Topic: GMG's Favourite Piano Works

[Ten thumbs]

After: Myself

+3 Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.119
+2 Heller: Feuilles volantes, op.123
+1 Debussy: Préludes, Book II




22   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 9, op.68 “Messe noire” - elevated
20   Heller: Feuilles volantes, op.123 - elevated

13   Alkan: 48 Esquisses, op.63
13   Debussy: Études
11   Ives: Piano Sonata № 2, op.19 “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860”
11   Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, op.22
11   Fauré: Nocturnes
11   Heller: 3 Ständchen, Op.131
10   Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D.760 “Wanderer Fantasy”
09   Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
09   Weber: Sonata No.2 Op.39
07   Debussy: Préludes, Book II
07   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.119
05   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 7, op.64 “Messe blanche”
05   Beethoven: Piano Sonata № 8 in C minor, op.13 “Pathétique”
05   Albéniz: Suite Española, op.47
04   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.118
03   Dukas: Piano Sonata in E flat minor
03   Brahms: Intermezzi, op.117
03   Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus
03   Heller: Nuits blanches, op.82
03   Schoenberg: 3 Piano Pieces, op.11
03   Schumann: Piano Sonata № 2 in G minor, op.22
03   Heller: 24 Préludes, op.81
02   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 3 in F sharp minor, op.23
02   Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis (1942)
01   Boulez: Notations
00   Barraqué: Sonate pour Piano
00   Webern: Variations, op.27

[Bulldog]

I haven't looked at this thread for a few weeks and am amazed that it's still around.  Takes a lot of determination to keep it going with just one or two contributors.  However, it might be a good idea to  change the thread title to something more realistic.

[Ten thumbs]

I haven't looked at this thread for a few weeks and am amazed that it's still around.  Takes a lot of determination to keep it going with just one or two contributors.  However, it might be a good idea to  change the thread title to something more realistic.

Maybe it should be 'GMG connoisseurs' favourites'. It's perhaps a good thing that those with little knowledge of piano music keep their oars out.


After: Myself

+3 Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.119
+2 Debussy: Études
+1 Debussy: Préludes, Book II




22   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 9, op.68 “Messe noire” - elevated
20   Heller: Feuilles volantes, op.123 - elevated

15   Debussy: Études
13   Alkan: 48 Esquisses, op.63
11   Ives: Piano Sonata № 2, op.19 “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860”
11   Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, op.22
11   Fauré: Nocturnes
11   Heller: 3 Ständchen, Op.131
10   Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D.760 “Wanderer Fantasy”
10   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.119
09   Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
09   Weber: Sonata No.2 Op.39
08   Debussy: Préludes, Book II
05   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 7, op.64 “Messe blanche”
05   Beethoven: Piano Sonata № 8 in C minor, op.13 “Pathétique”
05   Albéniz: Suite Española, op.47
04   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.118
03   Dukas: Piano Sonata in E flat minor
03   Brahms: Intermezzi, op.117
03   Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus
03   Heller: Nuits blanches, op.82
03   Schoenberg: 3 Piano Pieces, op.11
03   Schumann: Piano Sonata № 2 in G minor, op.22
03   Heller: 24 Préludes, op.81
02   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 3 in F sharp minor, op.23
02   Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis (1942)
01   Boulez: Notations
00   Barraqué: Sonate pour Piano
00   Webern: Variations, op.27

[PaulSC]

Maybe it should be 'GMG connoisseurs' favourites'. It's perhaps a good thing that those with little knowledge of piano music keep their oars out.


After: Myself

The GMG members whom I consider to be the most knowledgeable about keyboard music have never posted here. I think the thread should be renamed “After: Myself,” since that's the most frequently occurring phrase in these pages.

