Concertos excluded. When I meant "great," I refer to pieces that can best symbolize an era or an ideal, and pieces that are complex in structure and content. Therefore, the "greatest" pieces are not necessarily pieces that one likes the most. My picks are:

1. Beethoven's Hammerklavier piano sonata (for its complexity, I think it represents the pinnacle of the classical sonata genre);

2. Schubert's Wanderer Fantasie (for its great contribution to the transition from the classical to the romantic period, being a single movement work with those mini-movements, also for its virtuosity, message, and sheer power).

3. Liszt's Dante Sonata: I think it represents the pinnacle of something remarkable in the music-making of the romantic period (something Liszt started doing so well) -- music was no longer made for its own sake, but composed with larger social, cultural, historical priorities in mind. I feel this piece is Liszt's most successul attempt at this, partly due to the fact that the backdrop was a literary masterpiece.

Some notes: I didn't pick any Chopin pieces because most of his pieces are those 10-minute long ones that are not extremely complex and cannot be said to be masterpieces on their own right. Also didn't choose from Bach or Mozart because I don't know them too well, and they are a little too far away.

The Art of the Fugue.

While the Dante Sonata is one of my favorite pieces, I wouldn't quite consider it the greatest of the genre.

Funnily, I was just listening to the Dante Sonata yesterday! I would have to agree with you, as much as I love the piece. I'll have to think about the other stuff in time, Xinito.

The ERA: Today
The IDEAL: Getting pianos into people's homes

Fur Elise: It's sold more pianos than "Heart and Soul."

Rondo Alla Turca: inspires more adults to "get back into lessons" than anything else.

Fantasie Impromptu: #1 "demo song" built into the "Demo button" on digital pianos; and with its opposing timings in the left hand and right is one of the most frustrating pieces to actually LEARN -- no matter how many keys light up or flash to guide you.

Going by period:
Baroque: Bach's Organ Works

Classical: Wanderer Fantasy, Schubert (Important predecessor to the Liszt Sonata)

Romantic: Liszt Sonata, S178

Early Modernism: Stravinsky-Agosti "Three Movements from The Firebird."

Mid-20th century: Barber, Sonata.

Late 20th century: Vine Sonata #1 (1990)

21st century: Nagel Piano Concerto (pardon me! :p )


My favorite miniature is...

the Mazeppa. Forgive me

Okay I'll bite:

Beethoven - Sonata in Ab Major, Op. 110
Chosen because no other classical sonata presents such a rich and compact world. It has elements that are obviously secular (the scherzo), obviously religious (the fugue), obviously instrumental (the transition of the first movement), and obviously vocal (the recitative.) Quite simply, this sonata has it all.

Schumann - Kinderszenen, Op. 15
If anything typifies the romantic period, it's the character piece. This set strikes just the right balance of programmatic (the titles of the scenes) and abstract (that it's meant as a personal remembrance and not simply a musical portrayal of the scenes.)

Berg - Sonata, Op. 1
More fin-de-siecle angst per square inch than any other piano work ever written. It's tonal, but only just barely.


Honorable Mentions:

Bach - Clavierubung I
Let's face it. This publication was the summation of Baroque suite writing and Bach's ideas on keyboard playing.

Chopin - Etudes, Op. 10
Without these, we'd be lost in space.

Liszt - Années de Pèlerinage, Second year, Italy
I strongly believe that this, and not the sonata or the etudes, is Liszt's greatest achievement. The pieces in this opus display great virtuosity and poetry, and ample amounts of both at that!

Debussy - Preludes, Bk. 1
Nobody's piano sounded the same after these. Truly revolutionary as regards the sonic possibilities of the instrument.

My turn!

Transcription Thread!

Baroque:

Bach-Liszt Organ Works (Not the chaconne...)

bach-Godowsky Cello Suites Honorable Mention.

Classical:

Beethoven-Liszt: Symphonies (Haha!)

Romantic:

Wagner-Liszt: Tannhauser Overture
Wagner-Liszt: Isolde Liebestod
Liszt-Liszt: Mephisto Waltz #1
Liszt-Busoni: Ad nos salutarem undam (Something like that!)

Variation Sets:

Bach: Goldberg
Beethoven: Diabelli
Liszt: Variationen uber das motif von Bach das crucifixus de das H-molle Messe und das cantate "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen." (Something like that!)

Technical Studies:

Baroque:

Bach WTC I & II (See a pattern?)

Classical:

Clementi Gradus ad Parnassum

Romantic:

Liszt S139: Etudes D'Execution Transcendante

20th Century:

Rachmaninoff Etudes-Tableaux, but since that doesn't count...

Ligeti Etudes (late 20th century-reflects their aesthetic.)

Pieces on the theme "BACH"

Baroque:
Bach Prelude and Fugue on BACH

Classical:
Not familiar with anything.

Romantic:

Chopin Etude Op. 25 No. 12

Liszt Fantasia and Fugue on BACH (Not the prelude and fugue! )

20th: Not familiar with anything.

