So I recently came into possession of an upright piano, the first acoustic piano I’ve had in my residence in about, oh, five years. Until the pandemic hit, I had mainly practiced at generous churches that let me use their instruments. More recently, I got a very serviceable electric keyboard that became a lifeline in... Continue Reading →
Reaching the end of the concerto-ranking journey (I won't be doing the Baroque), I think my biggest takeaway is a huge surge in appreciation for Mozart. His piano concertos are just a really incredible body of work. I also applied a more analytical eye to Beethoven concertos that I had grown up loving but hadn't... Continue Reading →
This category was always going to be the Beethoven and Mozart show. I listened to some auxiliary composers to keep it fair, but these two masters just absolutely dominated the genre in their time. Mozart's oeuvre can be intimidating. 27 concertos?! Where to start? Never fear. I've done the listening. A lot of this will... Continue Reading →
Coming to the end of this category, I've gotten to write about some of my favorite pieces of music of all time. The ones that opened my ears and mind to how exciting classical piano music could be, and which are indelibly connected to some other formative music experiences or great memories. If you're a... Continue Reading →
Romantic piano concertos. Time to roll up our sleeves for this one. This chunk of repertoire contains some really popular, widely beloved music. A Romantic concerto can get people in the door for an orchestra concert, especially if it’s Rachmaninoff or Tchaikovsky. People want to hear the swooning melodies and clamorous climaxes live. Some of... Continue Reading →
5. Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102 (1957) https://youtu.be/UAGPMGek5rI Shostakovich composed this concerto for his 19-year-old son Maxim for his graduation from Moscow Conservatory, and the father-son relationship manifests itself in some really special ways. The first movement’s twinkling mischief and soldier-marching rhythms evoke toys; the pairing of this music... Continue Reading →
Hal Leonard Classical Piano Blog 