Best Piano Concertos

[aslanov]

Hi guys, my current playlist of piano concerto's isnt many, and was wondering if you learned folk could suggest some of your favourite.

currently my list includes:
Rachmaninov 2 and 3
Beethoven 4 and 5
Tchaikovsky 1
Grieg 1
Paganini Variations

and thats basically it, its so limited, but probably all of which sum up my most favourite music. HELP.

[lau]

i use to dislike concertos but now they are radical..

prokofiev 2, i've heard #3 is good also but i haven't looked into it.
The end of the first movement of number 2 i think is really intense.

ravel g major

i think liszt 2 could be of value.

[pianomx]

There are a lot! Some of the ones that pop into my mind now:

- Prokofiev 3d is one of the best!
- Rachmaninoff's rhapsody on the Paganini theme (i think you were referring to that one)
- Gershwin Rhapsody in blue, although  is not a "proper" Piano concerto
- Chopin's 1st, the 2nd is more popular but I like  better the 1st
- Brahms 1st!
- Saint Saens' 2nd concerto
- Liszt Totentanz, again not a proper concerto
- Bartok 3d concerto, not so easy the first time you listen to it, but you should give it a couple of tries, is great.

[healdie]

Shostakovich 1
Schumann concerto (A contraversial choice on this forum)
Brahms 1+2
Haydn concerto in D 
Prokofeiv 3 + 5

I am Interested in the Bartok concertos but will have to check them out further and I recently got a copy of the Ravel one so im still getting used to it

[richard black]

Not to detract one iota from the usual suspects (Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninov etc. etc.) -

Busoni
Reger
Bliss
Britten
Stevenson (both of them)
Ireland
Alan Bush 'Variations, Nocturne and Finale on an old English Sea Song', known to his devotees as the 'Little Piano Concerto' - the big one's interesting but not nearly as good.
Pizzetti 'Canti della stagione alta' (not strictly a concerto, but concertante anyway)

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I must second the Busoni concerto.

Other not-so-famous concerti which I really like:
Henselt
Liapunov (both, but I prefer the first)
Saint-Saens 5 I have a soft spot for
Lots of concerti recorded on the old Vox series 30-odd years ago hold hidden guilty pleasures (if I admit to liking the finale of Kalkbrenner 1 will anyone laugh?  )

I have Martucci 2 on even as I'm typing this..

[communist]

Mozart #23 \
Weber Konzertstuck in F Minor
Rimsky-Korsakoff
Rachmaninoff (all of them)
Prokofiev 1,2,3
Khachaturian
Napravnik Concerto Symphonique & Fantasy Russe
Scharwenka 1

[thalbergmad]

Bortkiewicz 1
Litolff 5
Bowen 4
Bloch
Schytte
Draeseke

List changes daily.

Thalo

[imbetter]

I could tell you what my favorite are:

Mozart 23
Beethoven 3
Beethoven 4
Beethoven 5
Schumann
Chopin 1
Liszt 1
Liszt Totentanz
Brahms 2
Grieg
Napravnik Concerto Symphonique
Napravnik Fantasy Russe
Khachaturian
Rachmaninoff 1
Rachmaninoff 2
Rachmaninoff 3
Rachmaninoff Paganini Rhapsody
Prokofiev 2
Prokofiev 3
Ravel
Tchaikovsky 1
Rautaavara 1

[trish89]

mine:
Rachmaninov (all)
Tchaikovsky no. 1
Schumann a minor
Gerschwin Rhapsody in blue
Beethoven 3
Chopin 1

[matthew from florida]

Piano Concertos are the best. Here's my growing list of favorites:

Mozart 12
Mozart 20
Mozart 21
Mozart 24
Beethoven 4

I have also heard and enjoyed part or all of:

Mozart 14
Mozart 17
Mozart 23
Beethoven 1
Beethoven 2
Beethoven 3
Beethoven 5
Rachmanioff 2
Chopin 1
if Bach BWV 1052 is considered a concerto

I am constantly looking for new and/or better recordings but thy are hard to find... (for free, of course)

[aslanov]

Piano Concertos are the best. Here's my growing list of favorites:

Mozart 12
Mozart 20
Mozart 21
Mozart 24
Beethoven 4

I have also heard and enjoyed part or all of:

