Three beautiful piano pieces to all time

[klavierelch]

I think that the statistical chance of anyone actually agreeing is incredibly small!
If there are 100,001 possible piano pieces to chose from, then the probability of
someone else selecting the above three (in any order at all) is a mere 1/((10^15)-(10^5)).

Meanwhile - not being a HUGE fan of the percussion instrument you all adore - I will treat you to the three symphonies which I admire enormously and probably play on CD the most:
1. Mahler Symphony 10 (various 'completions' & performers)
2. Franz Schmidt Symphony 4 with Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic
3. William Walton Symphony 2 with George Szell & the Cleveland Orchestra

But tomorrow my list might be different (apart from the Walton).

Given Tim's probability analysis it is really astonishing that I immediately can agree with the first two symphonies you list as admirable (even with their sequence). These symphonies are aw... (Just kidding...) Honestly, this is music you can hear over and over again and always find some new marvels (which is not the same as beauty).
But I wouldn't be able to nominate a third one (this would change too often, some day maybe Shosty's 4th, another day a K.A. Hartmann symphony etc.). And frankly that is because I fully agree with Rob's aversion against this "best of"- and "most [insert adjective of your choice]"-mentality: to restrict oneself to the "top3" or "top10" (whatever this could mean) would be silly and misses the point of being a music lover.

[Timtin]

Now that this thread has suffered the ignominy of demotion to the backwater of
Miscellaneous Matters Musical (alongside one of the few (now moribund) threads
I've ever instigated), it seems to have veered slightly off-topic with the mention
of orchestral works as well as piano pieces. This being the case and the number
of possible candidates for inclusion in one's (or should that be ones?) favourites
list having greatly increased, the estimate for the probability of two members
selecting the same three works has vastly decreased to a value only slightly
greater than that of the probability of Hull City ever winning the FA Cup!

[paolor]

For you, what are the three more beautiful piano pieces of ever?

Only three? you make life difficult, but not impossibly difficult...here's my starter for three

1. Messiaen Vingt Regards XIX "Je dors mais mon coeur veille"
2. Scriabin Poeme Op.32 No.1
3. Cage "In a landscape"

hope some of you will agree
regards
Brian

I think that the statistical chance of anyone actually agreeing is incredibly small!
If there are 100,001 possible piano pieces to chose from, then the probability of
someone else selecting the above three (in any order at all) is a mere 1/((10^15)-(10^5)).

Of course this probability is zero for all practical purposes, but the formula to get there is in fact different:

p(n) = 1-[1-1/binomial(n,3)]^444 is the probability that among 444 persons (number of members of pianophilia as of yesterday), choosing independently their 3 favorite pieces randomly out of a total of n, at least two come to the same result. Here binomial(n,3) is the number of 3-element subsets of a set with n elements, i.e. n(n-1)(n-2)/6. Already for n=1000 we get the rather small value p(1000) = 0.0000026640. Even if pianophilia would increase to one million members, this probability would just be 0.0059820360, that is still less than 1%....

Bw,
paolor

[rob]

Now that this thread has suffered the ignominy of demotion to the backwater of
Miscellaneous Matters Musical...

That's nothing compared to what I'll do with it in a day or two.

[HullandHellandHalifax]

Now that this thread has suffered the ignominy of demotion to the backwater of
Miscellaneous Matters Musical...

That's nothing compared to what I'll do with it in a day or two.

print it, frame it and hang it probably
Brian

[Duirton]

I think that the statistical chance of anyone actually agreeing is incredibly small!
If there are 100,001 possible piano pieces to chose from, then the probability of
someone else selecting the above three (in any order at all) is a mere 1/((10^15)-(10^5)).

This would be true only if the probability of chosing any piano piece as the most beautiful were equal, which is obviously not the case.

Unfortunately, beauty is a purely a subjective matter and cannot be quantified.
Therefore, for simplicity, I assumed that every piece has an equal chance of
being perceived to be beautiful.