[Wanderer]

After: Ten thumbs

+3 [new] Janáček: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905
+2 [new] Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173
+1 [new] Alkan: Douze études dans tous les tons majeurs, op.35




15   Debussy: Études
13   Alkan: 48 Esquisses, op.63
11   Ives: Piano Sonata № 2, op.19 “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860”
11   Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, op.22
11   Fauré: Nocturnes
11   Heller: 3 Ständchen, op.131
10   Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D.760 “Wanderer Fantasy”
10   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.119
09   Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
09   Weber: Sonata No.2 op.39
08   Debussy: Préludes, Book II
05   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 7, op.64 “Messe blanche”
05   Beethoven: Piano Sonata № 8 in C minor, op.13 “Pathétique”
05   Albéniz: Suite Española, op.47
04   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.118
03   Janáček: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905
03   Dukas: Piano Sonata in E flat minor
03   Brahms: Intermezzi, op.117
03   Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus
03   Heller: Nuits blanches, op.82
03   Schoenberg: 3 Piano Pieces, op.11
03   Schumann: Piano Sonata № 2 in G minor, op.22
03   Heller: 24 Préludes, op.81
02   Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173
02   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 3 in F sharp minor, op.23
02   Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis (1942)
01   Alkan: Douze études dans tous les tons majeurs, op.35
01   Boulez: Notations
00   Barraqué: Sonate pour Piano
00   Webern: Variations, op.27

[Ten thumbs]

The GMG members whom I consider to be the most knowledgeable about keyboard music have never posted here. I think the thread should be renamed “After: Myself,” since that's the most frequently occurring phrase in these pages.

I'm quite sure you are right but they do not seem to be dedicated. Piano music is a large field, even allowing for the fact that Bach, Couperin, Scarlatti et al wrote nothing for that instrument (whether or not they ought to be included is open for debate. Solo piano music was stipulated). There are many Russian composers whom I have not looked at in depth as yet. It is no use pretending to know about Norwegian piano music if you know Grieg but not Backer-Grøndahl, both of whom incidentally ought to be on this list. I haven't got round to them yet. After all, Mozart and Haydn are not properly represented yet.

[Ten thumbs]

After: Wanderer

+3 [new] Mozart: Sonata in F, K533
+2 [new] Haydn: Sonata UE31 in Ab
+1 [new] Hummel: Polonaise Op.55 La Bella Capricciosa




15   Debussy: Études
13   Alkan: 48 Esquisses, op.63
11   Ives: Piano Sonata № 2, op.19 “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860”
11   Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, op.22
11   Fauré: Nocturnes
11   Heller: 3 Ständchen, op.131
10   Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D.760 “Wanderer Fantasy”
10   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.119
09   Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
09   Weber: Sonata No.2 op.39
08   Debussy: Préludes, Book II
05   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 7, op.64 “Messe blanche”
05   Beethoven: Piano Sonata № 8 in C minor, op.13 “Pathétique”
05   Albéniz: Suite Española, op.47
04   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.118
03   Janáček: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905
03   Dukas: Piano Sonata in E flat minor
03   Brahms: Intermezzi, op.117
03   Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus
03   Heller: Nuits blanches, op.82
03   Mozart: Sonata in F, K533
03   Schoenberg: 3 Piano Pieces, op.11
03   Schumann: Piano Sonata № 2 in G minor, op.22
03   Heller: 24 Préludes, op.81
02   Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173
02   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 3 in F sharp minor, op.23
02   Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis (1942)
02   Haydn: Sonata UE31 in Ab
01   Alkan: Douze études dans tous les tons majeurs, op.35
01   Hummel: Polonaise Op.55 La Bella Capricciosa
01   Boulez: Notations
00   Barraqué: Sonate pour Piano
00   Webern: Variations, op.27

[Bulldog]

I'm quite sure you are right but they do not seem to be dedicated.

Because they haven't contributed much to this thread?  I think you're off-base.  As I remember it, the thread was about the last one in a long line of similar threads, none of which attracted me sufficiently to join in.  It's likely that most other folks just got tired of this regimen and moved on to more interesting matters.

[Ten thumbs]

Because they haven't contributed much to this thread?  I think you're off-base.  As I remember it, the thread was about the last one in a long line of similar threads, none of which attracted me sufficiently to join in.  It's likely that most other folks just got tired of this regimen and moved on to more interesting matters.

