The 23 Greatest Solo Piano Works

By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Robert Greenberg

Length: 19 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

The piano is the most popular solo concert instrument in Western music. One of the key reasons is the fact that it has inspired many of the greatest masterpieces in the concert repertoire. To study these masterworks and to understand their genius and lasting appeal is to know one of the greatest accomplishments of Western culture, works that give great pleasure even as they deepen your insight into the meaning of music.

The 23 works you'll study are carefully chosen to highlight the most important compositional and pianistic achievements in the solo piano tradition.

These 24 enthralling lectures by Professor Greenberg take you through more than 200 years of piano music. Beginning with the monumental figure of Bach, followed by Mozart and Beethoven, you experience the piano music of such 19th-century masters as Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt, before moving forward to visionary modernists including Scriabin, Debussy, and Prokofiev. Each lecture presents a single work in a fresh, accessible encounter with its musical substance, welcoming listeners new to concert music as well as experienced concert music lovers.

In addition to your study of the music, the lectures treat you to a rich panorama of music history. You dig deeply into the artistic and cultural environments that the compositions reflect, shedding light on what inspired these great works and how they were written. As a third layer of the course, you delve into the fascinating history of the piano itself, uncovering the ways in which the evolution of the instrument directly influenced the music that composers wrote for it.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2013 The Great Courses (P)2013 The Teaching Company, LLC

Great overview of the solo piano repertoire

Greenberg is a very entertaining presenter, and these 23 snapshots of great pieces blend history, biography and musical analysis. I would have appreciated a bit more probing and depth on the musical theory, especially on harmony. But this is understandable given the broad audience.

Excellent and fulfilling course!!

The lecturer's style comes across dramatically, but also knowledgable and profound. Ended up enjoying immensely.

Beautiful, entertaining and informative.

This was so much fun and you learn so many facts and anecdotes. Looking forward to his other courses. Highly recommend

Brilliant and Entertaining

Once again Robert gives a captivating performance. He’s the best at teaching and entertaining at the same time.

Wonderful survey from Bach to Copeland

I loved this course. It's apparent that Robert Greenberg is well trained and an experienced teacher. His interest in the development of musical styles is equaled by his interest in the musicians behind it.

A great introduction!

Any additional comments?

I agree with other reviewers - many of the audio samples are of poor quality, both in performance and in volume. Some of them are played on small pianos that do not do passages justice, or are poorly recorded, or are so quiet you can't hear them at all unless you're sitting somewhere very quiet while listening to this (almost never the case for me). I'd assume that if people are buying this audio book they probably care about sound/music/audio. Please get some better samples. The professor, however, is wonderful!!!! Still definitely worth a listen.

Brilliant!

As always, professor Greenberg fills this entertaining and informative series with interesting anecdotes, technical explanations, and, last but not least, his own idiosyncratic and witty teaching style.

A Grand & Glorious History

I loved the narrator's "characterizations" helping to make the history come alive. A most fascinating tale of the piano and those composers and pianists who helped develop it into the magnificent instrument it became and still is. A must read for true music appreciation.

Such a treasure of knowledge

I enjoyed very much this clases and what I enjoyed most was the teacher, very passionate about the pieces and provided delightful details about the composers.

A must read for any piano lover!

Any piano enthusiast will love this. The in depth history of the piano, composers and their work was awesome. The music played was amazing, and I even thought the narrator was very passionate, nerdishly funny, and was not to dry or at all boring. I recommend this to any piano student, hobbiest or professional who wants to know more about classical pre-WWII composers and their art.