Quote:
Originally Posted by Blain
I've been really wanting to get into just solo piano compsitions. Can anyone reccomend me some good artists and/or upload me some stuff and PM?
Would be really awesome.
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Glenn Gould especially any Bach (especially his 1981 recording of the Goldberg Variations, but the 1955 one is still great too). His interpretations are always fresh.
This is really more jazz, but
Cecil Taylor's solo stuff is always a blast, if you like really dissonant stuff (I feel his enseble work gets too muddy, but his solo stuff is far more interesting).
If you like that bit of Cecil Taylor, you would probably like Aaron Copland's
Piano Sonata and especially his
Piano Variations -- that's not your typical Copland either-- much more dissonant than the more well-known symphonic stuff like Appalachian Spring or Billy the Kid (tho those are certainly wonderful pieces too)
Less dissonant stuff:
My favourite composer, Debussy
here and
here and my favourite
here (all these are from the Preludes) and of course, there's
Clair de Lune, which is unforgettable...
If Debussy is more your style, you might like the less well-known French composer
Erik Satie, a contemporary of Debussy's who wrote most of his stuff for solo piano.
If minimalism is more your thing, John Adams' Phrygian Gates and China Gates are pretty good (sorry no links!).
Another great minimalist piece for two pianos is Steve Reich's Piano Phase
here and
here. This piece still blows my mind how all sorts of aural illusions happen-- I always here something new in this piece every time I hear it.
More than anything, I would recommend Debussy.
Sorry, I tend to have more a bias for modern stuff in my classical listening habits (except for Bach), so I'm giving you only a very limited picture of what's out there, but then, most people are more oblivious to the modern stuff, so somebody's gotta say something!
If you want specific recordings/performances, let me know & I might be able to help with that (I'm picky about my Debussy!).
~ josh