No. Not because they aren't contributing here but because they aren't posting anything that advances our knowledge of piano music in general.

[Wanderer]

After: Ten thumbs

+3 Janáček: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905
+2 Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173
+1 Alkan: Douze études dans tous les tons majeurs, op.35



15   Debussy: Études
13   Alkan: 48 Esquisses, op.63
11   Ives: Piano Sonata № 2, op.19 “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860”
11   Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, op.22
11   Fauré: Nocturnes
11   Heller: 3 Ständchen, op.131
10   Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D.760 “Wanderer Fantasy”
10   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.119
09   Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
09   Weber: Sonata No.2 op.39
08   Debussy: Préludes, Book II
06   Janáček: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905
05   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 7, op.64 “Messe blanche”
05   Beethoven: Piano Sonata № 8 in C minor, op.13 “Pathétique”
05   Albéniz: Suite Española, op.47
04   Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173
04   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.118
03   Dukas: Piano Sonata in E flat minor
03   Brahms: Intermezzi, op.117
03   Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus
03   Heller: Nuits blanches, op.82
03   Mozart: Sonata in F, K533
03   Schoenberg: 3 Piano Pieces, op.11
03   Schumann: Piano Sonata № 2 in G minor, op.22
03   Heller: 24 Préludes, op.81
02   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 3 in F sharp minor, op.23
02   Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis (1942)
02   Haydn: Sonata UE31 in Ab
02   Alkan: Douze études dans tous les tons majeurs, op.35
01   Hummel: Polonaise Op.55 La Bella Capricciosa
01   Boulez: Notations
00   Barraqué: Sonate pour Piano
00   Webern: Variations, op.27

[Bulldog]

No. Not because they aren't contributing here but because they aren't posting anything that advances our knowledge of piano music in general.

What do you want to know?

[Ten thumbs]

What do you want to know?

I think a proper assessment of the historical position of all the major composers who wrote for the piano would be useful in the long run but that will take some assembling. All the published books on the subject take a stilted academic view, discussing at length the recognised greats but more or less ignoring other important influences (eg Heller). Kirchner is another case in point. Although flawed in many ways, he produced some very fine compositions and his influence on Brahms shouldn't be ignored. There was also a cross-influence between Kirchner and Wagner. Yet he scarcely has a mention. There must be other composers like these and I'd like to know about them.

Incidentally, the following have been rescued from total obscurity in my lifetime: Scriabin, Medtner, Satie and Alkan.

[Ten thumbs]

After: Wanderer

+3 Mozart: Sonata in F, K533
+2 Debussy: Études
+1 Alkan: Douze études dans tous les tons majeurs, op.35



17   Debussy: Études
13   Alkan: 48 Esquisses, op.63
11   Ives: Piano Sonata № 2, op.19 “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860”
11   Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, op.22
11   Fauré: Nocturnes
11   Heller: 3 Ständchen, op.131
10   Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D.760 “Wanderer Fantasy”
10   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.119
09   Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
09   Weber: Sonata No.2 op.39
08   Debussy: Préludes, Book II
06   Janáček: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905
06   Mozart: Sonata in F, K533
05   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 7, op.64 “Messe blanche”
05   Beethoven: Piano Sonata № 8 in C minor, op.13 “Pathétique”
05   Albéniz: Suite Española, op.47
04   Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173
04   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.118
03   Dukas: Piano Sonata in E flat minor
03   Brahms: Intermezzi, op.117
03   Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus
03   Heller: Nuits blanches, op.82
03   Schoenberg: 3 Piano Pieces, op.11
03   Schumann: Piano Sonata № 2 in G minor, op.22
03   Heller: 24 Préludes, op.81
03   Alkan: Douze études dans tous les tons majeurs, op.35
02   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 3 in F sharp minor, op.23
02   Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis (1942)
02   Haydn: Sonata UE31 in Ab
01   Hummel: Polonaise Op.55 La Bella Capricciosa
01   Boulez: Notations
00   Barraqué: Sonate pour Piano
00   Webern: Variations, op.27

[Bulldog]

I think a proper assessment of the historical position of all the major composers who wrote for the piano would be useful in the long run but that will take some assembling. All the published books on the subject take a stilted academic view, discussing at length the recognised greats but more or less ignoring other important influences (eg Heller). Kirchner is another case in point. Although flawed in many ways, he produced some very fine compositions and his influence on Brahms shouldn't be ignored. There was also a cross-influence between Kirchner and Wagner. Yet he scarcely has a mention. There must be other composers like these and I'd like to know about them.

