More underrated piano concertos?

[Spatula]

Hey so what other awesome but rarely heard or cool sounding concertos are there?

I know my question is up for ambiguity, but stuff kinda like Villa-Lobos stuff or Henselt or Alkan?  I've seen too much Rach stuff on this forum lately and want to not be so self -rach absorbed.

Shostakovich and  khachaturian I kinda like.


How about some really big concerto with big bangs and boom boom boom!?

[Motrax]

Alkan didn't write any strict "piano concertos," but he wrote 2 pieces for piano and orchestra, and had sketches of a third which were later completed by someone else who's name eludes me at the moment. Alkan called these "Concerti da camera." They are each one movement, but are divided into sections with tempo changes in a similar manner to the Liszt Sonata. In my opinion, they are incredible pieces. I don't like Alkan's solo piano works very much (and he didn't wrote much else), but his mini-concertos really shine in a unique way.

I really like Medtner's works, but I'm not sure if any of his concertos survived (and if they have, I certainly haven't heard them).

Bach's concertos, though certainly mainstream, are very rarely played since everyone seems to favor later works for orchestra and piano. However, they are absolutely beautiful. Get Gavrilov's recording of them if you want to give old Mister Bach a chance.

[Spatula]

Alkan didn't write any strict "piano concertos," but he wrote 2 pieces for piano and orchestra, and had sketches of a third which were later completed by someone else who's name eludes me at the moment. Alkan called these "Concerti da camera."

Woot! I have a recording of those "cameras!" lol!  yeah I like them, like mini concerti.

btw what is plural for concerto?!
is it concertos or concerti!?

How about his Op 39 concerto?  Is that a big one?

[shasta]

Saint-Saen's 5th piano concerto (the "Egyptian").  Very beautiful, very exotic.

[BoliverAllmon]

early mozart piano concertoes and his concerto for 2 pianos.

[fnork]

Haven't heard Villa-lobos piano concertos, but his Bachianas Brasileiras no. 3 is in effect a piano concerto in four movements (but it's not called a concerto). I don't like all of it (as a composer, he's sometimes very confusing and it's hard to see what he wants to say, at least when writing for orchestra. I like his solo or few-instruments works much better mostly), but it's got some really beautiful moments. I particularly like the first and last movement. I have a recording from EMI with Christina Ortiz on piano, she plays it very well.

I LOVE Khatchaturians piano concerto! It's wierd, but it seems to be very underrated and little known. I think it's an incredible concert, and I'd really like to play it myself.

Both Ravel concertos are outstanding. Just got the sheet music for the G major concerto, I really want to learn it.


One concerto I think is really underrated is Rachmaninovs fourth. The second movement is one of the most moving things Rachmaninov ever did. I can see why Stephen Hough said that this was the piece that almost got him to tears, because it was so beautiful. I think the first movement is really nice too, the introductionary melody is one of Rachmaninovs finest. Especially when it comes back in the end of the movement, played on strings with arpeggios in the piano...

[Spatula]

I find the khachaturian concerto the same taste as of that of Prokofiev Sonata number 6 in A.  It's got that feeling of ambiguity but it grows on you and you soon learn to like it! 

[liszmaninopin]

I feel that Scriabin's concerto is underrated and underplayed.

[fnork]

I find the khachaturian concerto the same taste as of that of Prokofiev Sonata number 6 in A.  It's got that feeling of ambiguity but it grows on you and you soon learn to like it! 

Really? Personally, I loved it from the first time I heard it! I like it even more now, but I thought it was a great work.
His violin concerto is nice too, btw. The first movement has a slow part which has one of the most beautiful and lullaby-like melodies I've ever heard... Me and my violinist friend love to play that part, for the two weeks we had the sheet music we'd play it almost every day

[joell12068]

Moszkowski's Piano Concerto in E major is a wonderful concerto which should be better known.  Piers Lane's recording on Hyperion is superb with Markus Pawlik's recording for Naxos a nice alternative.

[Spatula]

I feel that Scriabin's concerto is underrated and underplayed.

I'm guessing its good then.

Its it fast and furious? or slow and happy? 

[sharon_f]

I remember a similar post to this one. (I think it was "neglected piano concertos.")

Anyhow, some of my favorites which are rarely played are the Saint-Saens 1st, the Weber Konzertstuck and the Franck Symphonic Variations.

[thracozaag]

Reger
Bortkiewicz 1st
Henselt
Rubinstein 4th
Scriabin
Marx

koji (STSD)

[joell12068]

I had no idea Reger wrote a piano concerto.

[klavierkonzerte]

reger also wrote the longest & hardest violin concerto.

may favorite underated are

medtner 1
dohnanyi 1,2
hummel A minor
henselt
bronsart
hiller F# minor
bronsart F # minor
litolff   2,3
ries C# minor
tchaikovsky 2
kullak (my favorite)
saint-saens 1 (the first movment is AMAZING)
dvorak

[presto agitato]

The Piano Concerto num 1 in G minor by Feliz Mendelssohn is the best piano concerto ive heard, and it is criminally underrated.

