In your opinion, which composer(s) have written the best music for piano?

Maybe I'm the odd man out, but I've always been drawn to Schubert's later sonatas (e.g. the A major and the obligatory Bb major). While certainly not by any means virtuosic, there is a kind of humility and introspection that pervades these works, which to me overcomes the limitations that the music has to be "impressive".

Compositionally I think the later sonatas are of the highest quality and maturity (coming from a man who was barely over 30 years old). Just my opinion.

Xenakis.

Right now, I can't get enough of all of Beethoven's piano sonatas. And also everything by Chopin, especially his etudes.

I have deep love for the Six Little Piano Pieces by Schoenberg....

this is an excerpt of my most listened piano work, it's completely intense and beautiful

this goes second

and third, a must for all anarchists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsfJIJ7ZQ2c

Anything by Charles Alkan is amazing.

Saltarelle Op.23:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6gxquAUx9k

Le Festin d'Esope:

They're all pretty difficult, but totally worth it, and So fun to play.

Wow... I don't even remember making this thread.... lol. :/ And I recently made one similar to this....

KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN

KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN

KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN

KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN

KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN

KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN KAPUSTIN

yeah.

Schoenberg, Webern, Scriabin,

PS. Liszt is circus music.

If I say Dario Marianelli, does it make me sound stupid?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPBeaSbFuDo

No, who is he? Or am I having a mind blank... :unsure:

excuse my ignorance cage first name is?

John

Nobody mentioned Henselt. So: Adolf von Henselt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henselt

And Beethoven, Mozart etc.

And I like Tansman... (Piano Sonatines)

I have always thought that Beethoven and Chopin and Lizst were the obvious choices or at least the most commonly picked choices. For me though I have always been a huge fan of Debussy's solo piano works. I love Children's corner of course, but even more-so I love the Suite Bergamasque and the preludes.

I am a huge fan of Rachmaninoff's piano works. A less common choice also would be Grieg's solo piano works. I love how culturally specific they sound - all of his scandinavian touches. So, I would say with the additional of one other composer the best piano compilations (IMO) come from Rachmaninoff, Grieg, Debussy and Barber (of course).

Can't deny Thelonius either.

in my standards...

best to me would be Chopin. Chopin has always been the "piano" composer to me. i could go on and on about why i picked him but you all probably know why... Rachmaninoff comes in second. other than that, I feel obligated to mention Kaikhosru Sorabji and Frederic Rzewski. Their music isn't as accessible as Chopin (or maybe even Prokofiev) but the technique, tone, and intellect required to play their music makes them stand out to me out of anyone. samuel barber's solo works, songs, and his concerto are all intesnse and strikingly beautiful. franz liszt, marc-andre hamelin, leopold godowsky, georges cziffra, and arcadi volodos have written some of the most virtuosic and imaginative transcriptions I have ever heard. Gyorgy Ligeti's piano etudes are gut wrenchingly complex and highly innovative. Leo Ornstein's earlier works are always fun to play when you really want to beat the scraggy out of someone. I always prefer a Nikolai Kapustin piece to be an encore being that he's very technically demanding and it appeals to everyone at a concert who was kind of dragged along even though they aren't into classical music. Arensky has written powerful works in the piano duo repertoire. Last but not least, i'm going to mention Ravel, because I love him

I wouldn't dare to say he wrote the best music for piano but since a bunch of composers nobody even cares about has been mentioned in this thread: both early and late Leo Ornstein.

I agree with Chopin also, although the remainder of my favorite choices seem to be named in this thread. His music just feels like a perfect fit for the instrument. Not discrediting Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Bach, etc... I praise their music with all my heart.

MOZART, BEETHOVEN, Liszt, chopin, rachmaninoff!!!

MOZART, BEETHOVEN, Liszt, chopin, rachmaninoff!!!

Bartok.....Alkan.....

Get creative. go post 1850!

Ooooh and the last things Sibelius ever wrote were really great piano pieces!

I have always thought that Beethoven and Chopin and Lizst were the obvious choices or at least the most commonly picked choices.

Well there's a reason for that :happy: , people don't just become famous for nothing.

I'm a Rachmaninoff/Liszt fan

My vote goes to Scriabin, no question. Crazy mother**((*&

Schumann, then Beethoven, then Bach, then Chopin.

César Franck (who is ignored by all) and we just know the «Prélude, Chorale and Fugue» because the it's a easy piece to apreciate and it was the favourite piece of Alfred Cortot. There is other easy piece to apreciate: «Prélude, Aria and Finale» but it's so difficult that pianists can't apreciate when they are playing, most of them just touch the piano like me and people love it and I do a great interpretation.

so, basically you're asking if we're team Chopin or team Liszt (oh, last time I went to the Kennedy center, they had a Chopin Liszt, and a Chopin board, XD so corny) anyway, TEAM CHOPIN