Unsung Piano Composers

[Alkanator]

Hello.
There seems to be a lot of talk on these forums about orchestral music, but at least from what I've seen, there is comparatively little about music for solo piano. It would be nice to hear some opinions on people's favorite composers for piano, not necessarily writing mainly for the piano, but writing well for it. Please list some specific pieces too. And list reasons for your choices. Let's not just make a bunch of name-lists.
I apologize that some of these composers may not be quite what people here would consider 'unsung,' but I haven't yet delved into the unsungs as far as many of you have yet. (And where I live, most people don't seem to have heard of more than some 25 composers, so composers tend to seem more unsung to me than they necessarily are.)

Charles-Valentin Alkan: The composer who got me started into investigating obscure composers. He produces so many unique, but fascinating sounds in the way he writes. I often find melodies of his running through my head. Especially: Grande Sonate Op.33 'Le Quatre Âges', Trois Morceaux dans le Genre pathétique Op.15, and for a very haunting one: Le chanson de la folle au bord de la mer Op.31 No.8.

Nikolai Medtner: To be honest, I'm not really sure what it is I like so much about his music, but somehow his music 'just works,' if that makes sense. I do like how he uses virtuosity in a way that adds to the music, without sounding like empty bravura, similar to Alkan in his better works. Especially: Sonata in F minor Op.5, and Forgotten Melodies I and II Op.38 and 39.

Wilhelm Stenhammar: Despite a rather small output for solo piano, I have come to like what I have heard of his quite a bit. I like a lot of the harmonies that he pulls from the piano, and his use of restraint in particular. Especially: Three Fantasies Op.11 Nos. 1 and 3, and No. 1 from Late-Summer Nights Op.33.

Given their style of writing, and the forum's requirements, I'm not sure I can include Frank Bridge, John Ireland, or Rued Langgaard.

I am currently exploring the piano works of Florent Schmitt and Joseph Holbrooke, but have not played/heard enough to formulate much of an opinion yet.

[semloh]

Yes, I think we perhaps talk more about orchestral music simply because of the tastes of some of the main contributors to the forum.

After years of ignoring his music for no good reason, I plunged into Alkan last year and quickly discovered  cleverly crafted and thoroughly engaging piano music. I began with the Op.31 Preludes... but what would you suggest for someone approaching him for the first time? The Grand Sonate?

I haven't felt as enthusiastic about Medtner's piano music: maybe I should follow your example and get better acquainted. 

[Alkanator]

I think there are a number of pieces that would probably be good for the first-time listener, but I think the one I would most highly recommend would be one I somehow forgot to list, the Symphony for solo piano from his Op.39. This was the first piece by Alkan I ever heard, and it made quite the impression on me. I have it on a disc played by MA Hamelin, which also includes the Trois Morceaux. A highly recommended CD. The Grande Sonate would also be a good place to start, assuming the listener has a good attention span (The Sonata progresses from extremely fast to very slow over the course of the work). Again, Hamelin does a very good job (I've heard it said that he's at his best playing Alkan). However, I think the Symphony would be the best entry point.

About Medtner, he does seem to be something of an acquired taste. He often requires repeated listenings. As I said, I am not really even sure what it is that I like about him so much. He is rather melodically sparing, but somehow, after a while something in just starts to grow on you. I have read articles by people extolling him for his mastery of form and structure. I am not much good at musical analysis, so I can't really say anything on that topic, but I wonder if that is partly why it just seems to work so well to me. Sorry if I'm being rather vague. The pieces I mentioned are, out of what I've heard, some of his most accessible music. One I also could have added, which might make a good first impression is his Skazka in Bb minor Op.20 No.1, of which there is a good (though old-sounding) performance of Medtner himself playing on Youtube.

[Gauk]

Alkan is a fascinating composer, partly because of the forward-looking character of some of his music. I have heard the Grande Sonate described as one of the hardest of all sonatas, not so much for the difficulty of any one passage, but for the succession of difficult passages over an extended span. He doesn't feature much in concert recitals, but I think he is a lot less unfamiliar a figure than he was 40 years ago..

I would propose Peterson-Berger as a composer of little-known piano music of note - his Frösöblomster I have long admired on an old LP set, and have no been issued on Naxos (not quite such good performances IMO). Very refined, tuneful miniatures.

[arpeggio]

I would argue that Alkan is one of those rare composers who has managed to cross from unsung to, at least, the fringes of the mainstream - thanks largely to the work of Lewenthal, Smith and Hamelin. Unfortunately, the almost prohibitive demands of some of his large-scale works make programming of his music an unlikely proposition for most pianists.

