What is the essential piano repertoire?

[wonzo]

What repertoire is essential for any serious classical pianist to listen/learn? And after one has discovered all of the essentials, what should they listen to next?

[sirpazhan]

Your question is not very clear,, repertoire (rep) is just a collection of music that a performer knows or is prepared to perform.  So in essence, everyone just builds their own repertoire.  

the pros have a very extensive rep,  some play everything,, others focus on the works of a few.  

[jknott]

here's my stab at the essentials are for solo piano - but there's more than a lifetime's worth for an amateur pianist, and this is without adding an orchestra, violin, cello, clarinet etc

bach (wtc, goldberg)
mozart (sonatas)
beethoven (sonatas)
schubert (impromptus, sonatas)
liszt (too much to list but start with consolations and work up)
chopin (nocturnes, etudes, ballades, scherzi etc)
schumann (carnaval etc etc)
brahms (piano pieces op. 76, 79, 116, 117, 118, 119, handel variations, early stuff like 3rd sonata)
debussy (preludes etc etc)
ravel (too much to list, start with pavane pour une enfante defunte)

these are the classics, and personally i'd add
janacek (overgrown path, in the mists, 1.X.1905)
possibly some grieg lyric pieces and some tchaikovsky (seasons, dumka)

and i'm sure others will add to this list/quarrel with it ad nauseam

[hfmadopter]

It's good to have knowledge of how to interprate several composers works. In so doing it will lead to doing other composers works well and included in repertoire, it makes a natural progression or compliment. Horowitz used to say Mozart was number one. In order to play Chopin you needed to know the ways of Mozart. Mozart was his number one composer , yet he played so much Chopin. I understand because the way I was taught anyway, Mozart's phrasing is used in a lot of composers works successfully.

A good solid repertoire will have a cross section of composers works included, IMO.

[maestro57]

To me, "the epitome of piano solo works" = "Beethoven's piano sonatas". Next would be Mozart's piano sonatas, Bach's WTCI/II & Goldberg Variations, Chopin's nocturnes, etc. etc. Now I'm not capable of answering your question... my answer is heading in the direction of "everything!"