Hey Bernhard...I'm looking for DIFFICULT and COMPLEX lol but must also be GOOD! also any modern composers that are very showy or poetic (romantic example would be liszt (showy) and chopin (poetic)
Ok, here are just a few apart from the obvious ones (Prokofiev, Shostakovitch, Bartok, Stravinsky, Katchaturian, Ornstein, Sorabjii etc.)
1. Samuel Barber.
Barber wrote just a few piano pieces, but they are all high quality, tonal and yet with a modern harmony. Some of it is very romantic and poetic. My favourites are:
Excursions op. 20 - I particularly like no. 3 (allegretto)
Sonata op. 26 - extremely complex – advanced work requiring the utmost pianism. This sonata was written for Horowitz. Originally it had only the first three movements, but Horowitz insisted that Barber write a flashy finale for it, hence the - very difficult - fugue.
Souvenirs op. 28 – I particularly like no. 3 (Pas de Deux)
Nocturne op. 33 - I love this Nocturne. Chromatic and highly atmospheric – if you want poetic and romantic and yet modern look no further
See this thread for more Barber music:
https://www.pianoforum.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=repo;action=display;num=10775349302. Alberto Ginastera
Twelve American preludes. Tonal music but with lots of chromaticism and strong rhythms. These are all short pieces, good as encores.
3. William Schumann
Three piano Moods. No. 2 (Pensive) is my favourite.
4. Arnold Schoenberg
Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19. Completely atonal music, and yet highly atmospheric and impressionistic, nos. 2, 3 and 6 are more reflective.
5. Darius Milhaud. There is just too much of Milhaud music that is worthwhile. His trade mark is “wrong note” writing. I like his “Saudades do Brasil”.
6. Alexander Tcherepnin:
Expressions, Op. 81
Bagatelles , Op. 5
7. George Gershwin
Three preludes: an American classic.
8. Charles Griffes. Griffes is reminiscent of Scriabin, Ravel and Debussy (go figure!)
Three tone pictures, Op. 5 – Impressionistic, tonal music.
Roman Sketches, Op. 7
9. Francis Poulenc – As with Milhaud there is just too much good stuff from Poulenc. Try his Nocturnes, if you are after complex poetic music.
10. Alban Berg:
Sonata op. 1 – A one movement sonata that although supposedly in B minor is actually a chromatic work. Once you get used to it, it is very beautiful and lyrical.
11. Arnold Bax:
Nocturne (May night in the Ukraine) – romantic and poetic writing.
12. Olivier Messiaen:
Vingt regards sur L’enfant Jesus. You cannot get much more complex (or modern) than this.
13. Zbigniew Preisner – “Ten easy pieces for piano” – they are not that easy… but not that difficult either. Poetic and romantic.
14. Karol Szimanowski - If you are after virtuoso, complex music, look no further. Romantic and impressionistic at the same time.
Preludes op. 1 - Some highly lyric, some dramatic.
Metopes op. 24 - three very difficult tone poems.
15. Henrique Oswald - Although Brazilian by birth, Oswald spent most of his life in Europe, so his music is completely European, with much French influence. All of his work is highly poetic and romantic. I like:
Feuilles d'Album Op. 20
Il neige
Berceuse Op. 14 no. 1
Several of the Nocturnes (op. 6)
16. Francisco Mignone - A Brazilian composer of Italian descent. Lush, romantic music with South American rhythm and flavour. I particularly like his "Valsas de Esquina" (Corner Waltzes) which are slightly reminiscent of Chopin's Waltzes.
Have a look in this thread for more suggestions:
https://www.pianoforum.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=repo;action=display;num=1077625353These should keep you busy for a while.
Best wishes,
Bernhard.