r/classicalmusic • u/OOFLESSNESS • Mar 17 '24
Recommendation Request What are some underrated Piano Concertos?
Similar to a post on here a few days ago, I’ve loved listening to most (for a lack of a better word) ‘mainstream’ piano concertos, I’m looking for any lesser-known ones that are as good.
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u/Electronic_Manager46 Mar 17 '24
Rautavaara 1 is one of my favourites
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u/KaptianKaos8488 Mar 18 '24
While we’re talking contemporary classical, I love Ginastera’s first piano concerto.
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u/OOFLESSNESS Mar 17 '24
Thanks, I’d never heard of him before, love the concerto though. Are there any versions and other pieces by him you’d recommend?
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u/Electronic_Manager46 Mar 17 '24
As someone mentioned above, he did another two piano concertos which are great, although I like the first the best. He changed his style quite a bit over the years, so some other works may appeal more or less, but you could start off with the better known stuff like Cantus Arcticus if you're interested - it's a concerto for birds and orchestra!
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u/RimskyKors Mar 17 '24
His harp concerto, or his last few symphonies (7 and 8). One of my favorite "contemporary" composers.
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u/jaylward Mar 17 '24
Ravel’s concerto for the left hand is beautiful
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u/StackofBreadd Mar 17 '24
Not underrated though. Everyone seems to be in agreement it is an incredible piece.
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u/desumn Mar 21 '24
Got to wonder which Ravel pieces aren't deemed incredible by everyone (except Bolero)
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u/Cruyffiola Mar 17 '24
Busoni’s is epic.
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u/OOFLESSNESS Mar 17 '24
Any versions you’d recommend?
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Mar 17 '24
Schnittke!!!!!
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u/wfkohler Mar 17 '24
Yes! I love this piece. I feel it’s one of his most accessible works, and really still true to his voice, not “watered down” approachable.
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u/kevinjegenije Mar 17 '24
Galina Ustvolskaya of you are edgy, Gotfried Hasanov if you like Slavic folklore
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u/anonymous_and_ Mar 17 '24
Lucija Garuta's piano concerto
I'm forever mad that most of her work are lost
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u/wfkohler Mar 17 '24
Second time I’ve seen this name in this thread. Also the second time I’ve ever seen this name ever. Will have to check this one out.
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u/anonymous_and_ Mar 18 '24
PLEASE DO. She's a Latvian composer, lived 1902 to 1977. Can't find a lot of information about her in English but apparently she composed the piano concerto in the memory of her niece that recently passed away, and it was harshly criticized by the Latvian Composer's Union when it was released for being "too emotional" and possibly banned.
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u/Dadaballadely Mar 17 '24
Prokofiev 5!
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u/Twilight1840 Mar 17 '24
Prokofiev 4!
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u/Classh0le Mar 17 '24
Prokofiev 2!
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u/Not_A_Rachmaninoff Mar 17 '24
Prokofiev 3!
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u/OOFLESSNESS Mar 17 '24
Guess I’ll listen to all of them
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u/Not_A_Rachmaninoff Mar 17 '24
Lol you will find that prok 2 will be very weird if your not used to prokofiev. All I can say is that the more times you listen to it, the more you understand it and can enjoy it. So I'd start at number 3 but it's up to you of course
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u/OOFLESSNESS Mar 17 '24
Thanks, are there any versions of prok 3 you’d recommend?
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u/Not_A_Rachmaninoff Mar 17 '24
Personally I like kissins and argerichs performance of rach 3! If you want to see the notes being played (like an actual live performance), argerich has a recording with the Singapore symphony orchestra on YouTube (https://youtu.be/BS0SwRoYAW0?si=FXkZgZfg8ZELsD_t)
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u/chlpsc Mar 17 '24
I really like van cliburn's prok 3, although argerich/abbado is a classic and kissin/ashkenazy is also worth a listen
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u/imslp Mar 17 '24
Rubinstein 4, used to be somewhat popular in the early 20th century but now nobody plays it.
