Best Concerto

This is a funny coincidence. I was thinking of this not to long ago. I decided that my very favorites were Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto # 2 in C minor and Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor. If I could compose like that than I would be a hermit for the rest of my life composing, sleeping, eating, composing - composing, sleeping, eating, compsing!

I need to host my recordings of Prokofiev playing his own 3rd Piano Concerto, he was a phenomenal pianist. Today's pianists take much of his concertos too slow.

Here's my 1932 recording of Prokofiev playing the 3rd piano concerto. It's the pride and joy of my music collection. The 2nd movement is especially amazing, especially around the 2:30 - 3 minute mark. This is the LSO, but the orchestra sounds bad. Prokofiev was a phenomenal pianist, and he plays parts of this concerto faster than I've heard anyone attempt it. Argerich, for instance, plays the 2:30 - 3 minute mark of the 2nd movement at nearly half the speed.

Movement 1, Allegro - Andante

Movement 2, Tema con Variazioni

Movement 3, Allegro ma non Troppo

Enjoy!

Especially noteworthy given that Argerich is usually notorious for playing at very fast tempi.

Especially noteworthy given that Argerich is usually notorious for playing at very fast tempi.

Yeah, it was quite a blow to see my (then) favorite pianist utterly fail me.

The video is on YouTube, I refuse to find it, I can't stand to hear her play it again.

eagerly awaiting the second movement, taking a hell of a long time to dl though

and it was bloody worth it, dlin the rest now, thanks so much john, awesome stuff

and it was bloody worth it, dlin the rest now, thanks so much john, awesome stuff

Hehe, thanks, I thought you guys would like it.

Hmm. Might check it out soon. But it's not loading or something on my comp right now.

Movement 1, Allegro - Andante

Movement 2, Tema con Variazioni

Movement 3, Allegro ma non Troppo

Enjoy!

Good stuff, John!

My personal favorite concerto, however, is Busoni's massive concerto in C Major. It is especially unique because of the male chorus used in the final movement. Check out a video of Hamelin playing the complete work here:

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 1st mov. Pt.1 of 2

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 1st mov. Pt.2 of 2

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 2nd mov.

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 3rd mov. Pt.1 of 4

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 3rd mov. Pt.2 of 4

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 3rd mov. Pt.3 of 4

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 3rd mov. Pt.4 of 4

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 4th mov.

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 5th mov. Pt.1 of 2

YouTube - HAMELIN PLAYS BUSONI PIANO CONCERTO 5th mov. Pt.2 of 2

It is a truly sublime work.

Barber's violin concerto!

Favorites:

Shostakovich's 2nd Piano Concerto

Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto

Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto

Rachmaninov's 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Piano Concerti

Saint-Saens' 2nd Piano Concerto

Ravel's Piano Concerto in G

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

Bartok's 3rd Piano Concerto

Favorites:

Rachmaninov's 1st

I just heard the 1st the other day for the first time. I absolutely love it.

my "favourite" concerti are Prokoviev's 2nd piano concerto

Just wanted to add here that this is my long time favourite. I even started learning it but just gave up and went to Ravles concerto in G... Much easier (still taugh but much easier...)

Just wanted to add here that this is my long time favourite. I even started learning it but just gave up and went to Ravel's concerto in G... Much easier (still taugh but much easier...)

ROFLMAO

I feel the same way.

the cadenza in the final movement is so hard!!!!

I think it's such a shame that his 3rd concerto overshadows this one. I like the 2nd much better.

For those who don't know, it's listed as the 2nd concerto, but was actually composed AFTER the 3rd concerto. The original score was lost and Prokoviev rewrote it ("re-composed it" is closer to the truth). So it ends up showing signs of the more mature Prokoviev.

Funny, after playing the Ravel G I then tried the left-hand concerto (I broke my left hand and was trying out various combinations of left hand concerti transposed to the right hand.... it didn't work with the Ravel), which made me discover the Prokoviev left hand concerto... a VERY strange little piece. It's a lot of fun... it's ... very strange. HEHEHE

And that lead me to a left hand concerto by Richard Strauss - Paraergon to the Sinfonia Domestica for left hand and orchestra. Pretty cool piece.. except at that point in my life I was more into "modern" music and the Strauss post-romantic idiom left me cold. And that lead to the flip side of the disk (vinyl in those days) where I discovered a left hand concerto by Britten, which I STILL love.

and thus ends my ADD - like post!

For those who don't know, it's listed as the 2nd concerto, but was actually composed AFTER the 3rd concerto. The original score was lost and Prokoviev rewrote it ("re-composed it" is closer to the truth). So it ends up showing signs of the more mature Prokoviev.

Not only that, but Prokofiev lost the piano he won in the St. Petersburg Conservatory at the same time. He moved (to Paris I believe) and left the papers in his house, and the piano with a friend, and lost both. He rewrote the 2nd concerto and yelled at his friend, trying to get her to replace the piano.

Anyone fan of the second bartok concerto? I like the super fast part in the second movement!

Anyone fan of the second bartok concerto? I like the super fast part in the second movement!

for Bartok I have a soft spot in ym heart for the 3rd piano concerto... that final movement is just SO much fun. Talk about a contrast between the composer's life and his art: dying of leuchemia, poor as can be, rejected by the musical establishment du jour, alone in New York, and he writes his final work - the single most joyful peroration to come from his pen.

for Bartok I have a soft spot in ym heart for the 3rd piano concerto... that final movement is just SO much fun. Talk about a contrast between the composer's life and his art: dying of leuchemia, poor as can be, rejected by the musical establishment du jour, alone in New York, and he writes his final work - the single most joyful peroration to come from his pen.

Yes, poor Mr. Bartok. Why must he be hated so?

Oh well. I still love Bartok nonetheless.

Shamefully, I haven't heard any of his music (conciously)

Where should I start?

Second piano concerto of course! I don't really like the 3rd one... The second movement of the second piano concerto has nice harmony, almost oriental.

Then you could try the concerto for orchestra maybe.

Will do.

Cheers :whistling:

Shamefully, I haven't heard any of his music (conciously)

Where should I start?

Cantata Profana

piano concerti (all 3)

Concerto for Orchestra

Music for strings percussion and celesta

Sonata for two pianos and percussion

The Miraculous Mandarin

for a start

Bartok 2nd concerto, 2nd movement. Those string 5ths are killing me everytime I listen to it.

Thanks for reminding me...

Cantata Profana

piano concerti (all 3)

Concerto for Orchestra

Music for strings percussion and celesta

Sonata for two pianos and percussion

The Miraculous Mandarin

for a start

Thanks Qc, I'll try and listen to as many of those as i can. "The Miraculous Mandarin" I'm intruigued.