opus clavicumbalisticum

[y000]

is it possible to play?
-254 pages
-solo piano
-12 movements
-at least 4 staffs

[Mozartian]

Hi, luda888. Been awhile. 

[thierry13]

Possible, yes. Probable, no.

[jre58591]

its actually called opus clavicembalisticum.

[thalbergmad]

The Sorabjians have defected to their own forum where they discuss such things.

You are best finding your answers there.

Thalx

[tompilk]

yeah...
go to the sorabji forum:
https://sorabji.ath.cx
Yes its possible.. many people have played it... 2 recordings... Madge and Ogdon... rumoured Jonathan Powell recording (this will be excellent)...
Sorabji played it too (might seem obvious, but I did doubt it at first!)
Hamelin could play it but he believes noone should play it due to the fact that such a godly piece cannot be fairly and emotionally be put accross to the audience in the way it was meant to - just for the composer, as sorabji himself said... i think he could do better than anybody though... better than sorabji though...
lot of people could play it... its not impossible... some people do have seemingly limitless techniques...
Tom

[luda888]

Hi, luda888. Been awhile. 

thats not me.

[ramseytheii]

yeah...
go to the sorabji forum:
https://sorabji.ath.cx
Yes its possible.. many people have played it... 2 recordings... Madge and Ogdon...

I wouldn't say "many" people have played it, and also, on those two recordings, I think if you listen with the score you will find that they didn't play it either..

Walter Ramsey

[franz_]

Somewhere I have a rec of it, so yes it is possible.
Everything is possible in music 

[soliloquy]

Another OC thread?


Banned.

[Ruro]

*Must post in Sorabji thread atleast once...*

I agree it's possible, heh

What's with the "at least 4 staffs" bit for though? Not like your sight reading it *Even* if I was that good, I wouldn't read it for 3 hours :/

Soliloquy, do you post on an Anime Forum by chance? Just wondering...

[walking_encyclopedia]

Another OC thread?


Banned.

i agree. i mean come on, think of the stuff you could learn in the time it would take for you to try to scrape together this enormous ridiculous piece.

you could learn the beethoven concerto cycle, or WTC I, or the complete Chopin preludes, or whatever.

there are some pieces that aren't worth the time it takes to learn. in my opinion  this is one of 'em.

[prometheus]

What about listening? I mean, I can understand not many people will want to learn this piece. But is that so important when considering a piece?

[soliloquy]

I don't know many pieces who want to listen to a 4.5 hour piece either >>

Honestly, Sorabji wrote a LOT better.  I was just saying there are way too many OC threads by random n00bs.

[jre58591]

there are some pieces that aren't worth the time it takes to learn. in my opinion  this is one of 'em.

hamelin seems to agree also.

[ramseytheii]

i agree. i mean come on, think of the stuff you could learn in the time it would take for you to try to scrape together this enormous ridiculous piece.

you could learn the beethoven concerto cycle, or WTC I, or the complete Chopin preludes, or whatever.

there are some pieces that aren't worth the time it takes to learn. in my opinion  this is one of 'em.

But who cares? I mean ultimately people that spend a huge amount of time learning this piece don't want to spend that time learning more standard and traditional things.  And why should they.  But I am saying, that as far as i know, nobody has been able to learn and play this piece.  Yes, I know there are recordings, btu I think if you scrutinize the recordings from a closer distance, say, oh, ten feet, you might realize those pianists didn't really learn the piece either.

Walter Ramsey

[pies]

Does anyone else think that had Sorabji not changed his name, no one would be discussing him nowadays? I mean, who would take a composer named Dudley seriously?

[prometheus]

It's easier to remember.

I don't think a composer with music like Sorabji has any advantage of disadvantage from her or his name.

[ramseytheii]

Does anyone else think that had Sorabji not changed his name, no one would be discussing him nowadays? I mean, who would take a composer named Dudley seriously?

Actually I didnt know that.  Can you tell us the story?

Walter Ramsey

[ryguillian]

Does anyone else think that had Sorabji not changed his name, no one would be discussing him nowadays? I mean, who would take a composer named Dudley seriously?

No, you’re completely mistaken—“Dudley” was never his last name; he changed his name from “Leon Dudley Sorabji” to “Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji”. His last name was always “Sorabji”. Chopin is never called “François”, and the case would be no different for Sorabji.

—Ryan

[soliloquy]

Sorabji changed it because he wanted to embrace his Parsi heritage.


Anyways, go to the Sorabji forum if you want Sorabji discussion.

[thalbergmad]

Anyways, go to the Sorabji forum if you want Sorabji discussion.

Yes oh great one, we will do as you say.

Thank you master.

[soliloquy]

Yes oh great one, we will do as you say.

Thank you master.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOT TO SPEAK TO ME UNLESS GIVEN PERMISSION!!!


GET THE WHIP

[pies]

No, you’re completely mistaken—“Dudley” was never his last name; he changed his name from “Leon Dudley Sorabji” to “Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji”. His last name was always “Sorabji”. Chopin is never called “François”, and the case would be no different for Sorabji.

—Ryan

It's Leon Dudley according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorabji and a simple google search.
And could his second name be any more pretentious? Christ.

[ryguillian]

It's Leon Dudley according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorabji and a simple google search.
And could his second name be any more pretentious? Christ.

That information is incorrect, or at least misleading. He was born “Leon Dudley” in the sense that he changed his named to “Kaikhosru Shapurji”—“Leon Dudley Sorabji” became “Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji”—his surname was never “Dudley”.

...Just a little p.s. here, his father was an Indian with Parsi background. “Dudley”, in that case would make absolutely no sense. I’ve never heard of an Indian with the last name “Dudley”. (Esp. considering his father was living in India, so immigration didn't change it.) Unless he took his mother’s last name. I don’t think he did, though.

—Ryan

[ahinton]

hamelin seems to agree also.

As far as we are aware, what Hamelin said about learning OC is that it ws not worth the effort for him - not that it was necessarily not worth anyone's effort to do it; in fact, he was most impressed by Jonathan Powell's NYC performance, so he would hardly have said that he thought it not worth HIS effort...

Best,

Alistair

[lostinidlewonder]

You learn a piece because you are compelled to learn it. Most people want to learn a  piece because they hear other people play it and thus want to be able to prove to themselves that they can also play at that standard. That is superficial in my mind. You learn a piece because you want to and you need to learn it full stop. If that is part of the OC or the whole thing (But I doubt that many people would actually like the OC in its entirity, parts of it is sheer brilliance, parts are just over the top ideas.)

Then again, I doubt many people have actually heard the entire OC or played through the score, so be careful listening to peoples opinions on it because it is just what they think, they don't actually know it for sure. Hamelin (if he did actually say it I don't know for sure I am only saying what others have posted) saying its not worth this time probably shows that he is not really interested in the music itself, not the fact that it is hard and time consuming (nothing would be too hard for him he has every tool in the book and outside of it!).

[john11inc]

Not nearly as difficult as the Opus Secretion.