# Help me expand my solo piano collection



## Declined

I'm a big fan of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Brahms, Rachmaninoff. I have yet to listen extensively to Schubert, Schumann, and Dvorak(though his 9th Symphony is one of my favorites). I have Beethoven's piano sonatas performed by Brendel. Clearly I have an affinity towards Romantic music. I am not a huge fan of "classical" music, in the strict sense. I am somewhat interested in Baroque music. 

What other solo piano works would you recommend? Any CDs in particular? Thanks.


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## GreenMamba

Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words are several books parlor pieces, a handful of which are famous. I have the Barenboim recording.


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## Guest

Although Scriabin stretches the boundaries of Romanticism, you might try his 10 Sonatas (the first 3 are the most Romantic in style), his Preludes, and the Etudes.


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## Mandryka

Declined said:


> I'm a big fan of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Brahms, Rachmaninoff. I have yet to listen extensively to Schubert, Schumann, and Dvorak(though his 9th Symphony is one of my favorites). I have Beethoven's piano sonatas performed by Brendel. Clearly I have an affinity towards Romantic music. I am not a huge fan of "classical" music, in the strict sense. I am somewhat interested in Baroque music.
> 
> What other solo piano works would you recommend? Any CDs in particular? Thanks.


I am assuming you know some piano music by Brahms, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. If not, say and I'll think of some good things to hear.

Staying in the 19th century, some Liszt is worth sampling - maybe the sonata. And some Chopin, you could try his preludes. And Schumann -- I recommend you start with Davidsbundlertanze. And moving into the 20th century you may enjoy Shostakovich.


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## Blancrocher

A few favorites of mine in a romantic vein:

Richter in Schubert: 



Gilels playing Grieg: 



Moravec playing Franck's "Prelude, Chorale, & Fugue": 



Lupu in Brahms: 




You might like to look at this site, which has a good list of basic repertoire. You'll find romantic gems in all the lists from the classical to the modern eras. If you click on composers' names you'll get recommended recordings, though unfortunately there haven't been any updates for awhile.

http://www.classical.net/music/rep/lists/rom.php

*p.s.* Oh, and Richter's WTC, which was probably the most influential work of the Romantic period:


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## GioCar

Declined said:


> I'm a big fan of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Brahms, Rachmaninoff. I have yet to listen extensively to Schubert, Schumann, and Dvorak(though his 9th Symphony is one of my favorites). I have Beethoven's piano sonatas performed by Brendel. Clearly I have an affinity towards Romantic music. I am not a huge fan of "classical" music, in the strict sense. *I am somewhat interested in Baroque music*.
> 
> What other solo piano works would you recommend? Any CDs in particular? Thanks.


In the field of Baroque you could try to sample D. Scarlatti's sonatas. There are very fine performances on piano (as well as on harpsichord).

Beside the Horowitz ones, I'd recommend Ivo Pogorelich










or the more recent Yevgeny Sudbin - between the two, my favorite


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## Chronochromie

Schubert's last three sonatas (Nos. 19, 20 and 21). Wilhelm Kempff is excellent and has recorded all of them. 



Schumann's Carnaval 



Chopin's Nocturnes and also the Preludes. Try Maurizio Pollini for both.


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## Triplets

I would concentrate on Chopin and Debussy, and then perhaps work 'backwards' to Mozart and Bach.


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## GioCar

Romantic music for solo piano? Liszt!

If you want to try something special, try some of his music played on an Érard piano.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sébastien_érard

Here's a very fine recording:










Liszt:
- Andante lagrimoso (Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173 No. 9)
- Mephisto Waltz No. 1
- La Lugubre Gondola II, S200 No. 2
- Legende S.175 No. 1, St Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds
- Legende S.175 No. 2, St. Francis of Paola walking on the waves
- Funérailles (Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173 No. 7)
- Wiegenlied (Chant du berceau), S198
Claire Chevallier Erard piano - La dolce Volta


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## Janspe

Here are some recommendations that come to mind at the moment:

- Debussy's _12 études_, as played by Mitsuko Uchida.
- Prokofiev's _piano sonata no. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84_, as played by Sviatoslav Richter. 
- Shostakovich's _24 preludes and fugues, op 87_, as played by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Not exactly romantic music, I know, but great pieces nevertheless and certainly worth a try.


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## Celiac Artery

Too many recommendations to list but I will list some highly recommended CDs and sets that come immediately to mind.