Towards the top of the unsung pile, but not imo in the mainstream, lie two composers in whom I have a particular interest. Firstly, and he is a composer who I firmly believe deserves a place at the higher table, is Liapunov. Looking at his music, one finds a composer who evidently had complete command of the instrument as a pianist; his Transcendental Etudes include what must be considered his personal takes on Islamey and Feux Follets, as well as some beautiful character pieces written at a level miles above typical 19th century salon fare (Nuit d'ete and Harpes eoliennes). The piano and orchestra works are worth hearing too; the second concerto is probably the best, and the Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes a glorious virtuoso romp.

Thalberg is almost forgotten, except by pianists, but people are doing themselves a disservice by ignoring him. It is well worthwhile to take a look at his better operatic fantasies ( for me, La Sonnambula and La Traviata spring to mind): though they were competitors on the concert platform, don't view him as an inferior version of Liszt. That's missing the point; whilst he lacked some of Liszt's compositional and structural ingenuity, his viewpoint is different, containing a certain classical purity. And absolutely take a look at his op. 70, L'art du chant: I think this is one of the most important works in the arrangement field, a multitude of vocal items set, in a non-virtuoso context, with skill and great care.

[Alkanator]

Gauk- That definitely describes the Sonata. Although I remember reading someone talking (I believe it was Hamelin) about the second movement, and describing one part in the central section as one of the twelve most tiring pages in all piano literature, which becomes quite believable when you look at the score and realize the tempo its being pulled off at.

I remember hearing two of Liapunov's Transcendental Etudes. ('The Storm' and 'Lezginka') and being very much impressed. For some reason I never really looked further. I will have to look into Thalberg and Peterson-Berger.

[Gauk]

Oh, it was Raymond Lewenthal who commented on the extreme difficulty of the Grande Sonate. Also, I am in agreement about Liapunov.

[Jonathan]

I think one of the problems (if you will) with Alkan is the variation in the difficulty of his works.  The trouble is, many people who may programme his works are only aware of the horrifically difficult works such as the 12 Etudes in Minor keys (which includes the Symphony mentioned earlier).  Some of the Esquisse, Op.63 are no more than about ABRSM Grade 6 (nos.1 and 23 spring to mind for starters)...
Stephen Osbourn's recording on Hyperion is the best in these miniature pieces!

As for other obscure piano composers - Pabst (try Oleg Marshev's paraphrases disc on Danacord), Tausig (anything you can find!) and, much more famous for his operatic works - Weber.

[Alkanator]

I think one of the problems (if you will) with Alkan is the variation in the difficulty of his works.  The trouble is, many people who may programme his works are only aware of the horrifically difficult works such as the 12 Etudes in Minor keys (which includes the Symphony mentioned earlier).  Some of the Esquisse, Op.63 are no more than about ABRSM Grade 6 (nos.1 and 23 spring to mind for starters)...

Agreed. Out of habit, I will often print out a selection of a new (unfamiliar) composer's piano oeuvre and try to play it, before buying a CD. Given that I'm only an amateur pianist (Don't be fooled by my username. I'm not that good.), I am only able to play Alkan's easier works, but even there, I've found, his creativity isn't diminished. Take, for example, Le chanson de la folle au bord de la mer (Song of the Mad Woman on the Seashore). I guess my recommendations of his works tend to be his harder works, because they show his compositional abilities really well, and also have that big 'wow factor,' but he definitely wrote some good smaller/easier works too that are well worth listening to.

[mbhaub]

Perhaps related to this topic: a wonderful new disk of forgotten piano music from the Steinway people, Jeffrey Biegel playing Moszkowski, Henselt, Rubinstein, Levitski, Sgambati and several others I am not familiar with at all. Great encore disk - I wish I could play like that!

My favorite unsung piano composer is Tchaikovsky. As an orchestral composer he is the antithesis of unknown, but how many people know any of his large solo piano output? Well worth seeking out.

[Gauk]

Very true, and it's often said that Tchaikovsky is really known only for a small percentage of his oeuvre ... but then that probably applies to a fair few other famailiar names.

[eschiss1]

Hrm, how about e.g. Arnoldo Sartorio (over 1280 opus numbers, 1853-1936, many for piano?) Or Friedrich Baumfelder (1836-1916), or Fritz Kirchner (similarly prolific )

[Gauk]

And the pleasantly emollient Algernon Ashton, who is now being rediscovered by both Toccata and Dutton?

[Alkanator]

Any particular recommendations for pieces by Algernon Ashton?

[Gauk]

Any particular recommendations for pieces by Algernon Ashton?

There is not a lot to choose from, and sadly, the Toccata and Dutton releases have duplicated one another.