Mozarts Piano Concerto num 12 in A major its so beautiful.

[BoliverAllmon]

von weber and field wrote some good stuff also.

[Spatula]

But still it seems no one on this forum has ever heard of what I think is the most romantic piece:

Hubert Bath's Cornish Rhapsody...

sigh.... 

[Rob47]

I think, that Rachmaninoff 3 (ONLY ON THIS FORUM) is underrated.  A lot of you just pass it off as a work that Shine made popular, adn discourage young pianists from learning it.  Sure maybe young pianists shouldn't use it but it is the greatest piano concerto. And as much as that is my opinion, name a greater concerto? Beethoven 5? I doubt it. No one wrote concerto's on the level of Rachmaninoff.  He is the King of the concerto. And one underrated concerto? Not really a piano concerto, but I really like Halffter's Portugese Rhapsody.,

your friend
Rob

[joell12068]

But still it seems no one on this forum has ever heard of what I think is the most romantic piece:

Hubert Bath's Cornish Rhapsody...

sigh.... 

I love those "Piano Concertos from the movies", especially the Rozsa Spellbound concerto, Addinsell Warsaw Concerto, and the Bath Cornish Rhapsody.  Naxos has a great CD of these.

[hodi]

the saint sans piano concertos are underrated
i think the second one is great.
especially the third part, greay melodies.

[BoliverAllmon]

my opinion is that Rach 3rd is overrated. his 1st is much more to my fancy.

[Spatula]

Most overplayed pieces on CBC radio 2 station:

Vivaldi 4 Seasons
Rach 3
Tchai PC 1
Grieg A minor PC

[BoliverAllmon]

AGREED!!!!!!

[Spatula]

Rarely played pieces on CBC radio:

Chopin Sonata (like maybe once a year)
Many things by Liszt

[Nipoch]

To me the most impressive concerto is the pianoconcerto of Busoni. It's about 70 minutes long, extremely difficult and demanding and rarely recorded (hyperion in the romantic pianoconcerto series) because in the last part Busoni has added a male choir.

[daabo]

reger also wrote the longest & hardest violin concerto.

may favorite underated are

medtner 1
dohnanyi 1,2
hummel A minor
henselt
bronsart
hiller F# minor
bronsart F # minor
litolff   2,3
ries C# minor
tchaikovsky 2
kullak (my favorite)
saint-saens 1 (the first movment is AMAZING)
dvorak

Do you have a piano score of the Kullak concerto ? And could you upload it ? This would be great!!! Thanks!

[bearuo]

If Liszt's Totentanz was titled as a Piano Concerto, it would probably be much more well known.  I find it more appealing than either of his piano concertos.

[joell12068]

Do you have a piano score of the Kullak concerto ? And could you upload it ? This would be great!!! Thanks!

https://joell12068.zftp.com/kullak-op55.djvu

[daabo]

Thanks so much JoelL12068 for the Kullak score! It is really a beautiful work!

[dlu]

Here are some:

Schoenberg
Ligeti
Lutoslawski (piano concerto...but the cello concerto is more amazing...everyone listen to it...NOW!!!!)
Kraft (plan to get a recording of it this weekend so haven't listened to it...but from the sound clips on amazon.com it seems underated)
Rorem (he has numerous piano concerti)

I will add more of my underated crazy person's avante garde concerti if I think of any more...

P.S. I would also advise EVERYDODY to listen to Higdon's Concerto for orchestra...at least listen to the sound files on amazon...search amazon.com for higdon it should be the first result...NOW!!! jk

DLu

[shasta]

Ginastera's 2nd piano concerto.  The 1st movement is woven with Beethoven variations, the 2nd movement is for the left hand alone...  amazing!

[Spatula]

If Liszt's Totentanz was titled as a Piano Concerto, it would probably be much more well known.  I find it more appealing than either of his piano concertos.

Indeed...I find his concertos very dry.

[Spatula]

But still it seems no one on this forum has ever heard of what I think is the most romantic piece:

Hubert Bath's Cornish Rhapsody...

sigh.... 

I love those "Piano Concertos from the movies", especially the Rozsa Spellbound concerto, Addinsell Warsaw Concerto, and the Bath Cornish Rhapsody.  Naxos has a great CD of these.

WOOT! SOMEONE KNOWS!! GOOD JOB! Shakes your hand..

I'm ordering that CD from my local CD store and they said its a somewhat popular one because they ran out of stock! 

Now hows that for popularity...looks like more people know and appreciate about British Light Music than I'd anticipated. 

[Spatula]

I find rarely anyone here talks about Schumann's Concerto.

[Spatula]

try these:

Ignaz Moscheles, Piano Concerto #2, Op.56
Erno Dohnanyi, Piano Quintet #1 in C minor, Op. 1
Francis Poulenc,  Concerto in D minor for 2 Pianos