
> Antoine Mariotte (impressions urbaines.)
> Gabriel Dupont's (Les Heures Dolentes)
> Raynaldo Hahn (Le Rossignol Eperdu)
> Albéric Magnard (Promenades)
> Abel Decaux (Clairs de lune)


Thanks, scanned all and added what I could find in apple to my playlist!


----------



## composingmusic

There’s some really great replies on this thread, and I’ve really enjoyed reading through them! A few modern and contemporary pieces that I saw that I’ll second include the Carter sonata, along with the Dutilleux and Berg, as well as various Takemitsu, Knussen, and Messiaen works. Carter also has quite an interesting shorter piano work called 90+, and if I remember correctly, it uses exactly 90 notes. 

From these composers, I’d also like to recommend Messiaen’s Vingt Regards, Catalogue d’Oiseaux, and Takemitsu’s Rain Tree Sketch II. 

A few other composers and pieces of interest: Ives’ Concord Sonata, Feldman’s Palais de Mari, Saariaho’s Prelude, Fagerlund’s Licht im licht, Finnissy’s Gershwin and Verdi transcriptions (I saw English Country Tunes mentioned earlier), Benjamin’s Piano Figures (some of these are orchestrated as Dance Figures), Boulez’ Notations (some are orchestrated and enlarged later), Ferneyhough’s Lemma-icon-epigram, Birtwistle’s The Axe Manual, Joshua Fineberg’s Veils, and Unsuk Chin’s Etudes.


----------



## SanAntone

In the order I thought of them, not ranked:

J.S. Bach
Erik Satie
Franz Liszt
Arnold Schoenberg
Maurice Ravel
John Cage 
Morton Feldman
Karol Szymanowski
Federico Mompou


----------



## Mandryka

composingmusic said:


> There's some really great replies on this thread, and I've really enjoyed reading through them! A few modern and contemporary pieces that I saw that I'll second include the Carter sonata, along with the Dutilleux and Berg, as well as various Takemitsu, Knussen, and Messiaen works. Carter also has quite an interesting shorter piano work called 90+, and if I remember correctly, it uses exactly 90 notes.
> 
> From these composers, I'd also like to recommend Messiaen's Vingt Regards, Catalogue d'Oiseaux, and Takemitsu's Rain Tree Sketch II.
> 
> A few other composers and pieces of interest: Ives' Concord Sonata, Feldman's Palais de Mari, Saariaho's Prelude, Fagerlund's Licht im licht, Finnissy's Gershwin and Verdi transcriptions (I saw English Country Tunes mentioned earlier), Benjamin's Piano Figures (some of these are orchestrated as Dance Figures), Boulez' Notations (some are orchestrated and enlarged later), Ferneyhough's Lemma-icon-epigram, Birtwistle's The Axe Manual, Joshua Fineberg's Veils, and Unsuk Chin's Etudes.


Let me recommend Roger Reynolds' piano music to you. Or if you have an interest in harmony, Mark R Taylor.


----------



## Rogerx

Beethoven, Schubert, Faure, Scarlatti , Brahms , Liszt ,Lyapunov to start with.


----------



## composingmusic

Mandryka said:


> Let me recommend Roger Reynolds' piano music to you. Or if you have an interest in harmony, Mark R Taylor.


I'm familiar with Roger Reynolds' music, less so with Mark R Taylor. Thank you for the recommendations!


----------



## verandai

I love the cycle "Miroirs" by Ravel, and also the often-played Gaspard de la nuit.


----------



## Kjetil Heggelund

I don't have a boat...


----------



## HenryPenfold

Kjetil Heggelund said:


> I don't have a boat...


your ancestors did ..........


----------



## Kjetil Heggelund

HenryPenfold said:


> your ancestors did ..........[/QUOTE
> Yes they did! Even my uncle had an old rowboat.
> Regarding pianomusic, I like Mozart, Bach & Schubert the most :angel:


----------



## christomacin

This piece is, quite literally, a boat floater. 
Ravel: Miroirs, M.43 - 3. Une barque sur l'océan (Ship on the Ocean)


----------



## Prodromides

How much piano music will sink a boat?


----------



## vtpoet

CPE Bach.
Haydn
Beethoven
Schubert

And I've been listening to Johann Freidrich Doles lately. He's really quite good for his time period:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ytBJcUNGXdQLhIcT5EK4Z?si=5226ea86819945c6


----------



## christomacin

Prodromides said:


> How much piano music will sink a boat?


One piece by Havergal Brian probably has enough lead in it's hull to send any ship to the bottom.


----------



## HenryPenfold

christomacin said:


> One piece by Havergal Brian probably has enough lead in it's hull to send any ship to the bottom.


Funny enough, although I'm a huge fan of the great man's music, I've never heard a note of his solo piano music.

Supposing you're right, though you're probably not, it could have been so different if I'd heard his piano music first!


