Your desert island solo piano pieces

[Ciel_Rouge]

Let's do the "desert island" thing but with solo piano (if such thread already exists somewhere, please redirect me there). If you could only listen to one or maybe a handful of solo piano sonatas while stranded on a desert island, what would you choose? I guess we can combine it with "what solo piano CDs would you salvage from your sinking ship"? Let's however assume that Chopin and Beethoven are excluded because they are very widely known even to the general public.

[Holden]

If you could only listen to one or maybe a handful of solo piano sonatas

Let's however assume that Chopin and Beethoven are excluded because they are very widely known even to the general public.

You didn't say sonatas in your thread title.

Why exclude two of the best composers for piano. Are they really that well known to the general public? If I played a recording of LvB Op 2/1 to a hall filled with 2000 of the 'general public' how many would even recognise it as Beethoven?

Maybe you need to reword this and be a bit clearer about what you want.

[Ciel_Rouge]

Hi Soapy Molloy, excellent reply - I hope more posters will decide to post their selection.

Holden: I did not say sonata because there are also impromptus, preludes and etudes. I excluded Chopin and Beethoven because they would be too obvious for starting a new thread of this sort.

[Wanderer]

Excluding Chopin and Beethoven, as requested, these piano sonatas come readily to mind:

Alkan: Grande Sonate "Les quatre âges"
Medtner: "Night Wind" Sonata
Liszt: Sonata in B minor
Schumann: Piano Sonata No.2, op.22
Scriabin: Piano Sonata No.4
Schubert: Piano Sonata D.960
Prokofiev:  Piano Sonata No.7
Rachmaninov: Piano Sonata No.2, op.36

Honorary mention: the exquisite but totally neglected piano sonata by Paul Dukas.

[Opus106]

Schubert: Impromptus D. 899 and D. 935. The disc I have, which was purchased just because I found it relatively cheaply priced and had a passing interest in the composer, has now officially become my Desert Island Disc -- which was something I never had till now. And I came to that conclusion less than 24 hours ago while listening to the first set lying in my bed, trying to get some sleep.

Fine Print: The DID status has been awarded purely on a sentimental basis rather than as a result of a comprehensive survey of recordings of the Impromptus.

[MN Dave]

Chopin ballades and nocturnes and Schubert impromptus and sonatas and Beethoven sonatas and and and...

[Air]

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 6
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 8
Berg: Piano Sonata
Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit
Ligeti: Etudes (Bk.1)
Ligeti: Etudes (Bk.2)
Schumann: Grand Sonata No. 3
Schumann: Noveletten
Schumann: Fantasy in C
Medtner: Sonata Romantica
Medtner: Sonata Tragica
Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 5
Scriabin: Fantaisie Op. 28
Liszt: Piano Sonata
Shostakovich: Preludes and Fugues Op.87
Alkan: Symphony for Solo Piano
Villa-lobos: Rudepoema
Albeniz: Iberia
Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2
Schubert: Impromptus D.899
Schubert: Piano Sonata D.894
Schubert: Piano Sonata D.960
Debussy: Preludes (Bks.1 & 2)
Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2
Edit - I forgot a few
Busoni: Fantasia contrappuntistica
Haydn: Piano Sonata Hob. XVI:20
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 4
Scriabin: Etude Op. 2 No. 1

--------------------with Chopin and Beethoven-----------------------
Chopin: Ballades
Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2
(Maybe a few Nocturnes, if played right)
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 28
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32

[Air]

BTW this list is assuming you mean PIANO music, not harpsichord, organ, etc.

Because, if not...

[Ciel_Rouge]

Well, sure but the Moonlight Sonata and Well-Tempered Clavier and Goldberg Variations are... too obvious. I know everybody likes them, but the aim of the thread is for us to basically inspire each other to find outstanding solo piano pieces and recordings we might have had no idea about.

