Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 08, 2000 at 14:54:52:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Top 5 List - "Essentials" posted by Roger B on June 08, 2000 at 08:51:29:
I can't argue with your selections, I almost included the Hindemith instead of the Persichetti myself. I didn't include the Hindemith because of how hard it is to even find an accompanist willing to try it, let alone perform it. I happen to like the Hindemith just as much as any piece out there but I have never had the opportunity to perform it, try as I might. I think the difficulty of the accompaniment relegates this work to the "infrequently performed" category, thus taking it out of the "essential 5".
In thinking about this question, it occurs to me that maybe a better question would be what soloistic styles would you consider to be most essential? In my choices, I tried to include a concerto, a serious tuba/piano sonata type work, a twelve-tone work, an unaccompanied work, and a theme and variations style work. Obviously, there is alot of overlap in those styles with the 5 pieces I picked. But like I said, I think these 5 cover the bases as well as most. But there are many choices, in my mind, that could be legitimate substitutes for any of these works except the Vaughan-Williams. Even though there are other fine concertos out there, the VW still dominates that particular "slot".
My opinion for what its worth...