Need piece suggestions; looking for real tearjerkers / heartfelt stuff

[exigence]

So, on occasion, I find myself in the position to play for friends, family, that sort of thing.

Scriabin's D#m, while nice and all, just isn't the right kind of work sometimes.

What I'm looking for are suggestions on pieces, either classical/romantic or contemporary, that tend to be really touching / heartfelt / tearjerkers. I don't want just another pretty-sounding piano sketch; I'm looking for songs that really leave their mark. Songs that make the listener tell someone later, "I heard exigence play such-and-such, and... wow. Speechless."

(For example, Jim Brickman's "Timeless" was well received for the last few people that heard me play it.)

$.02 much appreciated.

[gerryjay]

 what about mozart's k 397? (with the recapitulation ending, not the stupid major coda)
 

[cygnusdei]

Second movement of Chopin Piano Concerto no. 1. You can fill in the orchestral reduction when the solo is silent.

[sharon_f]

Schubert/Liszt - Standchen
Schumann/Liszt - Widmung
Bach/Hess - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Gluck/Sgambatti - Melodie from Orfeo
Bach/Petri - Sheep May Safely Graze
Bach/Marcello - 2nd movement from the Oboe concerto

[retrouvailles]

Basically anything by Medtner or Bortkiewicz.

[gerry]

Schubert Sonata #6, DV664 - second movement.

[quantum]

Op. 111
Brahms Op.118 - quite so if you play the whole thing.



You kind of need singers for these:

Orff - In trutina
Purcell - Dido's Lament
Bach - Erbarme Dich

[dan101]

Rachmaninoff prelude Op. 32 no. 10.

[gerryjay]

Gluck/Sgambatti - Melodie from Orfeo

hey sharon!
great suggestion. 

[pianogeek_cz]

Off the top of my head...

Prokofiev - part 10 from the Romeo and Juliet suite (esp. the last two pages),
Rachmaninoff - g minor Etude-Tableaux from op. 33 (there's some confusion as to which number it is), it's the slow one with the scale at the end,
Chopin - prelude op. 28 no. 2,
Schubert - 2nd movement of Sonata D.960,
Ravel - Miroirs: Oiseaux Tristes,
and lots of Bach (from the c minor two-voice invention to the c sharp minor P&F from WTC book I...)

[swim4ever_22]

My suggestions:


Liszt Consolations, Un Sospiro
Chopin: A couple of the nocturnes would be good choices.
Debussy: Clair de Lune

I post more as I think of them. Hope this helps.

[point of grace]

what about mozart's k 397? (with the recapitulation ending, not the stupid major coda)
 

yah!! i second it

but wait... which is the recapitultion ending!??!?!?

i think i only know the major coda...=S and it´s nice!!

[exigence]

My suggestions:


Liszt Consolations, Un Sospiro
Chopin: A couple of the nocturnes would be good choices.
Debussy: Clair de Lune

I post more as I think of them. Hope this helps.

The Cm nocturnes, yeah, that's a thought... both the one in the cycle and the posthumous one.

Thanks for the suggestions, all; has anyone got any ideas for more contemporary stuff (think Jim Brickman, George Winston, David Lanz, etc.)?

[mattgreenecomposer]

Of course the Brahms A Intermezzo.  That is like "THE" classic tearjerker piece.

[point of grace]

My suggestions:


Debussy: Clair de Lune

greeeeeat suggestion too

[gerry]

Of course the Brahms A Intermezzo.  That is like "THE" classic tearjerker piece.

...not to mention the E flat.

[dnephi]

I recommend Barber's Sonata for Piano.  Particularly the slow movement, which uses both passacaglia and serial techniques.

[brahms4me]

Barber's "Pas de deux" from Souvenirs

This always brings me to tears no matter how many times I play it.

[dinosaurtales]

hey sharon!
great suggestion. 

Interesting you would bring that up - where do you get such things?  I have been trying to locate a score for the Gluck/Sgambatti arrangement of Dance of the Angels or Fairies......crud..... now I can't remember......... but I searched like crazy and never found it. 

[rachfan]

Hi exigence,

You might want to go to the PianoStreet Audition Room and listen to my recording of Bortkiewicz's Prelude Op. 33, No. 7 and see what you think.  If that's not an ultra-romantic, heartfelt piece, then I don't know what is!   