Mozart 14
Mozart 17
Mozart 23
Beethoven 1
Beethoven 2
Beethoven 3
Beethoven 5
Rachmanioff 2
Chopin 1
if Bach BWV 1052 is considered a concerto

I am constantly looking for new and/or better recordings but thy are hard to find... (for free, of course)

you should really check out what i put in my list in the OP on youtube.
for the grieg concerto watch the one performed by leif ove andsnes
and for rach 3 the good one on youtube is the one performed by yefim bronfman

[point of grace]

Prokofieff's 2nd and 3rd.
Mozart 21
Beethoven 4
Ravel G
Rachmaninoff 2

we all agreed in the most popular piano certos... i also like the second by liszt and saint saens the fifth

[kelly_kelly]

Mozart 9, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26
Beethoven 3, 4, 5
Grieg
Rachmaninoff 2
Tchaikovsky 1
Ravel G major

[matthew from florida]

Mozart 9, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26
Beethoven 3, 4, 5
Grieg
Rachmaninoff 2
Tchaikovsky 1
Ravel G major

 I see my 3 favorites in that list (K466, K491, Op. 58)

[learner of liszt]

Some of my favorites include:

Bartok No. 3
Rachmaninoff 3, Paganini Variations
Tchaikovsky 1
Gershwin All major concert works
Prokofiev 3 (heard it live a couple of days ago... whoa)
Liszt 1, 2, and Totentanz
Alkan: Concerto for Solo Piano

Or, for something really obscure: Leroy Anderson, Piano Concerto in C Major. Also regarding Rachmaninoff, even though Concertos 2-3 always take the spotlight, #1 is also incredible. I recommend Ashkenazy's recording with Andre Previn.

[aslanov]

thanks to all your advices and namely thalbergmad's advice on the romantic piano concerto collection, my piano concerto list of favourites has increased drastically

I would, now, recommend the following

Rachmaninov, 1-4 + paganini variations
Tchaikovsky 1 + 2
Beethoven 2-5
Brahms, 1+ 2 (2 wasss amazing, i saw it performed by yefim bronfman recently)
Grieg
Shostakovich 2 (the second movement is just divine)
Liapunov - rhapsody on ukrainian theme
Liszt 2, totentanz
Litolff 4 (especially 2nd movement scherzo) and 5
Medtner 1-3, oh man, one of my top favourites now, especially 1 and 2
Mendelssohn - 2 (soo good)
Moszkowski - i know not many people know about this, but for someone thats known for etudes, heck, even for someone thats known for piano concertos, this one is...just soo romantic, its amazing (HIGHLY recommend this)
Ravel - both left hand and two hand
Scharwenka - 4th is very nice
Schumann - takes a couple of listens to like this
lastly
Thalberg - definitely in my top 10 IF not top 5

enjoy

[thalbergmad]

Thalberg - definitely in my top 10 IF not top 5

I say Sir, i did not think that would be on anyone's list, but what a little gem it is.

It is a shame he did not write another one when he was "fully developed", but it is pretty good for a 17 year old.

I listened to the Burgmuller concerto again yesterday and it reminded me of this.

Thal

[aslanov]

he wrote this at 17?!
that is...amazing.
I'll be sure to check out the Burgmuller concerto, im sure i have around on my computer somewhere.

[weissenberg2]

Some of my favorites include:

Bartok No. 3
Rachmaninoff 3, Paganini Variations
Tchaikovsky 1
Gershwin All major concert works
Prokofiev 3 (heard it live a couple of days ago... whoa)
Liszt 1, 2, and Totentanz
Alkan: Concerto for Solo Piano

Or, for something really obscure: Leroy Anderson, Piano Concerto in C Major. Also regarding Rachmaninoff, even though Concertos 2-3 always take the spotlight, #1 is also incredible. I recommend Ashkenazy's recording with Andre Previn.

I have always found Bartok's second & third piano concerti to be a COMPLETE knockoff of Stravinsky's Petrouchka

[retrouvailles]

I have always found Bartok's second & third piano concerti to be a COMPLETE knockoff of Stravinsky's Petrouchka

How so? That just sounds like a stupid statement to me, especially because of the fact that you have no justification for your absurd statements.

[opus10no2]

I say Sir, i did not think that would be on anyone's list, but what a little gem it is.

It is a shame he did not write another one when he was "fully developed", but it is pretty good for a 17 year old.

