Any good composers similar to Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff?

[brendan765]

  I love playing these 3 composers, I want more and different, heart wrenching music to play...I ordered a Ravel book off amazon.com.  But who else, someone really expressive, and I love fantasie Impromptu time feel and its expressiveness, any other composers that hold this spectacular expression from the romantic era?

I'm open to lesser known composers!! Give me a composers name and a beutiful piece, not redicoulously hard...not harder than something like a hard chopin etude or Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody 2 or 6...as I don't have time for it rightnow because i'm already on a big liszt of music rightnow...

I will post a video and dedicate it to the person who gave it to me, as a thankyou to opening me to a new composer.

[andreslr6]

you? (since you claim to be as good as them)


anyways, if you were really serious about your post, Scriabin?, there are a lot of short pieces and preludes. How about his etude op.2 no.1?

[nocturnetr]

Scriabin or York Bowen.

[p2u_]

Any good composers similar to Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff?

Have a look at Sergei Lyapunov. Just one example: Transcendental Etude op. 11 No. 6 "Storm" in C♯ minor (1905)

Felix Blumenfeld (Horowitz' "Uncle who play loud") would be another one.
You can find some of his works on YouTube, for example here and here.

You may also like Alexander Glazunov. Richter and Gilels recorded some of his works (sonatas I believe). There are also shorter works, for example this etude No. 2 from his op. 31

EDIT: You may safely skip the ceremony you had in mind. I don't want anything to be done in my honor. Thanks.

Paul

[brendan765]

you? (since you claim to be as good as them)


anyways, if you were really serious about your post, Scriabin?, there are a lot of short pieces and preludes. How about his etude op.2 no.1?

A good of pianist, I highly doubt...as composer yes I would say my music holds around that level of expression.

[49410enrique]

A good of pianist, I highly doubt...

i applaud your desire to venture off the path more traveled. there is a wealth of wonderful piano lit that waits to be discovered by more, this is actually an area i spend quite a bit of time studying.

one quick note before a few suggestions, Scriabin as a pianist. you may want to visit some biographical information and first hand accounts of his playing. as a performer/pianist, he was definately world class, first class in many cases, really only second to rachmaininoff (in fact at a competition at the conservatory scriabin placed second, rachmaninoff first, and usually with such a subjective activity, if either performer had an 'off day'  or had been 'in the zone' that day, it may very well have been the other way around under other circumstances/given another chance. he however severely and rather 'permanently' injured his right hand after hours upon hours of practicing the liszt don juan fantasie [so the stories go/say], it is one of hte reasons many think , why his piano music has such difficult left hand parts in general. it is thought that the funeral march movement (iv) of his piano sonata no 1 is a mourning over this, a sort of goodbye, the death of a dream, with regard to his aspirations of a grander performance career)

ok so just  afew suggestins, these are by no means definative of their style (some of the reaons i love these composers so much is actually that they have a breadth or variety of sound) but these are still good representions for a 'first taste'. i encourage you to go further and listen to more and more of works by them. some of the suggestions i would have made have already been said above.

some others (i will add more to this list later)
one of my top/all time favorites (almost no one has heard about !! i have some of his music on deck to learn later this spring)

i feel similarly about this music (the 24 dainas or  'folk songs' are essentially 24 preludes much in the same tradition of other 24 piece prelude cycles)

this fellow is one of my most recent discoveries. i am working on music by him right now!

]

[nocturnetr]

I am actually very eager to listen to your compositions, but the only thing I could find about them was the sheet music of your unfinished composition and since I can not hear it off the seet, I hope you will put a recording soon.

And an answer to your question, I don't think this is going to be the answer you are seeking but, there are some people on my mind. I don't like them as much as I like Rach, Prok, Chop or Scriabin and you will not like them too, probably.

WARNING: The pieces I am going to mention now, are not as equally complex as the other pieces that are mentioned.

His name is Tuluyhan Uğurlu:

: Simple and relaxing. This piece has a special meaning for me.

: Very famous in my country, it is very simple too. I don't like it though.

Or Fazıl Say:

Probably you've heard of him. He is kind of Romantic. Probably his music won't give you chills, since you are not Turkish and he uses Turkish melodic structures and, things... you know  

I used to listen to this particular piece A LOT. The middle section is pretty nice. It is the best among all.

A Ballad on the memory of The Blue Eyed Giant, Nazım Hikmet.

A Ballad he wrote to his daughter.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Get on this Scriabin status RIGHT NOW.

