[f_minor] Re : Short list of hard stuff

Tue Aug 31 11:34:33 EDT 2010

Good additions.  I find that the Beethoven, if played at tempo is quite challenging.  The "A" is not the most difficult but because it is so poetic and large in structure it is quite something to pull off.  B's Opus 111 is daunting for sure and aside from the cumbersome trills, is not as overtly hard to go through as say, the third movement of the "Moonlight" with a blaze of speed behind you.  I agree with the Ravel (he must have been a phenomenally gifted pianist)....I have not printed off Scarbo and now you've scared me out of it.  The Schumann I probably heard once but I cannot recall it's themes, so I think I'll have a look at the music....his rarely played show pieces just dazzle the mind.   I have yet to play any Godowsky - too cowardly.  Liszt spent much of his career doing transcriptions; my favorite and I have it in two big books at home, are the Beethoven symphonies.  I feel that a person can gain so much insight into the inner workings of his symphonies at a more profound level by playing through Liszt's almost impossibly hard transcriptions.  The texture of the harmonies in the symphonies sound like they are in 3 D versus the rush of sounds when a whole orchestra is performing.  I so enjoyed learning more about the music in that way.  His other transcriptions of other composers are almost unplayable in difficulty.  It is no wonder that women passed out regularly at his soirees.  I think I have the Brahms Paganini variations at home and I don't recall being that much impressed by the music. I have yet to play any Stravinsky on the piano.  Also too scary.  Bartok I have not touched either.....

Regards,

Fred

________________________________

From: f_minor-bounces at glenngould.org [mailto:f_minor-bounces at glenngould.org] On Behalf Of Jean-Christophe Ponsero
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 11:07 AM
To: Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.
Subject: [f_minor] Re : Short list of hard stuff

Hi Fred, 

I would personally not consider Appasionata a technically difficult piece. I'm OK with the Waldstein and would add the op. 111 because of the trills + theme at the right hand. Hammerklavier is difficult because of the final fugue.

Balakirev's Islamey is a good candidate as suggested by James. 

More food for thought (and fingers) :

For Ravel I would add Scarbo from Gaspard de la nuit and the concertos
Schumann's Fantasie op. 17 has one reportedly unplayable moment at the end of the 2nd movement, although I've neved checked the score.
Godowsky's Passacaglia and most of the etudes on Chopin's etudes
Liszt's transcription of the Tannhäuser overture + some of the hungarian rhapsodies + the B-minor sonata + transcendental etudes
Brahms's Paganini variations
3 movements from Petrushka by Stravinsky
Bartok's sonata

Cheers

________________________________

De : "Houpt, Fred" <fred.houpt at rbc.com>
À : Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. <f_minor at glenngould.org>
Envoyé le : Mar 31 août 2010, 15h 57min 51s
Objet : [f_minor] Short list of hard stuff

I have drafted a short list, not in any way fully representative, of hard piano music.  Just an opening bunch to think about and add to.

Difficult piano music 

Beethoven

Appassionato, Waldstein, Hammerklavier

JS Bach

most of Goldberg

Brahms

Second Piano Concerto

D. Scarlatti

All his keyboard sonatas (at full tempo)

Schumann

Parts of Piano Sonata 1

Rachmaninoff

Piano sonata #2

Chopin

Butterfly Etude

Ravel

"La Valse" for two hands

Paul Dukas

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" for two hands

Prokofiev

Piano Sonatas (all hard, can't imagine the concertos....)

Saint-Saens

Piano Etudes, Preludes and Fuges (at full tempo)

Regards,

Fred Houpt

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