OK, to clarify what I mean by this title, I'm referring to concertos composed in a post-romantic style, which leaves out composers like Rachmaninoff, Medtner, and Korngold. They'll be ranked in the Romantic category (still to come). Even this chunk of the twentieth century was a huge mountain of repertoire to climb, and notable for... Continue Reading →
Annnd we're back with Part II. The five pieces listed here show a pretty amazing spectrum of what's possible in the piano concerto genre, and they're full of incredible moments. Savor these pieces. Think about them. At the end of the list I've got a few Honorable Mentions. Witold Lutoslawski – Piano Concerto (1987) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXQ1fgmUIPY... Continue Reading →
As I was scrounging around for a new big blog topic, I thought, “Why not rank piano concertos?” I had already done sonatas, it seemed obvious, and there are some really great pieces out there. I especially wanted an excuse to discover new modern work. But even just trying to get a reasonable sampling from... Continue Reading →
Classical music is kind of creepy in a way. Honestly, with so many dead composers who have made an impact on society, and who led lives of drama, I’m surprised that I couldn’t find more composer ghost stories. The ghost of Erik Satie watches a performance of Gymnopédie No. 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDm_P3mDIRo One day I was... Continue Reading →
Hungarian publisher EMB has recently released a piano collection called Wolf-Temperiertes Klavier (Wolf-Tempered Clavier) by composer Peter Wolf. In a further evocation of Bach and The Well-Tempered Clavier, the cover features part of a Bach portrait. Mr. Wolf himself also gets a little photo. It’s all very mysterious. Is this a cycle of preludes and... Continue Reading →
About this time last year I was finishing up a multi-week exploration of the greatest piano sonatas from each period from Classical to contemporary. This topic may not be as cosmically significant as the Spider Nebula (pictured above), but I think it's worth discussing in the piano community. I always meant to create a landing... Continue Reading →
Hal Leonard Classical Piano Blog 