The Pianodao Music Library brings together all of the piano repertoire which has been reviewed, shared or otherwise featured on Pianodao. 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).
Please note: in addition to the titles specifically reviewed and linked below, the Pianodao Music Library includes all pieces set in the current ARSM and DipABRSM syllabus.
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 Video Feedback Service.
Studio Choice
The following selections showcase publications that my regular students have enjoyed and that I frequently recommend. They also include my own publications. The selections offer a core program of classical, contemporary, and jazz music suitable for each level.
Library Essentials
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Current Favourites
Trinity College: A Recital Anthology
Once in every while a music book arrives on my review desk which is simply too wonderful for words, and yes! this is one of those!
Surprisingly so, perhaps, given that on paper this looks like a rather plain anthology of well-worn diploma repertoire. So you’re possibly wondering what lifts it above the exam jargon and makes it truly special. Let’s find out…
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 ten album tracks, by Friedrich Grossnick.
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…
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…
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.
Explore the Library
I have reviewed an abundance of wonderful music suitable for this level, crossing styles, genres, and the history of the keyboard. There’s truly something here for every player, so dig deep and enjoy exploring the full archive, which is presented here with the most recent additions first…
Discovering Smetana
In March 2024, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884), esteemed Czech composer and pivotal figure in the development of the national style during the Romantic Era. But what of his piano music? Like many, I have remained largely unfamiliar with the significant body of solo repertoire Smetana composed, the bicentenary year thus providing an opportunity for discovery…
Henle • Chinese Piano Music
Jingxian Xie’s anthology of twentieth century Chinese piano music, published by Henle Verlag, is unlike any other publication I have seen, and must be welcomed as a genuine milestone…
Learn to Play Ragtime Piano
There are plenty of Ragtime collections on the market, but this new publication introduces the conventions and musical essence of the style better than any other I am aware of, and with unique authority. Simply put, if you would like to play ragtime properly and well, you need this book.
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…
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…
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.
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 the Schumann Romances. To my mind, this new edition from Wiener Urtext Edition ticks all the right boxes, and in doing so is somewhat a revelation…
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 collection.
Don’t miss it!
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.
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.
Bärenreiter have delivered a scholarly edition of this astonishing music which is long overdue, and they have done so with typical panache…
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….
Couperin’s Troisième Livre
This new edition undoubtedly once again sets a new benchmark in terms of Couperin scholarship, joining the first two Livres as an essential library edition for all enthusiasts of the French baroque. It is equally the ideal performing edition for those approaching this music today, whether on the harpsichord or piano…
Women Composers: A Graded Anthology
With the arrival of a third book to complete Melanie Spanswick’s groundbreaking ‘Women Composers: A Graded Anthology’ series, I am republishing my earlier review, fully expanded and updated to include a comprehensive overview of the whole series…
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…
Discovering Schönberg
Schönberg’s piano works are as difficult (on many levels) as they have always been, but they reward effort and are of more than simply historical importance. Many musicians find themselves absorbed by the radical sound world that Schönberg opens up in these pieces, and it is no wonder that their influence changed music for ever…
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.
This exemplary new edition from Bärenreiter makes them an even more tempting prospect, and can be recommended without reservation…
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.
Happily the situation is changing…
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…
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.
A centenary year reappraisal and 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….
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.
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.
Here’s the Pianodao review…
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…
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.
This collection offers ten intermediate to advanced solo pieces selected from across Beach’s long career by Gail Smith. Let’s take a look…
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.
Read the Pianodao review here!
Kurt Schwertsik: Collected Piano Works
When Austrian composer Kurt Schwertsik’s Albumblätter: collected piano works landed on my desk in 2018, I was intrigued, but like too many books it ended up buried in my review backlog.
Fast forward to Summer 2020, and the newly released recording of this music by pianist Aya Klebahn caught my attention on Apple Music.
This time, I was quickly hooked…
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!
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…
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…
Evgeny Kissin: Four Pieces Op.1
It is cause for great joy that so many of our current concert virtuosi have proven themselves adept composers whose original work has value in its own right.
With these four superbly accomplished pieces, Kissin now joins those ranks, comfortably taking his place alongside the likes of Thomas Adès, Fazil Say, Stephen Hough and Marc-André Hamelin.
Read the full review and listen to the music here:
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.
How does this edition compare to the stunning Jonathan Del Mar edition which I reviewed recently? Well, there are some surprises in store…
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!…
Breitkopf’s Brahms Edition
Celebrating their 300th Anniversary in 2019, august publishing house Breitkopf & Härtel reissued a number of the legendary editions of their heritage, alongside their typically exciting new publications.
Here’s a look at their newly reissued Complete Piano Works of Johannes Brahms, drawn from the Urtext of the Brahms Complete Edition.
Also, a brilliant new edition of Adolf Busch’s little-known Sonata in C minor Op.25…
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…
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.
Henle Urtext are to be thanked for providing this updated, authoritative and practical performing edition…
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:
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…
Play it Again: Piano
Play it Again: Piano is a superb series for the adult learner and returner…
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.
Couperin: Pièces de clavecin
Occasionally I receive for review a volume that is, quite simply, above reproach. This is one such edition…
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.
Brahms: Two Rhapsodies
Bärenreiter’s stunning new edition of these great masterpieces is a must-have for lovers of Brahms’ music…
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Jan Freidlin: Four Stories
The ability to write an effective miniature for solo piano – one which is personal but idiomatic, original but accessible – remains one of the true challenges for any composer, and one that many of the “big names” in contemporary music have seemingly avoided.
No so for composer Jan Freidlin, who succeeds not just once but four times in quick succession in his latest publication rom Edition Dohr, Four Stories.
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