Piano Concertos

Started by b&ierstiefel
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b&ierstiefel

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OK, if you're into classical music, especially piano concerto music, and you have some CDs you really really like, please post your recommendations here.

One's that I own and particularly enjoy are:

Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos #1-4
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1
Liszt Piano Concertos #1-2
Scharwenka Piano Concerto (courtesy of yaah)
Prokofiev Piano Concerto #3
Chopin Piano Concertos #1-2
Beethoven Piano Concertos #1-5
(played too much Mozart as a kid, sick of Mozart; hence I don't own any Mozart CDs)

I would like to hear if there are any other piano concertos out there that you enjoy listening to so that I can further build up that part of my music collection. Any suggestions would be much appreciated 😀

Thanks.
 
AndyMilonakis said:
OK, if you're into classical music, especially piano concerto music, and you have some CDs you really really like, please post your recommendations here.

One's that I own and particularly enjoy are:

Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos #1-4
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1
Liszt Piano Concertos #1-2
Scharwenka Piano Concerto (courtesy of yaah)
Prokofiev Piano Concerto #3
Chopin Piano Concertos #1-2
Beethoven Piano Concertos #1-5
(played too much Mozart as a kid, sick of Mozart; hence I don't own any Mozart CDs)

I would like to hear if there are any other piano concertos out there that you enjoy listening to so that I can further build up that part of my music collection. Any suggestions would be much appreciated 😀

Thanks.
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What, no Poo Piano Concerto #1? Seriously, your list includes all the concertos that I own. I think Schumann and Mendelssohn wrote at least one concerto each, and Bela Bartok wrote a concerto for 2 pianos, if you can stand listening to him 🙂
 
I don't know about concertos, but I'm very fond of Debussy and Beethoven.
 
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stormjen said:
I don't know about concertos, but I'm very fond of Debussy and Beethoven.
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Ooo...I like Claude Debussy too. I remember playing his Arabesques and Clair de Lune as a kid. I'm gonna have to use the powers of google to see if the dude has written any piano concertos (I don't think he did though).

Addendum: Google says he didn't write any piano concertos 🙁

Regarding, Bartok and Kabalevsky, I used to really dislike their pieces. Although I still don't like Kabalevsky, I can tolerate Bartok now 🙂. I haven't listened to his stuff in quite a while so perhaps it is time to give Bartok yet another try. Ask me 7 years ago, I would have said that I hate Prokofiev's music too. I actually like Prokofiev now.

To add to my list above, Gershwin's music has also been growing on me lately. I don't have his piano concerto in my music collection but Rhapsody in Blue is a fun piece to listen to.
 
Not a piano concerto per se, but do yourself the favor of listening to the CLASSIC classical EMI recording of Beethoven's Triple Concerto & Brahm's Double Concerto.

The conductor is Herbert von Karajan, and the musicians (in no particular order of excellence): David Oistrakh, Mitislav Rostopovich, Sviatoslav Richter. The "Backup band" is the Berliner Philhamonic in their absolute prime.

Those guys are not playing. They're playing around and having fun. My jaw still drops after hearing it for the xxxxxx time. The record (LP, but I think CDs are obtainable) is on my "things to bring to a deserted island-list"
 
Thanks for the suggestion. It is out on CD. This is it right?
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Ohhhh. yes. That's it. BUY IT. You will NEVER REGRET!!!! I promise you. In, fact, I will buy it from you at original price, if you're not falling in love (with it)...
 
I greatly dislike Gershwin. Do you have his Rhapsody in Blue on CD? I do, and you can have it if you want it.
 
Thanks for the list! I've been looking for some good piano cds. I figured Yaah would give us a mile-long post on this...
 
Personally, I'd recommend some great cello concertos: Dvorak, Lalo, Saint-Saens, Shostakovitch are wonderful. Not to sure about viola concertos, Andy...

By the way, if you had to choose one favorite symphony, what would it be?
 
geddy said:
Personally, I'd recommend some great cello concertos: Dvorak, Lalo, Saint-Saens, Shostakovitch are wonderful. Not to sure about viola concertos, Andy...

By the way, if you had to choose one favorite symphony, what would it be?
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I lied about the viola in a feeble attempt to make my identity just that much more cryptic 🙄 . Just like any other Asian kid, I play piano and violin.

