Post subject: Piano Music, or Help! I Started Listening to a New Genre(s?)
I don't remember exactly how it came about. I've been using Pandora a lot lately. I made a station where I tagged artists from basically every genre just to see what an "everything" playlist would sound like. A few hours into the station suddenly a lovely song comes on by a pianist named Michael Dulin. It was so beautiful I immediately tagged Dulin in a new station so that I could listen to it. After an hour of just blissful lounge music I Googled best modern pianists and the name Marc-Andre Hamelin is #1 on some list so I made a station of him and it's a completely different style. Still just a solo piano player but in a faster, more complex/technical style. More like a jazzy film score as opposed to Dulin's style which is akin to the kind of stuff you hear playing in a fancy department store. Maybe that was just the songs I've heard so far and I'm generalizing prematurely. Both styles are very good though.
So yeah, if there's anybody who's into the solo pianist genre(s) please educate me a little bit on the different styles and some of your favorites.
Michael Dulin sounds very influenced by classical music. One of his song titles references the classical composer and pianist Erik Satie.
Everything that's coming up by Marc Andre Hamelin on Spotify's classical, so he appears to be mostly a classical pianist playing solo piano compositions.
Glenn Gould's the most famous classical pianist these days, but I only know his Goldberg Variations albums. You'd probably prefer the 1955 version over the faster 1981 version, except for maybe the sound quality.
I'm not as knowledgeable about classical music as some other members, so maybe one of them could recommend solo piano compositions and performers.
My favorite jazz solo piano album's Keith Jarrett's Koln Concert. Though it's all improvised, it's very melodic and was a big influence on new age music.
Hamelin is probably the most technically accomplished pianist in Classical music. Sometimes his effortlessness seems to inhibit his emotional connection with the music, with for instance, Beethoven's sonatas, which thrive on the tension produced by the pianist (and were surely composed with this in mind). But more often then not, he has made excellent recordings (especially with more modern, 20th century works).
My Classical lists include among its entries from diverse genres, many of the greatest solo piano (and keyboard/organ) works in the history of music (not fully updated yet)... Probably would start with Beethoven and Schubert's Piano Sonatas...
To this I would add, at or near the top of the heap, from Jazz:
Lady of the Mirrors - Anthony Davis (1980)
The Koln Concert - Keith Jarrett (1975)
Jarrett's Koln Concert is probably the pinnacle (in all of music history) of what it seems like you're looking for... _________________ Best Classical Best Films Best Paintings
Hamelin is probably the most technically accomplished pianist in Classical music. Sometimes his effortlessness seems to inhibit his emotional connection with the music, with for instance, Beethoven's sonatas, which thrive on the tension produced by the pianist (and were surely composed with this in mind). But more often then not, he has made excellent recordings (especially with more modern, 20th century works).
My Classical lists include among its entries from diverse genres, many of the greatest solo piano (and keyboard/organ) works in the history of music (not fully updated yet)... Probably would start with Beethoven and Schubert's Piano Sonatas...
To this I would add, at or near the top of the heap, from Jazz:
Lady of the Mirrors - Anthony Davis (1980)
The Koln Concert - Keith Jarrett (1975)
Jarrett's Koln Concert is probably the pinnacle (in all of music history) of what it seems like you're looking for...
Nice. I'll look into these. Of course I'm familiar with a little Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Handle, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Wagner, etc. (not even sure how many of them are even on topic as much of what I've heard requires numerous instruments) but not all of it. I have listened to the Koln Concert actually. It's probably the only full album of its type I've heard but it is pretty amazing.
Hamelin is probably the most technically accomplished pianist in Classical music. Sometimes his effortlessness seems to inhibit his emotional connection with the music, with for instance, Beethoven's sonatas, which thrive on the tension produced by the pianist (and were surely composed with this in mind). But more often then not, he has made excellent recordings (especially with more modern, 20th century works).
My Classical lists include among its entries from diverse genres, many of the greatest solo piano (and keyboard/organ) works in the history of music (not fully updated yet)... Probably would start with Beethoven and Schubert's Piano Sonatas...
To this I would add, at or near the top of the heap, from Jazz:
Lady of the Mirrors - Anthony Davis (1980)
The Koln Concert - Keith Jarrett (1975)
Jarrett's Koln Concert is probably the pinnacle (in all of music history) of what it seems like you're looking for...
Nice. I'll look into these. Of course I'm familiar with a little Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Handle, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Wagner, etc. (not even sure how many of them are even on topic as much of what I've heard requires numerous instruments) but not all of it. I have listened to the Koln Concert actually. It's probably the only full album of its type I've heard but it is pretty amazing.
Right on. I was only referring to the solo piano/keyboard works on that list in reference to your question. It doesn't sound like you'd have much/any trouble acclimating to Anthony Davis. Lady of the Mirrors is utterly astonishing, very existential and profound. Possibly the greatest solo piano work ever, and hardly anyone knows it (thought it's slowly/gradually becoming more and more well known). _________________ Best Classical Best Films Best Paintings
I only learned of this guy a couple weeks ago, but damn! He's good, even adds some scatting/beatboxing type stuff in their as well from time to time (which technically means it's not solo, but who cares).
My favorite is honestly Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas but yeah, not exactly the season for it. As someone else mentioned, Erik Satie is a good choice, specifically the Gymnopédies.
The album is mostly found these days in combination with their first release, Recording Together For The First Time, and are released together on Apple Music & Spotify as The Great Summit: The Master Takes. If you happen to dislike Satch then you may not like this one, but Duke Ellington is one of the best jazz pianists and you can't go wrong with any of his releases.
Last edited by AwaitingAndrew on 02/22/2018 20:52; edited 1 time in total
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