I listened to the Burgmuller concerto again yesterday and it reminded me of this.

Thal

I love the Thalberg too, any good recs besides the Nicolosi?

[weissenberg2]

How so? That just sounds like a stupid statement to me, especially because of the fact that you have no justification for your absurd statements.

To me they sound like Petrouchka, but I can not actaully prove this, and whats the point in calling me stupid, because I bare my own opinion?

[retrouvailles]

To me they sound like Petrouchka, but I can not actaully prove this, and whats the point in calling me stupid, because I bare my own opinion?

First of all, I didn't call you stupid, but rather your opinion. I said it was stupid because you have nothing presented that proves your claim or makes a case for it, other than the statement itself.

[thalbergmad]

I love the Thalberg too, any good recs besides the Nicolosi?

Ponti recorded it along with the Rubinstein 4 old chap, but the sound was a little tinny.

The playing however, was more exciting than the Nicolosi.

Thal

[birba]

prokofiev 2,
The end of the first movement of number 2 i think is really intense.

YES!!!!!!  A very much overlooked concerto.  It's at the top of MY list!

[retrouvailles]

YES!!!!!!  A very much overlooked concerto.  It's at the top of MY list!

Uh, are you kidding? Prokofiev's 2nd is not overlooked by any means. If you want an overlooked concerto, look here for starters:

thanks to all your advices and namely thalbergmad's advice on the romantic piano concerto collection, my piano concerto list of favourites has increased drastically

I would, now, recommend the following

Rachmaninov, 1-4 + paganini variations
Tchaikovsky 1 + 2
Beethoven 2-5
Brahms, 1+ 2 (2 wasss amazing, i saw it performed by yefim bronfman recently)
Grieg
Shostakovich 2 (the second movement is just divine)
Liapunov - rhapsody on ukrainian theme
Liszt 2, totentanz
Litolff 4 (especially 2nd movement scherzo) and 5
Medtner 1-3, oh man, one of my top favourites now, especially 1 and 2
Mendelssohn - 2 (soo good)
Moszkowski - i know not many people know about this, but for someone thats known for etudes, heck, even for someone thats known for piano concertos, this one is...just soo romantic, its amazing (HIGHLY recommend this)
Ravel - both left hand and two hand
Scharwenka - 4th is very nice
Schumann - takes a couple of listens to like this
lastly
Thalberg - definitely in my top 10 IF not top 5

enjoy

There are so many overlooked ones listed there. And there are plenty more elsewhere.

[franzliszt2]

Beethoven 4

[aslanov]

Ponti recorded it along with the Rubinstein 4 old chap, but the sound was a little tinny.

The playing however, was more exciting than the Nicolosi.

Thal

agreed Ponti's recording is great
and his recording of Moszkowski's Piano Concerto is just fantastic.
if anyone is interested in moszkowski's listen to the ponti recording, and if your not interested in hearing it, GET interested because it is truly one of the most romantic, romantic era, piano concerto's every written. it just melts your heart at times, and gives you a rush at other, and does so frequently, CHECK IT OUT!

[matthew from florida]

You really can't beat Brahms cadenza for Mozart's Piano Concerto 24 The only problem with  it is that it ends too fast!

[weissenberg2]

Bach G minor
Mozart 20 & 23
Weber-both & konzertstuck
Hummel B minor
Mendelssohn no.2
Grieg
Schumann
Chopin no.1
Liszt Totentanz
Brahms-Both
Lyapunov variations on Ukranian themes
Tchaikovsky 1 & 2
Rachmaninoff-complete
Prokofiev-complete
Ravel-Both
Khachaturian
Ginastera-both
Barber
Feinberg-no.3
Bartok- 2 & 3
Xenakis-Keqrops
Rautavaara-2 & 3

[thalbergmad]

I have come to the conclusion that all the best concertos are Polish.

Thal

[weissenberg2]

I have come to the conclusion that all the best concertos are Polish.

Thal

On what criterion?

[thalbergmad]

The Polish romantics to my ears have the gift for beautiful melodies mixed with a sweeping majestic style that is simply irrisistable.

Moszkowski, Melcer, Zelenski, Zarzycki, Paderewski, Scharwenka, Wieniawski, Kullak, Stojowski etc....

The Poles just seem to be able to connect piano and orchestra in the most delicious fashion.

