Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Help! Picking a first concerto!

Not really expecting to get a final choice from the forums but rather was hoping to find suggestions and help towards choosing the concerto. Some works that i've recently finished over the past months Schubert A minor Sonata (d784), Liszt's 2 legendes, Mendelssohn's Rondo Cap., Bach P&F WTC 2: B minor

I'd go with a Mozart concerto. And wait a week or so before starting the Mozart concerto, so you can listen to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlhbFk2GbcY

this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrNbmFM6O60

and this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj1i_fL5QCw

all over and over again to help understand the heart of Mozart. The center of Mozart was opera, and its influence is VERY in his pieces.

Not only that, the whole piece is awkward beyond belief. However difficult the Scriabin concerto may sound, it's about 10x more so.

In addition to the Mozart, there are a couple Bach concerti that rarely see the light of day. If you're looking for something obscure, I'm sure Thalbergmad (I believe he visits these forums) has a long list of easier Romantic and Classical concerti that could be worth taking a look at.

Romantic - Bombastic - Overplayed = Nothing Left.

Maybe the Strauss Burlesque?
Franck Symphonic Variations?
MacDowell #2? (too bombastic?)

Why not Ravel? Why not Beethoven 3?

If this isn't for a potential competition or orchestral performance, then chamber music also a good idea - if you have string players at your disposal, maybe Mozart g minor quartet, one of the Op. 1 Beethoven trios or a Mendelssohn trio?

It isin't for a competition but it is for a performance with my teachers orchestra for next year. Though chamber music is wonderful I would rather prefer to learn a concerto for now. I didin't want to choose the Ravel or Beethoven because I am positive that it would be negatively received by the unfortunately less musically inclined audiences around my area. In other words i'm searching for a concerto that can be universally loved by the masses; i.e trying to promote classical music towards audiences that don't usually think highly of it.

Your suggestions were amazing! Listening to them at the moment.

Sorry, I said that wrongly. When I said bombastic I was referring to ridiculously difficult concertos in technical terms, stamina, etc. Such as Brahms 2, Tchaik 1, etc.

I think a "less musically inclined" audience would love something like Ravel, Shostakovich 2, or even Kabalevsky 3. The latter two especially are underplayed, and all three are a bit jazzy.

Kabalevsky 3 gets a bad rap for its subtitle ("Youth"), but it's completely delightful. Besides, if it's good enough for Gilels, it's good enough for ANYBODY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ILILmNuPZI
(an old recording, out of tune, but it's Gilels, so it's still awesome)

Or consider a concerto that can be played as a chamber work. That was an option for the concertos that were published during Mozart's lifetime, K.413-449, all of which are pretty interesting works.

The Kabalevsky 3 had always been on my mind but... (don't kill me) it feels a little condescending and unimpressive to have that concerto in my rep., partially due to the infamy it received as being a "Youth"/Beginner concerto.

Not exactly, but getting an orchestra to perform a Melcer PC or a Bortkiewicz PC might prove to be a challenge.

I'd go with Grieg.

But this is your first concerto, so a 'beginner' concerto is a good idea.

The Strauss might be an overkill. For the orchestra as well as for the pianist. It would sound horrible with a student orchestra

And why not try Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. The audience will be impressed and it won't be too taxing on you like the other suggestions.

There is an arrangement for piano and orchestra by Adler of Gottschalk's Union, which is subtitled Paraphrase de Concert on the National airs Star Spangled Banner, Yankee Doodle, and Hail Columbia. If you are in the US it hard to imagine an audience that would not enjoy this.

The original solo piano version is very difficult but the arrangement makes it much easier. I performed this in high school with the local youth orchestra. This arrangement also seems to be fairly obscure. I could not find it on Youtube and could only find one recording of it.

Gershwin, Concerto in F. The average non-classical audience will love it.

Schumann! (or maybe Saint-Saëns 2, Franck Variations symphoniques, Hummel, Weber Konzertstück, Alkan concerto da camera, Rimsky-Korsakov, Arensky) but Schumann!

Assembling quotes from Gould’s posts in this thread in an attempt to understand what he really wants, leaves me somewhat at a loss to know what s/he is looking for and even more at a loss to know what to suggest.

After thinking about it, i've narrowed my choices to be down to the romantic era. Problem is, I CAN'T DECIDE. There are just too many beautiful gems to pick from!
It would be amazing if someone could share me an insight about this and perhaps even suggest some wonderful romantic concertos! (1957764)


Though I seriously adore and love listening to [classical concerti] being played; I don't really have much interest in actually learning a classical concerto. The only classical concerto's that I would have wanted to play would probably be far beyond my reach, cough Beethoven 4,5 Mozart 20, 24, etc.


Teacher suggested either Liszt 1, 2 or the Yellow River concerto (not romantic but still.) (1957792)

It isin't for a competition but it is for a performance with my teachers orchestra for next year. Though chamber music is wonderful I would rather prefer to learn a concerto for now. I didin't want to choose the Ravel or Beethoven because I am positive that it would be negatively received by the unfortunately less musically inclined audiences around my area. In other words i'm searching for a concerto that can be universally loved by the masses; i.e trying to promote classical music towards audiences that don't usually think highly of it. (1958097)

The Kabalevsky 3 had always been on my mind but... (don't kill me) it feels a little condescending and unimpressive to have that concerto in my rep., partially due to the infamy it received as being a "Youth"/Beginner concerto. (1958113)


First, there was a simple request for suggestions of a Romantic piano concerto, no mention of audience “requirements,” but then, after numerous suggestions were made, the rules of the game change to require something that must be “loved by the masses.”
1. He “seriously adore[s] and love[s] listening to” classical concerti being played, but has no interest in learning one, and seems somewhat dismissive of the cornerstones of modern piano concerti, although ...
2. he has nevertheless thought of the Beethoven Fourth or Fifth, or the Mozart No 20 or 24, but they would be “far beyond [his] reach. But then he admits that the Beethoven would be negatively received, as would the Ravel, because his audience is “less musically inclined.”
3. So, he limits his wants to a Romantic concerto “loved by the masses,” and his teacher suggests the Liszt E-flat major or A major. Mozart and Beethoven would be beyond his reach, but the two Liszt concerti wouldn’t be?
4. A beginner concerto is not appropriate because “it would [feel] a little condescending and unimpressive to have that concerto in [his] rep"! He wants to impress, but not with a work as difficult as a Mozart or a late Beethoven concerto. On the other hand, however, the Kabalevsky is “infamous” as a “beginner concerto”?
5. With no concerto in his rep, as of the present, he yet wants to be impressive with a “beautiful gem” of a Romantic concerto.

How does one come up with a work that fulfills all of these requirements?

I'm at a loss. How about Addinsell's "Warsaw Concerto"? Your unwashed, uneducated masses should love that one! I rather like it myself; what does that make me?

Oh God, no!