shostakovich piano concerto no.2

[letters]

has anyone played this? i might be playing this soon im just wondering how difficult it is, ive listened to it some of it sounds quite tricky. ive done grade 8 du reckon il manage? heh

[BoliverAllmon]

I did the first mvt. I will tell you the hard parts. in the first mvt. you play some 32nd notes in the RH and quickly go to contrary octaves. If you can manage that, then the firts mvt. is pretty easy. 2nd mvt. has a bit of 3 on 4 real short, but very nice. Third mvt. has for lack of better terms third trills.

overall it isn't hard, I think you can handle it.

[phil13]

Which mvt. is the one they used in 'Fantasia 2000' ? Just curious.

I've been thinking about learning some of this concerto too. At what level (what other pieces) should you be at to handle it? How does it rank compared to the 1st concerto?

Phil

[crazy for ivan moravec]

i played this concerto. it's fun performing it.

the 3rd movement is the most difficult among the 3 movements- ensemble and technically speaking. the double thirds are ok... just drop it and do it in one stroke, anyway they're short phrases. the mock Hanon in 6ths are tricky for me. i did it at a very fast tempo and so the 16ths were really crazy. (M.M. 160 to a quarter i think)

basically, shosta's piano works are mostly pianistic, very. find the right positions for the hand with those SEEMINGLY difficult scales.

remember that speed is not everything here. it can be a plus, but it's actually the strictness/steadiness of your runs which will make everything sound more exciting. i would suggest NO RUSHING AT ALL.

dynamics are important to go with your steady tempo. go big with chords that are marked ff or f, but don't produce a "brahms sound". make it ringing/thinner, penetrate those top notes really well, and definitely big! as for the running passages, you have to let everyone hear every 16th note you play. it will sound more virtuosic if you concentrate on those running 16ths, of course, without sacrificing the musical line.

make the 2nd movement your prayer.

for the 1st movement, thinking of the Fantasia 2000 visuals might help. i just don't think it has anything to do with the music itself. but why not...

think like an 18 year old russian teen! it was written for his son who was 18 then. (i think?)

there's not much musical demands in this work, so concentrate on how to sound exciting. get the character in your head and feel it everyday even if your away from the piano.

good luck!

[mikey6]

Which mvt. is the one they used in 'Fantasia 2000' ? Just curious.

I think it was just the first, can't remember exactly.
As regards to it's difficulty, it's generally considered one of the easier pieces in the concerto repertoire.  One pianist who I don't have the greatest respest for as a person said you could learn either of the Shosta concertos in a day.

[BoliverAllmon]

keep the pedal off in the first mvt for sure. I agree to keep it thin. second mvt can use pedal. I still kind of lend toward no pedal in the third as well.

[Teddybear]

I've played it too. It's fun.

think like an 18 year old russian teen! it was written for his son who was 18 then. (i think?)

15.

[donjuan]

This is one of those pieces you see 12 year old asian girls playing, one after another in a competition where they could have picked any concerto they want.

ive done grade 8 du reckon il manage? heh

Yep, ah reck'n that there pianese is about in yer neck'o' the woods

[letters]

those competitions freak me out they're like robots. They have no personality when playing its just sit down play stand up little bow sit down next.