I do like those cello concertos very much. But this thread is about piano concertos...stay on track man. :laugh:
 
Hey! Much as I like Pianos (which, btw, is also a "hot" bar on the Lower East Side), you can't really discuss quality music and bypass Jaqueline du Pre (a sad medical story, btw) and Pablo Casals. The Queen and King, respectively, of the cello.
In my mind, there's no competition on the violin either. David Oistrakh hands down. Piano, though, is a lot tougher: Obviously a lot of brilliantly gifted people out there, living and departed. But I can't really name THE player....
 
I come to this forum to get some path info, direction and guidance, and I'm confronted with piano concertos (among other threads)?

Well, I personally like the Bach concertos.
D major - (I think the one I'm thinking of is BWV 1054)
F minor - BWV 1056

These are my favorites. Now if you're such a purist, Bach never wrote for the "piano" but harpsichord, but whatever... His solo cello stuff is good too. Actually, I like all his stuff.

I see you already took care of Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Prokofiev.
 
Bach is great. As is Beet Hoven. Of course, you can't get around Wolfgang Amadeus, the Picasso of music - or is it the other way round? But frankly, I very seldom hear him these days.

For depressive moods, Sibelius is your man. For virtuosity, it's of course hard to get around Chopin. And if you really want to roll it all out, Wagner will be there with his Viking Hammer!
 
As far as classical music goes, my hands-down favorite is Tschaiovsky's violin concerto. I had the great privilege of seeing Itzhak Perlman perform this in person!! 👍
 
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AndyMilonakis said:
I lied about the viola in a feeble attempt to make my identity just that much more cryptic 🙄 . Just like any other Asian kid, I play piano and violin.

I do like those cello concertos very much. But this thread is about piano concertos...stay on track man. :laugh:
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Ok, ok... Personally, I don't care much for the Tchaikovsky piano concerto - I like romatic era music, but that is almost over the top. And it just seems like it should be in a commercial, it's so common.

I totally agree about Mozart. When I want something to occupy the background, I listen to Mozart - I don't really have to listen to it, it just doesn't demand your attention like some of the other ones do.

But you're forgetting one very important concerto - Piano Concerto in A Minor, by Grieg. That's a great one.
 
geddy said:
But you're forgetting one very important concerto - Piano Concerto in A Minor, by Grieg. That's a great one.
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Very good point. That concerto rocks big time. I need to add that one to the shopping cart.
 
Heinrich Shenker (you music theory fans) once said that the only true music masters were the Germans. But how can you top the Rachy 2nd? My favorite violin recordings are Joshua Bell playing Tchaikovsky's 2nd and Itzhak Perlman playing Brahms Violin Concerto in D.

On the trail, an interviewer told me you could seduce a woman with the 2nd movement of the Bruch. +pity+
 
Wagner is now allowed to be performed in Israel. I read about a performance in Tel Aviv a few years ago. For those curious, the public performance of Wagner used to be banned in Israel because he was anti-semitic.
 
Combining art and politics often leads to problems. Both when it's intended and when it's not. A lot of artists aren't exactly the most balanced people to begin with. And while I'm sure Wagner had a lot of faults, it's not exactly his fault that Hitler loved his music. But banning music due to the political viewpoints of the composer? Who's been dead since 1883!? Come on!

I'm definitely also going to add Grieg to my shopping list! Great tip.
 
Oooohhhhhhhhhh

Beethoven 1-5 are all fantastic - #5 is probably my favorite due to the beautiful second movement, but #3 is the favorite of more people I think. Beethoven also wrote a choral fantasy for orchestra, piano, and chorus which is fantastic.

Chopin 1&2 are great

Tchaikovsky #1 is very famous, and the intro is the most famous part.

Grieg's concerto is not played as much as it should be - same with Schumann.

But yeah, my new favorites are the Romantic Concertos on the Hyperion label.

Scharwenka and Sauer, as Andy mentioned.

Dreyschock and Kullak

Fuchs and Kiel - great duo of works.

Plus, for those who like large complicated works, Busoni wrote a piano concerto in 7 movements I think which includes an orchestra. It's like listening to Mahler.

I also think Mendelssohn's two concerti are really great - rhythmically exciting and dynamic.

For true virtuosity - there are concerti by Alkan.