Bach:
Rosalyn Tureck - 
WTC (http://www.amazon.com/Plays-Bach-Well-Tempered-Rosalyn-Tureck/dp/B000031X83/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1416666247&sr=8-4&keywords=tureck+wtc)
Goldberg Variations (http://www.amazon.com/Bach-J-S-Variations-Rosalyn-Tureck/dp/B000VHIXGA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416666293&sr=8-2&keywords=tureck+goldberg)
Partitas (http://www.amazon.com/Rosalyn-Turec...id=1416666334&sr=8-4&keywords=tureck+partitas)

Scarlatti:
Horowitz - Horowitz Plays Scarlatti (http://www.amazon.com/Scarlatti-Horowitz-Plays-Vladimir/dp/B0000CF32K/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416667190&sr=1-1&keywords=horowitz+scarlatti)

Mozart: 
Maria Joao Pires Piano Sonata Cycle (http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Sonatas...8&qid=1416665996&sr=8-1&keywords=pires+mozart)

Beethoven:
Annie Fischer - Piano Sonata Cycle (http://www.amazon.com/Ludwig-Van-Co...66675&sr=1-1&keywords=annie+fischer+beethoven)
Gilels - Piano Sonatas(http://www.amazon.com/Emil-Gilels-Beethoven-Ludwig-Van/dp/B000ICM0YY/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416666770&sr=1-1&keywords=gilels+beethoven)

Schubert:
Kempff - Piano Sonatas (http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Piano-Sonatas/dp/B00004SA8A/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416666930&sr=1-5&keywords=schubert+sonatas)
Perahia - Impromptus (http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Impromptus-Franz/dp/B0000025N5/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416667115&sr=1-1&keywords=schubert+perahia+impromptus)

Schumann:
Cortot -Carnaval, Davidsbundlertanze (http://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Cortot-plays-Piano-Schumann/dp/B00BFPL5T4/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416667699&sr=1-4&keywords=cortot+schumann)
Horowitz - Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana (http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Kinderszenen-Kreisleriana-Arabesque-Toccata/dp/B0000026GD/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416667919&sr=1-1&keywords=horowitz+schumann)

Chopin:
Pires - Nocturnes (http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Nocturnes-Frederic/dp/B000001GPN/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416668911&sr=1-1&keywords=pires+nocturnes)
Rubinstein - Ballades, Waltzes (IMO, I would get his Chopin Collection, http://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Rubinstein-Chopin-Collection/dp/B000003F52/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416669204&sr=1-4&keywords=rubinstein+ballades)
Pollini - Etudes (http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-12-Etudes-op-10/dp/B000001G5H/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416669401&sr=1-1&keywords=chopin+etudes)

Mendelssohn:
Livia Rev - Songs without Words (http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Without-Words-F-Mendelssohn/dp/B000002ZEN/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416669497&sr=1-4&keywords=songs+without+words)

Brahms:
Julius Katchen - Intermezzi, Hungarian Dances (http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Piano-Works-Julius-Katchen/dp/B0000042GM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1416668732&sr=1-1&keywords=brahms+katchen)

There are a lot other recommendations but this is a good start. I don't like the Brendel cycle for Beethoven by the way...Fischer and Gilels are much better


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## Chordalrock

Schumann's Kreisleriana and Fantasy in C are must haves. Unique, beautiful music. I haven't listened to many different interpretations, but this Richter is a safe bet for the fantasy:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schumann-Fantasy-Faschingsschwank-Wien-Papillons/dp/B000067DNW/

The sound quality isn't the best in the world though.

Some people swear by the 1960s Horowitz studio recording for the Kreisleriana.

Liszt composed some interesting, characterful music. Chopin composed a lot of it. I'd recommend going through his rather small ouvre and seeing which works you'd like. It's hard to pick any works that are objectively much better than the others. If you don't mind old recordings, Cortot's recordings from the 1930s are essential Chopin, especially Ballade no 4 in F minor, Ballade no 1 in G minor (the recording from the 1920s is perhaps even better but there's a tradeoff in sound quality), and prelude no 4 (Brendel hypes this and the Cortot 1930s recording of the 24 preludes in the documentary about Brendel).

Liszt is probably the best in the Sonata in B minor (many fine recordings to choose from), Dante Sonata (I like Brendel, as I'd recall he's not too fast), Totentanz (the version with orchestra - Brendel is great here), some other pieces from the three "Annees de pelerinage" (definitely check out Orage - Brendel's early studio recording is by far the best; and Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este; and Sonetto 104 del Petrarca; and Vallée d'Obermann), and Mephisto Waltz no. 1 is a unique and effective show piece (I really like Andsnes here - his Liszt album is actually full of good stuff, including some rarely recorded pieces that are excellent and interesting - Liszt may not have been a composer with great skill, but he compensated with imaginativeness).

