# Favorite Composer of Piano Music



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I can appreciate most any of the greats that have composed for piano, but I must say Chopin, Debussy, & Ravel take the cake. They just understand the beauty of the piano like no other in my opinion.


What about you?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Or Composer(s).


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Beethoven and (if you count general keyboard music) Bach. Then there are about a dozen that I love as well


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Beethoven and (if you count general keyboard music) Bach. Then there are about a dozen that I love as well


What is your favorite collection of his Sonatas at the moment?


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Captainnumber36 said:


> What is your favorite collection of his Sonatas at the moment?


Waldstein, Appassionata, Moonlight and the accompanying Sonata quasi una fantasia No. 13, Tempest, No 12., No 22. and the last five sonatas. Also, Diabelli variations.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Beethoven for me too. My favorite piano sonatas by him include: Waldstein, Op. 53; Appassionata, Op. 57; Op. 106, Op. 109, Op. 111. Also, I love his Diabelli Variations.

My second favorite piano composer would probably be Liszt; my favorite piece of his is Sonata in B Minor. Ravel is a very close third (Miroirs, Gaspard de la Nuit). Then Debussy, then Chopin...the list is endless!


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Waldstein is great. Beethoven's Les Adieux has really grown on me. Some music I find more difficult to like at the beginning become the music I end up liking the most and listen to more often.

Also After listening to Op. 111, I don't generally listen to any of his other late sonatas from Hammerklavier onward.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Phil loves classical said:


> Waldstein is great. Beethoven's Les Adieux has really grown on me. Some music I find more difficult to like at the beginning become the music I end up liking the most and listen to more often.
> 
> Also After listening to Op. 111, I don't generally listen to any of his other late sonatas from Hammerklavier onward.


I think I'll put on Waldstein performed by Kempff here in a second!


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I think I'll put on Waldstein performed by Kempff here in a second!


Kempff's used to be my favourite, but it is now Gilels. He has amazing technique, and idiomatic playing. My favourite pianist.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I think I can confidently say, Beethoven has composed my favorite symphonies (based on what I've heard), but I stick by my OP, Chopin, Debussy, and Ravel are my favorites for piano. That being said, I do love the first movement of Moonlight Sonata, such a beautiful piece.


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## ido66667 (Aug 29, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I think I can confidently say, Beethoven has composed my favorite symphonies (based on what I've heard), but I stick by my OP, Chopin, Debussy, and Ravel are my favorites for piano. That being said, I do love the first movement of Moonlight Sonata, such a beautiful piece.


People don't give the 3rd movement enough credit.

My favorite for keyboard is definitely Bach, but he didn't compose for piano (Although there are theories that some parts of the Musical Offering were composed to fortepiano, as Fredrick the Great definitely owed some in his court at the time of the composition), so maybe Britten.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

ido66667 said:


> People don't give the 3rd movement enough credit.


Too moody for me, but I can listen to it and appreciate it. A lot of Beethoven's piano sonatas are just too aggressive for my tastes.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

ido66667 said:


> People don't give the 3rd movement enough credit.
> 
> My favorite for keyboard is definitely Bach, but he didn't compose for piano (Although there are theories that some parts of the Musical Offering were composed to fortepiano, as Fredrick the Great definitely owed some in his court at the time of the composition), so maybe Britten.


Or the 2nd  All three movements are great.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Or the 2nd  All three movements are great.


Yes, the 2nd movement of the Moonlight is definitely underappreciated. I was just teaching that movement to a piano student this afternoon and we were marveling at its intricate rhythmic patterns, its witty disruptions of the 3/4 meter. These disruptions produce some colorful harmonic dissonances as well.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I do love all three movements, but I just think in my own excursions with composing, I'm going for more of a style similar to the first movement.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I do love all three movements, but I just think in my own excursions with composing, I'm going for more of a style similar to the first movement.


The first movement of the Moonlight Sonata is indeed a worthy model for imitation! I love how Beethoven maintained the same rhythmic patterns throughout, but he infused contrast into the music with his innovative chord progressions. I look forward to hearing your take on this style; I hope that you will post a recording of your piece in the composer forum at some point.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Bettina said:


> The first movement of the Moonlight Sonata is indeed a worthy model for imitation! I love how Beethoven maintained the same rhythmic patterns throughout, but he infused contrast into the music with his innovative chord progressions. I look forward to hearing your take on this style; I hope that you will post a recording of your piece in the composer forum at some point.


I have some stuff there already! You can check out my stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkzbohV191BuBX_h_r1M8hA


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I have some stuff there already! You can check out my stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkzbohV191BuBX_h_r1M8hA


Thanks for the link. I'm listening to your Nocturne right now and I'm greatly enjoying it. As you say in your caption, it draws on aspects of Chopin's style--but I do also hear traces of the Moonlight Sonata in there too. Very nice use of a Classical/Romantic piano style. Now, time for Sea and Sand!