I could go on for awhile on this topic...
 
well beethoven's 5th piano concerto is called the Emperor. not the King. not the MacDaddy. no. it's called the Emperor. that is the pinnacle of badassedness. but having performed the 3rd piano concerto, i will always be partial to the 3rd.

i was talking with someone about this today...have you heard of a composer named Aram Khatchaturian? Have you listened to any of his piano concertos?
 
AndyMilonakis said:
well beethoven's 5th piano concerto is called the Emperor. not the King. not the MacDaddy. no. it's called the Emperor. that is the pinnacle of badassedness. but having performed the 3rd piano concerto, i will always be partial to the 3rd.

i was talking with someone about this today...have you heard of a composer named Aram Khatchaturian? Have you listened to any of his piano concertos?
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Khatchaturian wrote (I think!) the very famous piece "Sabre Dance" which if you heard you would instantly recognize.

I haven't heard his piano concertos though.

I think my prize still goes to Rachmaninoff though. 👍
 
AndyMilonakis said:
i was talking with someone about this today...have you heard of a composer named Aram Khatchaturian? Have you listened to any of his piano concertos?
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i played khachaturian's toccata. it's cool. it starts out all sudden and angry, and then it segues into a flowing mesh that sounds like background music at a planetarium. kinda reminiscent of "jupiter" from holst's planets suite. it was one of the pieces i used to play in college whenever i was stressed and needed to bang on some keys.
 
shellfish said:
i played khachaturian's toccata. it's cool. it starts out all sudden and angry, and then it segues into a flowing mesh that sounds like background music at a planetarium. kinda reminiscent of "jupiter" from holst's planets suite. it was one of the pieces i used to play in college whenever i was stressed and needed to bang on some keys.
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yeah...bangin' the keyboard is a great way to relieve stress. I would play one of the rachmaninoff scherzos and chopin's scherzo #2.

FORTISSIMO!
 
AndyMilonakis said:
yeah...bangin' the keyboard is a great way to relieve stress. I would play one of the rachmaninoff scherzos and chopin's scherzo #2.

FORTISSIMO!
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Yeah those Chopin Scherzos are a piece of cake. After that I wind down with Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies.
 
yaah said:
Yeah those Chopin Scherzos are a piece of cake. After that I wind down with Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies.
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You don't have to convince me that you're a virtuoso of the pianoforte 👍
 
AndyMilonakis said:
yeah...bangin' the keyboard is a great way to relieve stress. I would play one of the rachmaninoff scherzos and chopin's scherzo #2.
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i didn't know chopin had more than 1 scherzo. does #2 go "dooooo do do dupe...do do dupe?"
 
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shellfish said:
i didn't know chopin had more than 1 scherzo. does #2 go "dooooo do do dupe...do do dupe?"
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chopin wrote 4 scherzos. #2 was in B-flat minor I believe. and it goes:

doooooo doodoo ra roop. doodoo ra roop. ...... BOOM! Ching! Tahdah dahhh dah dee dah. doodoo ra roop. doodoo ra roop...
 
AndyMilonakis said:
chopin wrote 4 scherzos. #2 was in B-flat minor I believe. and it goes:

doooooo doodoo ra roop. doodoo ra roop. ...... BOOM! Ching! Tahdah dahhh dah dee dah. doodoo ra roop. doodoo ra roop...
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yeah - that was the one i played at my senior recital. you are correct...it is ra roop rather than dupe (bflat,a, bflat, dflat,f)
 
shellfish said:
yeah - that was the one i played at my senior recital. you are correct...it is ra roop rather than dupe (bflat,a, bflat, dflat,f)
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cool cool...i played that at my senior recital too. 😀

what's funny is that my parents videotaped that performance of mine in addition to my performance of beethoven's third. everytime their friends come over, they show off these videos to them...which is about that time i would call my buddy, leave the house, and head to the bar.

what's up with asian parents always trying to show off their kids and making them seem more than they really are? i mean c'mon. I SHAT ON A WATER FOUNTAIN!
 
AndyMilonakis said:
what's up with asian parents always trying to show off their kids and making them seem more than they really are? i mean c'mon. I SHAT ON A WATER FOUNTAIN!
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how did you know i was asian?
 
shellfish said:
how did you know i was asian?
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i was talking about me. but you're asian too? that makes two of us 😀 👍

Asian power! :laugh:
 
I'm partial to the violin. "Heifetz Showpieces" is a favorite CD of mine. I 😍 Zigeunerweisen.

