Your Ultimate Goal Piece

[virtuoso_735]

sorry to say - but thats very easy

Perhaps, but I never persisted with the piece. I always quit after two days, but someday I'll get to it.

[Max]

whoever pays me da most

Theres a man who knows what he's doing

Dream pieces: Complete Debussy Etudes, Complete Images (1+2), Complete Beethoven Sonatas (yeah right!)

Realistic pieces - Debussy Et.11, Grieg Sonata, Beethoven op.14

[bela]

Realistic: Beethoven op. 49º nº 2
Only in my dreams: entire goldberg variations

[Helling]

Not sure if I would call it a dream piece, but I've been trying rather long to manage a good version of Liszt's sonata. However, I have a definite problem with long pieces due to my restricted practice time, so I always end up messing some part up.

[Goldberg]

Hmm, let's see, I've got a few new things to say...

Realistic: HR6 (I'm hell-bent on learning this by the end of the month, and who knows, maybe I'll actually manage to do so), 1st version of La Chasse, Ballade in B minor (Liszt, that is: hopefully I'll do this before the end of the summer), Tarantelle di Bravura, a few others by Liszt...

Chopin: Heroic Polonaise (yeah, I'm actually seriously thinking about doing this one, even though I've never wanted to before...Rubinstein and Cziffra have gotten me back into it), Allegro de Concert, Tarantelle

Godowsky: So help me, I'm *going* to learn at least one Chopin etude trans. by this maniac before this year ends

Cziffra: Same as above, but with Cziffra's transcriptions

In my dreams: Busoni's Tocatta, Godowsky's Passacalgia, Bach's Goldberg Variations (I've actually considered learning these again recently...and, yes, I'm insane), Liszt's Tannhauser Overture trans...which, come to think of it, probably isn't as hard as I think it is; but I know his Beethoven symphony transcriptions are very difficult, and I'd like to do 5 and 9.

Hmm, well that's what I'm interested in now, and at least I'm somewhat on my way to finishing HR6 and starting Ballade no. 2 and La Chasse.......eventually, who knows, maybe Hell will freeze over and I'll finally finish something!

[Helling]

Tannhauser transcription isnt so bad. Also learning the first version of la chasse, it is rather helpful to learn the second (at least they are in the same key), so it can be somewhat of a preparation. The main problems that are not found in the second version but in the first are the awkard jumps in the middle part, and rather awkard scales (in sixths i think) that have not yet been replaced by glissandi.

[Max]

Do the LH only Godowsky 10/3, I've heard its easier than original!

[Goldberg]

Helling: yeah, I remember you telling me about that once. I'm actually looking forward to those scale passages for a good workout, and besides, my glissandi aren't very good, heh. On that note, I may at some point this year have a bit of fun with the 10th Rhapsody, for some good glissandi work.

Max: Yeah, that's about my speed, haha, but I'll probably attempt something more suicidal, like, say, the 10-1 (v1), 10-2 (v1, LHO), or 25-12, LHO...and I actually rather like the first "Butterfly" Transcription quite a bit...I dunno, last time I tried to learn the first 10-2 transcription, I about killed my left hand, being rather stupid. That was a while ago, though, and now I know a little bit more about what I was doing wrong.

[Max]

If you're gonna learn something suicidal, try one of the 10/5 transcriptions, my favourite is the Tarentelle one (in a minor..!)

[Helling]

Hmm just realised Goldberg and I are talking on two forums at the same time. I kind of escaped my own forum a while to get my mind off all arguments.

Glissandi are rather easy, though they burn your hand if you play them too quickly. I have a recording somewhere of Suggestion Diabolique where I tried to imitate Prokofiev in playing the two consecutive glissandi without any ritardando at all. But after that I realised why most pianists slow down the tempo here, after burning my fingers rather bad. So now I have a documented recording of when I almost lost a finger, but it ended up reasonably well. Not sure if Prokofiev just had metal fingers or was a masochist.

For some reason, glissandi with the right hand are rather easy for me, but I suck at the ones with the left (there arent usually many, unless both hands have glissandi, in which case you can usually cheat a bit).

By the way with the Tarantelle de Bravoure, you mean the one from Auber's opera? I played that once, but at first I thought you meant the common tarantelle from venezia e napoli.

[Goldberg]

Yep: the one from Auber's opera! You played it?? Incredible! You're now my new hero. It's not extraordinarily difficult, at least at first glance, but it's a cool piece and horribly neglected. Actually, come to think of it, that's the first time I've heard of the other Tarantelle...hmm, shows you how little I really know about Liszt.

And, yeah, I remember talking at some length with you at the CF chat room once a month or two ago, and you mentioned that more pianists should play from the earlier etudes of Liszt, and would love to see someone perform all the first PE's in concert...well, I'm not that optimistic myself, but I'm glad to hear you're giving it a whirl!

