first foray into Liszt

[fiasco]

I'm a big fan of Liszt, his music and attitudes towards music, composing, performing, & teaching, but have always considered him too hard to play.  Having just gotten down Rachmaninoff's prelude in c#minor and Chopin's ballade #1, I feel it is time to serioulsy try to conquer one of these things.  I tried HR#2, mainly because I see it as a sort of right-of-passage for any serious pianist, and abandoned it right around the third page.  It's still beyond me, so I'm looking for a good starting point among my favorites to get me there.  I'm thinking maybe Trans. Etude #2, or #8, or #10.  Hungarian Rhapsody #7?Maybe Grand Galop Chromatique? Is that too difficult?  I feel that Grand Galop is certainly easier than the Mazeppa or HR#2, no?

[rob47]

start with vallee d'obermann

 

[nero21]

mabye un sospiro

[lisztwasgod]

you are a wonderful person for your interest in liszt...hungarian rhapsody number two is overplayed and startlingly difficult...its a good HR, but id start with 8 or, your great idea, 7. grand galop chromatique is  phenominally difficult to get uip to speed and requireds a lot of 4 and 5 dexterity, but for starters i might suggest one of his ballades or his first polonaise as well. His petrarch sonatas are also very simple pieces to get one in the right mindset for good liszt playing

[arensky]

From Annes de Pelerinage, Book 1 Suisse;

Au lac de Wallenstadt

Le mal de Pays

La Vallee d'obermann (The Valley of Dobermans)
already mentioned...

These pieces are less technically demanding and are a good way to get into Liszt without stopping at the 3rd page in dismay; you are not alone in this experience. Lisztwasgod's ideas are excellent. The b minor Ballade might be just the thing, or Funerailles or others from Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuse. OH!! Annees de Pelerinage Book 3; these are very approachable, almost sightreadable! I feel these are some of Liszt's best pieces; check out both versions of Aux Cypresses de la Villa d'este(sp) and Sursum Corda; awesome stuff !

[orlandopiano]

You're right about HR#2.  Somehow it has turned into a piece that doesn't present any significant challenges (because it's usually found on the same CD as Fur Elise and Moonlight Sonata?).  This is totally wrong.  HR#2 is a very difficult piece.  I still haven't learned the whole thing.  And at about 18 pages, it's looong.

Stick to a Consolation, or Vallee d'obermann.  And when ready for HRs, don't start with #2.

[jehangircama]

how come you've got an 18 pg version. mine's only 14 pgs (HR2). of course the only is a bit of, shall i say, an understatement. phenomenal piece though. first heard it on a tom and jerry cartoon.

[liszt1022]

My first Liszt was "Sposalizio" from Annees de Pelerinage. It has a lot of really nice music in it. It sounds harder than it really is, and the octave parts are fun to play.

[pianobil]

Greetings, Mr. Fiasco.

I'll keep this brief, but Liszt is Liszt; furthermore, don't forget that a crowd pleaser piece only pleases a crowd if it's played well.  Take some of the aforementioned advice and avoid the Grand Galop, for it really is wickedly awkward.  Same goes for Mazeppa, with even more emphasis.  Un Sospiro is a good suggestion, and I would also recommend the Tarentella from Venezia e Napoli (Annees de Pelerinage, Book I).  The piece is a fun romp, and while the repeated notes take a good amount of practice, most of the rest of the piece is remarkably comportable to a pianistic hand.

Best luck,
Bill

[phil13]

Do one of the three Sonnetos del Petrarca.

No.104 is the hardest, but the other two, No.47 and 123 are good starting pieces.

If you don't mind playing something popular (apparently many people on this forum do) then try Liebestraume No.3 (yes, the one everybody knows). It's not extremely difficult, and was the first piece by Liszt that I played.

Phil

[burstroman]

Any of the Soiree de Vienne are fun.

[larse]

What they say about Liszt is often that there's a 'key' to find, and after that it's not hard anymore...But remember that the HRs are not the key works in Lizts production...it's the less serious ones you find there. From Années de Pélérinage, especially book 3(I think) you find some of the greatest music. and there's more obscure pieces, Like the Lugubre Gondolas, Nuage Gris and more.

If you're looking for other Liszt things, the Valse Oubliées are allright, Valse Impromptu is a nice encore, and maybe Transcendental Etude no 1 might suit you. It's said to be quite allright...but if you stop the HR2 at page two, you should probably wait with the transcendental studies...And Grande Galop Chromatique is not even music in my ears...just a damned circus