Hardest piece ever written?

[soliloquy]

Where can I find recordings of more of Christopher Fox's works (i.e. etudes, sonatas)?

Are there any other exponents of Finnissy other than Pace? Not that I necessarily have something against Pace but I'd like alternative examples.

Similarly, where can I find a full version of The Road? I've only seen excerpts on Amazon, played by Rzewski himself.

Oh, and how do you pronounce Rzewski? I thought I knew, but I heard people pronouncing it both "reh-ZEW-ski" and "reh-CHEV-ski" and now I'm confused.

~Max~

1. Different Fox.

2. Hodges, Knoop, Henck, that dutch fag who plays the Barlow.

3.  Live performance vid.

4.  JEFF-skee; the J is like the Z in "azure".

[bflatminor24]

1. Different Fox.

2. Hodges, Knoop, Henck, that dutch fag who plays the Barlow.

3.  Live performance vid.

4.  JEFF-skee; the J is like the Z in "azure".

Since you know a lot more about avant-garde music as a whole, care to inform me which Fox wrote the near-impossible pieces you listed?

Also, where can I find a recording of the Barlow? I saw that Dutch guy's site, he has performed a whole bunch of ridiculous stuff live. Not sure how good he is but he obviously has some kind of affinity for near-impossible music.

[jre58591]

1. Different Fox.

2. Hodges, Knoop, Henck, that dutch fag who plays the Barlow.

3.  Live performance vid.

4.  JEFF-skee; the J is like the Z in "azure".

wow, you have a vid of the road??? can i get that also, please? also, can i have the URL for that dutch guy's site?

[steve_m]

.

[shoenberg3]

Whether or not my questions - reference to which has, incidentally, no need of your inverted commas - were posed with a view to serving anything that you might believe to be a useful purpose is, of course, your personal prerogative to decide (for yourself, that is). That said, I remind you that the exchange was as follows. You wrote
Remarkably, this thread began in the most inane of questions and ended with one of most bookish arguments I have ever seen in these forums.

The notion that this thread began with what you claim to believe may be an inane question is open to reasonable challenge if not all other contributors thereto happen to share your view, as indeed is demonstrably the case; my questioning of your belief as to its inanity was therefore equally reasonable.

I drew your attention to the fact that this wa snot the first time that the subject had been raised in this or other fora and accordingly asked you - in a non-combative manner -  what it was that made you assume that this particular instance of it is "remarkable" and that, if you believe the "argument" here to have been "bookish", what kinds of "book" you had in mind when so stating? Again, not unreasonable or combative.

I stated that "the question is not, I believe, an inane one in and of itself, even though I do feel that it may well be an over-estimated and misunderstood one that may not necessarily appear to address the reasons for and background to the various difficulties concerned - nor, perhaps, even the great variety of the difficulties themselves". Again, the fact that I happen not to coincide with your view 100% and stated as much was reasonable and done in a non-combative manner.

The questions were therefore simple. No pedantry was accordingly involved, any more than was any desire to "correct" your perfectly reasonable choice of words (even though I did not entirely agree with them) or indeed anyone else's.

Best,

Alistair

Honestly speaking, interpretating this gives me a lot of headache. Is such elevated diction necessary in.... an frickin' internet forum? Many times, I can't take you - as renowned a figure in music as you are - seriously because of your almost comedic bombast.

[bflatminor24]

Hey Soliloquy, aka Maddycrew aka I_LOVE_XENAKIS aka John et al,

I read some of your comments in previous fora, and you weren't too nice. Not the best way to set an example for an educated, informed, intelligent discusion about modern music.

I do appreciate modern and avant-garde, but I can sympathize with others who don't. I think you accuse people of lacking intelligence when they disagree with you because you're insecure about your own intelligence and abilities and putting others down is a tried-and-true method of validating your own.

And guys, I know a lot of people have extensive lexicons here and take pride in flaunting their vernacular, but please, let's cut the bombastic, ostentatious verbiage? ^^

And John, you obviously possess some knowledge about avant-garde music, why don't you take a more didactic, helpful attitude, and spread the wonder and beauty of avant-garde instead of pontificating about how people who don't immediately grasp this music are morons...

Try actually teaching them stuff about the music - they'll learn about it, perhaps even grow to appreciate and even ENJOY it, you'll feel better about yourself, and you'll gain an iota of respect from the community (I think most of us would agree you could use it).

~Max~

[bflatminor24]

LOL! HAHAHAHAH!

https://pounced.org/personals/viewad.php?hcenc=1&hpad=3713

Nice fake repertoire list buddy...14 years of play...yeah, and where was it you went for undergrad? I forgot....

Looks like that fake list is trying to compensate for something ^^

~Max~

[ahinton]

Honestly speaking, interpretating this gives me a lot of headache. Is such elevated diction necessary in.... an frickin' internet forum? Many times, I can't take you - as renowned a figure in music as you are - seriously because of your almost comedic bombast.

Take something for it, then. I'm not sure that I am the renowned figure in music that you state, but I thank you sincerely for the compliment inany case. So, by your own apparent admission, you can't take things comedic? Ah, well...

Best,

Alistair

[rapmasterb]

"Oh and by the way, I have the sheet music for Opus C if people are interested"

Yeah blfatminor i'd be interested. Do you want anything in return? (i do mean anything )

[rapmasterb]

Oh yeah kudos to that guy on the fake repertoire - it's very impressive. The giveaway is that "Bach Italian Concerto" is listed in the orchestral section thereby proving he has no clue what he's on about.

