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Not sure if this topic has been done before but I thought it might be nice if each of us introduced to the audience a movement of one of our favorite "UNKNOWN" piano concertos. I've listened to many concertos by unfamiliar composers over the years. YouTube is now a veritable treasure trove of them with Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto Series, some 100 concertos so far and they all seem to be on YT. Here's one I've known since the early 70's. It's the last movement of the Stenhammar Piano Concerto No. 2 in d and it's so fantastic that, well you'll just have to hear for yourselves. Note from about 3:35 on how it builds into one of the most exciting conclusions I've ever heard. Great well-written music, terrific orchestration. It pauses at :15 for about 10 seconds; be patient and it will resume. Enjoy. Fourth Movement Stenhammar Piano Concerto No 2
Last edited by John Joe Townley; 06/29/1009:15 PM.
Moszkowski has always been a favourite, though the last movement tends to be the weakest, rather a lot of sequencing, as if the composer wasn't sure where to go.
But that kind of stuff is always the give-away of a second-rate composer.
I might vote for Rimsky-Korsakov myself. I wouldn't say that the Busoni is 'unknown'; there must be a good 12 recordings (I have 7 of them), but the male chorus in the last movement surely contributes to the impracticality of programming it. (Pity, it is a glorious piece.)
The Henselt is a cool piece, though it seems to me that its difficulties are out of proportion to its musical value, IMO.
Odd that Sgambati is mentioned; would have thought that Martucci's two concertos are better written.
Going to the Brits, the Howells 1st is a very fine piece (so is the Hamilton Harty B minor), but I've always had a soft spot for the solo version of the Vaughan Williams concerto. Commentators generally pass it up, but I just love it.
Henselt is great! He's too under-rated now, unfortunately. I would put a vote for Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto - but I'm not sure if that qualifies as obscure or unknown: Barber is certainly known, but is the concerto still played? Everyone seems to focus on that Adagio-thingee he did..
I feel like anything I post will be known by at least a couple other posters.
Yes, that's the way it is on this forum: it doesn't matter what you say, there will always be someone to disagree with you and make it appear as if you're incredibly stupid for saying it (whatever it is) in the first place ha ha!
....Franck's Variations Symphoniques? They used to be a lot more frequently played than they are now....
You're right. I had forgotten that the piece existed.
Except for organists -and they consider Franck second only to Bach- Franck is rather out of fashion.
What a pity. The 'Variations' are absolutely astounding to me, a precious piece of music, and one can only hope that Franck has his day again.
But maybe not. In this day and age, there is just something about his earnest, spiritually-tainted sound world which dies on the vine when taken out of a church environment. I guess this is why organists will always revere his works, and why pianists might not be comfortable playing his two tremendously engaging triptychs. At least the violin sonata holds its own in the repertoire.
Funny, though: not all of Franck's organ works were conceived for a church environment, thus adding to the mystery -no, oddity!- of it all.
I third the Symphonic Variations. Another favorite of mine is the Saint-Saens No.1, which nobody plays. Another of my favorites that was very popular years ago but seems to have fallen out of favor is the Weber Konzertstucke. Also add Chopin Variations on "La Ci Darem La Mano." (Well not really unknown but rather underplayed, like Prok 1.)
Henselt is great! He's too under-rated now, unfortunately. I would put a vote for Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto - but I'm not sure if that qualifies as obscure or unknown: Barber is certainly known, but is the concerto still played? Everyone seems to focus on that Adagio-thingee he did..
Actually, the Barber is a good choice. Not many pianists play it at all and many aren't even aware that he wrote a concerto. James Tocco, though did play it at the beginning of this last season here with the DSO, but I couldn't say when the last time was that I heard it performed.
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
stores, it's a small world in music, right? James Tocco is set to perform here at Indiana University with the Schumann Toccata, the complete Chopin Preludes, and the Barber Sonata.
At times I get depressed thinking about all the really good (perhaps not geat) music that's been written that I've never heard, and in many cases, never will.
