Pieces everyone ELSE loves

[Skeptopotamus]

what are some pieces that everyone is like "OMG this is the greatest music put on this earth" and you're like "OMG it sucks hard"?


Brahms Paganini Variations and coincidentally La Campanella.

[wintervind]

Pretty much anything by Lizst, but I don' think he "sucks hard" using your type of language.
I accually really enjoy Lizst, I could just do without some of his incredibly cheezy melodies. IMO  cheezy- being my language

[Kassaa]

Fantasie impromptu

[dbrainiak914]

One of my friends is obsessed with Mahler... just everything by him.

I don't think he's THAT great...

[tariswerewolf]

Just about everything by Chopin.

It doesn't "suck hard", it's just not my cup of tea.

[Waldszenen]

99% of Prokofiev (the other 1% his Piano Concerto No. 3)

Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, and No. 1 to some extent

Most (not all) works by Ravel, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Khachaturian

And everything atonal/avant-garde/weird

[mlsmithz]

I could probably write a huge volume of pieces everyone else likes but for which I don't particularly care.  Top of the list: the Rachmaninov Concerto No.3.  Second: the 'Moonlight' sonata.  Also included would be the Fantaisie-impromptu, 'Mazeppa', 'Le festin d'Esope' (perhaps Alkan's most popular work but among my least favourite of the minor key etudes), and the Mozart concerti K.466 and K.488 (AKA Nos.20 and 23).  This isn't to say I despise these pieces (a feeling I reserve for Ravel's 'Bolero'), but I don't enjoy them nearly as much as most listeners appear to enjoy them judging from their popularity.  In fact, I'm not even that fond of Beethoven's Symphony No.9, a piece which some listeners seem to speak of as though it were written by God Himself (now that I think of it, didn't Beethoven speak of it that way?).... but I'll take Nos.3, 6, and 7 any day. (It's far easier to find people who would speak ill of any and all of those three than of No.9!) Then among pieces not for piano I also don't think much of Mozart's C minor mass, and actively dislike Holst's 'The Planets' except for parts of 'Jupiter' (I remember seeing them performed when I was younger because I was rather partial to 'Jupiter' at the time.... I was bored rigid by the time they finally shut the door on the chorus at the end of 'Neptune').  I also have yet to hear a Stravinsky piece that really moves me.

Oh, and, as Waldszenen says, almost anything atonal or avant-garde or just plain weird (late Scriabin, Schoenberg except for his very early work, Cage, etc.).... perhaps I just lack the ear for it, but then that's a debate for another thread.

[Skeptopotamus]

ooooh thank god someone else who doesnt care for the rach 3 ^^

[pita bread]

Anything by:

Rachmaninoff (excluding the Paganini Rhapsody, Corelli Vars, Sonata #2)
Chopin
Beethoven (excluding the sonatas Op. 81a and beyond)
Mozart (except for the Fantasie in D)
Brahms
Schubert
Smetana
Medtner

I don't necessarily despise any of these, but they're definately not on top of my piles of cds or sheet music.

[MattL]

Prokofiev's Third  Piano Concerto and anything by Scriabin

[nanabush]

FUR ELISE!!!  I don't like but I appreciate it...

[Skeptopotamus]

nice.  I'm also not a big scriabin freak.  the Sonata No. 5 is great...... that's about it.

[jeremyjchilds]

Pitabread doesent like brahms???

Anyone who doesent like brahms has obviously not played his op118 #2

I almost cry everytime I play that song...in a good way

[apion]

I pretty much like all music, with the exception of Tchaik's 1st Piano Concerto -- but I won't call it a steamy pile of crap (I'll let someone else do that). 

[jeremyjchilds]

I have yet to become very interested in Mozart for some reason...I don't know why, I guess I just really like Beethoven and Haydn

[mlsmithz]

ooooh thank god someone else who doesnt care for the rach 3 ^^

I was just going to say the same, Skepto. It's not that I don't like Rachmaninov in general (I do like Nos.1 and 2 - I've only heard No.4 a few times on the classical station on a transpacific flight, but I did enjoy it - as well as the Paganini Rhapsody, Corelli variations, Sonata No.2, and then his Symphony No.2 is one of my favourite symphonies), but that I just don't much care for Concerto No.3, and it certainly falls under the subject line of this thread - I don't see in it what so many listeners see in it (or hear in it).

I've thought of several more since my original post to this thread - I suffer a more or less allergic reaction to Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique, and don't really enjoy listening to 'La campanella' (well, I don't mind its original incarnation as the finale to Paganini's B minor violin concerto, but Liszt's transcription.... ick), or Schubert's 'Trout' quintet.  Hopefully none of these opinions will get me excommunicated by the classical music community at large....

[montiverdirocks]

One of my friends is obsessed with Mahler... just everything by him.

I don't think he's THAT great...

can this forum somehow be limited to musicians?

[montiverdirocks]

99% of Prokofiev (the other 1% his Piano Concerto No. 3)

Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, and No. 1 to some extent

Most (not all) works by Ravel, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Khachaturian

And everything atonal/avant-garde/weird

Waldszenen is a dickhead

[steinwayguy]

Anything by:

Rachmaninoff (excluding the Paganini Rhapsody, Corelli Vars, Sonata #2)
Chopin
Beethoven (excluding the sonatas Op. 81a and beyond)
Mozart (except for the Fantasie in D)
Brahms
Schubert
Smetana
Medtner

I don't necessarily despise any of these, but they're definately not on top of my piles of cds or sheet music.

You don't like Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Mozart, Schubert or Brahms?


What the hell do you think this is, a Holiday Inn?

[nanabush]

I don't care for Haydn or Mozart not sure why, just can't ever sit down and learn one of their pieces... I have tried I just get bored.