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

And Bettina, I will say I more mimic the spirit of composing from the heart that Beethoven has that inspires me most about his style, and the minimalist nature of the first movement is certainly something I utilize in my music more than any actual theory based concepts lifted from any specific pieces.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

The first piano sonata, other than Moonlight, by Beethoven I first fell in love with was Pathetique. Amazing!


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> And Bettina, I will say I more mimic the spirit of composing from the heart that Beethoven has that inspires me most about his style, and the minimalist nature of the first movement is certainly something I utilize in my music more than any actual theory based concepts lifted from any specific pieces.


Yes, I can definitely hear that in your music. I'm listening to End of the Road right now and I like your minimalist use of repeated patterns. (Sorry for changing the topic of your thread into a discussion of your piano music...but hey, right now you're becoming one of my favorite 21st-century piano composers!)


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Bettina said:


> Yes, I can definitely hear that in your music. I'm listening to End of the Road right now and I like your minimalist use of repeated patterns. (Sorry for changing the topic of your thread into a discussion of your piano music...but hey, right now you're becoming one of my favorite 21st-century piano composers!)


Wait until the end of that one! .


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Wait until the end of that one! .


I just got to the end...it certainly is quite a surprise! Very intense and unexpected chords, repeated with interesting rhythms. I definitely was not expecting that, but it works well.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Bettina said:


> I just got to the end...it certainly is quite a surprise! Very intense and unexpected chords, repeated with interesting rhythms. I definitely was not expecting that, but it works well.


Thanks, and you are a piano teacher? That means a lot.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I took Suzuki lessons starting at around age 3 until about age 16. It really trained my ear, as you probably know, that is what that school of musical thought is all about. I'm a bit low on theory knowledge, I know basics, but it doesn't bother me too much.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Thanks, and you are a piano teacher? That means a lot.


Yes, I am a piano teacher, and it's always exciting for me to discover new piano music! Thanks again for letting me know about your youtube channel.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Bettina said:


> Yes, I am a piano teacher, and it's always exciting for me to discover new piano music! Thanks again for letting me know about your youtube channel.


Thank you for taking the time to listen and form some thoughts on it!


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Third mvt. of Waldstein is awesome!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Haydn, Scarlatti and John Field are very good piano music composers.


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

Pugg said:


> Haydn, Scarlatti and John Field are very good piano music composers.


Let me add Mompou to this list (who you're been listenin to I guess).


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Heliogabo said:


> Let me add Mompou to this list (who you're been listenin to I guess).


Very clever observation, buy I do like Lyapunov also .


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

For some reason I've never been as captivated by Beethoven's piano music as by his symphonies or chamber music. My appreciation has grown in recent years, but I'm still not often swept away. So my choices would be:

1. Bach on piano (if that counts)
2. Chopin
3. Schubert
4. Debussy
5. Beethoven


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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

Beethoven for piano music, and Bach for keyboard music in general.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Of the composers who actually composed for the piano, I return repeatedly to Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Faure, Debussy, Bridge, Scriabin, Ravel, Busoni, Bartok, Hindemith, Boulez, Shostakovich and Ligeti. (I haven't explored much of Prokofiev's solo piano output yet, though I plan to do that this year).

And although there is only his piano sonata to savour, Berg.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Overall: Bach's oeuvre on piano (my personal preference rather than harpsichord)
Honorable mentions for Beethoven (best sonatas), Chopin, Schubert, Debussy, Ravel, Field, and many others.

But my single most loved piano work is probably Mussorgsky's Pictures at an exhibition.


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## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

Beethoven's piano sonatas are something else and my favourite is the last one. Mainly because of the huge contrast between the two movements. 
Then JS Bach's output followed by Alkan.


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## Fan66 (Jan 22, 2017)

Favorite composer of piano music? Chopin! Of course! Who else blends remarkable beauty with the melancholy that is part of the human condition? His music speaks to the heart.


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## Schumanniac (Dec 11, 2016)

Oooh, quite a few  Piano was ever my favourite instrument, forever calling me to take lessons. Some day, my old friend, we'll have fun together.

Chopin is obvious.
Schumann too, the kinderszenen is incredible, Davidsbundlertanze is so exuberant or introspective, the C major fantasie goes without saying, the 3rd mvt is a particular allure lately.
Debussy too, of course.
Schubert could go here for his D960 sonata alone.
Faure as well, his nocturnes are far too undervalued, though less than a handful ever seemed to capture the mystery of it.
And Beethoven of course. Though i do prefer the gentler pieces, it does become a little too furious sometimes. Except with 3rd movement of moonlight, love the energy of it.