Last edited by Bart Kinlein; 06/30/1006:56 AM.
Steinway 1905 model A, rebuild started 2008, completed 2012 Yahama CVP-401 Will somone get my wife off the Steinway so I can play it!
It is, Orange. He's from the area and I've known him for quite a while. If you're attending his recital I'm sure you'll enjoy it as he's an excellent pianist.
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
Chopin got his idea for the recitative middle section of the slow movement of his 2nd piano Concerto from Ries' Piano Concerto in c#-minor, in which Ries does the exact same thing with the hands playing a unison line above tremolo strings. The only difference is Chopin did it much better.
stores, it's a small world in music, right? James Tocco is set to perform here at Indiana University.....
It's even a smaller world than that. Way back when I was in school, I heard this terrific Liszt Mephisto waltz being rehearsed in an empty auditorium, and went in. The guy seemed like a fellow kid, and in a way he was. He introduced himself: "My name is Tocco." He was on the piano faculty there. I've gone to his concerts whenever possible ever since.
Speaking of Chopin and Ries, if you listen to the opening theme of the Rondo from Chopin's Op. 11, you can clearly hear the opening motif from the same Ries C#-minor concerto.
Ries' orchestral fantasies and variations are also awesome.
Hummel 1 and 2, Dohnanyi's variations on a nursery tune, Tchaikovsky 2 and Concertfantasy, Paderewsky, Saint-Saëns 1,3,4,5, Scriabin, Ireland, Schumann's Introduction und Allegro, d'Indy's Symphonie sur un air montagnard, Falla's Noches..., Medtner 2, Vaughan Williams, just to name a few lesser played ones, but dearly loved!
Wasn't it Clementi who commissioned Beethoven to (freely) arrange it?
Beethoven may have welcomed the money, but he sure as heck didn't waste any time (with the exception of the cadenza) on the project. I've never figured it out... and I've never been able to stomach it.
Yeah. It deviates from the original, but another conductor of this age named Mark Starr has also orchestrated the entire concerto, and I would like to hear it. Maybe it's better than Klindworth's.
Either way, Alkan (at least somewhat) approved of Klindworth's.
I knew Mark Starr when he was conductor of the orchestra at U. Wisc. - Milwaukee for a couple of years. Not really name-dropping, just letting you know that he's an actual real person.
I haven't listen to many of the ones mentioned (unknown concertos) but I have always liked Khachaturian's Concerto in D flat major It's quite unique.
I admit, I've always had a soft spot for that delightfully overblown concerto. The second movement is rather stunning.
BTW, if you like Khachaturian, and are willing to follow this gloriously unsubtle composer into areas that are so completely over-the-top then by all means check out his 3rd Symphony. It's a positively ghastly piece of music -complete with a very busy organ part- but if you get on K's wavelength, you're going to say oh yeah, bring it on!
I'll agree with the 'travesty' part, and I guess I had to 'weep', but alas, the humour of it passed me by.
Orchestrations of Chopin have never appealed to me, and it's all the more a commemoration of the genius of Chopin in that his music so stubbornly resists transcription (songs excepted). Perhaps with the Alkan Concerto there is a bit more leeway -and therefore more temptation to tinker- but Klindworth's arrangement doesn't convince me that Alkan didn't know exactly what he was up to in casting this remarkable concerto for solo piano.
I guess the ones that first ones crossed my mind - concertos by Persichetti, Chavez, and Hakola - really are unknown, because not a one was on YouTube. And it has gotten to where if it isn't on YouTube, you begin to wonder if it even exists.
But there are so many more possibilities, I knew I would hit one eventually, and sure enough, Per Nørgård's marvelous Concerto in Two Tempi is there. Although the idiom might take a bit of time to sink in, it is one of those pieces that keeps getting better the more you listen to it (which is true of most of Nørgård's music, I think).
So unknown that a recording of it isn't even on youtube! >:O
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