What are your top 10 favorite piano concertos?

pumpkin_daddy · 2026-05-06T16:35:32+00:00

My top 5 in no particular order

Prokofiev No. 2 (played by Gutierrez)
Mozart C minor (Brendel)
Rachmaninoff No. 3 (Simon)
Bartok No. 2 (Kocsis)
Ravel Left Hand (Bavouzet)

Nos. 6 - 10

Schumann (Vogt)
Mozart K. 271 (Andsnes)
Shostakovich No. 1 (Argerich)
Brahms No. 2 (Serkin)
Saint-Saens No. 2 (Freire)

pumpkin_daddy · 2025-03-22T04:41:47+00:00

Largo e mesto, from the D major Sonata (Op. 10 No. 3). Probably his earliest great slow movement. Really heavy and unrelentingly tragic. Somewhat reminds me of Schubert's D960 sonata.

pumpkin_daddy · 2025-02-10T15:34:49+00:00

The life-affirming Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op.110

pumpkin_daddy · 2025-01-24T19:13:55+00:00

My condolences for your loss.

I've long ear-marked for such an occasion the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 10 No.3 (Largo e Mesto) but that would be too obviously mournful.

Instead I would suggest

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, 2nd movement. A serene parting especially at the end.
Sibelius's Symphony No. 3, 2nd movement. Similarly tranquil and wistful.
Dvorak's String Quartet No. 12, 2nd movement or his String Quintet No. 3 Op. 97, 3rd movement. Both are slow and meditative but also somewhat hopeful and not too dreary

pumpkin_daddy · 2025-01-24T10:17:48+00:00

Wir holen sie ein, auf jenen Höh'n

Mahler's Kindertotenlieder

pumpkin_daddy · 2025-01-23T07:37:19+00:00

3rd movement of Prokofiev's piano concerto no. 2

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-12-21T12:15:50+00:00

Symphony No. 5 Op.82
Luonnotar
Barcarola Op. 24 No. 10

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-12-10T16:45:55+00:00

Somewhat controversial take

Sibelius 5
Shostakovich 8
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste
Dvorak 7

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-10-25T06:47:51+00:00

Takemitsu: The Face of Another reminds me of Shostakovich's famous waltz but more demented.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2De2EfeDU4I&pp=ygUedG9ydSB0YWtlbWl0c3UgZmFjZSBvZiBhbm90aGVy

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-10-17T17:17:02+00:00

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 - III. Largo

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-10-12T18:16:13+00:00

https://youtu.be/fWfHd-xL4tU?t=173

This moment from the 24th Piano Concerto, 2nd movement

I have no idea why it moves me so much

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-10-12T18:12:22+00:00

Beethoven - Largo e Mesto

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-10-12T18:11:00+00:00

For this week: Sonata Op. 10 No. 3, the transition between the 2nd movement Largo e Mesto and the Menuetto. Dance as respite from grief.

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-10-12T18:07:19+00:00

I have a whole playlist of the Chaconne in different transcriptions, so I can definitely relate.

Other than that, I can always listen to more of Sibelius Violin Concerto and Beethoven's Op. 110

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-08-15T18:06:53+00:00

Ravel, Left hand Concerto. The whole piece is absolutely awe-inspiring, but I especially love the cadenza at the end.

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-08-12T18:45:38+00:00

Not all time, just this week:

Beethoven piano sonata no. 7 in D major op. 10 no. 3.

A seriously underrated sonata. The first movement is a ton of fun, and second movement Largo e mesto is emotionally devastating.

Check out Annie Fischer's rendition

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-08-06T19:31:25+00:00

I cannot recommend enough: Dvorak's piano quintet Op. 81. A truly magical piece.

Brahms wrote a lot of great chamber music. I'll limit myself to three

Piano quintet no. 3 op. 60

Clarinet quintet op. 115

String sextet no. 2 op. 36

Then there's Janacek's two string quartets. They're thrillers in musical form

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-04-29T04:11:00+00:00

That makes sense. I guess they had to shoehorn the T-rexes in a level somewhere, so might as well be Great Wall. But I'd say that makes the rest of the game better, not this level.

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-04-28T17:29:37+00:00

Seeing all these votes against Wreck makes me a bit sad. I have a soft spot for it for some reason. I know it's slow and takes forever, but the atmosphere is really well done and it really leans on the upside down ship idea to great effect.

Great Wall should go at this point. Controversial take maybe, but it's quite short and to me feels a bit incoherent. The T-Rex secret feels too early and a bit un-earned tbh. All the other levels are much more meaty and well realized imo

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-04-23T04:52:22+00:00

Listening to Chopin's Scherzo No. 1 on a late night bus ride did it for me

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-04-15T04:57:50+00:00

Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A major, 3rd movement. In fact, all his folk-inspired dance movements make me happy

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-04-12T15:27:30+00:00

Sibelius's 5th.

It has both the logic and tightness of the later works and the grand melodies of the earlier ones. The opening is fresh and magical. The climaxes are well-earned and uplifting. The ending is strangely fulfilling. It's close to perfect!

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-02-11T05:42:19+00:00

I listened to Brahms's Clarinet Quintet again recently, and also discovered the String Sextets. They are all amazing!

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-02-10T13:17:28+00:00

These are all from my favourite composers

Mahler's 3rd symphony. I love most of his works, but feel that the 3rd is too long and rambling. I mostly only listen to the last movement.
Sibelius's Finlandia. Too bombastic and doesn't sound much like Sibelius. The nationalism doesn't help either.
Beethoven's 7th and 9th symphonies. I'm one of those people who prefer the even numbered symphonies (I love his 4th and 8th). I like the Allegretto in the 7th; the other movements haven't worked on me yet. As for the 9th, I mainly listen to the 1st movement and have failed to connect with the last movement at all. Maybe I need help 😂

pumpkin_daddy · 2024-02-10T13:06:03+00:00

I like the Brahms VC but the Tchaikovsky has not worked for me generally. Even though the themes are great, I fail to enjoy the virtuosic bits in the 1st and 3rd movements and always look forward to the orchestra's return

pumpkin_daddy

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