Ten Favorite Piano Pieces

[schweitzeralan]

It would seem ludicrous to prepare a short list out of , what? Thousands?  Hundreds of thousands of musical piano greats.  Yet I simply wanted to state just a few of my very favorites works of which I never tire and which I would continue to hear and to play, no matter what the level. Just one personal perspective.

1. Rachmaninoff - 1st Sonata

2. Scriabin - 6th and 9th Sonatas

3. Debussy - Ondine

4.Ravel - Valley of the Bells (short but magnificent)

5. Alexander Krein - Sonata

6. Frederico Mompou - Musica Callada

7. Bax - The Devil That Tempted St. Anthony

8.  Fritz Kreisler - Tambourin Chinois  (Violin piece transcribed for piano)

9. Incident - Leonid Polowinkin

10. Vaino Raitio - 4 Color Poems

[abidoful]

10. Vaino Raitio - 4 Color Poems

Wow--you actually played that??? That's kind of...surpirising And in a very positive way! I have the score but the first seems so complicated somehow....I just don't get his harmonies!!

[abidoful]

Here are pices I like playing most. Don't have a big repertoire, so not sure I will make it ten;
- J.S. Bach: Toccata in G
- Beethoven: Sonate op.110
- Schubert: The "Big" A-major Sonata
- Schubert: Klavierstuck in Es (Nachlass)
- Chopin: Concerto in f
- Chopin: Fantasy op.49
- Chopin: Nocturne in  Es op.55/2
- Liszt: Ballade nr.2
- Rachmaninov: Sonata 2 in b-flat (1913 version)
- O. Messiaen: Le Loriot ( Cataloque d'Oiseaux)

[schweitzeralan]

Wow--you actually played that??? That's kind of...surpirising And in a very positive way! I have the score but the first seems so complicated somehow....I just don't get his harmonies!!

Actually I just play, or, rather, I dabble through it.  There are sections, or bars and measures of exquisite nuances that remind me of his orchestral music.  Inordinately difficult pieces, but are well worth the attempt to bring out the beauty of the work.  There's no recording that I know of.  I noticed on the Internet that pianist Jonathan Powell performed the 4 Color Poems at a concert some years back. Surprised to learn that there are other aficionados interested in Raitio.

[abidoful]

Actually I just play, or, rather, I dabble through it.  There are sections, or bars and measures of exquisite nuances that remind me of his orchestral music.  Inordinately difficult pieces, but are well worth the attempt to bring out the beauty of the work.  There's no recording that I know of.  I noticed on the Internet that pianist Jonathan Powell performed the 4 Color Poems at a concert some years back. Surprised to learn that there are other aficionados interested in Raitio.

Not sure what aficionado means...But hey, i'm a Finn so of course I know Raitio. One professor from my school made a radio tape of them, i believe... I also have other his piano works (the scores I mean), actually copies from his originals (!) since they weren't published until very recently; Five (?) pieces op.9. They are little earlier works and more traditional, but neverhteless quite taxing.

You know his orchestral music?!? Where did you get hold of them? =)

[schweitzeralan]

Not sure what aficionado means...But hey, i'm a Finn so of course I know Raitio. One professor from my school made a radio tape of them, i believe... I also have other his piano works (the scores I mean), actually copies from his originals (!) since they weren't published until very recently; Five (?) pieces op.9. They are little earlier works and more traditional, but neverhteless quite taxing.

You know his orchestral music?!? Where did you get hold of them? =)

Queen of the Flowers and several works on Ondine.  I had somw problems downloading, but these two Cd's have been available.  Easily accessible on Google.  I have always liked Finnish composers.  The giant Sibelius remains my favorite as his works have been for years.  Are you familiar with Klami?  Merikkanto?  Palmgren?  Merlatin?  Madetoja?  Englund?  Pingoud? Sallinen?  Rautavaara? (sp?)All great!

[val]

BEETHOVEN: Sonatas opus 10/3, 53, 106, 109, 110, 111, Diabelli Variations

DEBUSSY:  Images

SCHUMANN:  Kreisleriana

SCHUBERT:  Sonata D 960

[abidoful]

Queen of the Flowers and several works on Ondine.  I had somw problems downloading, but these two Cd's have been available.  Easily accessible on Google.  I have always liked Finnish composers.  The giant Sibelius remains my favorite as his works have been for years.  Are you familiar with Klami?  Merikkanto?  Palmgren?  Merlatin?  Madetoja?  Englund?  Pingoud? Sallinen?  Rautavaara? (sp?)All great!