[bhodges]

Some faves from say, the last 10 years or so:

Pierre-Laurent Aimard at Carnegie Hall (Live recording of Beethoven, Berg, Debussy, Ligeti, Liszt and Messiaen)

Marc-André Hamelin: Kaleidoscope (Small virtuosic encores, including some of Hamelin's own etudes)

Paavali Jumppanen: Boulez: The Three Piano Sonatas

--Bruce

[some guy]

Hey Ciel, not to complicate things, but it occured to me that you might not have wanted to exclude piano ensembles. That is, you don't want pianos with other instruments, but what about pianos with other pianos? That throws the net wider without infringing at all on the basic pianoness of your desires.

If that's so, and forgive me if it's not, I'd include these gems:

Stravinsky, concerto for two pianos
Radulescu, Clepsydra (sixteen sound icons)
ten Holt, Canto Ostinato

I have the latter in a recording for two pianos and in one for four pianos.

Also, just to make sure I stay in the band, here are some solo piano works I could ill do without:

Prokofiev, sonata nr. 7
Stockhausen, klavierstueck nr. 9
Schubert, sonata d. 960

Plus, a ton of batteries. I mean, be fair, I'm on a desert island after all. Once the batteries give out....

[Drasko]

Ok, no Beethoven and Chopin

Schubert - Impromptus D899, Drei Klavierstucke D946, Sonata D960
Schumann - Fantasia, Kraisleriana, Carnaval, Davidsbundlertanze, Symphonic Etudes
Liszt - Sonata in B minor, Mephisto Waltz No.1
Brahms - Ballades op.10, Piano Pieces op.117-119
Scriabin - Sonatas No.5 & 9, Vers la flamme, Preludes op.74, Etudes op.8
Prokofiev - Piano Sonatas No.6 & 8
Rachmaninov - Preludes op.32, Etudes-tableaux op.39, Corelli Variations
Medtner - Sonata Reminiscenza
Stravinsky - Three movements from Petrushka
Albeniz - Iberia
Granados - Goyescas
Alkan - Concerto for Solo Piano
Faure - Theme and Variations, Nocturne No.13
Debussy - Images I & II, Estampes, Preludes Book I
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit, Miroirs
Poulenc - Trois mouvements perpetueles
Satie - 3 Gymnopedies, 6 Gnossiennes
Gershwin - Three Preludes
Janacek - Piano Sonata 1.X.1905
Bartok - Allegro Barbaro, Suite, Sonata
Schoenberg - Three Pieces op.11
Ligeti - Etudes books 1 & 2

edit: knew I was going to forget something I really like
Franck - Prelude, Choral et Fugue

[Air]

Ok, no Beethoven and Chopin

Schubert - Impromptus D899, Drei Klavierstucke D946, Sonata D960
Schumann - Fantasia, Kraisleriana, Carnaval, Davidsbundlertanze, Symphonic Etudes
Liszt - Sonata in B minor, Mephisto Waltz No.1
Brahms - Ballades op.10, Piano Pieces op.117-119
Scriabin - Sonatas No.5 & 9, Vers la flamme, Preludes op.74, Etudes op.8
Prokofiev - Piano Sonatas No.6 & 8
Rachmaninov - Preludes op.32, Etudes-tableaux op.39, Corelli Variations
Medtner - Sonata Reminiscenza
Stravinsky - Three movements from Petrushka
Albeniz - Iberia
Granados - Goyescas
Alkan - Concerto for Solo Piano
Faure - Theme and Variations, Nocturne No.13
Debussy - Images I & II, Estampes, Preludes Book I
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit, Miroirs
Poulenc - Trois mouvements perpetueles
Satie - 3 Gymnopedies, 6 Gnossiennes
Gershwin - Three Preludes
Janacek - Piano Sonata 1.X.1905
Bartok - Allegro Barbaro, Suite, Sonata
Schoenberg - Three Pieces op.11
Ligeti - Etudes books 1 & 2

I like yo list. 
(Haven't heard the Janacek or Gershwin though)

[Bulldog]

Schumann - Kreisleriana, Kinderszenen, Davidsbundlertanze and Sym. Etudes.
Shostakovich - Preludes, Op. 34, Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87
Scriabin - Preludes, Op. 11
Chopin - Barcarolle and Fantasie in F minor
Bach - Goldbergs, WTC, Prelude and Fugue, BWV 552, Leipzig Chorales, ClavierUbung III

[Ciel_Rouge]

Alright, TWO pianos and SOLO piano They are both the directions which seem most lacking in my collection and I would love to see more coming. Thank you all.

