I need help from you

[Kurosawa Fan]

I love the piano. It's probably my favorite musical instrument. I love listening to people play. It puts me in a serene mood. What I want is this: I want your recommendations on the best songs in which piano is the dominant instrument. There are a couple stipulations.

1. No singing.
2. No brass accompaniment, though it can have strings.
3. Nothing upbeat

I'm basically looking for anything that resembles Moonlight Sonata. Something emotional, morose even. I'm not well versed in classical music, music at all for that matter. Any help that anyone can lend would be very appreciated.

[bac0n]

Oscar Peterson does a simple and elegant version of Summertime that'll knock your socks off. God, I loves me up some Oscar Peterson.

[Duncan]

Chopin's Nocturnes are pretty great.

[Duncan]

Schubert's piano sonatas too. His Winterreise is also fantastic, although it has voice accompaniment. Still, check it out.

[number8]

Chopin's Nocturnes are pretty great.

I was gonna say the same thing, but probably because Dexter just reminded me of it in the last episode.

I've always loved B-Man's "Moonlight Sonata". Cliched, but it just gives me the chills.

[number8]

Oh, Pritch recently sent me an MP3 of a Jon Brion concert where he does a cover of Radiohead's "Creep" in a Tom Waits impersonation, on the piano. It's awesome and hilarious at the same time.

[SpaceOddity]

KF you must hear Wilhelm Kempff. He's glorious. By comparison all other pianists sound as if they've elephant hooves in place of hands.
I'll send you some recordings if you like.

[Horbgorbler]

Mitsuko Uchida's recording of Debussy's 12 Etudes is excellent.

[Ezee E]

Oh, Pritch recently sent me an MP3 of a Jon Brion concert where he does a cover of Radiohead's "Creep" in a Tom Waits impersonation, on the piano. It's awesome and hilarious at the same time.

I'm almost convinced that there actually is no Pritch, and that he's HAL 2007 with a British wit, and love of bats.

[D_Davis]

I don't listen to classical music, but my favorite pianist is Harold Budd. His work with Brian Eno on The Pearl and Ambient 2 is brilliant. Some of the most beautiful and atmospheric music I've ever heard. It's slow, moody, and somber. The Pearl is my most listened to album on iTunes and my iPod. I've listened to it over 150 times during the last year.

[ledfloyd]

rachmaninoff's piano concertos are absolutely sublime. they have brass but they have piano in the title!

rachmaninoff's prelude in c-sharp minor might be my favorite piece of solo piano music ever.

[Boner M]

Erik Satie's "Trois Gymnopedies" and "Trois Gnossiennes" are obvious and essential recommendations for this thread; surprised no one's mentioned them. Especially the latter, since you're looking for something morose.

[Boner M]

Bah, how could I forget Arvo Pärt's "Fur Alina"? Pretty much the most depressively beautiful piece of piano-based music I've heard. It's a lot more minimalist that the aforementioned Satie pieces, so if you want something with a fuller sound, then I wouldn't recommend it. That said, it fits your criteria perfectly.

[Benny Profane]

Chopin's Impromptu #3 won't let you down.

[origami_mustache]

If you're looking for something more contemporary, check out Eluvium.