7 Piano Concertos You Should Listen to This Week
I absolutely love Piano Concertos! As a pianist, it is awesome to see a piece of music featuring the piano, and simultaneously demonstrating the skill of the pianist. This is a list I've compiled of some of my favorite piano concertos as well as some I found through research:
7. Piano Concerto no. 5 - Ludwig Van Beethoven
It's great to kick off this list with some Beethoven. Beethoven really knew how to speak to the soul with music, in the 1st movement, he begins with a triumphant and vigorous theme, and moves into a more relaxed theme featuring the pianist, which grows and grows. The second movement (21:10) features a slower more lovely theme, that you could imagine playing in the background of a summer date with a girl you really like. I feel Beethoven's expression of love was incredible, this movement makes me feel very moved (Like Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine, or Scott Joplin's entertainer) (it almost made me cry). Beethoven then moves into the 3rd movement (30:30) where he incorporates a more fast and triumphant theme that sounds like sailing music. I also find it extraordinary that the conductor of this performance was Leonard Bernstein (it would appear), composer of the music for West Side Story. I would definitely recommend this piece (Especially Movement 2)!
6. Harpsichord Concerto in D minor - Johann Sebastian Bach
This is likely one of the first keyboard concertos written. The theme is actually believed to have been written for a violin, but Bach later arranged it for Harpsichord. The first movement makes me think of a day where bad things happen in a cycle, (You miss the bus, then you forget your homework, and you fall down the stairs). The second movement (7:40) is slow and lovely, similar to the Beethoven concerto, it makes me think of getting home after a stressful day, and just relaxing and fantasizing. The third movement (13:30) is very much similar to the first movement tempo wise, however I think this depicts the opposite of what I said the first movement depicted. I feel this movement depicts a day going really well, and the excitement that comes with a good day.
5. Piano Concerto no.2 - Sergei Rachmaninoff
This piano concerto is absolutely stunning. It flows very well, I like how in the beginning Rachmaninoff starts the piece with just the piano, simple chords, that grow into fast and complex music with the whole orchestral. The first movement makes me think of working to achieve something hard to get. In the beginning you work hard and fast, but as time progresses your work slows, but you persist. As you approach your goal, you again work hard and fast until you've reached it. The second movement (12:40) makes me think of waking up on a weekend and realizing you finally have some free time to do what you want (like practice the piano for an hour and a half, and write a Steemit article about piano concertos). This movement is very peaceful. The third movement (25:53), on the other hand, is very exhilarating. It reminds me of Erlkónig by Schubert. It is extremely fast, and complicated. This movement reminds me of the intensity involved in playing a sport, trying to win and please your teammates. This is definitely my favorite movement.
4. Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major - Joseph Haydn
This piece is definitely by Haydn. It has that cheerful/playful sound. The first movement makes me think of playing football on the beach on a sunny day. The sun is shining, but it's not too hot. The piano part for the first movement is stunning, Haydn really knew how to incorporate a good theme. The second movement (8:40) makes me think of floating in a boat on calm water, not really doing anything. The third movement (17:40) is very fast, it makes me think of a race at a track and field event.
3. Piano Concerto, in A minor - Robert Schumann
I enjoy this piece! The first movement is more of a slow theme, that sounds much like the third movement of Chopin's piano sonata in B-flat minor. It then grows in intensity to a faster speed, and a more triumphant sounding theme, from which it grows calm again. This reminds me a lot of the weather, some days it's calm, and others it is ferocious. The second movement (15:35) incorporates a soft and relaxed theme, similar to Haydn's second movement. This theme sounds playful, like a cat taking a nap then waking up and playing with a piece of yarn. The third movement (21:20) is definitely the most energetic movement. It is a lot faster, and makes me think of running (I don't run very often, but when I do it is very intense).
2. Piano Concerto no. 9 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
I incorporated this piece into my list of 10 Mozart compositions, but I didn't go into much detail about each individual movement, so I will now. The piano part in the first movement is beautiful, it sounds cheerful, like going home from a business trip that lasted for weeks on end. The second movement (10:20), however, sounds very sad, almost like that business trip was extended for another month. This movement sounds like it should be played at a funeral. Finally, the third movement (23:50) sounds very much like the first. It portrays excitement, and cheerfulness. I feel like this piece could depict finally achieving something you've wanted for a long time.