Glissandi actually aren't too hard for me; I'm like you, I can do them well enough in the right hand, but I always feel strained when I do them with my left. Yeah, I can probably fix it in a day or two but so far I haven't had much reason to work on left hand glissandi, heh. Actually, what's killer is the ascending gliss on black notes in Cziffra's Blue Danube transcription, right smack in the beginning section. What kind of insane person would do that?? Voluntarily?? A God.

Prokofiev did, in fact, have metal fingers...it's been proven.

Oh, and Max: I spent a good month learning the first 10-5 transcription, and actually did the whole thing and had it sounding decent, but scrapped it because I realised I just didn't have enough understanding of the technique to play it safely (plus, I could only play it at about 3/4's tempo, and anything faster hurt). I do like that Tarantelle one, though, and really would like to play the last version, just because it looks so bloody cool when you watch Hamelin play it, at least. Besides, there's this Korean girl with whom I had a rivalry a LONG time ago, and she always intimidated me with her Black Key etude, which won my teacher over (we had the same teacher, and she was clearly the favourite). I've always wanted to learn the LH only Black Key and be like "yeah?? Well I can do that, minus my better hand!! Mwahahaha!"

Ahem..back on topic, I'd also like to play Bartok 2 and Dvorak 1. Ha. Ha. Count them as dream pieces.

[Helling]

You do know that Liszt also wrote two versions of the Auber transcription I guess. The first version is difficult to track down, but it is not really more effective (just more difficult technically, or rather more clumsily written as was often the case with Liszt's earlier versions of pieces).

Hehe well I couldnt play that piece now probably, this is when I was about 10 years younger, and hadnt gotten involved in law so much (or rather, back when I actually thought I wanted to be a concert pianist). I included it in a concert once but then I wasnt too happy with how I played it, and it seems the difficulty / effect ratio wasnt as great as I had hoped.

Ever since I have less time to practice I almost never play showpieces, but only try to focus on pieces that are "profound" in some way. Not that pieces like these are without merit, and i do enjoy listening to them, but i just cant use the little time i have to practice them, since there are so many things i promised myself i would finish (e.g. Liszt's annees) which i never get around to.

Also, I understand your interest in getting the tarantelle to performance standard, but if i were you (though i am an old fart of course so maybe this is why), i would focus on the second ballade. That is a really great piece of music that shows Liszt in his, in the opinion of many, highest peak middle period Weimar form.

And hey what does this karma thing mean? That i am evil? Anyone at the pianosociety could have told you that.

[Goldberg]

Haha, to be honest I don't know what it is either. Apparently I'm "good", though. Sometimes when I'm bored I take a few moments, decide what I think about people, and rate them accordingly...otherwise, I dunno what it does, heh.

I actually didn't know there were two versions of the Tarantelle; indeed, like I said, I remain highly ignorant of Liszt's music, though I'm constantly expanding my knowledge of it...it is, as you know (since you played a good deal of it) an enormous body of work.

And, finally, I understand what you say about the Ballade compared to the Tarantelle...I agree, and the Ballade will be undertaken next month, perhaps, after I finish the 6th Rhapsody, and the Tarantelle will be a second- or third- priority, or even lower on my list. I'm interested in it partly because it's relatively obscure and partly cos it sounds really cool to me (though I can't imagine the audience, musically illiterate, liking it as much as I do). But, yeah, it's not going to be the first thing I do, for sure.

[citrine_peridot]

Hmm, let's see, I've got a few new things to say...

Realistic: HR6 (I'm hell-bent on learning this by the end of the month, and who knows, maybe I'll actually manage to do so), 1st version of La Chasse, Ballade in B minor (Liszt, that is: hopefully I'll do this before the end of the summer), Tarantelle di Bravura, a few others by Liszt...

Chopin: Heroic Polonaise (yeah, I'm actually seriously thinking about doing this one, even though I've never wanted to before...Rubinstein and Cziffra have gotten me back into it),Allegro de Concert, Tarantelle

calling my dream piece realistic !!!!!!!!!!!you are hideous!!!!!!!!!!!!

actually, i m learnning the note of this polonaise (along with a nocturne, and of course , fixing up un sospiro) i am trying to grasp as much as i can and see how much i would get before turnning into a retarded-17-year-old. currently i can only play 4 musical episodes (out of 9) from memory~~~~~~~~~~~~~it gonna take damn long for me to finish it and put different parts together.

btw, just a warning, if i see you(or anyone who looks suspicious) in any piano store playing(practicing , showing -off whatever you call it) this piece , you might receive a loud "man, YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

just because: it 's the A-flat polonaise.

[Goldberg]

Hahaha, well I will certainly be on the look out. Chances are, however, I'll remove myself from the bench and whole-heartidly agree with you!

As I said, I normally wouldn't do such an over-played piece, but I decided that I need something that my broad audience (haha, now I'm attempting to imply that I'm going to have an "audience" to refer to) to stamp their feet to and hum in their heads, because no doubt some of the other pieces will be far beyond their grasp on music, no matter how basic we consider them on the forums.

And, what, I'm a sucker for loud, cool-sounding pieces. IS THAT A CRIME?!?! HUH???? oh, wait, I'm not in PianoWorld....*whew*