[pita bread]

You don't like Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Mozart, Schubert or Brahms?


What the hell do you think this is, a Holiday Inn?

Naw, I'm just Glenn Gould reborn, 'cept not Canadian, and with an affinity for Ravel, Messiaen, Dutilleux, Villa Lobos, de Falla, Stravinsky, Bartok, and SCRIABIN- basically anything from the earlier half of the 20th century  oh yeah, and Bach and mid/late Beethoven too.

[musicsdarkangel]

most of the baroque and classical era.

Anything from Gluck through Mozart (with exceptions such as concerto in d minor, k 466, some sonatas).  I believe it was Richter who said that every pianist either picks Haydn or Mozart, and he picked Haydn by miles.  Still, I can't stand Haydn. 


Also, Beethoven's Hammerklavier.  I have a feeling it will grow on me, and I do like it, I just don't enjoy it like everyone else does.

I also can't stand SOME Bach. 

Even though they are really cool, and constantly growing on me, I'm not obsessed with the Prokofiev concertos 2 and 3 like everyone else, only the 3rd movement of the 3rd.

I absolutely HATE the Sibelius piano concertos.  Both Prokofiev and Sibelius write brilliant violin concertos, I just haven't gotten into the piano concertos as much yet. (yet being the key word, i'll give it time)

[MattL]

look into Prokofiev's first and second both are great

[ako]

Most of Schubert's piano music. It's great to listen to but somehow I cannot bring myself to have interest in learning them, except Op. 120 sonata and 3 piano pieces.

[barbosa-piano]

Are you refering to the public? The "non-musical" public in general go with nearly anything, and they just love it, with the exception of atonal music, because the general public is used to tonal music, and atonal music requires a great deal of mental effort to be understood and accepted. I guess it would be the same if you listened to atonal music all your life, and then tried listening to Chopin, for example. I believe that the public should be more exposed to atonal music in order to understand it naturally. But it seems weird to me, that personal friends usually really show their enjoyment when they listen to contrapuntal music. They are probably confused with it, as listening to a fuge, or it is probably a simple message, as Bach's Preludes and Fuges on The Well Tempered Clavier.
 

[Teddybear]

I absolutely HATE the Sibelius piano concertos.

He didn't write any piano concertos.

T

[steinwayguy]

He didn't write any piano concertos.

T

Yeah, what?

[Tash]

i can't say i'm overly fond of liszt. his 2nd piano concerto is alright, and i do like his sonata in b minor but i find that the hungarian rhapsodies don't develop into anything. and la campanella i'm not fond of that.
wagner operas are a bit heavy for me. i don't have too much interest in ravel.
but hey maybe it'll all come in good time

[thalberg]

Just as someone previously said, I too like all music except Tchaikovsky Bb concerto.  It's the only piece I don't like.  The opening theme is gorgeous, but after that the developmental techniques are just inconceivably bad.  No flow of ideas.  So boxy and clumsy.  His muse seems to have deserted him after the opening bars. 

If anyone loves that piece, or if it's your favorite, I'm really sorry.  If I heard it at a concert I would put this aside and just enjoy it.

[steinwayguy]

i can't say i'm overly fond of liszt. his 2nd piano concerto is alright, and i do like his sonata in b minor but i find that the hungarian rhapsodies don't develop into anything. and la campanella i'm not fond of that.
wagner operas are a bit heavy for me. i don't have too much interest in ravel.
but hey maybe it'll all come in good time

Liszt's B minor sonata is one of my least favorite works by him (yeah I know). The second piano concerto is probably my favorite though!

[pianote]

is it that people dislike the music or that people don't understand the music?

[quantum]

is it that people dislike the music or that people don't understand the music?

I think you just hit the nail on the head....

---

Anyways, to what I dislike.... or not yet understand. 

The Schumann Concerto; my reaction was: wonderful intro then huh??

A lot of Liszt seems to me to be filled with impressive frizzly stuff, yet there is no meat or content in the music.  It's like eating a huge serving of food, yet you don't even feel full. 

Most music though I do like, and if at first I don't "get it" I do attempt to look further into the composition and see what others see in it.  I try to remain optomistic about music and prevent myself from judging it too quickly. 

I still love Fur Elise!!! 

[larse]

hmm. Music often takes time to...adapt to. As I've heard loads of music, I learn to like...most things that are 'hard' to like. It goes the same way about food. the more you eat something you dislike, you'll 'learn' to like it. However, as you experience new (and often more hard) repertoire, 'simpler' things becomes...boring and uninteresting

Then, there's another point. because no matter how good a piece is, it can always become 'overplayed'. I REALLY dislike

La Campanella !!
Fantasie-Imprumpto (Chopin..duh)
Clair de Lune
Moonlight Sonata (1st movement)
Rondo alla Turca (Mozart A major Sonata 3rd movement kv 336 or something)
Prelude in C (WTC Teil 1...I cannot even describe how much I dislike this. It's really horrible)

I would never say Rach3 is a bad piece, but I don't need to hear how it's "THE GREATEST WORK EVER"...That's just wrong. I also often hear that "It's the hardest work ever to be played" and everyone that has ever played it is "The greatest pianist in the world". Especially David Helfgott, "because he was mad as well".

And I generally never listen to something I've played.

[jens]

Rondo alla Turca (Mozart A major Sonata 3rd movement kv 336 or something)

(it's kv 331  )

[musicsdarkangel]

He didn't write any piano concertos.

T

?

I'm so confused.

I downloaded mp3s off of Karadar a while back that said Sibelius - Piano concerto no X

They were the worst thing I've ever heard, which surprised me, because I adore his violin concertos.


?