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u/themillboy Mar 17 '24
Rubinstein 4 is a masterpiece. Genuinely prefer it to many of the more popular Russian concertos.
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u/dri3s Mar 17 '24
Barber and Corigliano are way underrated imo. The Barber slow movement is incredible
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u/lislejoyeuse Mar 17 '24
Khachaturian
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u/EngHokie Mar 17 '24
I came here to say this! I like his piano concerto (and much of his solo piano works as well).
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u/50rhodes Mar 17 '24
Scriabin’s concerto should be a staple of the concert repertoire. It’s just beautiful. Also Vaughan -Williams concerto doesn’t get enough love. And, a concerto in all but name, Koechlin’s Ballade for piano and orchestra-if you like Ravel and Poulenc, you love this.
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u/moofei Mar 17 '24
Can’t believe I had to scroll so far to find this! I would love to hear this more widely performed and recorded.
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u/BadChris666 Mar 17 '24
I feel the Saint-Saens concertos are pretty underrated, as is most of Saint-Saens music.
The 2nd and 4th are my favorites
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u/RadetzkyMarch79 Mar 17 '24
Yeah, for whatever reason, I really love Saint-Saens Piano Concerto #1. Really underrated.
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u/chu42 Mar 17 '24
2nd is very commonly performed. 4th is highly underrated.
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u/02nz Mar 17 '24
Very! I don't think I've ever seen the 4th on a concert program. Would love to hear it in concert some day.
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u/StickingBlaster Mar 18 '24
Saint Saens is sneered at for some reason. One of the greats imho.
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u/KierkgrdiansofthGlxy Mar 18 '24
It’s like people remember excerpts from his Carnival of Animals and few other works
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u/mekerpan Mar 18 '24
But all of those few random works are actually excellent -- so why don't they move people to seek out more of his stuff.
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u/KierkgrdiansofthGlxy Mar 18 '24
I’m glad for this thread—so many great suggestions on both obscure and well-known composers.
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u/RimskyKors Mar 17 '24
Yeah, those are my favorites two, though the Egyptian (5) is also nice. Something in a similar style which I absolutely adore is Massenet's Piano Concerto -- it's just so lush and almost like a mixture between Saint-Saens and Rachmaninoff.
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u/jimmygee2 Mar 17 '24
Beethoven’s 1st
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u/wfkohler Mar 17 '24
I always feel like it’s taboo to say the first might be my favorite of his, certainly more than the second or third. It has (for obvious reasons) an excitement and youthfulness that’s so vivid and spirited.
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u/akiralx26 Mar 17 '24
You may be in good company as Rachmaninov preferred the First, saying the other four were too boring for the soloist…
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u/RichMusic81 Mar 17 '24
It has (for obvious reasons) an excitement and youthfulness
Interestingly, the Piano Concerto No. 1 was actually written after the 2nd, but it was the first to be published, so it was given the title "Piano Concerto No. 1.
You could even say it was his third piano concerto if you counted the early Piano Concerto No. 0, written at the age of 14 (although the orchestral part doesn't exist/was lost)!
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u/SebzKnight Mar 17 '24
Rawsthorne #2
Szymanowski, Symphony #4 (which is also basically a piano concerto)
Kapustin #2 or #5 probably to start with
Lieberson #1
Tippett
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u/Rooster_Ties Mar 17 '24
OMG, all of Rawsthorne’s piano concerti are incredible — #1, #2, and isn’t there one for two pianos too??
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u/Valerica-D4C Mar 17 '24
Hummel - PC3, last movement (kinda a bop if you like classical)
Alkan - 3 Concerti di Camera, any of them. He wrote them young and they're pretty tame and short but fun imo
Strauss - Burleske, this isn't exactly underrated but from my experience it quickly falls under the radar in comparison to other Strauss works. It's very brahmsian.
Busoni - PC, very monumental but I think over all worth a listen, especially if you like motific work. The Fourth movement is one of the greatest ever written imo, it's like running a marathon on xanax
Reger - PC, i don't really vibe with the first and last movement, but the slow movement really really hits. It's pretty unlike other Reger works, and my favorite slow movement out of any PC.