Yeah, I know them... Klami wrote great choral-orchestral work called Psalmus, that's great! And there are actually two Merikantos, Oskar (the father) and Aarre (his son), Oskar's piano pieces and songs are very popular in Finland. Palmgern has great Piano Concertos (nr.2 the "River"), Melartin is ok i guess but I don't like him that much besides some piano works and String Quartets, I just adore Madetoja (the symphonies and operas), with Englund I'm not that familiar, Pingoud I don't know that much mainly becouse his not played hardly at all, Sallinen is quite popular here as well as Rautavaara which I have also played a bit.

There is one major composer missing, Toivo Kuula. His great, a pupil of Sibelius. He wrote great chamer and orchestral music but was killed during the Great war at the age of 35.

[schweitzeralan]

Yeah, I know them... Klami wrote great choral-orchestral work called Psalmus, that's great! And there are actually two Merikantos, Oskar (the father) and Aarre (his son), Oskar's piano pieces and songs are very popular in Finland. Palmgern has great Piano Concertos (nr.2 the "River"), Melartin is ok i guess but I don't like him that much besides some piano works and String Quartets, I just adore Madetoja (the symphonies and operas), with Englund I'm not that familiar, Pingoud I don't know that much mainly becouse his not played hardly at all, Sallinen is quite popular here as well as Rautavaara which I have also played a bit.

There is one major composer missing, Toivo Kuula. His great, a pupil of Sibelius. He wrote great chamer and orchestral music but was killed during the Great war at the age of 35.

I've come across the name but am not familiar with his works.  Will check him out.  Hope there are sibelianism lurking within.

[Octo_Russ]

1 Schubert Impromptu 1 - D935/1
2 Chopin Etude 12 - Op10/12
3 Chopin Nocturne 8 - Op27/2
4 Brahms Ballade 2 - Op10/2
5 Ireland The Darkened Valley
6 Rachmaninov Prelude 5 - Op32/5
7 Faure Nocturne 4
8 Chopin Ballade 4
9 Brahms Intermezzo - Op117/1
10 Bach Prelude & Fugue 9 - Book 2

[schweitzeralan]

1 Schubert Impromptu 1 - D935/1
2 Chopin Etude 12 - Op10/12
3 Chopin Nocturne 8 - Op27/2
4 Brahms Ballade 2 - Op10/2
5 Ireland The Darkened Valley
6 Rachmaninov Prelude 5 - Op32/5
7 Faure Nocturne 4
8 Chopin Ballade 4
9 Brahms Intermezzo - Op117/1
10 Bach Prelude & Fugue 9 - Book 2

I'll have to check on the Ireland piece.

[abidoful]

Schumann, 1st Sonata op 11

Nice that Schumann's sonatas are being played. They have every reason to be as popular as Chopin's =)

[johnshade]

Beethoven, op 109

Agree:  Number 1 choice.

[Ten thumbs]

There are more than ten pieces that I reach for most often but I've whittled them down to the following - quite enough doses of genius to be going on with!

Scarlatti Sonata K 97
Beethoven Sonata Op 90
Schubert Sonata A min Op 42
Schumann Kreisleriana Op 16
Hensel Allegro vivace in A H-U459
Bonis Phoebé
Rhakmaninov Etude-tableau Op 33.3
Scriabin 2 Preludes Op 67
Medtner Sonaten-Triade Op 11

[snyprrr]

I can't stop listening to Xenakis's Evryali?

Probably everything else would be by Satie.

(just realizing how lame I am in the piano arena! )

[Ten thumbs]

I can't stop listening to Xenakis's Evryali?

Probably everything else would be by Satie.

(just realizing how lame I am in the piano arena! )

Try some Rebikoff instead of Satie

[snyprrr]

Try some Rebikoff instead of Satie

The Musical Snuffbox guy? I dooo like those Hough 'Piano Albums'.

[Sonata33]

My favorites change constantly, so this morning--but not this afternoon--my favorites are:

Arvo Part: Partita
Ornstein: Poems of 1917
Ornstein: Arabesques
Gliere: 12 Pieces Enfantines, Op.31
Mozart: K.310
Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag
Bach: A-flat from WTCI
MacDowell: Woodland Sketches
Part: Fur Alina
Part: Variations/Healing Arinushka

That's what is currently sitting on top of my piano, anyway. Like I said, it will change this afternoon, probably...

[snyprrr]

Edward MacDowell Hexantanz

[Ten thumbs]

The Musical Snuffbox guy? I dooo like those Hough 'Piano Albums'.

Funnily enough, the Musical Snuffbox I know is by Lyadov (Opus 32) and it has a playing instruction that Satie might have approved of - automaticamente.