Here's a guilty pleasure of mine from Liszt (Berman playing Aux Cyprès de la Villa d'Este No. 2):






Don't ignore Mozart's piano sonatas. Many of them are quite characterful and brilliant in their own modest fashion. More than modestly brilliant, the sonata in A Minor is among his greatest compositions, especially the first and last movements taken together. His Rondo in A minor is a great one as well. I'd also recommend all the movements from the sonata no. 12 in F major. The first movement of his third piano sonata is characterful and fun. I think Mozart is better in this sort of keyboard music (light, fun, non-fugal) than anyone who came before, even Bach. His sonata in B flat major no 13 is another favorite (especially the first movement again); the third movement is like a simplified concerto movement, with a sort of cadenza. His last sonata shows the influence of his rediscovery of Bach, with a more complex texture but still unmistakably Mozartian.

I'd also recommend some pieces from Bach, mainly Liszt's transcriptions of his big organ preludes & fugues, namely the ones in C minor, A minor, E minor, and B minor. Bach's keyboard partita no 2 in C minor - especially the first movement - is one of the great masterpieces of the keyboard repertoire. I prefer Gould's recording on the piano (he's a little less eccentric here than elsewhere and he does the slow beginning like nobody else); there are also others that are excellent I'm sure. Busoni's transcription of "Ich ruf zu dir herr Jesu Christ" is not to be missed. Incredibly beautiful and unique - probably my single favorite piece from Bach.

Haydn is not to be overlooked. The Brendel recording of his E minor and B minor sonatas is one of my big favorites, and I'm not really a big fan of most classical period music either. When I saw the middle section of the slow movement of the B minor sonata in the documentary about Brendel, it never occurred to me this wonderfully dramatic, beautiful and unique piece could be Haydn.

I also recommend Schubert's impromptu no 1 in C minor. I like Brendel as his dynamic contrasts aren't exaggerated, but others may prefer Zimmerman or someone else.

Cesar Franck's op 18 is great. It's originally an organ work but there are different piano transcriptions and a few different recordings. The prelude especially is one of my top favorites. Really beautiful:


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## Albert7

And don't forget Glenn Gould's recordings for solo piano Bach works. E.g. Well-Tempered Clavier.


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## joen_cph

Also check out *Samuil Feinberg*´s piano sonatas. There´s a fine set on the BIS label, comprising 2 CDs.
Here´s Sonata 9


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## MagneticGhost

You're going to be snowed under with recommendations - in fact it looks like you are already. 
So I'll keep it to a minimum.

Schubert's Impromptus. 
Alfred Brendel.


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## Guest

Max Reger wrote two massive, late romantic works that I'd also recommend: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by JS Bach and Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Telemann. Marc-Andre Hamelin has a superb recording of both pieces:


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## Declined

Mandryka said:


> I am assuming you know some piano music by Brahms, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. If not, say and I'll think of some good things to hear.
> 
> .


Besides their concerti, no, not really.


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## joen_cph

(never mind ..................)


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## Chronochromie

Declined said:


> Besides their concerti, no, not really.


For Brahms, op. 117, 118 and 119 with Radu Lupu.


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## Declined

Now if I wanted to listen to Liszt(beside his Second Hungarian Rhapsody) and Chopin, what should I listen to?


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## Chronochromie

Declined said:


> Now if I wanted to listen to Liszt(beside his Second Hungarian Rhapsody) and Chopin, what should I listen to?


Liszt: Annees de Pelerinage and the Piano Sonata in B minor and maybe the rest of the Hungarian Rhapsodies.
Chopin: Preludes and Ballades.


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## Vaneyes

Beethoven - Pollini, Gulda, Richter, Gilels.

Brahms - Lupu, Angelich, Pogorelich, Kovacevich, Sokolov, Gould.

Rachmaninov - Rodriguez, Gavrilov, Richter, Alexeev, Demidenko, Ashkenazy, Angelich, Kempf.

Schubert - Lupu, Lewis, Sokolov, Brendel.

Schumann - Gavrilov, Lupu, Richter, Demidenko, Berezovsky, Argerich, Dalberto.