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## Sina (Aug 3, 2012)

John Cage definitely, except "Dream" and "In a Landscape".


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Sina said:


> John Cage definitely, except "Dream" and "In a Landscape".


just heard his Music of Changes yesterday. How you feel about that one? Quirky is all I can say.


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## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

I'm a big fan of Medtner's piano works (as can be seen from my profile picture). Also Beethoven (naturally), Ravel, Debussy, Scriabin, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Undoubtedly Haydn for me. His piano trios and piano sonatas give me wonderful enjoyment.


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## keymasher (Nov 10, 2016)

I'd have to go JS Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Ravel, and Prokofiev.

Honorable mentions would include Haydn, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy, Faure, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff.

Knocking at the door would be Rameau, Brahms, Scarlatti, Enescu, and Shostakovich.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

keymasher said:


> I'd have to go JS Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Ravel, and Prokofiev.
> 
> Honorable mentions would include Haydn, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy, Faure, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff.
> 
> Knocking at the door would be Rameau, Brahms, Scarlatti, Enescu, and Shostakovich.


That's the spirit, broad mind. :tiphat:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Since I love all of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas and play through the cycle of 32 several times throughout a year, I would have to say Beethoven is my favorite composer for the piano.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

I'm going to broaden this to keyboard, and say that I love two equally:
Bach and Beethoven. 
In many ways, I find Bach head and shoulders above Beethoven, simply by just how broad his exploration of keyboard instruments went, and also the fact that so many of his keyboard works sound amazing regardless of the keyboard instrument you choose to perform them. I have heard the Goldberg Variations on harpsichord, piano, and organ, and loved them all.

But Beethoven is amazing, and for sheer emotional appeal, blows Bach out of the water.

And I will throw one more in here - not necessarily the greatest, but one for whom I have gained an ever increasing appreciation: William Byrd.


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## arnerich (Aug 19, 2016)

If we were simply going by hours spent then my favorite composer to play at the piano would be Chopin.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

I like most "composers of piano music" but my favourites (can never have one favourite of anything lol) are Liszt and Chopin!

I will also let you know, I have an album of piano music performed on the Violin which is just Heaven.

Romance of the Violin
Joshua Bell


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

My big 4 are Scriabin, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. Pretty much in that order.
I also love the piano music of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Prokofiev and Ravel.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Bach's in his own category. After that, my favorites are Schumann, Haydn, Chopin, Scriabin and Shostakovich.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Debussy 
Chopin
Ravel
Rachmaninov
Roussel
Mompou


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

Beethoven
Haydn
Chopin
Grieg (lyric pieces)
Scriabin
Sorabji
Rachmaninov
Ravel
Debussy
Mompou


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## sluciani (Apr 26, 2016)

Bettina said:


> My second favorite piano composer would probably be Liszt; my favorite piece of his is Sonata in B Minor.


Would love to know what you think of this performance. TIA!

http://www.talkclassical.com/showthread.php?t=48181&p=1211484&viewfull=1#post1211484


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

Ups, forgot to mention my Liszt in my list !!
I like specially his late piano pieces.


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## Jacred (Jan 14, 2017)

Beethoven. His sonatas are mesmerizing and there's one for every mood.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

sluciani said:


> Would love to know what you think of this performance. TIA!
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/showthread.php?t=48181&p=1211484&viewfull=1#post1211484


Thanks for posting this. I just finished listening to it and I loved it! Telizyn created a beautiful sense of phrasing and melodic flow, with careful attention to inner/hidden voices.


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## sluciani (Apr 26, 2016)

Glad you enjoyed it. I've listened to a dozen other performances since, and, so far, this one's my 'desert island' B minor.


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## sprite (Jan 31, 2015)

Scriabin. I can't even believe the sounds coming from the piano when I hear him, it's like some occult *****. Which, you know.. makes sense. I'm sure he'd relish in the knowledge that his music would be described "some occult *****" a century later on an Internet forum.

(ahh ok, the asterisks make me seem incredibly vulgar. But I'm leaving it because the idea of him foreseeing my crass compliment makes me giggle.)


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## Andolink (Oct 29, 2012)

Beethoven and Brahms are my favorites for piano music.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

In terms of solo piano repertoire, while there's a great deal else I love and would hate to be without, it has to be Chopin for me.


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## Razumovskymas (Sep 20, 2016)

Liszt and Beethoven

Not only expressing beauty but also despair and downfall


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## Orpheus (Jul 15, 2012)

I'll start by assuming this thread is about _solo_ piano works, as otherwise my choices would look somewhat different and the list of works I want to mention would be much longer for some composers.