----------



## Pat Fairlea

christomacin said:


> This piece is, quite literally, a boat floater.
> Ravel: Miroirs, M.43 - 3. Une barque sur l'océan (Ship on the Ocean)


And that whole CD has a fine music and excellent playing on it. Even though the cover photo of J-YT makes it look as if he was trying to seduce the photographer!


----------



## joen_cph

Prodromides said:


> How much piano music will sink a boat?


William Baines has "_The Lone Wreck_", a good piece, but it's probably descriptive ...


----------



## joen_cph

HenryPenfold said:


> My favourite genres are symphonies, string quartets and solo piano.
> (...)
> 
> *Anyway, what solo piano music floats your boat?*


Well, this pianist found some:

(it really is a true recording cover)


----------



## christomacin

joen_cph said:


> Well, this pianist found some:
> 
> (it really is a true recording cover)
> 
> View attachment 162645


Earl Wild Plays Dueling Banjos and Other Themes from "Deliverance"

I always go canoeing in a tux. Who doesn't?


----------



## regenmusic

Rameau by Marcelle Meyer - Les Sauvages, Les Oiseaux / Presentat° Alexandre Tharaud (Century's rec.)


----------



## HenryPenfold

*Déjà Vu* - Joyce Hatto's Greatest Recordings

I've only just discovered this marvellous pianist. I'm flabbergasted as to how magnificent these performances are. They are up there with the very best performers.

highly recommended.


----------



## Rogerx

Ruth Slenczynska - Complete American Decca Recordings

So good, almost a must have.


----------



## Eva Yojimbo

Too much to name really. Solo piano music may be my favorite classical genre in general. If I had to post a rough top 10: 

Couperin
Scarlatti
Mozart
Beethoven
Schubert
Schumann
Chopi
Liszt
Scriabin
Messiaen


----------



## mikeh375

This kept me afloat just now with its inventive writing...


----------



## 59540

regenmusic said:


> Rameau by Marcelle Meyer - Les Sauvages, Les Oiseaux / Presentat° Alexandre Tharaud (Century's rec.)


I came across that video on YT several months back and it was something of a revelation. I never thought Rameau could sound very good on a modern piano but that recording sounds great to me. I know some would no doubt disagree. To each his own of course.


----------



## pianozach

HenryPenfold said:


> *Déjà Vu* - Joyce Hatto's Greatest Recordings
> 
> I've only just discovered this marvellous pianist. I'm flabbergasted as to how magnificent these performances are. They are up there with the very best performers.
> 
> highly recommended.


Sergio Fiorentino would agree with you.


----------



## HenryPenfold

pianozach said:


> Sergio Fiorentino would agree with you.


I didn't know about Fiorentino, I thought Hatto was unique.


----------



## Rogerx

HenryPenfold said:


> *Déjà Vu* - Joyce Hatto's Greatest Recordings
> 
> I've only just discovered this marvellous pianist. I'm flabbergasted as to how magnificent these performances are. They are up there with the very best performers.
> 
> highly recommended.


I was intrigued by you post, so went for searching, quoi a bit of controversial / mysterious info to be found out there, will search for the box though.


----------



## AaronSF

Rogerx said:


> Ruth Slenczynska - Complete American Decca Recordings
> 
> So good, almost a must have.


How did this brilliant pianist elude me for so long! Thanks ever so for this recommendation...I'm listening to her now.


----------



## Captainnumber36

Mandryka said:


> Some French ones to get you started
> 
> Charles Koechlin (Paysages et Marines, Les Heures Persanes)
> Antoine Mariotte (impressions urbaines.)
> Gabriel Dupont's (Les Heures Dolentes)
> Raynaldo Hahn (Le Rossignol Eperdu)
> Albéric Magnard (Promenades)
> Abel Decaux (Clairs de lune)


Could you recommend more music that is quite vivid and causes a visual experience like the above and atonal artists?


----------



## Rogerx

AaronSF said:


> How did this brilliant pianist elude me for so long! Thanks ever so for this recommendation...I'm listening to her now.


Always glad seeing someone enjoying there music. Have fun.


----------



## composingmusic

mikeh375 said:


> This kept me afloat just now with its inventive writing...


These are great, yes! I'm also a big fan of the Ligeti etudes.


----------



## Neo Romanza

What solo piano music floats my boat? Ummm....plenty of it! Mainly from the following composers: Debussy, Ravel, Bartók, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Szymanowski, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Britten (I wish he wrote more of it!), Janáček, Ligeti, Enescu, Hahn, Poulenc, Milhaud, Albéniz, Falla, Villa-Lobos, Ginastera, Liszt, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Dukas, Carter et. al.