[UB]

#1 Shostakovich: Preludes and Fugues Op.87 - If only one is allowed this would be the set for me.

Dillion: Book of Elements (I-V)
Krenek: Piano Sonatas (7)
Cage: Sonatas and Interludes
Debussy: Preludes Book 1 & 2

[Bulldog]

#1 Shostakovich: Preludes and Fugues Op.87 - If only one is allowed this would be the set for me.

For 20th century piano music, Op. 87 would also be my first choice.

[Franco]

Haydn Keyboard Sonatas (4-disk set, Brendel)
Beethoven 32 Piano Sonatas (Kempff)
Mendelssohn Songs Without Words (Barenboim)
Satie Complete Solo Piano Music (Roge)
Schoenberg Complete Solo Piano Music (Pollini)

[Air]

I'm a little surprised, no Mozart love out there? 

Though personally, I'd much rather take his piano concerti to my desert island instead.

[Maciek]

Thought you of all people might also be interested in some Polish recs:

The only 19th century composer other than Chopin that I would call obligatory is Juliusz Zarębski. Try to get his cycle Les roses et les epines, Op.13 (Róże i ciernie) - it's been recorded more than once, I think the CPO disc should be easiest to grab. If you can't get that, at least try to hear his Berceuse/Lullaby/Kołysanka (not sure which title it goes by most often) - an incredible piece, quite a bit like Debussy's Claire de lune (in some respects), and just as good. (And of course, since you're not always restricting yourself to SOLO piano, do get his Piano Quintet, a little-known chamber masterpiece.)

There's much more worthwhile stuff in the 20th century. I know you like Kilar, so you might want to try his early 3 Preludes for piano. Definitely nothing deep, but enjoyable all the same.

Szymanowski is of course a must. For a gentle introduction, try his Preludes op. 1, written when he was still a teenager. They sound very much like Scriabin (at times better), though there are traces of the future individuality here and there. Then there are the cycles Masques and Metopes, the Mazurkas, and the Piano Sonatas. For some free samples, check the Szymanowski thread, I think the John Ogdon recording that Dax posted (Metopes and 3rd Sonata) should still be available.

There's some very good solo piano writing from Lutosławski - my favorite is the very short Invention, but the folk-inspired pieces (esp. Bucolics) are worth hearing. (And then there's of course his Piano Concerto.) And definitely seek out a recording of his Paganini Variations (version for two pianos, to keep the spirit of the thread ). There's also a very early Piano Sonata - interesting, but nothing important, you can safely skip that.

Recommended are also Roman Maciejewski's Mazurkas.

Two post-war sonatas are a must, both slightly reminiscent of Prokofiev, and if you like his piano sonatas, you should love these. I mean the sonatas by Kazimierz Serocki and Grażyna Bacewicz (no. 2, I don't know the first one - the recording of choice would be Zimerman, of course).

And you have got to get Szablocs Esztenyi's recording of Pawel Szymanski's Two Studies - it is probably the best solo piano work written in Poland in the last 20-30 years.

Let me this sum up. My absolute top recommendations from the above would be:

Zarębski Les roses et les epines, Berceuse, Piano Quintet
Szymanowski
Lutosławski Invention, Paganini Variations
SzymańskiTwo Studies

You'll have to forgive me if you know all this already. If that's the case, perhaps someone else will benefit. 0:)