The Pianodao Music Library brings together all of the repertoire which has been reviewed, shared or otherwise featured on the site. As such it is a varied, extensive, inclusive, and ever expanding body of carefully curated music.
The music in the Diploma category is suitable for those players who are preparing for public recitals, advanced certificates (such as the ARSM) and first diplomas (such as the DipABRSM, ATCL and ALCM).
Andrew is happy to help you improve your playing of any of this music, and is experienced in preparing students for these diplomas. You can access his support by booking a consultation in person, or by using his online Online Feedback Service.
Explore the Library
I have reviewed an abundance of wonderful music for advanced players, crossing styles, genres, and the history of the keyboard. Enjoy exploring the full archive, presented here in historical and stylistic order.
Baroque Keyboard Music
Couperin’s Troisième Livre
Joining the first two ‘Livres’ as an essential library edition for all enthusiasts of the French baroque, this is equally the ideal performing edition for those approaching this music today, whether on the harpsichord or piano…
Martin Stadtfeld’s Händel Variations
Advanced players looking for something both fresh and familiar may well find that this collection will bring many hours of discovery, while there’s much here which I believe will delight audiences wherever it is performed. Martin Stadtfeld’s Händel Variations is by any standard an outstanding achievement.
J.S. Bach: The Six Partitas
The Six Partitas BWV 825-30 of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) have long been regarded as one of the most important milestones of the Baroque keyboard repertoire…
Couperin: Pièces de clavecin
Occasionally I receive for review a volume that is, quite simply, above reproach. This is one such edition…
The Classical Era
Schubert • The Piano Sonatas
Bärenreiter’s landmark new editions of Schubert’s Piano Sonatas bring unparalleled clarity to these masterpieces, and I can’t imagine any Schubert-lover wanting to be without them.
Here’s the Pianodao review…
The Beethoven Sonatas: Where to Start?
Henle’s recently published “Five Easy Piano Sonatas” and “Five Famous Piano Sonatas” volumes offer a near perfect introduction to this greatest body of solo piano music….
Variations on a Waltz: The Diabelli Project
Mario Aschauer’s landmark new scholarly performing edition of Beethoven’s “Diabelli Variations” also includes the 50 Variations on a Waltz composed by his contemporaries…
Is this the definitive KV 331?
For all students and performers of Mozart’s music (including those selecting this for their Grade 8 or diploma exam), this revelatory new edition is a priority purchase, recommended without reservation.
Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas: Wiener Urtext
Celebrating this 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, Wiener Urtext have recently released a fully updated and revised urtext edition of his 32 Piano Sonatas. So how does it compare to the alternatives?
Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas: the Jonathan Del Mar edition
This magnificent resource is surely not only a new landmark in Beethoven scholarship, but for pianists the publishing event of the decade…
Beethoven’s Variations for Piano
In the 250th centenary year, Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas will be difficult to hide from (should any wish to!) but the Variations for Piano offer a welcome and immensely rewarding alternative for performance and exploration by pianists everywhere.
Weber: The Piano Sonatas
This newly published Edition Schott version must, we hope, go a long way to returning these masterpieces to the forefront of the Romantic piano repertoire where they belong:
Romantic Repertoire
Dvořák • Suite in A major
In its orchestral form, the ‘American Suite’ is a widely performed and internationally popular work. Dvořák’s original solo piano version is no less enjoyable, and should not be missed!
Discovering Backer Grøndahl
Though posterity has by and large ignored Agathe Backer Grøndahl, she is undoubtedly one of Norway’s great composers. That her music is finally returning to the publishing and recording catalogues, and to the practise room and concert hall, is certainly cause for celebration.
Fanny Hensel • Easter Sonata
Fanny Hensel’s “Ostersonate” (Easter Sonata) was composed in 1828, but remarkably, this is the first ever urtext edition of this brilliant Romantic piano masterpiece, and for advanced pianists, it is surely an essential purchase…
Liszt: Années de pèlerinage
Liszt’s “Années de pèlerinage” ranks as one of the truly essential piano collections of all time, a milestone in the development of Liszt’s art, and hence in the repertoire of any serious pianist.
Discovering Smetana
Like many, I was largely unfamiliar with the significant body of solo repertoire Smetana composed, but the 2024 bicentenary year offered an opportunity for discovery…
Chopin • Etudes Op.10
With the recent arrival of Roy Howat’s stunning new edition of the Etudes Op.10, Edition Peters’ ‘Complete Chopin: New Critical Edition’ is continuing to develop into a leading choice for any Chopin player…
The Restoration of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
The piano music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) is surely one of the great treasures of the solo repertoire, too long overlooked but now rightly being rediscovered and brought back into the spotlight.
