What are the most popular, important and beautiful pieces of famous composers?

[musicioso]

Hallo dear piano lovers,

I am an amature pianist and piano music lover for some 5 years. But i all that time, the only composers i have learned about are Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff. I know many pieces of these composers and i love them.

But somehow i never learnt about Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Bach, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev, Scriabin, Shostakovich, and Strauss.

I would like to know which pieces of these composers you guys lovethe most, and why? Ad why are those pieces so famous and important and that kind of information, as long as its possible of course.

Its time for me, to listen to some new music.

[patrickd]

Hello, my favorite pieces by the composers you mentioned would be

Brahms: Two rhapsodies or the three intermezzi

Schubert: Impromptus op 90 and op 142 as well as the sonata d894

Schumann: I really enjoy his fantasy in c major op 17

Liszt: His years of pilgrimage books especially Italy contain some nice music

Bach: His WTC as well as some transcriptions by Liszt or Busoni especially Busoni's transcription of Bach's Chaconne in d minor

Mendelssohn: I would suppose his variations

Tchaikovsky:

Debussy: His two books of preludes with my favorites being General lavvine, fireworks, and underwater cathedral

Ravel: Any of the pieces in miriors suite are outstanding as well as the pieces in le tombeau de Couperin.

Prokofiev: Toccata in d minor

Scriabin: Sonata 2, 5, and 7

Shostakovich: His book of 24 preludes and fugues are incredible

Strauss:

I would also recommend the composers Alkan and Medtner, both highly underrated composers

For C.V. Alkan my favorite compositions are his concerto and le festin d'Esope

For Medtner any of his Skaska's are great pieces to listen and to learn.

[redbaron]

You might like to check out the following

Brahms - Two Rhapsodies Op 79, Paganini Variations, Scherzo, Ballades Op 10 and Opp 116-119
Schubert - Impromptus Op 90
Schumann - Piano Concerto, Toccata
Liszt - Paganini Variations, Rhapsodie Espagnole, Mephisto Waltz No 1, Hungarian Rhapsodies
Bach - Goldberg Variations, Well-Tempered Clavier, Keyboard Concerto in D minor
Mendelssohn - Songs Without Words, particularly Op 19, No 6 and Op 67, No 2
Tchaikovsky - his piano music isn't that well known but check out The Seasons, Sonata in G, Nocturne Op 19, No 4 and Theme & Variations Op 19, No 6
Debussy - The Girl with the Flaxen Hair and The Sunken Cathedral preludes
Ravel - Gaspard de la nuit, Jeux d'eau, Pavane pour unde infante defunte, Sonatine
Prokofiev - Toccata
Scriabin - Preludes Op 11
Shostakovich - Preludes & Fugues

[werq34ac]

Brahms: Check out his chamber music! Personally I like his chamber music more than his solo piano pieces. The two piano concerto are very good as well

Schubert: I HATE THE IMPROMPTI!! Anyway, that's just me. Schubert Sonatas, and you absolutely MUST check out the Wanderer Fantasy.

Liszt: Start with the showy stuff like Hungarian Rhapsodies and his etudes. Then go into the better stuff like Mephisto Waltz 1 and his Jeux D'eau and Wagner transcriptions

Bach: Partitas! Keyboard concertos are very good as well. Brandenburg Concertos

Mendelssohn: His two piano trios are really good, but sad to say, that's really all I like from him

Tchaikovsky: EVERYONE KNOWS THE 1ST CONCERTO! Worth a listen, very popular, perhaps overly so. And yes the seasons. Ah the violin concerto, one of the most popular, but one of my favorite violin concertos.

Debussy: Estampes, Images books 1 and 2, La Mer, Des Collines D'anacapri

Ravel: EVERYTHING!!!! Start with pavane pour une infante defunte and jeux d'eau. La Valse is plain awesome.

Prokofiev: Piano concertos! especially 2 and 3.

Scriabin: Sonatas 4, 5, I don't really like his later sonatas, they kinda creep me out.

Shostakovich: don't know much by him, but I liked his transcription of Tea for Two.

[j_menz]

Schubert - Check out some of the song cycles. Also the symphonies.
Schumann - Kreisleriana, Carnival (in fact most of the suites) the Toccata and his Sonatas
Liszt - The years of pilgrimage; his late piano works, the Dante Symphony
Bach - The two Passions, the cello suites
Mendelsohn - Some of the stuff by his sister 
Tchaikovsky - Liturgy of St John Chrysostom
Debussy - La Mer
Prokofiev - never forget Peter and the Wolf (or his operas)
Ravel - Bolero  (even he didn't like it)
Shostakovich - Symphonies 5, 7, 10 and 13, his cello concerto
Strauss - I'm saddened so many people have ignored him  . Also Sprach Zarathustra, Salome, Four Last Songs, Death and Transfiguration.

[werq34ac]

oops, forgot Schumann and Strauss

Schumann: i like the fantasie too. And the piano concerto

Strauss: Which one? The only composer with two other famous composers with the same name. Johann Strauss Jr., Johann Strauss Sr., and Richard Strauss

As for those 3, I really don't know much by them..

[49410enrique]

i worked the tchaikovsky dumka last year (regrettably i never recorded any of my performances of it, but i never put it on stage it was more of a learning piece with me and my teacher... )

still it is one of his most remarkable stage/concert works. doesn't get played much do it is' length it's too long to be part of a shorter set of works but too short to stand on its own in programming (at least its the criciticsm of it i've heard).  wonderful piece.

Op 59, Pletnev does a nice job here (there a good Horowitz ver on YT too)

Musicology:
Dumka in C-, Op.59

Key: C-
 Year: 1886
 Genre: Other Keyboard
 Pr. Instrument: Piano



background info on the work.....
"Though only a fraction as long as the composer's ambitious Sonata in G major, Tchaikovsky's Dumka in C minor, Op. 59 (1886) is one of the composer's most successful piano works. The dumka, a narrative Slavic folk song that veers abruptly from melancholy to exhilaration, was a source of inspiration for a number of composers; its best-known incarnation is probably that in Dvorak's popular "Dumky" Trio, Op. 65 (1890-1891). Despite its subtitle, "Russian rustic scene," Tchaikovsky's version of the dumka lacks a detailed program. It begins with an Andantino cantabile ballad that may derive from a Russian folk song. The theme undergoes some rudimentary development before giving way to an eccentric, exciting con anima section, followed by a more relaxed passage, a bravura cadenza, and a hammering Moderato con fuoco. Relief arrives with two broader passages, Andante meno mosso and Adagio, diminuendo. The opening ballad sneaks back in, very quietly at first but marking its departure with three loud, abrupt chords. The work's virtuosic demands have attracted flamboyant pianists through the years, but the work has never quite achieved repertory status; still, the Dumka remains Tchaikovsky's most outstanding solo work for concert rather than salon use"