Best of the Less-Well-Known Compositions

[musicborne]

I have been trying to expand my classical repertoire as much as I can for inspiration in composing.  I have been on somewhat of a rampage trying to find some of the most moving classical music that is not immediately well known.

I'm curious to know, what are your favorite compositions -- by the classical geniuses throughout history or any contemporary classical composers -- that aren't the most famous?  That means no Moonlight Sonata, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, or Flight of the Bumblebee.  Those are all masterpieces, but they are so common today that I don't realize how great they are anymore.  I want to know what incredible pieces Tchaikovsky (or anyone else) wrote that aren't on the "Best of" CD's.

In an attempt to find my own personal favorites, I am attempting to listen to Beethoven's complete works in order from earliest to last, but I'm finding that I don't love the majority of his work.  (Granted, I've only listened up to Op. 20 so far, but his style isn't quite as beautiful as Debussy or Chopin in my opinion.)

So, what would you consider to be your favorites?

[stoudemirestat]

There are SO many with Liszt. I won't list them though unless someone asks.

However I consider three of his more lesser known piano works to perhaps be his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th best piano works respectively (all behind the Sonata, of course). They are...(in order)

Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam (Transc Busoni).

Variations on a theme from Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen.

Pensée des morts.

[redbaron]

Tchaikovsky - Sonata in G, Nocturne Op 19, No 4
Sibelius - Piano Sonata, The Spuce from The Trees, Five Characteristic Impressions
Dvorak - Humoresques Op 101, Furiant Op 85, No 7
Balakirev - Toccata
Bartok - Evening in Transylvania from Ten Easy Pieces
Brahms - Sextet Variations Op 18
Grieg - Waltz in A minor from Lyric Pieces Book I
John Cage - In A Landscape
Liszt - Consolation No 4
Mendelssohn - Gondola Song in A, Song Without Words Op 67, No 2
Rachmaninov - Etude-Tableau in D minor Op 33, No 4
Rimsky-Korsakov - Piano Concerto
Satie - Je te veux
Scriabin - Etude in F minor, Op 42, No 7
Stravinsky - Scherzo, Hymne from Serenade

[williampiano]

Balakirev- In the Garden
Grieg- Valse Impromptu op. 47 no. 1
Liszt- Consolation no. 6
Chopin- Polonaise posth. in g# minor
Tchaikovsky- Chanson sans Paroles
Brahms- Intermezzo op. 116 no. 4
Faure- Nocturne op. 33 no. 2
Ravel- In the style of Emanuel Chabrier- Paraphrase on a melody by Gounod
Debussy- Hommage a Haydn
Mompou- Prelude no. 9
Rimsky-Korsakov- Song of India

[werq34ac]

Rimsky-Korsakov song of india is on my best of classical CD, so I'm not sure if it's exactly less well-known

Scriabin-Valse in Ab, Polonaise, Fantasie in Bm
Rachmaninoff-The Rock, Cello Sonata (I'm not sure though, it's famous among cellists), Symphony no. 3, Are the two two-piano suites less well-known? Liebesleid/Liebesfreud transcriptions (are those well known?)
Liszt-Mephisto Waltzes (only 1 is well known), Wagner transcriptions
Debussy- Fantasie pour Piano et orchestre,
Ravel- Left hand piano concerto? I guess not very many people here know the violin sonata.