Thal

[retrouvailles]

Moszkowski, Melcer, Zelenski, Zarzycki, Paderewski, Scharwenka, Wieniawski, Kullak, Stojowski etc....

The Poles just seem to be able to connect piano and orchestra in the most delicious fashion.

Thal

Don't forget the piano concertos of Lutosławski, Szymanowski, and Panufnik, three very very important Polish composers of the 20th century who all wrote very good piano concertos. I suggest that you all check them out if you already haven't. They aren't exactly romantic, but they beat out many of the romantic ones, if you ask me. I do love some of the romantics myself, though.

[gyzzzmo]

Cliché but easy: Rach 2

[antichrist]

Rach 2,3
beethoven 4
grieg 1
tchai 1

[communist]

Don't forget the piano concertos of Lutosławski, Szymanowski, and Panufnik, three very very important Polish composers of the 20th century who all wrote very good piano concertos. I suggest that you all check them out if you already haven't. They aren't exactly romantic, but they beat out many of the romantic ones, if you ask me. I do love some of the romantics myself, though.

Have you heard the Panderecki? if so how good is it?

[retrouvailles]

Have you heard the Panderecki? if so how good is it?

You mean Penderecki? His piano concerto is just ok. I would not rank it with the ones I mentioned. It seems to ramble a lot, which can happen with a one movement piece that is 30+ minutes in length.It is totally in his later, conservative neo-romantic style, but it doesn't hold my interest as much as, say, his Te Deum, which is one of his best later works. I really wish he would incorporate more elements from his earlier style into his music.

[bobotox]

Wow. Unbelievable. No one here has mentioned the Anton Rubinstein Concertos. They are simply the best romantic concertos. No one comes close. Here is my list:

Rubinstein Piano Concerto No. 4 Op. 70. This is the BEST there is.
Rubinstein Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 35. 2nd and 3rd movements are gorgeous.
Stenhammar Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 1. Another overlooked gem.
Busoni Piano Concerto
Scharwenka Piano Concertos 2 & 4
Raff Piano Concerto. The second movement rivals the 21st of Mozart.
Martucci Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 40.
Rubinstein Piano Concerto No. 5
Rheinberger Piano Concerto.
Beach Piano Concerto
Rubinstein Piano Concerto No. 1
Moscheles Piano Concerto No. 3
Berwald Piano Concerto
Thalberg Piano concerto
Martucci Piano concerto No .2

There are probably a whole lot more that I did not list. I have listened to many.
 

[thalbergmad]

Your list is refreshingly different to the norm.

Thal

[bobotox]

Yes it is. I consider those concertos better than any Rach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and the other overrated concertos we are all tired of hearing. I would pick to listen to the Rubinstein 4th concerto over any other Romantic concerto. Yes it is that good.

[kay3087]

I'll be the first to mention Ralph Vaughan Williams's concerto then. The slow movement is gorgeous.

[communist]

How could I forget Rubinstein 4! I would not go to say it is the best concerto of the 19th century but it is certainly up there.

But Raff? if I remember correctly I remember thinking it was what you would expect of an amateur. I will have to listen to it again.

[bobotox]

My favorite concerto for a while was Brahms 2nd concerto. After having discovered the Rubinstein 4th on another forum. I now consider it to be THE best. I can listen to it over and over and it still sounds fresh. As for the Raff. I thought it was good the first time i heard it. After listening to it more and more. It is truly a superb concerto. 

[thalbergmad]

But Raff? if I remember correctly I remember thinking it was what you would expect of an amateur. I will have to listen to it again.

Indeed, i suggest you do.

It has some nice lush melodies, sprinkled with some sparkling passage work.

Thal

[weissenberg2]

I like the Massenet piano concerto.

The Raff is okay. It is nice, not amazing compositionally.

[antichrist]

lots of the neglected concertos are VERY good

henselt,bortkiewicz,moskowski,thalberg,medtner,and the anton rubinstein 4

its weird that pianists in the last century never cares about them

[thalbergmad]

They might care, but perhaps they are too worried about concert attendances and cd sales to give something new a try.

Latest favourites Zelenski and Zarzycki. Might well be Urspruch when i have heard it.

Thal

[imbetter]

Rubinstein 4 is great but better than the likes of Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff???........

I've always had a taste for the Shoenberg Concerto.