[49410enrique]

a rare 'gem' of a work hidden/sandwiched in a set of five pieces.

Anatoly Alexandrov (a name folks have prollly heard me drop before w regard to those taking after Scriabin). 

op. 110 (1971 I believe), "Recollections (or "Rememberances")" 5 Pieces.

No. 3 Etude - In Rememberance of Rachmaninoff
links skips to the etude at 3:40. This chick can play!

=3m41s

also this is the only recording (audio or video) I have ever come across for the any of the set, remarkable we have a well done interpretation of the whole set!!

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Stanchinsky is also VERY kickass.

He's influenced some of the 20th century greats like Prokofiev. 

He was crazy, but not as crazy as Scriabin, so he committed suicide when he was like freaking 24 years old.

He died at a young age, but he's freaking kickass.

[outin]

If you want Chopin type music, there's always Balakirev (a lot of it may be ridiculously hard though).

Then there are some pupils of Chopin: Karol Mikuli, Thomas Tellefsen and Carl Filtsch who wrote charming little Chopin like pieces.

And I second the suggestion of Lyapunov. I have for some reason always liked his stuff more than Rachs.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

If you want Chopin type music, there's always Balakirev (a lot of it may be ridiculously hard though).

Then there are some pupils of Chopin: Karol Mikuli, Thomas Tellefsen and Carl Filtsch who wrote charming little Chopin like pieces.

And I second the suggestion of Lyapunov. I have for some reason always liked his stuff more than Rachs.

I thought you just didn't lick Rachmaninoff period?

[j_menz]

Stanchinsky is also VERY kickass.

You really do need to look at Gretchaninoff  and Medtner and then Taneyev - the glue that holds them (Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Stanchinsky, Medtner and Gretchaninoff)  together.

@ Brendan -

If you haven't done so already, you should look at Schumann, Brahms, Greig and Tschaikovsky.  Outside the piano, Wagner, Mahler and Elgar may also appeal.  Even if Wagner doesn't appeal, he is important for you to know for youer composing. Lesser known piaono composers, aside from those already mentioned - Sigismond Thalberg, Henri Herz, Peter Pixis, Charles-Valentin Alkan and John Field.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

You really do need to look at Gretchaninoff  and Medtner and then Taneyev - the glue that holds them (Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Stanchinsky, Medtner and Gretchaninoff)  together.

I know all of them.

And all of them acknowledged Stanchinskys influence on their kickassness.  Except for Gretchaninoff.  Actually never mind.  It was just Medtner I guess.

Anyways, I think Medtner is the weakest out of all of them.  

Man I always have to keep editing my posts...

[outin]

I thought you just didn't lick Rachmaninoff period?

I never licked any composer...as far as I know...

I do not dislike Rach at all. I just don't like it as much as other stuff. I tend to grow tired of it after a while.

[brendan765]

I never licked any composer...as far as I know...

I do not dislike Rach at all. I just don't like it as much as other stuff. I tend to grow tired of it after a while.

I hope no, that would be bad because they're all nearly 100 yrs old skeletons.

[outin]

I hope no, that would be bad because they're all nearly 100 yrs old skeletons.

I thought you considered yourself a composer???

Anyway, forgot Adolph Gutmann. Listen to this:

It's borderline plagiation really

[j_menz]

It's borderline plagiation really

Borderline? 

[outin]

Borderline? 

I can't remember the exact rule now, was it more than one measure? There's are these little changes of notes in the end 

[j_menz]

I can't remember the exact rule now, was it more than one measure? There's are these little changes of notes in the end 

That's for sampling.  If Chopin were alive, he could sue and win.

[brendan765]

I love Chopin music.

[p2u_]

If Chopin were alive, he could sue and win.

But then, he would probably not sue his favorite student and personal copyist.

Paul

[outin]

That's for sampling.  If Chopin were alive, he could sue and win.

Too late to offer your services to his heirs I guess 

[j_menz]

But then, he would probably not sue his favorite student and personal copyist.

Paul

Possibly, but then there were probably times he'd have sued Liszt, George Sand and various others, so I'm not quite convinced. A little temperamental, old Freddy.

[j_menz]

Too late to offer your services to his heirs I guess 

Not at all. I could charge them for the advice that they no longer had an actionable case. 

[outin]

Not at all. I could charge them for the advice that they no longer had an actionable case. 

Do civil suits have a statute of limitation?

Of course we would need to know what the laws were at the time and if dear Adolphe left a healthy estate...

Oh, and when exactly eas that composed...?

