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This summer I've bought 8 CD's. Tomorrow I am going back to the store (huge selection) and buying more CD's!!!!!!

Anyway, I really need help on what to buy. I am trying to expand (from only listening to Rachmaninoff and Chopin) to other composers I'm not as familiar with. Here's what I've bought so far: (all being Naxos, since I'm 16 and can't afford those expensive Cd's... besides, all I'm doing is getting familiar with other music so I don't care if it's not the best recording out there):

Boulez: 3 piano sonatas (haven't listened to it much yet... but WEIRD!!!)

Rachmaninoff: Sonatas, moments musicaux, and other misc.

Prokofiev: Sonatas 5, 6, 9

Prokofiev: Tocatta, lots of small pieces, fugitive visions, etc.

Scriabin: complete etudes

Debussy: Etudes

Alkan: Etudes

Bartok: 3 piano concerti


I listened to some (not all, yet) of these and since I love loud music I am disappointed. I'm young, and I like loud music and, for example, didn't like the Scriabin etudes because I'm not used to them. This is because I am only familiar with the "loud and heavy and famous" composers, but since there is so much music out there I want to broaden myself.

Please, for my shopping trip tomorrow, suggest some music other than Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff that is really loud and very difficult, but which you like. Since I am so unfamiliar with other music than the Rachmaninoff concerti and those things, I am really stuck when it comes to choosing other music!

Let's say I buy 4 CD's (from Naxos, at 6 dollars each!), what do you recommend for me to buy? I don't want to guess, but what are some less-famous piano concerti (that are hard and loud, too!) or sonatas, that aren't too modern?

Since my budget is limited and you have an understanding of my music taste, help!!!

Sonatas that aren't too modern...

Bethoven Hammerklavier Sonata

Liszt Sonata (yes I know you said no Liszt)

Bartok Sonata (great piece)



Concertos:

Tchaikovsky 1

Prokofiev 2

Have you lsitened to Rachmaninoff's 1st Concerto?

Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Saint-Saens Concertos?

Sorry lol, I'm no good at this.

Have you heard Stravinsky's Rite of Spring? Or any of Shostakovich's Symphonies? )I know it's not piano, but hey)

Ouch. You only like loud and difficult music?! I am about the same age as you are (Maybe 2-3 years older) and I don't think its only because you are young, you have to broaden your tastes!

The Ligeti etudes are very good, and they are very difficult as well. (Although most of them are not played at a high dynamic level, it is still exceptionally good music. There is a recording on Naxos by Idel Biret, and although I prefer Aimard's recording, it is good to have two.

Go to www.naxos.com , and listen to some composers that might interest you, and then buy the CD if the sample is only a fraction of the total lenght of the CD.

Some other composers you should listen to are Bach, Schumann, Shostakovich, and teh Scriabin sonatas. Although I do warn you, the Scriabin sonatas, especially the later ones, are most often very soft and mystical, not loud and bangy.

I'd advise getting one of the other Naxos sets of Prokofiev Sonatas, Nos. 2, 7 and 8. I'm not sure if Naxos has his symphonies too, if they do, get Nos. 1 and 5, those are the most accessible. Nos. 4 and 7 are not on the same level IMHO, and Nos. 2, 3 and 6 are an acquired taste (especially No. 2).

Then there's Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony, there's also a Naxos recording, coupled with L'Ascension (I think). Difficult to listen to at first, that's one that needs time to grow on you.

Speaking personally, I have not noticed a correlation between my age and the loudness of the music I have listened to. I have noticed even less association of loudness and difficulty of execution.

Having made that observation I agree that the easiest strategy is to listen to all the samples on the Naxos website and purchase those CDs you find most appealing.

Bbm, try to expand your musical tastes to different types of classical music, not only virtuostic piano music. Try a Symphony or a quartet. Just a suggestion. Anyway, about your topic, you might want to Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy and Impromptus. Schumman piano concerto in A minor and the Allegro Appasionatta in G.

At the beginning of August I went to HMV (not sure if you have it in the states) and bought the 2nd and 4th Rach Concertos played by Ashkenazy for all of 6 bucks canadian (4ish american). It was published under the Decca-Elequence Label and was pretty decent for the price.

Good luck!

Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1
Brahms - Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Piano Sonata no.3, Handel Variations and Paganini Variations
Franck - Prelude, Chorale and Fugue
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition

For core repertoire (such as the above) you often find that there are reissues available which are about the same price as Naxos or even cheaper and often better. That said, the Naxos stalwarts like Jando, Biret, Glemser, Banowetz are pretty reliable and the sound quality is pretty consistent now.

Happy shopping.

how about some bach beethoven or mozart...ive heard they wrote some good music too

Thanks everyone for your wonderful replies! I love shopping for music! (Although I'm the only person in the "classical" music section who's under 50!)

I decided to get the Bach WTC, both books.

But here's a question- they have 4 CD's (Naxos) with Fleischer playing both books, but it was made in the 30s and the sound quality isn't great.

There's also one with Jando but they only have the second book- should I order the first and wait for Jando (MUCH better sound quality) or should I get the Fleischer one?

They both cost 24 dollars, so price is not an issue.

I want to get others, but some recordings cost 50 dollars only for one book!

Thanks,
Bb

Try to get the Bach English suites as well. I do not like the one on Naxos too much, but Perahia's recording is excellent and highly recommended.

dont overly concern yourself with the sound quality...or you'll be limiting yourself hugely...many of the very greatest performances ever are now fairly old and sadly not of the best quality by todays standards...ie any of cortots performance, rachmoninovs performances, early horowitz etc....

glenn gould is where its at for bach...way better than perihia imo....way better! i just dont like perihia at all
but i guess hes not available on naxos...hmmm...splurge

Angela Hewitt on Hyperion is my pick for Bach in just about everything that she recorded but the Goldberg Variations. Although they are still excellent. Her WTC is very expensive though.

My picks for Bach's WTC:

Bernard Roberts, Books 1 & 2

Edwin Fischer, Books 1 & 2

Andras Schiff, Book 2 only

Egorov recorded a sublime version of the B minor P&F from Book 1 that is hard to get hold of but worth the effort.

The BBC production of the WTC with Hewitt, Demidenko, Gavrilov and MacGregor is also worth hearing/seeing.

As for the Glenn Gould set - it's neither good nor bad; GG is as GG does. Or rather, did.

David

Well I am 24 but I still like loud music a lot too. There is nothing wrong with that. That's what a piano is for. It's a hammerklavier. What do you do with a hammer. YOU POUND. If you want to play a berceuse that people will barely hear, you might as well stick with a recorder. :p
I do not understand why you don't like the Scriabin Etudes. There is a lot of loud stuff in there. Maybe you don't have THE good recording of the etudes. Have you checked out his preludes. They are good too.
Brahms' Hungarian Dances are pretty percussive too, if you are really into that.
As suggested earlier, definitely try the Ligeti Etudes. You are probably familiar with the Prokofiev etudes. They are poundy as heck.

Oh I almost forgot. the Godowsky Passacaglia. It's an amazing work. It's a theme and variation followed by a cadenza and a fugue. The theme and variations contains at least two dozens references to other composers. e.g. Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit, Brahms' Handel variations. Schubert's Erlkonig, Chopin preludes, Rachmaninoff etudes, preludes, ... and others left to your imagniation or knowledge of the piano literature. It's fun to try and find them. This is loud music, too!

For the first recording of a Bach work, the Glenn Gould is a bad idea. He takes too many liberties and makes it Gould, and not Bach. It is interesting to hear it after one is well acquanted with the work played more faithfully by another performer, like Perahia.


StanSteel, you "pound" on your hammerklavier and check the reviews the next day!

That's a good point. However, I'm forced to disagree because my first introduction to Bach was via Gould, and now I'm hooked for life. (Not on Gould, but Bach.) GG gives the counterpoint life and character, it's impossible to ignore. Perahia, on the other hand....

Of course, I am a fan of Gould and I like his playing very much. Having said that, I still think that having other recordings of Bach to compare Gould to is optimal.

Yes, Gould does bring out the voices more, but I like Perahia's, and Schiff's, sound and tone overall a bit more. Take the opening movement of the 4th English suite. Glenn is very vibrant and plays with a joyous rhythm, while Perahia is more introverted and plays with a beautiful tone, so it works both ways. That is the beauty of Bach, there can be different interpretations that are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and they will still sound convincing.