Fur Elise can not be never at the same level of the Liszt Sonata. Must trying to be a more objectives and honest possible; the own musical preference not be ever the best.

You're obviously NOT understanding the humour at all... And I loathe and detest the Liszt Sonata...

I will allow this thread to last maybe another day or two

Meanwhile - not being a HUGE fan of the percussion instrument you all adore - I will treat you to the three symphonies which I admire enormously and probably play on CD the most:
1. Mahler Symphony 10 (various 'completions' & performers)
2. Franz Schmidt Symphony 4 with Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic
3. William Walton Symphony 2 with George Szell & the Cleveland Orchestra

But tomorrow my list might be different (apart from the Walton).

I know that you can hate the Liszt sonata, but is however a undeniable great masterpiece independently to the own preferences.
I know few the symphonic repertory but listen many carefully the pieces of the your list. Thanks.

[Duirton]

I don't think this thread is stupid but, like about 80% of this threads on this site, it's bound to get boring very quickly.
Anyway, in my opinion, if your looking for beautiful music you can't go past Takashi Yoshimatsu. His Piano concerto, Threnody to Toki for piano and strings and the Pleiades Dances for piano are all mega awesome songs.
Also, and I know it's not for piano, but, Gorecki's 3rd symphony has to be up there as one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written (despite it's popularity).

The utility of this topic is essentially give the possibility at all member, to discover a new many beautiful piano pieces and also succeed to find new composers extremely good less known. For example this "Takashi Yoshimatsu" I don't known (though many famous). Thanks, I listen willingly.
If you have other Japanese composers to recommend me, let me know. I know only Ichiyanagi, Hashimoto, Takemitsu and few other... Unfortunately in Cd be a little choise of Japanese piano music.

[rob]

I know that you can hate the Liszt sonata, but is however a undeniable great masterpiece independently to the own preferences...

Well this exchange shows just why these threads are difficult to manage, and why I will delete the thread in a day or two.

I usualy choose my words fairly carefully, and in stating simply that I loathe the Liszt Sonata I didn't qualify just why I hate it so much. We can put it down to taste if you like, which is strictly speaking a purely personal and subjective matter.

I can't argue against the Liszt Sonata being highly regarded, but I would caution you and anyone else reading this that they should not accept received wisdom blindly. Each listener should have a dialogue with themselves about the merits of such a work that the world tells them is great or influential or 'better' than something else, or god forfend actually the 'best'! You say that it is undeniably a great masterpiece, but without offering any supporting evidence!!! I am NOT by the way inviting you to supply such evidence; I am merely pointing out that such statements too often pass by unchallenged and become meaningless acceptances of others' blind prejudices.

Of course offering opinions modestly is perfectly acceptable - it is why one sees the acronym 'imho' (in my humble opinion) so often. But of course we all offer our opinions all the time. Context however is everything. In the course of a thread devoted to say 'The Contemporaries of Beethoven' (to name a very distinguished thread from the past), suggested exploration of other composers, perhaps relatively unknown ones, is actually the whole point of the thread. We really do not need this sort of thread for that purpose.

I daresay you will not understand my reasoning, but essentially, if you want to draw people's attention to a particular piece then I would rather you do so in a thread devoted to that area of the repertoire and to explain there just why you find that particular piece beautiful, or perfect, or whatever. These 'List' threads (no pun intended) always degenerate into fractious exchanges based more on taste and received wisdom than on cogently argued debate. We prefer cogently argued debate on this forum.

Rob

[Timtin]

I've come to the conclusion that it's safer not to express any form
of opinion about music or composers. That way nobody gets upset,
although it does somewhat contradict the notion of a music discussion
forum.

[iano]

These 'List' threads (no pun intended) always degenerate into fractious exchanges based more on taste and received wisdom than on cogently argued debate. We prefer cogently argued debate on this forum.
Rob

Oh, incoherently argued debate has its place here too, Rob. I'm thinking of starting a thread to ask which is better, German or French music?