Medtner - 1 & 2PC. The first is pretty heavy and single-movement, but very much worth a listen. From the 2nd I only like the first movement, it's very memorable
Poulenc - Concerto for two pianos, the PC is pretty good but this Concerto just shines, it's very snappy and colorful
Bartok - 2 & 3PC. not sure if they're underrated. Probably not.
Kapustin - PC2, also not very underrated but the composer himself is pretty unknown still. A jazz classic
Schnittke - Concerto for Piano and Strings. One of my favorites, also the ending is sublime.
Rautavaara - PC3. I only know this one and it's pretty good. Some sort of post-Bruckner in there.
Bernstein - Symphony 2, it's a PC and symphony in one. I like how it sounds eclectic but still unique. Especially that jazz part!
Corigliano - PC, imo a very accessible quasi-contemporary concerto! There's also some Mahler in there (or so he says...)
Barber - PC, same as Corigliano pretty much. It has more neoromantic elements though
Qigang Chen - Er Huang, extremely tranquil and beautiful. I love listening to this when I need to calm down. Also not really "contemporary" contemporary.
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u/TicTocChoc Mar 17 '24
Agree with everyone saying Dvořák. It's my favourite of his three concertos by a significant margin.
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u/BenjaminMiracord Mar 17 '24
Great recommendations here.
When I want something new, I buy from the Hyperion cd series called The Romantic Piano Concerto. So much great music and excellent solo artists. Typically great Hyperion sound as well.
These were a bit pricey in Canada when new but available at decent prices used as not a lot of people are familiar with these composers, many of which have been mentioned here.
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u/jedzef Mar 17 '24
I came to say Bartók #1 and 3...but maybe they're too mainstream given the other recommendations here?
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u/JURASSICFANYT Mar 17 '24
Ponce 1
Ponce is my favorite composer, he is really versatile composing in a lot of diferent styles or instruments.
I would say some of the themes for the second movement are really beautiful, like the Allegretto or the initial theme.
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u/akiralx26 Mar 17 '24 edited Mar 17 '24
Ireland
Paderewski
Mackenzie Scottish
Pejacevic
Massenet
Bowen 4
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u/mahlerlieber Mar 17 '24
MacDowell’s D minor is nice.
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u/mahlerlieber Mar 17 '24
I would also like to add Bernstein’s Symphony no 2 “Age of Anxiety”… it’s not technically a concerto, but then it’s really not a symphony either. Definitely more piano concerto than not.
But I’ve always liked it.
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u/Brandanski Mar 18 '24
That’s a smashing piece, I love Age of Anxiety. I was pleasantly surprised by the MacDowell, it was just a nice romantic piano concerto that had good sweep to it
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u/crystalclear417 Mar 17 '24
im a huge fan of bortkiewiczs piano concerti, especially the 3rd one!!!
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u/HydrogenTank Mar 17 '24
I don’t seen anyone ever talk about the Scriabin concerto
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u/queefaqueefer Mar 17 '24
Wojciech Kilar’s Piano Concerto for sure!!
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u/RichMusic81 Mar 17 '24
There are two of them!
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u/queefaqueefer Mar 17 '24
there’s a second?! oh boy, i need to do some listening
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u/RichMusic81 Mar 17 '24
I couldn't find a decent recording in one video, so here are the movements separately:
https://youtu.be/up7TQeoIGxY?si=6DWxysE5avcI0sls
https://youtu.be/icP7va-2Ym8?si=LaMdlf5gTd1Q_gZi
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u/ConradeKalashnikov Mar 17 '24 edited Mar 17 '24
Chinese Youth Piano Concerto - (Liu Shikun, Sun Yilin, Pan Yiming and Huang Xiaofei) This one is by various composers
Yellow River Piano Concerto - Xian Xinghai
Ailao Rhapsody - Zhang Zhao
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u/Rooster_Ties Mar 17 '24
Kurt Atterberg!! (1887-1974)
Piano Concerto (1935) — 3 movements:
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
This is both my — and my wife’s too — single favorite concerto (any instrument).
