Easier Liszt pieces?

[emmdoubleew]

The other thread inspired me to start this one. Personally I am much interested in kowing the easier pieces since I am not so pro at the piano myself . I was wondering which pieces are accessible to intermediate level pianists (if any).

[jre58591]

reminiscences de norma

[emmdoubleew]

23 pages looks a bit intimidating 

[jre58591]

haha just kidding

try maybe one of the années de pélèrinage

[frederic]

maybe one of the consolations? or if you want something more challenging, the first of the transcendental studies.

[avetma]

I think his "Christmas Tree" songs are the easiest ones.

Exepct 12 studies (before grand and transcedental).

But looking on more famous pieces, Liebestraum no.3 is considered to be easier concert piece.

[emmdoubleew]

Yeah I read through most of the 12 exercices, those are a little easier than what I have in mind.

I'm gonna look at the first TE, then probably liebenstraum no.3 or the  années de pélèrinage. Thanks guys.

keep em coming.

[mike_lang]

Try Mephisto Waltz.  I don't want to be one of those arrogant guys that posts something like "Do Don Juan, it's nothing - of course I know it's hard, but I look better by saying it's easy," but I really feel that Mephisto is very pianistic.  People are offput by its showiness and use of effects, but I think that the only things that are truly difficult in it are the shifts in the "Coda" and the quasi-third trills, some of which can be circumvented by a redistribution among the hands.  And really, for some people even these things are very easy.  If anything, it is somewhat long.  I just remember in December when I asked my piano teacher if I should attempt it, and he said "It's easy." (The only three things he's ever told me are difficult are the Liszt Spanish Rhapsody, the Don Juan Fantasy, and Prokofiev Second Concerto)

Best,
Michael

[chopinfan_22]

The Consolations are simple. Not hard at all.

[cloches_de_geneve]

Contrary to popular belief, a lot of Liszt's music is RELATIVELY easy technically:

- Consolations are basic
- Liebestraume are basic
- Annees are not particularly difficult (maybe except Orage, Dante and Tarantella)
- His late pieces are basic (Nuages, Unstern, Bagtelle sans Tonalite, Valses oubliees)
- Harmonies Poetiques / Religeuses are not very difficult (except maybe for Benediction that requires quite a RH strech)
- 2nd Ballade
- Many Hungarian Rhapsodies
- Etudes de concert (sospiro, waldesrauschen, leggierezza) are admittedly more taxing but still in a  manageable range.

I really do not want to seem arrogant, but the problems of this music are more interpretational than technical.

[frederic]

Contrary to popular belief, a lot of Liszt's music is RELATIVELY easy technically:

- Consolations are basic
- Liebestraume are basic
- Annees are not particularly difficult (maybe except Orage, Dante and Tarantella)
- His late pieces are basic (Nuages, Unstern, Bagtelle sans Tonalite, Valses oubliees)
- Harmonies Poetiques / Religeuses are not very difficult (except maybe for Benediction that requires quite a RH strech)
- 2nd Ballade
- Many Hungarian Rhapsodies
- Etudes de concert (sospiro, waldesrauschen, leggierezza) are admittedly more taxing but still in a  manageable range.

I really do not want to seem arrogant, but the problems of this music are more interpretational than technical.

I can say i would take on Liszt over Mozart anyday. Not because i like Liszt more, but because Mozart is far more difficult and stressful to play.... 

[bernhard]

Have a look here (but you may find them too easy):

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=7b2f205758230985687ad52453952b67&topic=4094.msg38101#msg38101
 (Liszt easy pieces)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[emmdoubleew]

I can say i would take on Liszt over Mozart anyday. Not because i like Liszt more, but because Mozart is far more difficult and stressful to play.... 

Mozart is absolutely terrifying to perform, but rather easy to learn.


Bernahrd: Thanks! Quite a bit of them are too easy for me, but many are great for "quick studies"

[bernhard]

Mozart is absolutely terrifying to perform, but rather easy to learn.


Bernahrd: Thanks! Quite a bit of them are too easy for me, but many are great for "quick studies"

You are welcome.

[dnephi]

Preludio from Transcendental Etudes is fairly easy to manage.  According to my big black book, it is "Easily playable by the average student."

[nanabush]

K I wouldn't consider mephisto waltz 'easy' ever... I haven't played it but it's obviously difficult... maybe easier compared to his insane pieces, but there's no way it's one of his easier pieces...

[burstroman]

These works aren't too formidable:  Ave Maria (Harmonies Poetiques et Religiouses)
                                                         Pater Noster ( ditto)
                                                         Hymne de l'enflant a son reveil)  (ditto)
                                                         Nuages Gris
                                                         Soirees de Vienne (1-5)
                                                         Hungarian Rhapsody #3
                                                         Romance Oubliee
                                                         Consolations
                                                         Romance (1848)
                                                         Ave Verum Corpus (transcr. of Mozart)

[ramseytheii]

Try Mephisto Waltz.  I don't want to be one of those arrogant guys that posts something like "Do Don Juan, it's nothing - of course I know it's hard, but I look better by saying it's easy," but I really feel that Mephisto is very pianistic.  People are offput by its showiness and use of effects, but I think that the only things that are truly difficult in it are the shifts in the "Coda" and the quasi-third trills, some of which can be circumvented by a redistribution among the hands.  And really, for some people even these things are very easy.  If anything, it is somewhat long.  I just remember in December when I asked my piano teacher if I should attempt it, and he said "It's easy." (The only three things he's ever told me are difficult are the Liszt Spanish Rhapsody, the Don Juan Fantasy, and Prokofiev Second Concerto)

Best,
Michael

In many ways I agree with you, except to say that while you find a couple of spots to be the most challenging, others will have no problems with those spots, and have problems somewhere else.   Even Richter said of ths piece, "You have to practice it all the time."
The piece really is uber-pianistic, though that still doesn't necessarily make it piansitically accessible, but I do generally agree that the problems of this piece are in the interpretation.  The hardest thing, i think, is to make it not just sound like "showiness and use of effects."  It requires such specific qualities of sound in such minute gradations, that the true difficulty only begins to reveal itself, when one has the pianistic demands under control.

Walter Ramsey