6 Favorite Piano Concertos

[JBS]

Mozart 25
Beethoven 3
Beethoven 4
Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini
De Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand

[Mirror Image]

Today's picks:

(In no particular order)

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
Martinů: Piano Concerto No. 4, H. 358, 'Incantation'
Tubin: Piano Concertino
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 in E major, Sz. 119
Harrison: Piano Concerto

[kyjo]

Today's picks:

(In no particular order)

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
Martinů: Piano Concerto No. 4, H. 358, 'Incantation'
Tubin: Piano Concertino
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 in E major, Sz. 119
Harrison: Piano Concerto

You have an extra pick left!

[Christo]

Tubin: Piano Concertino

Interesting! The more so, because I always considered it as Tubin's "weakest", most uncharacteristic composition, written in the confusement of his 1944 flight to Sweden. Perhaps together with his Fifth Symphony - the most recorded yet for me most elusive, again 'uncharacteristic' of his symphonies, I literally love each of the other ten more.

Can you explain why this concertino is your favourite - and I promise I'll give it a spin for the first time in years. 

[MusicTurner]

Interesting! The more so, because I always considered it as Tubin's "weakest", most uncharacteristic composition, written in the confusement of his 1944 flight to Sweden. Perhaps together with his Fifth Symphony - the most recorded yet for me most elusive, again 'uncharacteristic' of his symphonies, I literally love each of the other ten more.

Can you explain why this concertino is your favourite - and I promise I'll give it a spin for the first time in years. 

That's a bit funny, because I've always found his 5th Symphony/Jarvi the most immediately catchy (my impression is that the Volmer recordings - which I don't own - tend to be a bit less accentuated). I'll give the Concertino a spin too ...

[Brian]

Roughly in order so you can stop reading after 6 if you want.

Ravel for left hand
Tchaikovsky - No. 2
Grieg
Beethoven - No. 5
Liszt - No. 2
Szymanowski "sinfonia concertante"
Ravel in G
Tchaikovsky - Concert Fantasia
Saint-Saëns - No. 5
Poulenc - two pianos
Prokofiev - No. 3
Poulenc - one piano
Rautavaara - No. 3
Beethoven - No. 1
Massenet
Paderewski
Ireland

Love seeing Massenet on Philo's list, Alnæs on Kyle's, and Alkan on amw's. (Have you heard Paul Wee yet?) Is Glass 1 adapted from The Hours? I like that one.

Shoot! I forgot Britten!!

[Mirror Image]

You have an extra pick left!

Ah! So I do...let's see [chooses hastily]:

Ifukube: Ritmica Ostinata (it sounds like a PC to me anyway)

[Mirror Image]

Interesting! The more so, because I always considered it as Tubin's "weakest", most uncharacteristic composition, written in the confusement of his 1944 flight to Sweden. Perhaps together with his Fifth Symphony - the most recorded yet for me most elusive, again 'uncharacteristic' of his symphonies, I literally love each of the other ten more.

Can you explain why this concertino is your favourite - and I promise I'll give it a spin for the first time in years. 

I'll certainly try to explain why I like it, Christo: I like propulsive rhythm sections, the melodic content and there's section in the slow movement that has haunted me since the day I heard it --- it occurs around the 1:48 mark and ends around 2:20 in the Järvi recording. I hope this explains a little bit of why I like it. If not, then I don't know what else to say.

[kyjo]

Ah! So I do...let's see [chooses hastily]:

Ifukube: Ritmica Ostinata (it sounds like a PC to me anyway)

Very cool, John! I don't know that work but have been impressed with another work of Ifukube's in the past - the Lauda concertata for marimba and orchestra.

[kyjo]

Shoot! I forgot Britten!!

I had forgotten how good the Britten PC is until revisiting it recently! It's one of his most immediately accessible works imo. Such energetic, dynamic, and imaginative music!

[Mirror Image]

Very cool, John! I don't know that work but have been impressed with another work of Ifukube's in the past - the Lauda concertata for marimba and orchestra.

Very nice, Kyle. I think you'll dig this work, too.

Check it out here:

https://www.youtube.com/v/YzvpFzludYs

Of the three or four performances I've heard of this work from Ifukube, Reiko Yamada's is my favorite.

[vandermolen]

I should have included Kabalevsky's First Piano Concerto:

[Wanderer]

Definitely more than six and not in order:

Haydn in D major (Hob. XVIII/11)
Mozart 20 (bonus: with Alkan's cadenzas)
Mozart 24
Beethoven 1
Beethoven 3 (bonus: with Alkan's first movement cadenza)
Beethoven 4 (bonus: with Medtner's cadenzas)
Beethoven 5
Medtner 1
Medtner 2
Medtner 3
Ravel in D major for the left hand
Brahms 1
Brahms 2
Bartók 1
Bartók 2
Skalkottas 2
Korngold in C-sharp for the left hand
Tchaikovsky 2
Busoni
Dvořák
Scriabin
Scriabin Promethée, le poème du feu
Liszt Totentanz
Hummel Op. 85
Hummel Op. 89
Chopin 2
Chopin 1
Liszt 1
Liszt 2
Scharwenka 4
Henselt
Tovey
R. Strauss Burleske
Prokofiev 2
Prokofiev 3
Weber Konzertstück
Weber 1
Schumann
Schumann Introduction & Allegro appassionato Op. 92
Schumann Introduction & Allegro Op. 134
d'Albert 2
Rachmaninov 4
Foulds Dynamic Triptych
Grieg
Saint-Saëns 4
Paderewski
Delius
Vaughan Williams
Mendelssohn 1
Shostakovich 1
Shostakovich 2
Alkan Concerto da camera 1
Alkan Concerto da camera 2

[vandermolen]

Final list (for today anyway - or at least until lunch-time  )

Kabalevsky No.1
Cyril Scott No.1
L. Berkeley: For Two Pianos
Delius
Vaughan Williams (Two piano version)
Prokofiev No.2

[Overtones]

Prokofiev 2
Beethoven 5
Brahms 2
Mozart 23
Liszt 2
Shostakovic 2

[Florestan]

Sorry to resurrect this thread but I can't understand why I missed it at the time.

Mozart: 9, 18 to 27

Haydn 11
Beethoven 4
Schumann
Mendelssohn 1
Chopin 1
Chopin 2
Brahms 2
Tchaikovsky 1
Rachmaninoff 2
Rachmaninoff 3

I hope they are six.

[Wanderer]

Mozart: 9, 18 to 27

Mine are Nos. 5, 6, 9, 13, 15-17, 20-26.

[Florestan]

Mine are Nos. 5, 6, 9, 13, 15-17, 20-26.

Superb list, Tasos --- but you do great injustice to 18.    

[amw]

Mine are Nos. 5, 6, 9, 13, 15-17, 20-26.

In order of preference: 17, 22, 27, 9, 15, 24, 25, 21, 18, 20, 23. Only after that point would any other composers even get a chance to make it onto the list.

K453 and 482 may in fact be my favourite orchestral works by anyone, not just Mozart, and not just concertante.

[Florestan]

In order of preference: 17, 22, 27, 9, 15, 24, 25, 21, 18, 20, 23. Only after that point would any other composers even get a chance to make it onto the list.

K453 and 482 may in fact be my favourite orchestral works by anyone, not just Mozart, and not just concertante.

I'll give it to you that you are a much greater Mozart fanatic than I am or will ever be.