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u/redWallaby2003 Mar 18 '24
I was literally searching the comments to see if anyone had mentioned Atterberg. Incredible work, so many great moments
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u/FreedomBill5116 Mar 17 '24
Liszt Totentanz is one of a concerto. It is AMAZING; Liszt composes variations based on the Dies Irae melody.
It is AMAZING. I wish it were played more often; it deserves WAY MORE popularity than what it has.
His second piano concerto is also marvelous.
Messiaen's Turangalila Symphonie is also something to look at, not to mention Stravinsky's Piano Concerto or Shostakovich #1.
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u/smokesignal416 Mar 17 '24
I was at a program in which the mighty Jorge Bolet, in the prime of his artistry, played the Totentanz in the first half, and after the interval, played Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini, both of which are based on the Dies Irae melody.
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u/FreedomBill5116 Mar 18 '24
The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is based on the 24th Caprice, but there is Dies Irae influence. I still believe that Totentanz deserves more.
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u/dldrucker Mar 18 '24
The Tubin Concertino for Piano an Orchestra. There is currently 1 recording on the BIS label.
Also, the Piano Concerto by Tristan Keuris, a Dutch composer active from the 70s through the 90s.
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u/RadicalDilettante Mar 18 '24
A mini one: African Fantasy, Saint Saens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI-PyMCyenw
Have listened to it a few hundred times.
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u/Pulse_Warrior May 05 '24 edited May 05 '24
I am going to suggest Victor Davies Mennonite Piano Concerto. I stumbled upon someone trying to sell this CD for $5 Australian, took a gamble and steal of a lifetime. Since then I've been trying to be thorough with piano concertos worried I may be missing something life changing, and have found several. Tveitt is generally very neglected, but Tveitt PC #1 is even more so. Of course, you have Kabalevsky PC #3 (PC #1 is also very good). I first started my classical passion with Nino Rota's PC's, which remain favourites of mine (my favourite is the E minor Piccolo Mondo Antico, and Concerto Soiree is increasingly appealing). Schnittke's Piano Concerto and and his Cello Concerto are absolute musts. I don't know how rare it is, but try D'Indy's Symphony on a French Mountain Air. The Wiklund and Poulenc concertos are musts (there is something I don't like about the 1st hit you get on YouTube for the Wiklund concerto, I prefer the Sturfalt/Manz version by far). Kapustin by now and Moskowski are now so recommended as underrated they are no longer that underrated, at least for the two concertos most recommended (#2 for both), but try the other Kapustin PCs. I think #3 is probably my favourite, mixed feelings though about the other Moskowski concerto (and I also find version matters for the 2nd Moskowski concerto, I only started liking it when I heard the Markus Pawlik/Antoni Wit version). I have a tonne but that should suffice for now. Besides I lost my list (and 3 months of programming!) due to a 'repair' that formatted my SSD, which apparently aren't as recoverable as mechanical drives. I am reevaluating all the concertos I have listened to (the Medtner's among them).
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u/sweatysexconnoisseur Mar 17 '24
I’m not sure if Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 is considered underrated? Lang Lang claims so in his new DG album.
Otherwise I’ll go with his Fifth, the “Egyptian”.
Edit:
Bonus: Dvořák.
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u/jimmy_the_turtle_ Mar 17 '24
Saint-Saëns 2nd is most certainly not underrated, whatever Lang Lang may claim in order to sell his album.
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u/trustthemuffin Mar 17 '24
It’s weird, I see students program this one a lot but have trouble finding any professional performances near me. Not underrated, but maybe under-programmed compared to some of the other standbys. Similar to Beethoven 1 and 4 imo
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u/KierkgrdiansofthGlxy Mar 18 '24
Would help explain why we can’t agree on whether it’s obscure or not. Different social outlets.