----------



## golfer72

Rachmaninov, Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Debussy are my top 5


----------



## SanAntone

Satie
Mompou
Ravel
Szymanowski
Bernstein
Ives
Feldman
Boulez
Gottschalk
Schoenberg


----------



## mikeh375

composingmusic said:


> These are great, yes! I'm also a big fan of the Ligeti etudes.


Me too, I prefer them to the Chin.


----------



## composingmusic

Fair enough Mike! One thing I find particularly interesting is that they've got this really particular driving character to them (well the faster ones at least) which also makes me think of Bartok's Mikrokosmos. I guess you could say that a lot of Ligeti's later music has this kind of character, and I think that's related to his use of process-based composition. A lot of the slower etudes are lovely as well, and also have this process-based aspect, but feel very different.


----------



## mikeh375

composingmusic said:


> Fair enough Mike! One thing I find particularly interesting is that they've got this really particular driving character to them (well the faster ones at least) which also makes me think of Bartok's Mikrokosmos. I guess you could say that a lot of Ligeti's later music has this kind of character, and I think that's related to his use of process-based composition. A lot of the slower etudes are lovely as well, and also have this process-based aspect, but feel very different.


Yes. They are so strikingly original, I admire their pianistic invention and their emotional and technical scope. Clever invention is a prize worth chasing don't you think?


----------



## tortkis

In Classical era, besides Beethoven (Sonatas, Bagatelles), I love Reicha's fugues (Op. 36, 81, etc.) I like Schumann's Sonata No. 1 very much, and I often return to Ravel's complete solo piano album by Hewitt. Since I saw mentions of Medtner, I am re-listening to Derzhavina's recording of Forgotten Melodies. They are marvelous, full of rich melodies. I need to check out Sonatas.

Some of my favorite piano works by modern/contemporary composers are Wyschnegradsky (Preludes), Cage (Sonatas and Interludes, Etude Australes, number pieces), Feldman (Palais de Mari), Young (The Well-Tunes Piano), Riley (The Harp of New Albion), Michael Harrison (Revelation), Nancarrow (Studies), Budd (Jane), Lentz (In the Sea of Ionia), Gann (Long Night, Hyperchromatica), Silvestrov (Bagatelles), Ten Holt (Canto Ostinato), Crumb (Metamorphoses), Frey (pianist, alone), Houben (go and stop)

And I love piano rag of Joplin, Bolcom, Morath.


----------



## HenryPenfold

*Nikolai Medtner *- Piano sonatas & Forgotten Memories
Geoffrey Tozer - Piano

What started off as a few pieces of beautiful piano music on a bright London morning, turned into a 6/7 hour listen - largely because of hours of torrential rain following the UK heatwave. 

We needed the rain and I'm so pleased to have reacquainted myself with this fabulous music.

This just might be my favourite piano music of all........


----------



## golfer72

HenryPenfold said:


> *Nikolai Medtner *- Piano sonatas & Forgotten Memories
> Geoffrey Tozer - Piano
> 
> What started off as a few pieces of beautiful piano music on a bright London morning, turned into a 6/7 hour listen - largely because of hours of torrential rain following the UK heatwave.
> 
> We needed the rain and I'm so pleased to have reacquainted myself with this fabulous music.
> 
> This just might be my favourite piano music of all........
> 
> View attachment 172904


I have most of the Tozer Medtner cycle. The more i get acquainted with this music the more I like it. I read a dissertation written on Medtners sonatas that was very interesting and helped me understand his methods of building the sonatas.


----------



## Rogerx

I have the serie played by Hamish Milne and a few from Tozer, strangely enough , I have more satisfaction from his piano concertos played by Sudbin.


----------



## golfer72

Rogerx said:


> I have the serie played by Hamish Milne and a few from Tozer, strangely enough , I have more satisfaction from his piano concertos played by Sudbin.


I haven't been able to really get into the Concertos at least not yet. Maybe some day.


----------



## Rogerx

golfer72 said:


> I haven't been able to really get into the Concertos at least not yet. Maybe some day.


I found the Medtner: Violin Sonatas on the shelf, going to spin it later, very fine.


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## golfer72

Rogerx said:


> I found the Medtner: Violin Sonatas on the shelf, going to spin it later, very fine.


I have them as well. Havent listened too much yet. So much in the solo sonatas to digest


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## Roger Knox

"Floats your boat" is an open-ended category and I'll go "little-rowboat" here:

Debussy: Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum from Children's Corner Suite
Ravel: _Menuet antique_
Ireland: The Island Spell, Amberley Wild Brooks​
Bridge: Rosemary​
Villa-Lobos: _Polichinelle _(Punch)​
Da Falla; Ritual Fire Music from _The Three-Cornered Hat_​
Novak: Ballade
Gerschwin: Three Preludes​
Poulenc: Two Novelettes, No. 2 in B-Flat Minor​
Prokofiev: Diabolical Suggestion​
Coulthard: Three Aegean Sketches​


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