Piano Forum

I remember when I first heard Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2 at age 15. I was in awe - such rapturous beauty, the intricate blend of piano of and orchestra, the heart wrenching melodies.

There's a radio station in my area that plays the Rach 2 about twice a week, maybe 3x.  That's 100 to 150 times per year.  And the major symphony orchestra in my area programs it at least once a season, every season.  A sure draw for ticket sales, I guess.

But I find it disheartening that this piece is played so much it pushes out other worthy concerti.  In fact, I've heard it so much, I can't stand hearing a single note of it.  So I advocate for programming the lesser known repertoire, especially from the 20th century, in lieu of over played standards like Rach 2 and 3.

Medtner's 3rd p.c. is a beautiful concerto of similar aesthetic to Rach 2.  And Medtner's other two piano concerti are worthy of being programmed more.  And there's Prokofiev's 3rd, another over-programmed piece.  I just listened to Schnittke's 1960 piano concerto for the 3rd time - a rich and compelling work, in the spirit of Prokofiev and Shostakovich and with the unmistakable stamp of a great composer - a worthy replacement for Prokofiev 3rd.

Curious if the members here agree or disagree.  And what neglected piano concertos would you suggest be programmed instead of the over played standards like Rach 2?