Maria Szymanowska: 20 Etudes & Preludes
PWM’s new edition of the Twenty Etudes and Preludes makes a superb addition to the library of any serious classical pianist, and can be welcomed with unalloyed enthusiasm…
Fauré • Pavane Op.50
Fauré’s famous ‘Pavane’ is blessed with one of the most delectable and beloved melodies ever composed. Bärenreiter have just issued a superb urtext edition of the composer’s solo piano version, the subject of this short review…
Schumann’s Three Romances
There are many considerations when selecting which edition to use in the preparation of a performance of core repertoire such as these wonderful Schumann Romances…
Liszt’s Late Pieces 1880-1885
While Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was perhaps the most significant of the pianist-composers of the nineteenth century, the significance of his late piano pieces has been the subject of much debate…
Joachim Raff: Heralds of Spring
Joachim Raff’s “Frühlingsboten” Op.55 is a fabulous selection of pieces in the high Romantic style, and a natural successor to Schumann’s collections of Fantasiestücke or even his Kreisleriana. Here’s my review of the new Breitkopf Edition….
Fauré: The 5 Impromptus
Following on from the great sets of Schubert and Chopin, Fauré’s five Impromptus present a third significant group of such pieces, and though less well-known they certainly deserve to be played more widely.
Kashperova: In the Midst of Nature
If you haven’t previously encountered the music of Russian composer Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940), be kind to yourself: until recently, her name was known only as Stravinsky’s piano teacher, her own rich musical output entirely forgotten.
Celebrating Saint-Saëns
Though best known for his orchestral works, including Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, the ‘Organ’ Symphony, and his concertos, Saint-Saëns also composed a significant body of virtuoso solo piano music.
Piano Music of Amy Beach
American composer Amy Beach’s significant contribution to the solo piano repertoire is finally beginning to receive the recognition and popularity it deserves…
Frédéric Chopin: Trois Nouvelles Études
For those of us who thought the Chopin National Edition would offer the final word on Chopin’s works in our lifetime, Edition Peters’ Complete Chopin New Critical Edition is an eye-opener, and a truly stunning one at that.
Discovering Chopin
For pianists at any level who are keen to explore and discover the music of Chopin (and who isn’t?), Poland’s PWM Edition offer the definitive range of sheet music publications, from easier anthologies through to the world’s finest complete editions…
The Most Beautiful Paderewski
Paderewski’s hugely appealing contribution to the solo piano repertoire fully deserves its place at the centre of the classical literature. Don’t miss it!
Granados: Danzas españolas
Whenever playing or teaching these deliciously Spanish miniature masterpieces, I have found them hugely appealing and popular, and I have no doubt that readers newly discovering them for the first time will be similarly enamoured…
Breitkopf’s Brahms Edition
Celebrating their 300th Anniversary in 2019, august publishing house Breitkopf & Härtel reissued a number of the legendary editions including this newly reissued Complete Piano Works of Johannes Brahms, drawn from the Urtext of the Brahms Complete Edition.
The Greatest Schumann?
The complete piano works of Robert Schumann as edited by his widow Clara Schumann, and with additional fingerings by the legendary pianist Wilhelm Kempff…
Joachim Raff’s Piano Sonatas
Had history told a different story, these Sonatas could comfortably and confidently sit astride the peak fo the Romantic piano repertoire…
Henle’s revised Chopin Scherzi
Those studying these extraordinary masterpieces will be delighted with Norbert Müllemann’s outstanding new edition for Henle, combining as it does superb scholarship with industry-leading engraving and presentation.
Brahms: Two Rhapsodies
Bärenreiter’s stunning new edition of these great masterpieces is a must-have for lovers of Brahms’ music…
Albéniz: Cantos de España
The piano music of Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909), it seems to me, occupies a uniquely odd position in the classical piano repertoire…
Rachmaninoff: Critical Urtext Edition
Brilliant urtext editions of Rachmaninoff’s complete piano works in monumental and stunningly produced volumes … seriously, what’s not to like?
The Modern Age
Poulenc • Mélancolie
Poulenc’s Mélancolie is such a gorgeous piece, an emotionally engaging and memorably lyrical concert work that deserves the widest audience.
Prokofiev • Visions fugitives
Henle’s stunning new edition of Prokofiev’s Visions Fugitives Op.22 will, we must hope, awaken fresh interest in this masterpiece, which surely ranks as one of the greatest piano works of the twentieth century…
Schönberg • The Piano Works
Schönberg’s piano pieces have an extraordinary historical significance, being the laboratory in which the composer reassembled the elements of music to create an entirely new language which had a seminal influence on composers for more than a generation.
Chinese Piano Music
Jingxian Xie’s curation of Chinese Piano Music for Henle is an extraordinary achievement, and may well prove to be one of the most important piano music publications of the decade.
Ravel • Valses Nobles et Sentimentales
Durand’s new edition of Ravel’s “Valses nobles et sentimentales” perfectly hits the spot, offering a hugely approachable and academically informed introduction to this masterpiece which can be very highly recommended.