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## Animato

Unfortunately Chopin was mentioned very rarely in this thread. He is the "king" of piano music and you should listen to all his works, if you are insterested in piano-music. Easy-listening are his Etudes, his Preludes and his Polonaises.


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## leroy

Liszt's transcendental etudes and Rachmaninov's Etude- Tableaux. Also in the Russian vein Nikolai Medtner has some very nice pieces. you could also have a listen to Taneyev's Prelude and fuga op.29, Ashkenasy does a nice rendition of it.


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## Guest

Schubert's sonatas, recorded by Wilhelm Kempff. Exellent.

Most things of Chopin's, recorded by Artur Rubinstein. I really like the Polonaises, the Nocturnes, and the Ballades.

Want something really dense? Try Alkan. Any of the recordings by Marc-Andre Hamelin on the Hyperion label.

Don't neglect the classical period. Technically, Beethoven is classical period, not Romantic. Try Haydn's sonatas. Again, Hamelin has some excellent recordings.

The Liszt Sonata in B minor - Hamelin, again, is my favorite.


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## Nereffid

Declined said:


> Now if I wanted to listen to Liszt(beside his Second Hungarian Rhapsody) and Chopin, what should I listen to?


My particular Liszt favourites are the Années de pèlerinage, Ballade no.2, the 2 Legends (S.175), and the late piano music like Nuages gris and La lugubre gondola.


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## DavidA

You should definitely try Schumann's superb piano music. Some of the greatest ever written. 

Kreisleriana with Horowitz, Argerich, Anda, Perahia or Annie Fischer

Fantasy with Richter, Horowitz, Argerich or Fischer

Carnival with Fischer, Graffmann, Michelangeli or Cziffra


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## Blancrocher

DavidA said:


> Carnival with Fischer, Graffmann, Michelangeli or Cziffra


I'll add Nikita Magaloff, who I encountered through the "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" series.

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Pianists-20th-Century-Magaloff/dp/B00001XDL9

I most frequently listen to the first disk, which in addition to Carnaval has a standout version of Liszt's Paganini Etudes.

...

To the OP: you may like to explore that "great pianists" series for listening suggestions; lots of great and some obscure but great repertoire suggestions. Peter Gutman has an interesting review of the series:

http://www.classicalnotes.net/columns/pianoweb.html


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## starthrower

There's an excellent series on Naxos of Edvard Grieg's piano music by Einar Steen-Nokleberg.

You might want to try the Lyric Pieces. They're on vol 8.


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## ToneDeaf&Senile

A few works that come readily to mind...

Liszt - Ballade no.2 played in concert on a 97 key piano (!) by Valentina Lisitsa. Fine piece with lots of low bass, especially around the minute minute mark.

Paganini-Liszt - La Campanella again with ms Lisitsa. (It might be considered her signature piece.)

Schubert-Liszt - Erlkonig performed by Marina Yakhlakova in competition (which she won). This is my favorite piano interpretation of Erlkonig on YouTube. It's virtuosic as needed and in my opinion also brings out the poetry inherent in the music.

Schubert - Three Piano Pieces D946 No's 1-3. Alfred Brendel


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## Albert7

Well-Tempered Clavier Books 1 and 2... procuring that latest DG recording with Pierre-Laurent Aimard.


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## PeterF

Many of my favorites have already been mentioned. Nonetheless, here are a few things I would recommend.

Chopin - Nocturnes - Rubinstein, Pires, Moravec, Freire
Ballades - Rubinstein, Chen, Arrau
Etudes - Freire, Pollini, Perahia

Schubert - Sonatas - Kempff, Pollini
Impromptus - Lupu, Perahia

Haydn - Sonatas - Gould, Brendel

Mozart - Sonatas - Klien, Gulda, Pires


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## hpowders

Try Schumann's Symphonic Etudes and Brahms Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel.


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## Selby

Declined said:


> Now if I wanted to listen to Liszt(beside his Second Hungarian Rhapsody) and Chopin, what should I listen to?


Try two Stephen Hough recordings to start:

Liszt: Sonata, Ballades and Polonaises
http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Sonata-...F8&qid=1428712187&sr=8-2&keywords=hough+liszt

Chopin: Late Masterpieces
http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Late-M...8&qid=1428712233&sr=8-1&keywords=hough+chopin

Two discs. Not overwhelming. Affordable. Essential to my musical life.


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## Heliogabo

You should try Schubert's Wanderer fantasy. My favorites are Pollini and Richter. Want to hear Brendel and Kissin.


