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- Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No.2. This colossus of the piano repertoire topped the annual Classic FM Hall of Fame for the first time in 2001 and hasn’t strayed far since, reaching that No.1 spot an impressive eight times so far, since the chart began in 1996.
- Beethoven – Piano Concerto No.5 (‘Emperor’) We all know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in this case you absolutely can: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 absolutely lives up to its imperial nickname.
- Grieg – Piano Concerto in A minor. The great Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg only completed one piano concerto during his lifetime, and it has become one of the most recognised in the world (thanks, in part, to the iconic comedy sketch by Morecambe and Wise, and the late André Previn).
- Shostakovich – Piano Concerto No.2. Shostakovich himself downplayed this concerto, saying it had “no redeeming artistic merits”, but audiences have always begged to differ.
- Messiaen: Turangalila
- Busoni: Piano Concerto
- Bach: Keyboard Concerto in D Minor
- Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2
- Ligeti: Piano Concerto
- Grieg: Piano Concerto
- Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3
- Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major
- Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1
- Schumann: Piano Concerto
It’s not called a concerto, but Olivier Messiaen’s gargantuan ten-movement symphony to love, sex, God, and the universe features a solo piano part that could defeat any concerto on home turf. It was premiered in Boston in 1949, conducted by Leonard Bernstein, and was written for the French pianist Yvonne Loriod, whom Messiaen later married. Turanga...
Weighing in at 70 minutes and featuring a male chorus in the final movement – one of a mere handful of piano concertos that incorporates such an element – Ferruccio Busoni’s concerto, written between 1901 and 1904, can lay claim to being one of the biggest in the repertoire. That extends to the orchestration, which includes triple woodwind and a la...
This may be a controversial choice since Bach’s concertos are really for harpsichord. But that doesn’t mean they can’t also sound a million dollars on the modern piano, and in the 21st century, there is scant reason to confine them to quarters. There is a healthy number of them, all breathtakingly beautiful; among them, the D minor concerto edges a...
Nobody twinkles in quite the same way as Camille Saint-Saëns. His Piano Concerto No.2, one of the greatest piano concertos, was written (like Grieg’s) in 1868 and was once described as a progression “from Bach to Offenbach.” It opens, sure enough, with a solo piano cadenza that is not many miles away from the style of a baroque organ improvisation....
Written in the 1980s, György Ligeti’s Piano Concertois a true contemporary classic. In five movements, it is by turns playful, profound, and startling, often all three at once. Among its generous complement of percussion are castanets, siren whistle, flexatone, tomtoms, bongos, and many more; its musical techniques are every bit as lavish and inclu...
Grieg’s sole Piano Concerto (1868), one of the greatest piano concertos, made its publisher, Edition Peters, such a healthy profit that they gave its composer a holiday flat in their Leipzig premises. The concerto’s wide appeal is evident from the first note to the last: the dramatic opening drum-roll and solo plunge across the keyboard, the lavish...
Bela Bartók’s last piano concerto was written for his wife, Ditta Pásztory-Bartók, intended as her birthday present in 1945. The composer was seriously ill with leukemia and it killed him before he could complete the work; his friend Tibor Serly was tasked with orchestrating the final 17 bars. The concerto is collegial, serene, lively, even Mozarti...
Here the jazz age comes to Paris with iridescent orchestration, split-second timing, and the occasional crack of a whip. Writing in 1929-31, Ravelwas still relishing his recent trip to New York, during which his friend George Gershwin had taken him to the jazz clubs in Harlem; the impact is palpable. “Jazz is a very rich and vital source of inspira...
The lyricism, delicacy, and balance required in Chopin’s two concertos can show a pianist at his or her finest; as in Mozart, there is nowhere to hide, and any deficiency in touch or control from the soloist is instantly shown up. Nevertheless, this music is not just about pianistic proficiency: it’s hard to find any other romantic concertos that c...
Premiered in 1845, with Clara Schumann at the piano and Felix Mendelssohn conducting, this was the only one of Robert Schumann’s attempts at a piano concerto that made it to final, full-sized form. Its intimacy, tenderness, and ceaselessly imaginative ebb and flow open a window into the composer’s psyche and especially his devotion to Clara, whom h...
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May 22, 2024 · 299K subscribers. Subscribed. 1. No views 1 minute ago The Most Beautiful Classical Piano Music. 🎹 Have you ever been captivated by the rich, emotive melodies of the piano concerto? In...
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Here are some of the greatest piano concertos in the classical repertoire. Immerse yourself in classical music at classical-music.com
- Bach – Concerto for Two Violins in D minor. When you’re tired of playing on your own, it’s time to get a friend round. For violinists, that means learning the subtle intricacies of what is commonly known as the Bach Double – a gorgeous, stately work that demands much of the performer and little of the listener.
- Barber – Violin Concerto. Like the other great American concerto from this time, Copland’s for the clarinet, Barber’s knack in his only violin concerto was to take a chance on the instrument’s character.
- Bartók – Concerto for Orchestra. Turning the very idea of a concerto inside out, Bartók’s thrilling Concerto for Orchestra serves as a tour of the whole ensemble that highlights several instruments in turn.
- Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat (‘Emperor’) The most famous of Beethoven’s piano concertos and perhaps of all his concertos in general, the ‘Emperor’, like its title suggests, towers above the piano repertoire.
May 9, 2018 · While many piano concertos have been composed, we decided to compile a list of what we consider to be the best piano concertos. 1. Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1. This beautiful piano concerto was created in between November 1874 and February 1875 by the Russian Master composer Tchaikovsky.
Sep 13, 2021 · Here are five piano concertos that continue to inspire today’s most talented pianists and audiences. No. 1: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor” (215 performances) In 1809, France was at war with Austria and Napoleon’s army was shelling Vienna while Beethoven was composing his Piano Concerto No. 5.