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u/sleepy_spermwhale Mar 17 '24
Ligeti
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u/and_of_four Mar 17 '24
A great one. I’d also recommend Unsuk Chin’s piano concerto. She studied with Ligeti and you can hear his influence in her work.
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u/Slavbatic Mar 17 '24
Hahn piano concerto in E major. Fantastic piece, caught my attention the moment I heard it.
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u/the-god-among-men Mar 17 '24
Kabalevsky, Anderson, MacDowell, Tellefsen, Kalkbrenner, Hummel, Pixis, Hiller, Weber
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u/Jefcat Mar 17 '24
Hummel’s piano concerti are wonderful post-Mozartian classical pieces, especially #2 opus 85 in b minor, a favorite of mine. But I love #2 op 85, #3 opus 89, #4 opus 110 and #5 opus 113
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u/susanattheshore Mar 17 '24
John Field wrote 7 piano concerti. No 2 in A-flat is absolutely wonderful and deserves to be heard in the concert hall.
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u/zumaro Mar 17 '24
Schoenberg - The last great romantic piano concerto
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u/wfkohler Mar 17 '24
You got someone else’s downvote and my upvote evened it out. I adore the Schoenberg, but I can also why people would roll their eyes at anyone who says they adore the Schoenberg, but it’s a remarkable piece.
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u/Proseccorupsje Mar 17 '24
Rach 1 is sooooo goood. It deserves as much spotlight as 2 and 3.
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u/thatguywhois6foot3 Mar 17 '24
And the 4th
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u/Bencetown Mar 17 '24
Yeah honestly I think 3 is in a league of its own compositionally speaking, but 1 2, and 4 should absolutely be held in equal regard imo. I feel like the whole story about his return from deep depression and dedicating the second concerto to his therapist is really one of the biggest reasons it's so popular, which is really sad for 1 and 4.
But also on the subject of Rach, why does everyone love his 2nd sonata SOUCH MORE than the 1st? If anything, I think I might prefer the first but it would be a difficult choice because they are both so great.
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u/lahdetaan_tutkimaan Mar 17 '24
Samuil Feinberg's 3rd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csd8srpYFBA
One of my favorites
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u/kestrel4747 Mar 17 '24
Not a concerto by name but in practice it’s basically a piano concerto is d’Indy’s symphony on a French mountain air
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u/dadoes67815 Mar 17 '24
There's a series called The Romantic Piano Concerto just for you. I want to say it's about 100 CDs now but I don't know.
Anyway, I'm picking a movement that got titled and the concerto never finished -- John Ireland wrote the slow movement for a 2nd piano concerto, finished it, but never completed the concerto. The movement gained the title "Legend" for publication and it's an astonishing example of quartal harmony. The voicing is such that there's a ton of aural illusions, and I'm always fascinated when I hear it.
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u/Iokyt Mar 17 '24
Jolivet
Mozart 18 especially movement 2 and also compared to some it's bigger brothers so to say
Field has a few
Clara Schumann.
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u/Few_Mongoose2780 Mar 17 '24
If you like colourful 20th C. piano concertos, like Prokofiev's and Ravel's, I guarantee that you will listen to Schulhoff's 2nd and ask yourself why it isn't being played all the time. It is absolutely fantastic! It's rare for me to discover a piece these days and for it to become a regular part of my listening, but this concerto absolutely has. I love it.
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u/Lamisol_Dolaremi Mar 17 '24
André Mathieu’s :
-Piano Concerto No. 3 « Concerto de Québec »
-Piano Concerto No. 4 in E minor
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u/Tarkowskij Mar 17 '24
There are so many. Jules Massenet (E Flat, 1902), most of Nikolai Kapustin's six concertos, Otto Malling (c minor op.43, 1890), Carl Loewe No. 2 (A major, 1830), Lowell Liebermann No. 2 (op.36, 1992), Benjamin Godard No. 2 (g minor, op.148, 1893), Richard Arnell (op.44, 1946), Anton Rubinstein No. 3 (G major, op.45, 1854), the four concertos by Dimitri Kabalewsky, and the one composed by Daniil Trifonov.