[j_menz]

Do civil suits have a statute of limitation?

Indeed they do. Infact it is in the civil sphere that they are more common.

Of course we would need to know what the laws were at the time and if dear Adolphe left a healthy estate...

Quite so; cash up front! You're learning.

Oh, and when exactly eas that composed...?

Facts? Why would I want to know them?

** wonders if there is indeed a special circle of hell reserved for lawyers.

[outin]

Indeed they do. Infact it is in the civil sphere that they are more common.

What if we found a country were it is not the case?

You know, something comparable to a tax paradise...

[naturlaut]

I'm open to lesser known composers!! Give me a composers name and a beutiful piece, not redicoulously hard...not harder than something like a hard chopin etude or Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody 2 or 6...as I don't have time for it rightnow because i'm already on a big liszt of music rightnow...

Hard to define what you mean by lesser-known - most of the names suggested above are all well-known composers and works on this board (off the board, probably not...) and they are all good suggestions!

Some define lesser-known as music that receives little or no attention, ie, no commercial recordings or at most, one or two that are out-of-print (for example, only available on LPs or 45/78 rpm).  I can suggest a bunch of romantic composers that have virtually no attention from our market:

Abram Chasins.  Except for the three Chinese Pieces, hardly anything else is in print.  Benjamin Grovsner recently encored a Prelude, but Chasins wrote 24 in total.  Jorge Bolet played the Schwanda Fantasy but I don't know if there is a recording of it.  All his 2-piano transcriptions are recorded by him and his wife, Constance Keene, and are only available on LP.  There is a bunch of solo music that have not been recorded (not until later this year, that is).  

Guy Ropartz.  French composer, from Brittany, not involved with the Debussy/Ravel/Roussel bunch.  Very different but still thoroughly French.  You should check out his 3 Nocturnes, the 1st of which would be right up your alley.  There is only 1 commercial recording of the first two nocturnes on CD, the 3rd nocturne has been recorded twice.  

Rhene-Baton.  Another French, also slightly outcast.  No commerical recording of his piano works on CD at all.  I recent found one LP, French press, very rare.  Romantic and still decidedly French.

Rachmaninoff-Vedernikov.  Anatoly Vedernikov, being Richter's 2-piano partner, wrote a bunch of transcriptions, namely the Rachmaninoff songs.  No recordings, I believe, but these transcriptions are not difficult to play and are definitely your channel.  Other Vedernikov transcriptions include Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 (on YouTube), Bach Brandenberg concertos, etc.

Radames Gnattali.  Brazilian.  Some are a bit jazzy, some slightly avant-garde.  Many commercial recordings (Hamelin, Alessandrini, Canaud, Cohen, Szidon, etc) but these covers less than a quarter of his actual piano output.  He recorded his own works, available only on LP.  Half his works are published but out-of-print, the other half unpublished and has to be obtained through his wife.  These are fantastic stuff.  For jazzy things, go for Alma Brasileira, Negaceando, Vaidosa; for more avant garde things try Tocata, Sonatina Coreografica.  

Ricardo Vines.  The single most important pianist in the first few decades of 20th century, as he was the one who premiered most of Debussy's, Ravel's, Mompou's, "new" works.  Without him, you probably wouldn't know Debussy now.  Died penniless.  The only published piano works he wrote are 4 Hommages.  Great stuff.  Only 2 commercial CD recording, I believe, one on Naxos (2 of the 4) and the other on a small Spanish label.

Note: all these scores, with the exception of the rarest Chasins and Gnattali, are all circulating around or on imslp, or even still in print.  Hope this helps!  Also, please correct me if any of the info are inaccurate!

[naturlaut]

One more: Felix Blumenfeld (Horowitz' and Barere's teacher).  He wrote a lot of music, hugely influenced by Chopin and Schumann, but only some of them are coming out in CD.  Not much in the LP era either.  Almost all his scores are circulating on the internet so they should be easy to find.  There are at most 2 or 3 recordings of these music. 

[thesixthsensemusic]

Mykola Lysenko, the Ukrainian Chopin. Their works are so incredibly similar... just take a listen to his Scherzo

Same goes for Mily Balakirev, who wrote Scherzi, Nocturnes, and Mazurkas in the style of Chopin.

Of some note is the British spiritualist Rosemary Brown, who claimed to be penning down new material channeled to her by Chopin and Liszt from the realms of the dead, and sometimes did quite a good job, her Chopin nocturnes and some Mazurkas are really convincing.