Advice needed from Classical fans

Supposing that you are looking for composition for piano written by twenty-century classical composers, I would recommend (among many others)

Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Sergei Prokofiev for the first half of the century, Gyorgy Ligeti and Pierre Boulez for the second half of the century. The last two are not for easy listening.

If I had to recommend jazz solo piano, I would recommend Art Tatum, Telonius Monk, Bill Evans, Keith Jarett and Cecil Taylor. The last one is definitively not for easy listening.

Early Schoenberg is quite special.

Try Alvin Lucier or Louis Andriessen/Bin Haus.

Perhaps a little Bartok could go down well?

I think Maruizo Pollini doing the last three Beethoven Piano Sonatas (Opus 109, 110 and 111),
and Zimerman doing the Debussy Preludes would be an absolutely stunning addition to his collection.

quote:

Originally posted by kristeva:
... He said he likes hard fast complex compositions ...

Of course the piano music of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern deserves first ranking although none of them were piano virtuosi and they didn't write much piano music. This disc (www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//8553870.htm) would appear to carry most of it, inc the Berg op 1 sonata and the Webern variations op 27. I see there is a recording of the Berg by Glenn Gould - www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//88697147562.htm

Messiaen is a preeminent C20 composer of piano music.
Appropriate for the season, Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus is also a good place to start - although its 20 movements run to two hours. Difficult to say which is the best recording, they all have their strengths and weakness, but this has the benefit of being cheap (Austbo)
www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//8550829-30.htm

Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux is another huge cycle of piano pieces, each one evoking a bird and its surroundings. Try Peter Hill:
www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//RRC1108.htm
www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//RRC1109.htm
www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//RRC1110.htm

The Ligeti Etudes are delightful - certainly NOT "not for easy listening" unless you're determined not to like them
www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//BISCD783.htm
www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//BISCD983.htm

The Stockhausen Klavierstuecke are pretty hard and complex. These recordings of I-XI are good enough. X is particularly exciting.
www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//WER60135-50.htm
You can get the remaining Klavierstuecke from the Stockhausen Verlag on various CDs (www.stockhausen.org)

The three Boulez piano sonatas are here: www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//8553353.htm
Now these can be difficult, but worth pursuing.

Shostakovich: 24 preludes and fugues are a C20 response to Bach's model
Try Ashkenazy: www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//4660662.htm

Havergal Brian's piano music offers lots of crunchy counterpoint
www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//ATHCD12.htm

Tippett's four piano sonatas are exuberant and honest
www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//CRD34301.htm

Messiaen is indeed a preeminent C20 composer of piano music. I would suggest Muraro "Messiaen Solo Piano Works Complete"

quote:

He said he likes hard fast complex compositions – he specifically mentioned Chopin and Beethoven.

There is such a huge range of choice when talking in a generic sense about "classical" music. This all encompassing term might refer to three or four hundred years worth of music which also offers a night and day difference between the two ends. This is distinguished from the Classical composers which is a specific term referring to a time period and style (ie. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven etc. but not Bach or Chopin, for example)

When I read this question, I'm not really clear on what could be wanted or intended. Mentioning Chopin and Beethoven specifically is one clue that would suggest staying within that realm. For example, anything by Chopin or Beethoven and probably any of their closest contemporaries on either side of the time scale; Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms.

As far as more modern music is concerned (from a pianists perspective who very likely wants to play the pieces as well as listen) I would certainly look for anything from Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninov, Medtner, Bartok, Scriabin and Prokofiev.

Of course, I'm generalizing and speaking for myself only but this is your quick, basic core piano group that most pianists focus on first. In the interest of time, I won't list dozens and dozens of other worthy composers to choose from.

Jeremy above has a very good list above that covers the best 20th century choices, so I won't repeat any of those.