Hi,
I guess this thread is already irrelevant, but I wish to add my comments, for others, like me, who find themselves reading it further down the road.
I am an amateur pianist. That is to say, pianism is not, nor was it ever my primary occupation, ambition or interest. I've been studying the piano going on 13 years now, with two long hiatuses interspersed. However, my musical appetite and drive have never been stronger.
For the amateur player, playing a piano concerto is akin to an amateur athlete running an Olympic marathon. You must prepare yourself for a challenge unlike never before. The piano concerto has long been considered to ultimate expression of keyboard virtuosity, and as such, composers have let their ambition and vision run rampart in writing these amazing pieces.
When taking on such a challenge, it is important to keep in mind these facts. Preparing a piano concerto can take years (again, for an amateur), so you must not expect too much of yourself lest you end up frustrated and disappointed. Study the piece in small portions, at a comfortable tempo. Devote yourself to playing musically and with expression, while overcoming technical difficulties slowly and with dedication. Listen to recordings if you wish, but when seating yourself to your task, ignore the tempo you just heard, and play slowly but confidently. Nothing grates on the nerves more than an attempt by an unprepared performer to achieve great speed.
As far as Minus One recordings go, they are a great novelty to have, but terribly difficult to work with. A record has no feeling, as no connection to you. The record runs blithely on, not only when you blunder, but even if you take a moment longer on a note to achieve the proper expression. Do not play with a Minus One before you have spent long enough with the piece to be able to play even the difficult passages comfortably. I would not focus on playing with the recording as a goal unto itself. Instead, find a pianist friend (or teacher) willing to play the orchestra's reduction.
A few tips.
First and foremost, only play a concerto you truly love. If you're going to apply yourself to this daunting task, it should be with the zest and passion that come from an honest connection to a piece.
I would recommend acquainting yourself with a variety of concerti from different time-periods and composers. To begin with, I would never attempt to play a full concerto. I would stick to playing a single movement. Middle (2nd) movements are usually slower and more filled with expression. I'd suggest playing one of these. Should you wish to try something more demanding and virtuoso, go for an opening movement. Closing movements are of essence more demanding technically and more brilliant, and are usually designed to showcase the soloists technical abilities.
Acquaint yourself with the piece's history and the composer's work. Playing a Mozart concerto? Play through a few of his sonatas to get a feel for his style.
Now, the rankings!
In my humble opinion, the Mozart concerti are the most accessible. However, the more dramatic ones, such as no. 20, are particularly difficult, to the disappointment of those of a more romantic character (such as myself).
If you are a fan of Herr Bach, he wrote a few keyboard concerti that are truly spectacular.
Beethoven's concerti require solid grounding in his sonatas.
In the romantic period, the Schumann concerto in A minor, the first Brahms concerto, and the two concerti by Chopin are all very characteristic of their writers and of the period. Check out the score for yourself to see if they are right for your level and skill. I've been working on Schumann's first movement for a year and have surprised myself with the results.
Stay far, far away from concerti written by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Prokofiev. They are incredibly demanding.
I've heard somewhere that the most difficult piano concerti ever written were Tchaikovsy's 1st and Rachmaninoff's 3rd. Schonberg's concerto is also considered impossible, though for a different reason. Do not attempt any of the three unless you are a masochist.
Hope my comments are of help to you and others looking in on this thread.
Barak.
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