Epic Piano (does it exist?)

[Form]

 
I haven't been very active in this forum but I have come to a point where I need expert advice, so I though of you guys! 

 
I'm (ideally) looking for a very specific kind of piano recording, but it seems I can't find that style anywhere. Does it even exist? I'm no piano expert; I've just recently began looking for piano albums.
 
What I'm looking for: Epic / avant-garde / out-of-the-ordinary piano (for lack of better words), ideally fast-paced but not obligatorily. There can be some accompaniment as long as the piano is prominent, or at least very clearly audible.
 
My favourite genres: Avant-garde, prog-metal & heavy metal (Opeth and everything by Devin Townsend comes to mind), ambient, electronic / synth (Animal Collective is a recent find in this area), film scores, etc. I do listen to many other genres (jazz, world music, etc.) but these are the ones I find myself coming back to very often.
 
I know that piano and heavy metal is quite the contrast, but in fact I'm simply looking for something out of the ordinary and specified my favourite genres so you would know where I come from from a music-listening standpoint.
 
Ideally I'm looking for piano albums with some influences / tie-ins into those genres (but don't limit yourself to that). Hell, I'll take anything that isn't "common" classical piano. Those are oftentimes very good, but they're also all that you find when you search for piano records on the 'net.
 
Any recommendations?
 
Also, some top-notch piano classics recommendations (not limited to classical piano and ignoring the specifics above) would be nice. I have no idea where to start, there are so many piano albums out there. Name your best piano album ever.
 
Thanks in advance! I hope this thread will be of interest to others!
 

 

[fatcat28037]

 

[Marcus_C]

I'd be fascinated to know what people come up with for this thread. I did come across this page the other week though I don't know whether it'll fall under what you want and I don't even know the composer. As far as my favourite piano music goes it swaps between Jazz Pianists (Hiromi Uehara etc.) and people along the lines of Einaudi. There are of course modern piano concerto's being written all the time but I tend to find them too tied down by a composer's preconceived ideas of how a piano should be played, Jazz pianists tend not to follow those rules as rigidly, even if they're classically trained.

As for top notch classical recommendations, i've got nothing.

 

[Paganini Alfredo]

The Dresden Dolls are a piano/drums duo that are very good, you might want to check them out.
 
Are you looking for acoustic-sounding piano music? If you don't mind a little blues tinge to your music, The Black Diamond Heavies are an electric fuzz organ/drums duo that are really good too.

That about exhausts my repertoire of featured piano music though!

 

[TheWuss]

My favorite piano album ever? The kohln concert by keith jarrett.

It's sort of free form expressionist jazz with touches of gospel, boogie woogie, classical, and new age thrown in for effect. Recorded solo performance from 1976, the year of my birth.
And it qualifies as epic because it is two pieces of music that each consumed a side of vinyl.
The cd is broken into 4 tracks.

 

[giedrys]

Quote:

My favorite piano album ever? The kohln concert by keith jarrett.

It's sort of free form expressionist jazz with touches of gospel, boogie woogie, classical, and new age thrown in for effect. Recorded solo performance from 1976, the year of my birth.

And it qualifies as epic because it is two pieces of music that each consumed a side of vinyl.
The cd is broken into 4 tracks.

+1
 
It doesn't get more "epic" than this, especially in 96/24:
 
https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HD602527585901
 
 
 

 

[Khemist]

The first thing to pop into my head after reading the words "Epic Piano" was definitely Keith Jarrett (as mentioned).
 
If not the Koln concert, maybe Kyoto off of the Sun Bear Concerts (which as a 6 disk release, certainly qualifies as epic).

 

[Sarah]

My favorite avant-garde piano music:
http://www.amazon.com/Malphas-Book-Angels-3-Feldman/dp/B000CC4W9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299687553&sr=8-1
 
It's a piano/violin duet. Sylvie Courvoisier is the pianist - she is amazing. I've seen her perform a number of times... she uses a lot of extended piano techniques (duct tape, mallets, metal objects etc), which is cool to watch. Definitely out-of-the-ordinary.

 

[Form]

Thanks for the replies! Definitely some interesting stuff here. I've checked out a few (Ferrante & Teicher, Dresden Dolls, Keith Jarrett, …), but I'll take a look at all of them ASAP. The Desden Dolls remind me of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum somehow. Must be their style.
 
Keep 'em coming!

 

[falis]

Look for some 60's-70's Chick Corea.  The band Circle comes to mind (Circling In on Blue Note is representative), and a pair of solo ones he did called Piano Improvisations I & II.  
 
Then go looking for some Cecil Taylor.
 
- Ed

 

[Ynoskire]

Philip Glass - Solo Piano
Olafur Arnalds - Found Songs (though the sq is horrible)
Dustin 'O Halloran - Piano Solos / Piano Solos  vol.2
Gonzales - Solo Piano
Goldmund - Corduroy Road / The Malady of Elegance
Nils Frahm - Wintermusik / The Bells
Craig Armstrong - Piano Works
Deaf Center - Owl and Splinters / Pale Ravine

 

[MorbidToaster]

Let me try to find the video again. Jordan Rudess did an AMAZING original solo song a few years back that was on a DVD somewhere...
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP9mszAATx0 Found it!

 

[Deep Funk]

John Coltrane's "Aisha" might be interesting. Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "The Three Fates" also comes to mind.

 

[saracen]

Well, I think Divenire + Primavera by Ludovico Einaudi both fit the bill. Enjoy

 

[salannelson]

Try this
 
Mouse on the Keys - An Anxious Object