P.S. @Kreisler, I am of the opinion that the Schubert transcriptions are the pieces which show Liszt's understanding of the keyboard. After that, the Sonata and "the Master's 12 Etudes" follow, in my opinion. I have never really grown fond of the 2nd year of Annees de Pelerinage, despite the good material therein.

Three only? Impossible!

But if we must:

Bach 48

Liszt Sonata

Rachmaninov Sonata 2

Chinese Restaurant Menu Approach


Column A..........Column B...............Column C

A Bach work......A work by LvB........A Chopin work

WTC................Op. 106 (or 111).....Etudes

But I like Kreisler's answer, too

I simply cannot do just three. The minimum for me is 10...

I also will bite

3 best BIG works

Beethoven: Sonata Op. 111

Liszt: Sonata

And I'll agree with Kreisler on Berg: Sonata No. 1

3 best miniatures (or group thereof)

Beethoven: Bagatelles Op. 126

Prokofiev: Diabolical Suggestion (it's like a cute little mini-masterpiece)

And since I left the Schumann Phantasie off my first list...
Schumann: Traumerai

Honorable Mentions: (from the Special K)

Bach - Clavierubung I
Let's face it. This publication was the summation of Baroque suite writing and Bach's ideas on keyboard playing.


never heard of it.

Contains, among other things, the six partitas for harpsichord.

I like how USAPianoTrucker responded so I'll offer similar choices:

moonlight sonata 1st movement or pathetique
Claire de lune
Revolutionary Etude

Beethoven - Diabelli variations
Beethoven - Hammerklavier
Bach - Goldberg variations

Lots of liberties taken thus far, but I'll try to squeeze the three greatest pieces . . . out, and . . . take only one and a half liberties (can you catch them?).

Bach: 5-part fugue in C sharp minor, WTC (a fugue can be different than this in a billion ways by being less than this in a billion different ways, but it can't be more than this particular fugue)

Liszt - Les jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este (in this, Liszt takes his revolutionary an-ornament-can-also-be-music approach to somewhere high, you lose the sense of altitude)

Mozart - Sonata in A minor (the best classical sonata)

1) Bach BVW 883 (WTC Bk II F# minor) for the reasons stated in another recent thread; the best keyboard JSB ever.

2) I'll of course go along with the choice of LvB Op110. I was somewhat alone in touting this in "the most beautiful Beethoven sonata" thread a couple of months ago (lots of others were quite close with Op109!); Kreisler explains above my reasons for Op110 better than I ever could .

3) Prokofiev Sonata No 8. A masterpiece of 20th century piano writing: from the huge, tragic and at times truly cataclysmic 1st movement, the calm of the elegant, naive and humorous minuet, and finally the sparkling toccata-esque tour de force, incorporating an inspired and unexpected waltz-like interlude, interpolating themes from the previous movements, topped off with recap and a bravura coda. Simply stunning.

-Michael B.

he's talking about the 6 partitas. THey are part one of bach's four part "keyboard practice" series, or clavierubung in german.

I would name them Tom, Dick and Harry.

Bach: Goldberg Variations

Beethoven: Hammerklavier (Op 106). I also would consider Op 101 as the first of his late period sonatas to be a contender, a real departure point.

Liszt: Sonata


Sophia

You make great points about the Prokofiev, yet (IMHO) the 6th sonata has always been my favourite (after the 3rd and 4th).

Other contributions on this thread have been interesting and have intimidated me a bit. The subject quite put me on the spot. Still thinking about it...

Seriously, ignoring pre-piano music, the greatest pieces from three periods are probably the Appassionata Sonata, Carnival, and Carolina Shout.

Good point. (I love Carolina Shout )

Harold Schonberg speaks of the great "trinity" (a word pregnant with meaning as a church musician) of early romantic piano music: the Chopin Bb minor Sonata, the Schumann Fantasie, the Liszt Sonata. I think he has a valid point. It's a three-way tie and indeed, between them the period is adundantly summed up.

I understand how you feel about Carnival (I happen to love it), but the Fantasie fits the bill just a mite bit better.

Brahms sonata No.3 also. Have you played it? Especially, greatest performance is Arrau's. Katchen is great too. Check out pianists discography at
www.greatconcertartist.com and let's post something. It's so quiet.

No, I have not played it, though I have read through it. I did work on the Eb minor Scherzo, dating from around the same time. (Wonder what BIG sonata that was a refugee from? I don't think Brahms originally wrote it as a stand-alone.)

Katchen is quite special, though I think Kissin's is the greatest recent recording. Arrau bogs down in the last movement. It is not one of his better recordings. Perhaps when he was much younger... I don't think the Brahms F minor lends itself very well to the grand-old-man-of-the-piano treatment. We're not talking the Op. 118. This is young[/b] man's music and -like the D minor Concerto- I want to hear it played with all the strife and angst of a man my age. You gotta give 'em hell!

I'm not a big fan of the Brahms F Minor, although I really like Brahms Op. 1.

Actually, brahms Rhapsody in E-Flat recalls the opening of Op. 1. This would be a good ender for a recital which started with Op. 1, I think.

First and last works for piano.

I remember Artur Rubinstein being asked what piece of music he liked most. His anwer: Always the one I am playing at the moment.