Somehow I've never quite been able to think of J.S. Bach and Scarlatti as composers for piano, although there are a few works that seem to do well on the piano when performed in the right way (the Goldbergs, for example), so they don't make my list of favourites purely for this reason.

In no particular order of preference:

_Scriabin_ - particularly his later sonatas, his first sonata and some of his études and preludes.
_Chopin_ - but I mostly enjoy his shorter more technical works such as the études and nocturnes, his Op 28 preludes probably being my favourite work overall - I can't really get into most of his longer pieces.
_Beethoven_ - plenty of sonatas I enjoy, so it's hard to narrow them down to just a few examples. "The Tempest", "Moonlight" and "Waldstein", along with no.11 opus 22, are certainly among my favourites though. I haven't listened all that much to his other solo piano works. The Diabelli variations are nice enough, but have bever really become a favourite.
_Field_ - I think I prefer his nocturnes to Chopin's.
_Sorabji _- at his best, a fascinating and rich musical world quite unlike anyone else's - at his worst, too many damn notes for not very much result. I wish his works were recorded more.
_Godowsky_ - could be very inventive at his best, and must have been one of the supreme pianists to be able to play his own works (which defeat many pianists for purely technical reasons) with nuance and expression, which apparently he had. I wish he'd _composed_ more, as he really didn't leave all that much. The Passacaglia on Schubert's Unfinished symphony strikes me as one of the best examples around of the theme and variations, and the Java Suite is a real (albeit half-buried) treasure.
_Shostakovich_ - well, I like his op.87 set of preludes and fugues. I haven't listened to much of his other piano solo stuff, however.

A wild card for the last one. _Camargo Guarnieri_ - one of the most popular Brazilian composers in his home country, if not so well known elsewhere. He composed a large amount of orchestral music but may have been close to his best on the piano. His 50 "Ponteios", a large group of rather nocturne or prelude-like short mood pieces spread over several opus numbers, are well worth a listen. I shall have to look further into his other piano music at some point, when I have listened to all the other things I am supposed to be looking into first!

Brief comments on some who didn't make my personal list. I've never really able to get into Liszt's or Debussy's piano works. I'm not sure why that is, as I have nothing in particular against them and don't actively dislike their works - they just don't seem to do much for me on the whole. I hear a lot of notes that don't typically convey all that much to me, and lose interest after a while. Schumann's are generally pleasant enough, but don't really engage me. Haydn's piano works are doubtless fine and virtuous compositions, but on the whole I prefer his string quartets, and some of his symphonies, which may have made his piano sonatas fall in my estimation just for not being his op.20 or op.76. I also have a regrettable inability to appreciate Mozart as much as he surely deserves, about which I shall say no more, as this is probably more my fault than his. I have a feeling I might like Medtner, and possibly Alkan, but haven't listened to them all that much, so can't say for sure.


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## rice (Mar 23, 2017)

I play Liszt and Beethoven's music, but my favorite is Rachmaninoff
His works are just too difficult for me (as I am useless and possess no skill). I am learning his second piano sonata bit by bit


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

I would also like to give a plug to John Field especially the Nocturnes


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## quietfire (Mar 13, 2017)

Bach and Chopin


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Phil loves classical said:


> Waldstein is great. Beethoven's Les Adieux has really grown on me. Some music I find more difficult to like at the beginning become the music I end up liking the most and listen to more often.
> 
> Also After listening to Op. 111, I don't generally listen to any of his other late sonatas from Hammerklavier onward.


Les Adieux is fantastic. I can't believe I neglected to mention it. Another omission was "The Hunt". It's such a happy and upbeat piece. I think I can name half of Beethoven's sonatas as my favorite


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## AstoundingAmadeus (Feb 9, 2015)

Always going to be fond of Sigismond Thalberg for his opera fantasies. Wish he had composed more than the one piano concerto though.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

AstoundingAmadeus said:


> Always going to be fond of Sigismond Thalberg for his opera fantasies. Wish he had composed more than the one piano concerto though.


Francesco Nicolosi playing the on the Marco Polo label are fantastic.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Debussy. .


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## ojoncas (Jan 3, 2019)

It has to be *Beethoven* for me, but then others going with tiers as my favorites:

1st tier (in love with)

*Beethoven*
Medtner 
Kapustin 
Ravel
Brahms

2nd tier (frequently listen to)

Mozart
Rachmaninoff
Alkan
Schumann
Scriabin
Chopin
Paderewski
Moszkowski

3rd tier (occasionally)

Liszt
Fauré
Schubert
Debussy
Szymanowski
Prokofiev
Lutoslawski

I'm sure I forgot a few but that's a quickly/from memory list.


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