# Best Piano Concertos **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 5, 2016, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918 "2016-12-05T10:07:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/21 "2016-12-07T18:52:24Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > . . . I also hope that both **Prokofiev** s will get a few votes. . . . I voted for his 2nd…but I actually prefer his first, which wasn’t on the list. (Wah!) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/22 "2016-12-07T18:54:17Z")
Prokofiev and Saint-Saens each wrote five piano concertos that are all at least worth a listen. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/23 "2016-12-08T00:07:27Z")
And Rachmaninoff wrote a total of four. The first and fourth are wonderful, though totally overshadowed in popularity by the 2nd and 3rd. Also worth mentioning are those by Scharwenka, Moszkowski, Delius, MacDowell, Thalberg, Rubinstein and Kevin Oldham. Do we need a separate thread for “B-side” piano concertos? ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/24 "2016-12-08T09:15:31Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And Rachmaninoff wrote a total of four. The first and fourth are wonderful, though totally overshadowed in popularity by the 2nd and 3rd. Also worth mentioning are those by Scharwenka, Moszkowski, Delius, MacDowell, Thalberg, Rubinstein and Kevin Oldham. > > Do we need a separate thread for “B-side” piano concertos? Oh yeah, feel free to start one ! Just make sure to include personal favourites like the **Poulenc, Barber, Ligeti** and **Lutoslawski** concertos 😉 . > [@Trinopus](#): > > I voted for his 2nd…but I actually prefer his first, which wasn’t on the list. (Wah!) The _First_ is very good indeed, but I decided that 2 concertos by **Prokofiev** was enough and the _Second_ and the _Third_ struck me as the most memorable and representative of his style. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Prokofiev and Saint-Saens each wrote five piano concertos that are all at least worth a listen. As far as the **Prokofiev** concertos are concerned, I only like the first three. The _Fourth_ and the _Fifth_ are not as great in my view. There’s at least one of them that I find really not good considering who wrote it (is it the _Fourth_ ?). It’s probably not bad but **Prokofiev** has written much better stuff than that. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/25 "2016-12-08T14:57:07Z")
I voted for the four I most enjoy playing **Mozart 20 Chopin 2 Brahms 2 Saint Saens 2** ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/26 "2016-12-09T10:00:40Z")
OK, the thread seems to be winding down, so here are the results: 1 - **Tchaikovsky** ’s _Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23_ is the winner with 11 votes. IIRC, it’s been consistently ahead of all the other pieces since day 1. I knew it was popular - and it’s been one of my personal favourites for over 25 years - but I didn’t expect it to end up at the top spot. 2 - Then, we have three concertos tied for the second place: **Beethoven** ’s _Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73_, **Grieg** ’s _Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16_ and **Rachmaninoff** ’s _Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18_. No huge surprise, here either although I prefer Beethoven 4 and Rachmaninoff 3. 3 - Finally, three concertos again at the third place: **Mozart** ’s _Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466_, **Brahms** ’ s _Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83_ and **Saint-Saëns** ’s _Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22_. I must say that I’m surprised at the latter success. Not that it’s bad of course but I never thought it’d finish ahead of Brahms 1, Rachmaninoff 3, the other Mozarts and Beethovens as well as both Chopins and Liszts. On a more personal note, I’m glad that Brahms 2 got some late votes, it definitely belongs in the top 3 IMO. Overall, it’s probably a stronger concerto than his _First_, but the latter’s opening is one of the most gripping piece of music that Brahms ever wrote, which makes it hard for me to choose which one I prefer. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/27 "2016-12-09T18:49:59Z")
I think that many will only choose one concerto as their “favorite” from any given composer, so, for example, the Rachmaninoff 3rd, though quite good (I prefer it to the 2nd, personally), won’t get as many votes as it should, because those who vote for the 2nd won’t also select the 3rd (in most cases). The same applies to Beethoven: the 4th is quite nice (I won’t go so far as to say it’s better than the Emperor, but it has some very interesting and fun passages, and the idea behind the 2nd movement is quite intriguing), but selecting both the 4th and the 5th is not likely to be done. Grieg and Tchaikovsky get an advantage in that the first only wrote one concerto for piano (and an awesome classic it is!), and while Tchaikovsky wrote a second one, how often is it played, really? So if you like Tchaikovsky, there’s only one concerto to select, really. And, with it’s almost iconic opening piano chords, and the fact that the main first movement theme got appropriated for a popular 40s big band song (“Tonight We Love”), it’s no shock it’s in first place. Too bad, really, that it’s the opening theme that gets all the love (since it disappears forever after the first three minutes of the piece). I much prefer the finale to the 3rd movement. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/28 "2016-12-09T22:40:25Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > I also hope that both **Prokofiev** s will get a few votes. As \*\*DSYoungEsq \*\*noted above, the Tchaikovsky 1 gets most of its love for the them that was used in a popular song; with Prokofiev I’m particularly fond of the 5th concerto, specifically for the \*Vivo \*theme that was ripped off for _Jesus Christ Superstar_. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/29 "2017-02-14T04:55:22Z")
I found this thread thanks to the link here [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=818987](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=818987) and headed right over. My 4 votes went to (in order of preference) Beethoven’s No. 5 (the Emperor), Chopin’s No. 1, Mozart’s No. 20 and Grieg. I was wavering as to whether to include Tchaikovsky’s No. 1 but I didn’t–I’ve always been disappointed at the fact that the piece doesn’t do more with that grand opening theme and the way that the energy just seems to evaporate after the 1st 3 minutes. The end of the 3rd movement and the whole finale is wonderful but it feels like a long wait to get there after the opening. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918/30 "2017-02-14T06:47:34Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > I also hesitated between **Gershwin** and **Schoenberg** but decided to exclude the latter as it’s probably not that popular. I’m not crazy about the **Gershwin** , though. The Schoenberg is actually the one I care about. I mean, if it were on the list, it would be my favorite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-piano-concertos/773918.md?page=1)