As far as piano concertos go, I'm a big fan of the Rach 3, the Grieg, and Tchaikovsky #1 too.
 
Kazema said:
I'm partial to the violin. "Heifetz Showpieces" is a favorite CD of mine. I 😍 Zigeunerweisen.

As far as piano concertos go, I'm a big fan of the Rach 3, the Grieg, and Tchaikovsky #1 too.
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Violin concertos are also great - my faves are the Bruch, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, and the Brahms. Wieniawski is also interesting.
 
yaah said:
Violin concertos are also great - my faves are the Bruch, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, and the Brahms. Wieniawski is also interesting.
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I love Sibelius and Tchaikovsky too.

Check this one out sometime: clicky

I really like this girl, don't know why I haven't really heard too much about her besides her CDs.
 
This thread is about Piano Concertos. So far, I only have 3 CDs in my shopping cart. More suggestions please. I beg of you all.
 
I am partial to anything Martha Argerich, so I would have to recommend her '98 Polygram "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" CD. It covers all your bases, Prokofiev 3, Rach 3, Liszt 1, etc., which you probably already have. But do you have Argerich playing? I'm not just saying this because she was so hot in her prime. She was pretty hot, though. You know what I'm saying? Ok, but back to the music, I think her playing has more "oomph"--like she has some sort of control over the piece not dictated by the sheet. I know you asked for concertos, but her '65 recording(EMI 1999) is the best. Ever. Oh yeah, and she was hot.
 
Mediculous said:
I am partial to anything Martha Argerich, so I would have to recommend her '98 Polygram "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" CD. It covers all your bases, Prokofiev 3, Rach 3, Liszt 1, etc., which you probably already have. But do you have Argerich playing? I'm not just saying this because she was so hot in her prime. She was pretty hot, though. You know what I'm saying? Ok, but back to the music, I think her playing has more "oomph"--like she has some sort of control over the piece not dictated by the sheet. I know you asked for concertos, but her '65 recording(EMI 1999) is the best. Ever. Oh yeah, and she was hot.
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I have a CD of Argerich. She plays Prokofiev #3 and Ravel's Concerto in G. Also on the CD is Gaspard de la Nuit. Great CD. I am a fan of Argerich 👍
 
yaah said:
Khatchaturian wrote (I think!) the very famous piece "Sabre Dance" which if you heard you would instantly recognize.
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Not to reduce the level of this fine discussion, but I believe the Sabre dance was featured in Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure, no?
 
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Mediculous said:
I am partial to anything Martha Argerich, so I would have to recommend her '98 Polygram "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" CD. It covers all your bases, Prokofiev 3, Rach 3, Liszt 1, etc., which you probably already have. But do you have Argerich playing? I'm not just saying this because she was so hot in her prime. She was pretty hot, though. You know what I'm saying? Ok, but back to the music, I think her playing has more "oomph"--like she has some sort of control over the piece not dictated by the sheet. I know you asked for concertos, but her '65 recording(EMI 1999) is the best. Ever. Oh yeah, and she was hot.
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Yeah, I got tickets to the BSO once (boston) supposedly to hear Argerich play Rach 3. Then the day of the concert they announced she was ill so I didn't get to hear her. Her replacement was Arkady Volodos playing Rach 2 which was also very good. But I would have liked to have heard her. The only recordings I have of her are Mozart.

B000001GQJ.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


And yes, Sabre Dance was in Pee Wee's big adventure, I think.
 
Harbster said:
Something this thread is definitely lacking...........
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Now, now... appreciation of classical music can be quite masculine. Just as long as you don't prance around to it. Dr. McCarthy at Hopkins is quite the classical music fan, and methinks he could kick many of our butts from here to Hong Kong.
 
Yes, we are, after all, not discussing Opera here! *LOL*
 
geddy said:
Now, now... appreciation of classical music can be quite masculine. Just as long as you don't prance around to it. Dr. McCarthy at Hopkins is quite the classical music fan, and methinks he could kick many of our butts from here to Hong Kong.
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mccarthy.gif



Looks can be deceiving though!
 
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