Actually I don't get the point of questions like "who/what is the best, fastest, greatest". In my opinion they lead to less than nothing.

----------

http://www.pianistenschule.de

I wouldn't worry about it, nor take it seriously. We're just having fun, and of course nothing is binding. I have found it interesting to read what others have said in this thread, and it has certainly given me a few things to think about.

I take the liberty to enter five pieces, for each section of classical music
1) Baroque - Goldberg Variations (Bach)
2) Classical - Diabelli Variations (Beethoven)
3) Romantic - Polonaise-Fantasie (Chopin)
4) Modern - Out of Doors Suite (Bartók)
5) Postmodern - well, nothing that comes close to the five above

Hey Florhof, don't you think that public declarations like that have already become more cliche than simple participation? Indeed, even stoic non-participation is by now, in the 21st century, more cliche than is simple participation.

I haven't listened to all the solo classical repertoire out there...but my FAVORITE solo pieces that I have heard are as follows:

Liszt Sonata in B Minor - We all know why this is so great. There is no other piece like it, and it's devilishly difficult. Turns me inside out every time I listen to it.

Chopin Ballade No.1 in G Minor - Though I also love his fourth ballade, this one does generally move me more. A strikingly beautiful piece.

Chopin Fantaisie in F Minor - An underrated piece. Truly incredible, if you ask me. Not very easy to play, either

My short list for Beethoven would include the "Hammerklavier", the Opus 111, and the Diabelli Variations. For total length, difficulty and a summing up of Beethoven's keyboard traversal, it would have to be the "Diabelli's".
For the Romantic era, although the Lizst b minor would be a defining moment, perhaps Chopin's b minor would also be a candidate. I opt for Chopin, only because to me he is THE romantic piano composer.
For 20th century, Ravel's "Gaspard de la Nuit", hands down. Also perhaps Messiaen's "Vingt Regards" as well.

undoubtedly for me...

the Lizst transcriptions of Bach's Organ Preludes and Fugues

my top three rotate.

Man oh man..

the best pianist transcribes the best keyboard music ever written by the world's greatest composer for normal pianists

Baroque -- Bach, Goldberg Variations

Classical -- Mozart A minor sonata and Schubert B-flat sonata

Romantic -- Chopin : Sonata No. 3, Barcarolle and Ballade No. 4; Brahms, Sonata No. 1 and Handel Variations

Modern -- Ravel, Gaspard de la Nuit; Messiaen, Vingt Regards; Stravinsky -- 3 Movements from Petrouchka; Rachmaninoff transcriptions; Wild, Fantasy on Themes from Porgy and Bess; Prokofieff, finales to Sonatas 7 & 8

"most of his pieces are those 10-minute long ones that are not extremely complex and cannot be said to be masterpieces on their own right"

Bach - Praeludium 1 from WTC
Beethoven - Für Elise
Brahms - Ballade 3 op10

to keep it simple for a change of perspective...

You did say just three pieces?

1. Bach: Fugue in Eb from the WTC Book I
2. Brahms: Intermezzo, Op, 118, No. 2
3. Debussy: Images I, Hommage a Rameau

Surely the only answer for Postmodern you could give would be "All of them"....? (or perhaps "All of the above")

Jason:
You make great points about the Prokofiev, yet (IMHO) the 6th sonata has always been my favourite (after the 3rd and 4th).

I like the 6th too, but hasn't quite the monumental stature (or thematic strength) of the 8th IMO. The 3rd and 9th are also strong favourites of mine. In addition, I have recently been playing the 1st quite a lot... and it's also the only Tchaikovsky I've ever liked

-Michael B.

You don't like your Tchaikovsky with a generous helping of tears? Some people are so heartless.. :p

All of Chopin's pieces are not 10 minutes. I'd say 90% of them are under ten minutes. And they're not complex? His Polonaises, Etudes, 4th Ballade and Barcarolle aren't complex? That's a scary statement. Not knowing Bach or Mozart well doesn't help either. But oh well, here is my opinion on great pieces in no particular order:

1. Beethoven - Hammerklavier (Apassionata could be here too)

2. Liszt - Sonata

3. Chopin - Ballade 4

I would have mentioned other less overused answers, but I approached the question as "What piano pieces define the instruement and exploit all of its capabilities?"

1) Mozart: Fantasia in C minor, K. 475/Sonata in C minor, K. 457

2) Schumann: Fantasie, op. 17

3) Prokofiev: Sonata no. 8 in B-flat major, op. 84

Since I worship Bach...

1) Well-tempered Clavier Bks. 1 and 2

2) French Suites Nos. 3-6

3) Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue

The next work by another composer comes in around 12th or 13th.

Cherub, please stop bumping long dead threads.

Rhapsody in Blue should be in there somewhere.

I heard Ashkenazy play the Brahms F minor sonata in recital many years ago (around 1989). It was quite intense. The second half of the recital was Kreisleriana, which was breathtaking. Obviously, this wasn't a "greatest hits" concert aimed at the casual listener. He played the B major Chopin Nocturne as an encore. You could actually hear the audience sigh as he played the opening broken chord.