1. Piano Concerto no. 1 in B-Flat Minor - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
This is certainly one of the most famous piano concertos as well as one of the hardest piano pieces to play. The first movement definitely conveys triumph. The horns in the beginning just send a shiver down the spine, then the piano part adds some relief through beautiful solid chords that gradually grow in complexity and eventually lead to different themes that are more complex than the beginning chords. I could imagine that this movement is meant to depict a victory, perhaps in war. The second movement (20:40) sounds very calm and peaceful in the beginning. I can envision a lake with little droplets of water falling from a tree branch creating ripples. Towards the middle, I feel it depicts more of a speedy flow, like a river moving at a natural tempo. The third movement (27:18) incorporates a faster tempo, and makes me think of driving on a busy highway at 70 mph. This movement is more exhilarating.
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7 Piano Concertos You Should Listen to This Week
Thanks for reading this! I have been working (procrastination is one of my weaknesses) on this all day. My father began to post his own weekly 7 a few days ago, so I want to address this. One of my goals is to see many users begin to post weekly7s on topics that interest them. I will probably never expand much outside of music and entertainment, so it would be cool to see people do that for me, as well as see people begin to post other weekly7s about music, or even the exact same topics I post about. So, I encourage anyone to start posting their own renditions of this series. I feel steemit is meant for discussion more than blogging (as my dad put it), so I'd also encourage you to discuss your favorite pieces in the comments, or comment your input on my descriptions, or even future topic ideas. Thanks, and as always feedback is appreciated. See you later!
Today, I listened to @Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerty no. 2.
One thing I noticed is that the music seems more complex than the previous pieces by @Bach and @Beethoven (to me, anyway). It was harder for me to pick out the underlying structure, although I did catch some scales in the first movement. Another thing I noticed was that the pianist looked sort-of like a young Billy Joel in the thumbnail view. Not so much once you start the video, though.
My favorite part of the first movement was the part where the oboe and piano played together, without the rest of the orchestra. I think it was around 5 minutes. The horn part near the end of the movement was nice, too.
I agree with you that the second movement has a "lazy Saturday" sort of feel to it, but it did get more exciting for a bit, partway through the movement. I liked the sections where the flutes and clarinets were dominant. The ascending series of notes that the pianist played around 21:20 was pretty impressive, too!
I also agree that the third movement is exhilarating, with contrasting sections of suspenseful mixed in. Very impressive keyboard work by the pianist in this movement. It was my favorite movement, too.
Another good selection. Thanks for the post! I am enjoying learning a bit about classical music.
Today I listened to Bach's Harpsichord Concerto in D minor. Not sure why, but the first movement reminds me of the old Brigantine Castle ads (which used Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor). I do think I've heard the harpsichord concerto before, but I would not have known the title or author.
Interesting contrasts between this one and the one I listened to yesterday: (i) Except for two short segments at the bridge from the first movement to the second, I think the harpsicord plays just about non-stop through the entire piece; (ii) I didn't notice as much direct use of scales and trills.
I did pick up on a different sort of structure that I haven't noticed very often. In a number of places in the first and third movements, Bach used short repeating sequences where he simply moved the starting note up or down between iterations. I think he may have used that technique to subtly include some scales in the piece. I guess it's sort of similar to how he used repeating patterns with the starting notes offset by thirds (I think?) in his First Invention.
I just finished watching the first two movements of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5. Bernstein was really a character. I don't think I've watched him conduct before.
Lots of scales and trills for the piano part in the first movement. I had never realized how prominently scales feature in piano music until you started practicing them daily in September. Now I see them everywhere. I like the French horn parts, too. Also, I guess it shows how little I know about classical music, but with the title, "piano concerto," I'm surprised at how much time the piano spends at rest. I agree with you that the second movement is touching.
I'm out of time for now, so I'll have to finish up the 3rd movement later. Thanks for the suggestion! I'm enjoying it.
Thanks! I enjoy that piece as well. It is incredible how good Beethoven was at writing both loud and exhilarating, then switching to a loving and affectionate sound. He made both sound equally extraordinary.
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Did you place it in nsfw?
No, I don't even know what nsfw is
It's a category where people who find that offensive (like me) can't see it. It doesn't matter though, I'll remove it. Just remember that category for future parts.
I don't mind offending people!
Can't you tell.
And they don't mind downvoting you. Can't you tell?
And I don't mind using my 10 YouTube channels to destroy tiny YouTube channels that nobody watches, can't you tell?
I don't care about being a hit on YouTube. I already have a channel with 400 subscribers that I never use.