Great 20th Century Solo Piano

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Inspired by Greta's query on another thread I thought we might start a topic on great 20th c. solo piano.

Hmm...well, 'great' might be too contentious a way of putting it, so how about favorites?

For me, my old standby is Prokofiev. Anything solo he touches is gold.

Next is probably Bartok. Out of Doors is such a spectacular work. And the rest of his output rates very highly with me.

Then there's Schoenberg's underrated solo output. Granted there's not much of it but what there is is of a unique quality.

[Todd]

Man, this is a big topic.  There so much!  Debussy and Ravel surely rate high among 20th Century composers for the piano – how can they not?  And I mean pretty much everything they wrote.  Faure, too, seemed to have hit his stride in the 20th Century.  The late Barcarolles and Nocturnes are brilliant.  Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern all wrote wonderful, if few, works for piano.  Janacek, one must include Janacek!  And again, I mean all of it.  Same for Szymanowski.  Albeniz, Messiaen, Boulez, Prokofiev, Falla, Nancarrow (though he's a bit different here, obviously), Bartok, Ligeti, Villa-Lobos – I could list dozens of works.  I'd rather spend the time listening!

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Man, this is a big topic.  There so much!  Debussy and Ravel surely rate high among 20th Century composers for the piano – how can they not?  And I mean pretty much everything they wrote.  Faure, too, seemed to have hit his stride in the 20th Century.  The late Barcarolles and Nocturnes are brilliant.  Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern all wrote wonderful, if few, works for piano.  Janacek, one must include Janacek!  And again, I mean all of it.  Same for Szymanowski.  Albeniz, Messiaen, Boulez, Prokofiev, Falla, Nancarrow (though he's a bit different here, obviously), Bartok, Ligeti, Villa-Lobos – I could list dozens of works.  I'd rather spend the time listening!

Indeed...to the whole lot!

[Lilas Pastia]

This is good fun and plain good music. It's been mentioned today in another thread by Drasko:




I also like this quite a bit (recommended by Lis from another thread, it's really fascinating):




And let's not forget one of the best 20th century composers, generally better-known for his orchestral music:


The Sonata no 1 is a real masterpiece. (Volume 3 is mostly chamber music with piano).

[Drasko]

Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Medtner, Feinberg........

[val]

I place above all Debussy's piano music. In special Images, Preludes, Études, Masques and En Blanc et noir (for a duo). Gieseking in the solo piano and Argerich and Freire in the duo are my favorite versions.

Among all the other masterpieces composed for the piano in the 20th century, here are some of my favorites:
RAVEL: Gaspard de la nuit, Sonatine, Miroirs.
DUKAS: Variations, interlude et Finale.
ALBENIZ: Iberia.
REGER: Variations on a theme of Teleman
BARTOK: En plein air, Sonata, Suite opus 14.
WEBERN: Variations opus 27.
PROKOFIEV: Sonatas 6, 7 and 8.
SCRIABINE: Sonatas 6, 9 and 10, Poèmes, Preludes opus 74
DUTILLEUX: Sonate
BARRAQUÉ: Sonate.
LIGETI: Études.

It is curious, but regarding composers as Schönberg, Boulez, Szimanowski, Enescu, their piano music is the part I less love of their music.

[MishaK]

Good list. A few additions in bold:

DEBUSSY: Preludes I + II, Pour le Piano, Images I + II
RAVEL: Gaspard de la nuit, Sonatine, Miroirs.
DUKAS: Variations, interlude et Finale.
ALBENIZ: Iberia.
REGER: Variations on a theme of Teleman
BARTOK: En plein air, Sonata, Suite opus 14.
WEBERN: Variations opus 27.
PROKOFIEV: Sonatas 6, 7 and 8.
SCRIABINE: Sonatas 6, 9 and 10, Poèmes, Preludes opus 74
DUTILLEUX: Sonate
BARRAQUÉ: Sonate.
LIGETI: Études.
MESSIAEN: Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus, Catalogue d'Oiseaux
BOULEZ: Sonata No.2
JANACEK: In the mists, Piano Sonata "from the street"
SCHOENBERG: Piano Pieces Opp.11&19

[bwv 1080]

Carter's Night Fantasies and 90+ are great contributions to the instrument.

[Josquin des Prez]

Kocsis Bartok is absolutely dreadful. It shouldn't be even mentioned in this thread...

[BorisG]

[Don]

Kocsis Bartok is absolutely dreadful. It shouldn't be even mentioned in this thread...

There is a different point of view.  Jed Distler of ClassicsToday - "This is the Bartok piano music Bible; don't let it slip away".

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Kocsis Bartok is absolutely dreadful. It shouldn't be even mentioned in this thread...

You should never take for truth what's written on restroom walls...

[Grazioso]

Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues--quite astounding.

[Lethevich]

What about Martinů? I've heard his piano works are worthwhile but haven't heard any yet - could anybody comment?

[not edward]

What about Martinů? I've heard his piano works are worthwhile but haven't heard any yet - could anybody comment?

The best of them--I'd say the Sonata and the Fantasie and Toccata are strong works but not at the very top of the ranks IMO.

I don't find anything in the solo piano output to match the superb Fourth Piano Concerto.

[Todd]

I don't find anything in the solo piano output to match the superb Fourth Piano Concerto.

Gotta agree with this statement.  Indeed, the PCs generally are better than the solo music I've heard, and that's even with Rudolf Firkusny playing the latter. 

[BorisG]

Gotta agree with this statement.  Indeed, the PCs generally are better than the solo music I've heard, and that's even with Rudolf Firkusny playing the latter. 

Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano, and Timpani is also a tasty morsel.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Kocsis Bartok is absolutely dreadful. It shouldn't be even mentioned in this thread...

Lyric Suite...IS THAT YOU?!??

Why the bitter stew about Kocsis/Bartok?

I thought I'd earned a little more respect out of you than that?

[orbital]

Feinberg........

What should I look for here?

[Drasko]

What should I look for here?

To my knowledge there are four disc of solely his music available. Two separate CDs with complete piano sonatas on BIS (1-6, 7-12), Melodiya recently released him playing his 2nd concerto and there is on Classical Records some russian pianist playing 3rd Concerto, 6th Sonata and bunch of short pieces.
Various selections of short pieces feature on several mixed composers discs of which is probably most worthwile Jenny Lin's Hanssler disc titled Preludes to a Revolution (I say probably because I don't have it).

But to get to your question: I'd say go for the first BIS disc (1-6 Sonatas) for starter, to see whether you like it, or there is Theultracheapskate option of getting just few sonatas separately form eclassical for 80 cents a pop (4th and 6th would be my choices).