Demo piece to show piano quality

[alzado]

I play a Yamaha upright -- a large one -- for my lessons.  At home I play a 5'8" grand.

For me it is a no-brainer that the grand sounds better.  This could be partly the better piano, and partly the acoustics of the room.

In any case, some pieces don't sound all that different when played in the morning on the grand, and for the lesson -- later in the day -- on the upright.

Other pieces . . .  the difference is great!  The richness of sound is just not there on the upright.  But the piece being played will affect how striking this upright/grand contrast is.

Here's my question -- what piece would be a good showcase piece to demonstrate the difference in richness of sound between pianos?

I nominate the Chopin nocturne Opus 37, No. 1.  I think it is all the big left-hand chords in the C4 octave that really showcase the richness and power of the grand versus the upright.

I hope that if or when people suggest a demo piece, they really think about the sound, and do not just pick whatever happens to be their favorite piece this week.

[kghayesh]

Play some Ligeti and Liszt's Grand Galoppe Chromatique     That should do the job

[henrah]

Beethoven's Hammerklavier. I saw it being performed by Paul Lewis last night on a Steinway D, and I know for sure that it wouldn't have sounded half as good on an upright. For starters, uprights don't have an una corda pedal that actually changes the sound instead of just lowering the volume. Also, most uprights have lousy bass, and the transition between bass and middle, and middle and treble is very noticeable; whereas on a good grand it isn't.
Henrah

[steveie986]

The opening chords of Tchaikovsky concerto no. 1.

[stevie]

The opening chords of Tchaikovsky concerto no. 1.

hahaha  evgeny

2 things to look for in a piano - sound and action/feel

so maybe 2 contrasting pieces, one soft and one fast and loud, possibly

[avetma]

You have everything you need in First Ballade g-minor.

[invictious]

Prokofiev - Suggestion Diabolique

The pp to fff, cheers

and of course, the C# minor prelude by Rach, ppp and ffff

[houseofblackleaves]

The ultimate test of quality:


Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu!!!

[kevinatcausa]

Debussy's "Sunken Cathedral" might be appropriate for this. 

[mike_lang]

Debussy's "Sunken Cathedral" might be appropriate for this. 

Yes... this in combination with La Campanella (or another piece with a comparable amount of repeated notes).

[da jake]

Brahms Concerto 2. Gives the bass hell. 

[pianote]

i think every piece sounds worse on an upright...but off the top of my head...

ravel's scarbo & ondine, schumann's fantasy op.17, liszt's tarantella...mazeppa...

eh, almost everything 

[rapmasterb]

"You have everything you need in First Ballade g-minor."

Agreed.

Expecially the middle section with the chords in the right hand and the bass (right before the scherzo section). It just doesnt sound the same on an upright.