The 23 Greatest Solo Piano Works

The life of a concert pianist; the rigors of the profession; the history of the harpsichord; the evolution of the piano from its inception into the modern concert instrument; reviewing a range of composers.

The aesthetic of the High Baroque; defining the highly controlled fugue as a polyphonic musical form; the prelude that precedes each fugue in Bach's scheme; Bach's use of musical genres in his sublime preludes and fugues.

The roots of a work and its creation; discussing its complexity and concentric structure; trinities and how they they serve the larger unity and spiritual meaning of a set; Bach's relationship with the piano.

Mozart enlarges the scale, virtuosity and importance of the piano sonata; Mozart's rise as a keyboard prodigy; his transition from the harpsichord to writing music specifically for the piano; the "C Minor Sonata"; his operatic use of the piano.

Beethoven's relationship with the organ led to the power and sonority of his piano works; Beethoven creates a compelling narrative through persistent dissonances and ambiguous harmonies; the second movement theme and variations.

The ways in which Beethoven varies themes, using allusion, humor, and parody; the progression of the three groups of variations; the first group's cumulative unfolding; the second group's dissociations and contrasts; the final set's movement.