Okay, I now see where you're coming from.  However, I still can't account for the connection between this thread and what you wrote above.

[starrynight]

I'm not into creating consensus lists of 'great' music so I haven't taken part in them here, but if someone finds it fun to do it then I don't really see what harm it does to other people.  And I think it is more about personal favourites than historical perspectives, as influence and importance can be just as subject to the vagaries of personal taste over time and place as other things.  Anyway continue as you wish and enjoy. 

[springrite]

This and other similar threads are more like a joke and a game than anything else. Since I Do not take it seriously (no one should), I don't participate in such a joke. If I want a joke I'd go to such a thread, the joke thread or Monty Python.






OK, I will give my vote to Nuits Blanches because it is so much greater than the overrated works of Bach and Beethoven.

[starrynight]

Or is a post that just says that something is a joke itself a joke?  Maybe the answer is in the last sentence of it.

Anyway, I think the title of these polls was always a misnomer, they never represented the whole forum and never would.  I just take it for granted that some people saw that from the start, those who never took part always felt that anyway.

[Ten thumbs]

OK, I will give my vote to Nuits Blanches because it is so much greater than the overrated works of Bach and Beethoven.

Thank you for your joke: Bach would certainly be represented had he composed for the piano.
Beethoven is quite well represented and will probably be more so. I'm not actually going to promote Nuits Blanches any further. It's interesting but Heller composed many much finer works and it is far from being a favourite now.

[Bulldog]

Thank you for your joke: Bach would certainly be represented had he composed for the piano.
Beethoven is quite well represented and will probably be more so. I'm not actually going to promote Nuits Blanches any further. It's interesting but Heller composed many much finer works and it is far from being a favourite now.

The talk about Heller's Op. 82 cycle got my attention, so I listened to the 18 pieces on NML.  I found it enjoyable but hardly at the level of Beethoven's early piano sonatas or Chopin's miniature sets.

[Wanderer]

After: Ten thumbs

+3 Debussy Études - elevated
+2 Liszt S.173
+1 Alkan op.35



20   Debussy: Études - elevated

13   Alkan: 48 Esquisses, op.63
11   Ives: Piano Sonata № 2, op.19 “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860”
11   Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, op.22
11   Fauré: Nocturnes
11   Heller: 3 Ständchen, op.131
10   Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D.760 “Wanderer Fantasy”
10   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.119
09   Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
09   Weber: Sonata No.2 op.39
08   Debussy: Préludes, Book II
06   Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173
06   Janáček: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905
06   Mozart: Sonata in F, K533
05   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 7, op.64 “Messe blanche”
05   Beethoven: Piano Sonata № 8 in C minor, op.13 “Pathétique”
05   Albéniz: Suite Española, op.47
04   Alkan: Douze études dans tous les tons majeurs, op.35
04   Brahms: Klavierstücke, op.118
03   Dukas: Piano Sonata in E flat minor
03   Brahms: Intermezzi, op.117
03   Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus
03   Heller: Nuits blanches, op.82
03   Schoenberg: 3 Piano Pieces, op.11
03   Schumann: Piano Sonata № 2 in G minor, op.22
03   Heller: 24 Préludes, op.81
02   Scriabin: Piano Sonata № 3 in F sharp minor, op.23
02   Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis (1942)
02   Haydn: Sonata UE31 in Ab
01   Hummel: Polonaise Op.55 La Bella Capricciosa
01   Boulez: Notations
00   Barraqué: Sonate pour Piano
00   Webern: Variations, op.27