Debussy: Préludes pour piano
There are many good editions of the Debussy Préludes of 1910 and 1913, but these versions must be considered the front runners, unlikely to be surpassed…
Discovering Janáček
From the emotive nostalgia of On an Overgrown Path, via the outpouring of 1. X. 1905 and the reflection of In the Mists to the highly personal utterances of his late piano pieces, Janáček’s contribution to the piano repertoire is surely one of the most personal, as well as one of our greatest treasures…
Sibelius: Three Sonatinas Op.67
Advanced pianists with a penchant for Sibelius’s music can welcome this new Breitkopf urtext edition of the Three Sonatinas Op.67 with unalloyed happiness.
Egon Wellesz: Sechs Klavierstücke op.26
These pieces are truly gripping, and provide a superb introduction to a dissonant but deeply expressive school of composition which many still shy away from. Suitable for players working towards UK Grade 7-8, they introduce a musical language can surely be as beguiling as it is unexpected…
Herbert Howells: Piano Works
Herbert Howells’ piano music surely deserves a far wider audience, and I hope that this publication will prove to be a significant step towards establishing these pieces as favourites with players and audiences alike.
Kurt Schwertsik: Piano Works
Of the piano music composed in my lifetime, I really would say Schwertsik’s works are firmly of the highest rank…
Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora
Oxford University Press published Piano Music of Africa and the Afrian Diaspora in five volumes, compiled and edited by William H. Chapman Nyaho, between 2007-8. Between them, the books offer 60 pieces by 36 composers of African descent, organised by difficulty level…
Evgeny Kissin: Four Pieces Op.1
Evgeny Kissin joins the ranks of the notable pianist-composers with his first solo piano publication from Henle…
Gershwin: Three Preludes
Prior to receiving the review copy for this new edition, I hadn’t particularly felt I was losing our with my trusty old copy of the Three Preludes … but what a difference!…
Ravel: Jeux d’eau
“Jeux d’eau” is a milestone not only in Ravel’s compositional development, but also in that of the classical piano repertoire. Here, I consider the genesis and significance of the work before looking at Nicolas Southon’s brand new urtext edition with fingering and notes on the interpretation by concert pianist Alexandre Tharaud…
Debussy: Images & Pour le piano
Bärenreiter’s critical performing urtext editions of Debussy’s piano masterpieces are in my view the best available…
Discovering Kapustin
If you are a player of Grade 8 or above, the Sonatina is a brilliant starting point, and the Sonata No.6 a challenge which I suspect will absorb the time of the most fearless players, but reward their efforts in spades. These are truly fabulous pieces!
Which Mikrokosmos?
In this review I will be looking at classic edition from Boosey & Hawkes, and comparing the more recent Urtext editions from Henle Verlag and Wiener Urtext Edition.
Exploring Jazz Piano
Learn to Play Ragtime Piano
This new publication introduces the conventions and musical essence of Ragtime better than any other I am aware of, and with unique authority.
Scott Joplin • 20 Ragtimes
For anyone wanting to explore Scott Joplin’s Ragtimes, this reissue in the Schott Piano Classics series jumps straight to the top of the shopping list…
Jazz Piano Solos: Classical Jazz
I’ve seen several superb publications this year, and am running short of hyperbolic compliments, but Classical Jazz is an absurdly good-natured collection.
Boogie Woogie Piano Solos
If you have long hankered after a collection of boogie woogie transcriptions that faithfully and brilliantly convey the style of this joyous music, this book really is the last word, and you need look no further…
The Melody at Night, With You
Keith Jarrett has long been one of my piano heroes, and his album The Melody at Night, With You one of my all-time favourite recordings.
I am absolutely delighted that, 20 years after its release, Schott Music have brought out a complete sheet music transcription of the album.
Christopher Norton’s ‘Jazz Piano Sonata’
It’s great to be presented with a more substantial work from this ever-popular contemporary composer: the Jazz Piano Sonata follows the traditional three-movement form, and is a significant concert work for the advanced pianist.
Repertoire Collections
Women Composers: A Graded Anthology
Melanie Spanswick’s groundbreaking ‘Women Composers: A Graded Anthology’ series offers three volumes of superb and highly varied music by composers past and present.
Trinity College: A Recital Anthology
If you are in the market for an expansive, representative collection of music from the core classical piano repertoire at first diploma level, this is then without question the best I have seen.
LCM: In Concert 2
While LCM’s “In Concert” anthology included selections from the DipLCM syllabus, this further collection is drawn from the ALCM and LLCM syllabi, with five works chosen from each.
Piano Music by British & American Composers
The idea of bringing together in a single volume some of the greatest British and American piano works is undoubtedly a good one, and is executed here with aplomb.
LCM ‘In Concert’ anthology
In Concert provides nine piano works, selected from the Diploma of the London College of Music (DipLCM) Piano Syllabus. These works have been chosen to give pianists a broad range of repertoire to perform from, spanning 300 years of music in a wide variety of styles.
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