When it comes to piano music, there is no doubt that Chopin is considered one of the best and was a true pioneer of the piano and invented the ballade and scherzi for piano. As the son-in-law of a classicaly trained piano teacher, I have been exposed to a lot of the grets when it comes to piano, both composers and players a like.

What I have found though, is that my personal favorite is Sergei Rachmaninoff, a Russian composer, pianist and conductor. His Piano Concerto No. 2 (playing above in the video) is one of my favorites. Where Chopin concentrated mostly on the piano as a solo instrument, Rachmaninoff concentrated on highlighting the piano in concertos and with orchestra accompainment. The results endlessly enjoyable and moving.

For the classical newb, when it is time for you to experience the piano as the chief instrument, I suggest listening to the piano concertos of Rachmaninoff and the piano sonatas of Beethoven and the works of Chopin. This should give you a nice base to work off in your own experminentation.