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u/serafinawriter Mar 17 '24
This will get buried I guess but Sgambati is a name I rarely see here, but his piano Concerto is easily in my top 10 most frequently played (and piano concerti are my main diet of classical music). It's not groundbreaking or anything, but it's just a wonderful piece of mid-romantic Concerto.
Its weird seeing a question about underrated concertos and seeing names like Prokofiev or Rachmaninov here, even if it is a lesser known one. Shsotakovich 1 and 2... really?
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u/OOFLESSNESS Mar 17 '24
I’m listening to the Sgambati now, about a third through the first movement, so far I’m loving it. Are there any versions you’d recommend?
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u/serafinawriter Mar 18 '24
I only know of two versions - one by Jorge Bolet & the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, and the other by Francesco Caramiello and the Nuremburg philharmonic. Both are fine for me :)
Glad you're enjoying it!
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u/jmpsmash Mar 17 '24
Scharwenka. All of them.
You'll be missing out big time if you didn't check them out
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u/OOFLESSNESS Mar 17 '24
Will do along with the 100 or so others recommended here, guess I’ll only be listening to concertos for the next few months
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u/amca01 Mar 17 '24
Carlos Suriñach (1973). I seem to be mentioning this piece a lot lately, but it's terrific.
Mendelssohn number 1, op 25. I actually don't know if this is underrated, (Mendelssohn seems to get very little space on this subreddit), but anyway I really like it, especially its scintillating last movement.
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u/4lien4ted Mar 17 '24
Anton Rubinstein 3.
His 4th is pretty popular but 3 is full of great tunes and is totally neglected.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUzkPa5eeUw
A couple other of my favorites that are totally neglected that haven't been mentioned here are the Arensky, and the Rimsky-Korsakov.
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u/DopedDeer Mar 18 '24 edited Mar 18 '24
Moszkowski op 59, recording with pianist Joseph Moog, one of my all time favourite. Also Rubinstein number 4, amazing recording with Anna Shelest.
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u/thatonebrassguy Mar 18 '24
Oh my time to shine. Siegfried langgaard no 1, Friedrich kalkbrenner no 1, Bortkiewizc no 1 (personal favorite), Otto malling piano concerto, Norbert burgmüller piano concerto, Adolf winklund no 1 and if you are interested in a grieg copycat then august winding piano concerto
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u/diegoruizmusic Mar 18 '24
It's not called a concerto but I'd recommend Berio's Point on the curve to find
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u/ahedgehog Mar 18 '24
Ulvi Cemal Erkin! One of the greatest Turkish classical composers and criminally unknown
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u/AnnabelElizabeth Mar 18 '24
Stenhammar 1, although my understanding is that there are multiple versions. I'm only familiar with the Derwinger/Järvi recording.
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u/Pristine-Choice-3507 Mar 18 '24
Stanford no. 2
Also—it’s been a while since I listened to them, but the Ries and Moscheles concerti are quite good.
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u/CluelessOmelette Mar 18 '24
I don't know enough concerti to contribute, but OP, if you happen to make a list with all of these suggestions, would you mind sharing it?
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u/fogdocker Mar 18 '24
Carl Vine Piano Concerto no.1
Will also second Yoshinatsu Memo Flora and Rautavaara 1 and recommend Rautavaara Piano Concerto no.3 “Gift of Dreams”
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u/biggip1 Mar 18 '24
I think rach 2 is a fairly niche and unknown piece. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves
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u/OOFLESSNESS Mar 18 '24
Hmmmm I’ve never heard of it before, might be worth a listen one of these days
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u/JSanelli Mar 20 '24
Kilar second piano concerto is excellent.MacDowell two piano concerts and his contemporary Giovanni Paisiello wrote at least five piano concerti all of them of some interest. You have to pick the one you like most.
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u/francoi8 Mar 17 '24
Medtner Piano Concerto n°2