[ahinton]

"Oh and by the way, I have the sheet music for Opus C if people are interested"

Yeah blfatminor i'd be interested. Do you want anything in return? (i do mean anything )

I can't speak for "bflatminor24" here, but I'd personally want something in return, sure! - that's only if, by being "interested", you mean that you'd want him to supply a copy to you, of course...

Best,

Alistair

[shoenberg3]

Take something for it, then. I'm not sure that I am the renowned figure in music that you state, but I thank you sincerely for the compliment inany case. So, by your own apparent admission, you can't take things comedic? Ah, well...

Best,

Alistair

I could certainly take comedy. But I pose you the question whether you want to be perceived as such.

[ahinton]

I could certainly take comedy. But I pose you the question whether you want to be perceived as such.

Ah - well, that's different to what you wrote previously. That's OK - as Sorabji once said, "one of the great things about changing one's mind is having a mind to change in the first place". As to how I might want to be perceived, that depends, of course, upon the context; if I write something "comedic", then as that, hopefully - and if something other than "comedic", then in accordance with whatever it was that I'd written. Quite simple, really.

And while we're about it (and since you refer to matters to do with humour), it seems odd that you omit the "C" from your forum ID when the real Schönberg is famously supposed to have claimed that there was still plenty of fine music yet to be written in C major" (or whatever his real words were)...

Best,

Alistair

[stucoy]

Hey guys! How goes it? Hey, I was just wondering: what's the hardest piano piece ever written?

[shoenberg3]

And while we're about it (and since you refer to matters to do with humour), it seems odd that you omit the "C" from your forum ID when the real Schönberg is famously supposed to have claimed that there was still plenty of fine music yet to be written in C major" (or whatever his real words were)...

Best,

Alistair

hahaha a good point. If there were an excuse, it is that I made this ID when I was around 10 and my spelling was, at best, haphazard.

[gymnopedist]

Oh yeah kudos to that guy on the fake repertoire - it's very impressive. The giveaway is that "Bach Italian Concerto" is listed in the orchestral section thereby proving he has no clue what he's on about.

The fact that he apparently learned 95% of his repertoire in little more than a year is also somewhat revealing. See the last link for a repertoire list from february 2005.

[ahinton]

hahaha a good point. If there were an excuse, it is that I made this ID when I was around 10 and my spelling was, at best, haphazard.

You don't really need an excuse - and, of course, it's your prerogative to "call" yourself just what you like, for whatever reason or none; I just couldn't resist that one, that's all!

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

Hey guys! How goes it? Hey, I was just wondering: what's the hardest piano piece ever written?

You mean YOU DON'T KNOW?!

Best,

Alistair

[steve_m]

g

[bflatminor24]

Nice catch.


Quote from the third link:

"Anyone who plays piano is my instant friend."

Is that so?  Apparently you have instantly became friends with a lot of "ignorant fucktards," yes?

Good call. The dude's a phony. I think that was clear the moment he bragged about being able to play Evryali. This guy obviously hasn't even played the Bach Italian Concerto. Nuff said.

~Max~

[ahinton]

I'm sure you could find at least one recording of me if you decided to look.

I think that there's at least one person still waiting for some information on these. I'm not in any sense suggesting that your recordings may necessarily be difficult to find per se, but unless people who may be interested happen to know, at the very least, the name under which you made them (i.e. your name as it appears on the CD cover), they'll certainly not be able to find them. Perhaps you could therefore be kind enough to provide a list of your recordings to date (and any pipeline recordings that you have planned), including record label names and catalogue numbers; after all, you've been pretty thorough about your repertoire list, so this shouldn't pose too great a problem to you, I imagine.

Thanks in advance.

Best,

Alistair

[magio]

Definately it is one of the most difficult questions to be answered at least on the topics of music.However it is indeed a very challenging one.But let me ask you something at first.What do you mean with the word 'hardest'?Maybe technically demanding?Physically demanding?Impossible to be played at high speed?
Weeeeell,for me,the hardest piece is simply the one impossible to play.One of these is "circus gallop"
by Marc-André Hamelin!Finally, by far the most exhausting music compilation for solo piano ever is "Symphonic Variations" (1935–1937) by Sorabji.Anyone who would try to finish those things in a single day would be widely regarded as insane,as it would take about 9 hours!

[khatruyessongs]

This is not a Classical piece.This is a transcription for piano of a Progressive 'Rock' music piece called 'Soundchaser'.Not for the fainthearted. Played by Stephen Prutsman.

[ahinton]

It's a long time ago now, of course, but to bflatminor's question
Are there any other exponents of Finnissy other than Pace?
you wrote

Hodges, Knoop, Henck, that dutch fag who plays the Barlow.

You could also have mentioned Jonathan Powell, who has played ECT, the complete Verdi transcriptions and the last four of the piano concertos - and let's not forget the composer himself!...

Best,

Alistair

[djealnla]

You could also have mentioned Jonathan Powell, who has played ECT, the complete Verdi transcriptions and the last four of the piano concertos - and let's not forget the composer himself!...

Jonathan Powell's on-line repertoire list lists only Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 6. Perhaps his blog needs an update?

[ahinton]

Jonathan Powell's on-line repertoire list lists only Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 6. Perhaps his blog needs an update?

Maybe it does, then. I know that he played no. 7 as part of a long weekend Finnissy conspectus in London so so long ago - and I heard him live in nos. 5 & 6 at London's The Warehouse a while back (when the solo soprano in no. 5 was the wonderful Sarah Leonard).

Best,

Alistair

[stoudemirestat]

That one 

[williampiano]

Kapustin Concert Etude no. 3

I don't know if that is the 'hardest' piece in the world, but it certainly ranks up there.

[pianoplayjl]

Scarbo
Islamey
The people united will never be defeated