The 23 Greatest Solo Piano Works

By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Robert Greenberg

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

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

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

As usual this is an excellent set of lectures by Robert Greenberg.
His lectures are so informative and never dull with the little funny remarks he throws in.
You can listen to his lectures over and over again an always find something new.
I know, you are not supposed to do this, but I have a subscription of “The Berlin Philharmonics”,
so well worth the price, it is like going to a concert, sitting in the front row or better.
My thanks to all involved for making these lectures available to us, JK.

Brilliant and Entertaining

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