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## Jokke

This is a good box set to expand your solo piano collection :


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## HaydnBearstheClock

Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms - Sonatas; Also Schubert's Impromptus; Schumann - Kreisleriana, Davidsbündlertänze, Kinderszenen; Chopin - Polonaises, Noctures, Mazurkas; Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsodies


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## shadowdancer

Go to TC's top 200 solo keyboard list and locate the top 10. 
I would say that there is enough music below for a lifetime.
I will drop my recordings recommendations beside each one:

1. Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893
Sviatoslav Richter / Angela Hewitt

2. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 29, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier"
Claudio Arrau / Friedrich Gulda

3. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli / Claudio Arrau

4. Chopin - 24 Preludes, Op. 28
Martha Argerich / Maurizio Pollini

5. Bach - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Glenn Gould / Nobody

6. Schubert - Piano Sonata No. 21, D. 960
Alfred Brendel / Sviatoslav Richter

7. Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit
Ivo Pogorelich / Nobody

8. Chopin - Ballade No. 4, Op. 52
Arthur Rubinstein / Nobody

9. Schumann - Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
Maurizio Pollini / Nobody

10. Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
Sviatoslav Richter / Vladimir Horowitz


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## Selby

shadowdancer said:


> Go to TC's top 200 solo keyboard list and locate the top 10.
> I would say that there is enough music below for a lifetime.
> I will drop my recordings recommendations beside each one:
> 
> 1. Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846-893
> Sviatoslav Richter / Angela Hewitt
> 
> 2. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 29, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier"
> Claudio Arrau / Friedrich Gulda
> 
> 3. Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111
> Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli / Claudio Arrau
> 
> 4. Chopin - 24 Preludes, Op. 28
> Martha Argerich / Maurizio Pollini
> 
> 5. Bach - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
> Glenn Gould / Nobody
> 
> 6. Schubert - Piano Sonata No. 21, D. 960
> Alfred Brendel / Sviatoslav Richter
> 
> 7. Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit
> Ivo Pogorelich / Nobody
> 
> 8. Chopin - Ballade No. 4, Op. 52
> Arthur Rubinstein / Nobody
> 
> 9. Schumann - Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
> Maurizio Pollini / Nobody
> 
> 10. Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
> Sviatoslav Richter / Vladimir Horowitz


I'm gonna kibitz 

5. Bach - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Glenn Gould / *Murray Perahia*

7. Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit
Ivo Pogorelich / *Pascal Roge*

8. Chopin - Ballade No. 4, Op. 52
Arthur Rubinstein / *Krystian Zimmerman*

9. Schumann - Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
Maurizio Pollini / *Eric Le Sage*


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## shadowdancer

Selby said:


> I'm gonna kibitz
> 
> 5. Bach - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
> Glenn Gould / *Murray Perahia*
> 
> 7. Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit
> Ivo Pogorelich / *Pascal Roge*
> 
> 8. Chopin - Ballade No. 4, Op. 52
> Arthur Rubinstein / *Krystian Zimmerman*
> 
> 9. Schumann - Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
> Maurizio Pollini / *Eric Le Sage*


Thanks @Selby!

That is the kind of answer that makes this site interesting. 
Very nice complements you inserted here!

Cheers.


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## Barbebleu

Shostakovitch Preludes and Fugues played by Tatiana Nikolyeva. Either version.


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## Medtnaculus

If you like Rachmaninov I'd recommend Bortkiewicz -- very nostalgic with lush melodies. Perhaps extend to Medtner's fairy tales or sonatas, though sometimes it may take a few listens to get in to it. Scriabins early works will be good (maybe some early Stravinsky too, very romantic). 

Frank Bridge has some great stuff if you end up enjoying Debussy or Ravel.


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## EDaddy

Mandryka said:


> I am assuming you know some piano music by Brahms, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. If not, say and I'll think of some good things to hear.
> 
> Staying in the 19th century, some Liszt is worth sampling - maybe the sonata. And some Chopin, you could try his preludes. And Schumann -- I recommend you start with Davidsbundlertanze. And moving into the 20th century you may enjoy Shostakovich.


I'd proceed with caution in reference to the Shostakovich. Not necessarily "romantic".


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## EDaddy

A dash of Brahms's late piano works certainly couldn't hurt.


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## Beban

Pejačević 
Piano Sonata No.2 in one movement


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## Mario Martinez

Debussy Préludes. Book 1







http://www.playclassics.com/album1

You can play the complete album online for free. And if you like it you can download the 24bit 96kHz full dynamic range master file


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