Classical Piano Recommendations

Tibby · 12-20-2008, 10:03 AM

I wish to expand my piano-centric classical music library and I’d appreciate any suggestions that you may offer with regard to composers and particular works (perhaps even the best performances/recordings), that coincide with the style of music I like best (hopefully, others here may like the same style and will benefit from this discussion).

I’m drawn to music that highlights instrumental virtuosity—particularly piano (followed by violin and cello). Time period: 17th century Baroque to early 20th century Modern, emphasis on Romantic era. I like music that is passionate and dramatic, often in the heroic style. My favorite composer in this regard, is Franz Liszt, I thoroughly enjoy nearly his entire body of work, especially his 12 Transcendental Etudes*, Hungarian Rhapsodies and piano concertos. In fact, I like every thing about this guy: besides being a paradigm shifting composer and piano virtuoso of the highest order, he lived a long, passionate life, complete with complicated affairs of the heart and heart-wrenching loses. Yet, despite his break-neck concert tours and personal dramas, he seems to have remained a genuinely nice guy who gave a great deal of himself to his friends and the world of music, for free.

After Liszt, I like much of the piano works of Chopin (e.g. Etudes Op.10, No.4 and No. 12), and Beethoven (e.g. Appassionata, Pathetique and Moonlight Sonatas). I don’t really need any suggestions for music from these composers, nor Bach, since I’m pretty familiar with their output.

Here are a sprinkling of other composers/pieces that I like: Brahms Intermezzos (especially Op.118); Mendelssohn (especially Prelude & Fugue Op.35); Prokofieff (especially Piano Sonata 6); Rachmaninov (especially Concerto #2, Piano Suite #2 for 2 Pianos, Etudes-Tableaux), Tchaikovski (Piano Concerto No.1), Scriabin (Etude, Op.8 No.12, Sonata No.5 Op.53), Paderewski (piano concerto). I’m not as familiar with these composers, so other recommendations of their work would be appreciated along with any composers that I have not mentioned.

As a bonus, I’d be even more delighted if you could list music in a similar style that features violin (e.g. Paganini) and/or cello virtuosity.

Thanks, in advance for your recommendations.

* Check out Boris Berezovski’s version of Mazeppa on Youtube…I love that run he does at 1:57 to 2:03.

12-20-2008, 10:03 AM	#1 (permalink)
Tibby Groupie Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl Posts: 2	Classical Piano Recommendations I wish to expand my piano-centric classical music library and I’d appreciate any suggestions that you may offer with regard to composers and particular works (perhaps even the best performances/recordings), that coincide with the style of music I like best (hopefully, others here may like the same style and will benefit from this discussion). I’m drawn to music that highlights instrumental virtuosity—particularly piano (followed by violin and cello). Time period: 17th century Baroque to early 20th century Modern, emphasis on Romantic era. I like music that is passionate and dramatic, often in the heroic style. My favorite composer in this regard, is Franz Liszt, I thoroughly enjoy nearly his entire body of work, especially his 12 Transcendental Etudes, Hungarian Rhapsodies and piano concertos. In fact, I like every thing about this guy: besides being a paradigm shifting composer and piano virtuoso of the highest order, he lived a long, passionate life, complete with complicated affairs of the heart and heart-wrenching loses. Yet, despite his break-neck concert tours and personal dramas, he seems to have remained a genuinely nice guy who gave a great deal of himself to his friends and the world of music, for free. After Liszt, I like much of the piano works of Chopin (e.g. Etudes Op.10, No.4 and No. 12), and Beethoven (e.g. Appassionata, Pathetique and Moonlight Sonatas). I don’t really need any suggestions for music from these composers, nor Bach, since I’m pretty familiar with their output. Here are a sprinkling of other composers/pieces that I like: Brahms Intermezzos (especially Op.118); Mendelssohn (especially Prelude & Fugue Op.35); Prokofieff (especially Piano Sonata 6); Rachmaninov (especially Concerto #2, Piano Suite #2 for 2 Pianos, Etudes-Tableaux), Tchaikovski (Piano Concerto No.1), Scriabin (Etude, Op.8 No.12, Sonata No.5 Op.53), Paderewski (piano concerto). I’m not as familiar with these composers, so other recommendations of their work would be appreciated along with any composers that I have not mentioned. As a bonus, I’d be even more delighted if you could list music in a similar style that features violin (e.g. Paganini) and/or cello virtuosity. Thanks, in advance for your recommendations. Check out Boris Berezovski’s version of Mazeppa on Youtube…I love that run he does at 1:57 to 2:03.