Favorite piano concertos...

[KeithR]

Ok classical experts, i am a particular fan of the piano. What are your favorite performances/recordings?

 

[tima]

There are many to enjoy, Here's a few:

Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto - none better than Gould w/ Bernstein (LP)
Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto - lots to choose from, tonight's choice is Michealangeli w/ Giulini (CD)
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 - Anda w/ Anda (LP)
Bartók's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 - Anda w/ Fricsay (LP)

 

[Route 66]

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2

 

[Mike]

 

[asiufy]

It's not a piano concerto per se, but I just love this piece called "Totentanz", by Franz Listz. I have 4-5 recordings, none too thrilling sound-wise. The Zimerman/Ozawa/Boston is good, as well as the Cohen/Neschling/OSESP.

 

[Old Listener]

Tastes in performances vary.

Many people (including me) consider the Fleisher/Szell performances of the five Beethoven and two Brahms (1st in particular) piano concerti to be outstanding. You can get them in this box set

http://smile.amazon.com/Fleisher-plays-Beethoven-Brahms-Concerto/dp/B006XOBFN8/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1438622413&sr=1-6

For the Grieg and Schumann Concerti, Fleisher/Szell is my first choice. Sound quality is much better in the Sony Great Performances (2004 remaster) CD. There is an older Great performances CD with a yellow newsprint cover that has

I'm recommending several Fleisher/Szell recordings because their collaboration in the 50s and 60s produced wonderful performances.

For Rach 2 and the Rhapsody on a theme of Pananini, I like Rubinstein/Reiner, Wang/Abbado and Solti/Solti and Boult.

The Mozart Piano Concerti from 14 through 27 are all great music. No. 9 too. I'd start with No. 20 and Rudolf Serkin/Szell in the Masterworks Expanded Edition with no. 19 would be my first choice. There are lots of fine performances for 9 and 14-27.


These recommendations are based on quality of performance. Their sound quality is adequate for me to enjoy the performances without giving a thought to sound quality.

 

[BruceD]

Keith This is some intro to some superb Playing--recommended

BruceD

 

[Diapason]

Lots of classics of course, Tchaikovsky definitely deserving a mention too. For a slightly leftfield suggestion, I also really love the Scriabin Concerto as played by Demidenko with the BBC Symphony Orchestra/Lazarev:

 

[bonzo75]

Going for the Tchaikovsky ^^^ in October at the Royal Festival hall

 

[KeithR]

Thanks dudes! Just added several to tidal. Why i love this forum so much...

 

[ClassicalMusic2000]

I have many favorite piano concertos. The Piano Concerto No. 1 Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov 2, the Schumann or Chopin 1. And piano concertos of the twentieth century, I'll take the 3 of Prokofiev.

However, the concerts I check again and again are the five Beethoven piano concertos. They, more than any other artistic work, I find the evolution break and shift to the contemporary world.

The Beethoven Piano Concertos

 

[LL21]

Grieg
Schumann
Dvorak
Haydn
Mendelssohn
Schwarenka