Good pianist / Appalling transcription Awards!

[jakev2.0]

The Bronze Medal goes to Arcady Volodos for his cheap and pianistically bland Mozart Turkish March. The next Horowitz? Hardly.

The runner-up, with a far less appealing transcription than our bronze medalist is Sergio Tiempo and his fiesty little "study" on Chopin's Etudes. Wow, he can play THIRDS in the right hand with some crap repetitive revolutionary-esque figuration in the left hand. Step aside Godowsky, we have a new contrapuntal master in town!

The gold medal goes to Cyprien Katsaris - virtually a mile ahead of any competition - with his "transcription" on Bach's D minor Toccata and Fugue.  This is possibly the most offensively uncreative and boring transcription (if it even can be called that) I've ever heard. Plus, its pianistic sloppiness is enhanced by utterly terrible rhythm. A jewel of cheap/fake virtuosity!

[opus10no2]

You are gay 

[ramseytheii]

This is a small example, but Andre Watts transcription of "Ich ruf zu dir, Herr" is wrong on so many levels.  First of all Busoni did it about ten thousand times better.  Second of all, he completely mangles all of Bach's voice leading and writes this beautiful trio-chorale-prelude in block chords!!  Even before I saw the score I thought to myself, why would anyone else transcribe this prelude after Busoni?  And after I thought, why in the name of the Heavenly Father would anyone publish this trash?!

Walter Ramsey

[lau]

The Bronze Medal goes to Arcady Volodos for his cheap and pianistically bland Mozart Turkish March. The next Horowitz? Hardly.

how is it cheap? i thought you digged this...