[gerryjay]

yah!! i second it

but wait... which is the recapitultion ending!??!?!?

i think i only know the major coda...=S and it´s nice!!

hi grace! everything´s fine?

from the end of mozart´s incomplete manuscript, there are two common endings to this wonderful piece: one is a coda, still in d major, that brings to an end the second part of the piece; the other one is a recap from the beggining (d minor arpeggios section), with an alteration of its conclusion (to finish in the tonic instead of the dominant that is played in the first time around).

to be completely honest, i dislike the major coda with all my forces . perhaps it´s due to the fact i was grown listening to a cd by mitsuko uchida with the fantasia (she plays with this recap ending...such a melancholy...it´s also the last track of the cd... )...     

[gerryjay]

Interesting you would bring that up - where do you get such things? 

sorry dude: do you mean where i get this score or where i get those ideas? or both? or none? 

[gerryjay]

Hi exigence,

You might want to go to the PianoStreet Audition Room and listen to my recording of Bortkiewicz's Prelude Op. 33, No. 7 and see what you think.  If that's not an ultra-romantic, heartfelt piece, then I don't know what is!   

hey rachfan!
oh boy...i think that´s the first time i listen to this composer, and i must say i want to hear more. much more  .

btw, your interpretation is very fine. congrats!

if you don´t mind, i´ll add a shortcut to the thread.

RachFan plays Bortkiewicz

[retrouvailles]

I suggested Bortkiewicz much earlier in the thread. I guess my suggestion went unnoticed till now. He is definitely worth checking out, as is my other nominee: Medtner.

[point of grace]

hi grace! everything´s fine?

from the end of mozart´s incomplete manuscript, there are two common endings to this wonderful piece: one is a coda, still in d major, that brings to an end the second part of the piece; the other one is a recap from the beggining (d minor arpeggios section), with an alteration of its conclusion (to finish in the tonic instead of the dominant that is played in the first time around).

to be completely honest, i dislike the major coda with all my forces . perhaps it´s due to the fact i was grown listening to a cd by mitsuko uchida with the fantasia (she plays with this recap ending...such a melancholy...it´s also the last track of the cd... )...     

hey gerrrrryyyyyyyyy
doing great heree

ohhhhhhhhh i want to listen to ittt
to have a second option for that piece of music!!

 

[Bob]

Rach concerti second mvts.  I don't know if there's a solo reduction made though, or even a simplified solo reduction.

I think I'm thinking of the 2nd or 3rd concerto.

Anyone know of any?

[exigence]

Hi exigence,

You might want to go to the PianoStreet Audition Room and listen to my recording of Bortkiewicz's Prelude Op. 33, No. 7 and see what you think.  If that's not an ultra-romantic, heartfelt piece, then I don't know what is!   

Nicely done sir, nicely done; have posted a sheet music request for this and another work of his.

Thanks for the suggestions, all; lots of solid classical/romantic-era stuff here. Now to find a few more contemporary goodies... 

[hwangs]

I definitely second Rachmaninoff Prelude Op. 32, No. 10 -- Very powerful piece.

For 20th century, Prokofiev would definitely impress. Maybe shorter like the March & Scherzo from Love of Three Oranges. Maybe the 3rd Sonata?

Also, take a look at some of Bartok's works

[gerryjay]

For 20th century, Prokofiev would definitely impress.

seconded. something from romeo and juliet perhaps.

[point of grace]

seconded. something from romeo and juliet perhaps.

gerryyyy
do you have the sheet music for that final of the mozart´s fantasy!?!?!?

[gerryjay]

 hi, grace!
 sorry but actually i don´t. i learned to play that ending by ear, and have never written it down. if you want, as soon as i get my pc back i can do it for you. just let me know!

[rachfan]

Hi gerryjay,

I'm so glad you enjoyed that Bortkiewicz Prelude and even added a quick link for others!  At the moment I'm preparing the Prelude No. 8 for posting, so more on the way.  In the meantime, if you want to hear another of my Bortkiewicz recordings, you can check out his Impromptu, Op. 24, No. 3, "Eros".  Here, I'll give you that link as a return favor.   

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,26641.0.html

[rachfan]

Hi retrouvailles,

It's great to encounter someone else who is familiar with Bortkiewicz, and I'm am glad that you have recommended his music to others.  This repertoire has been in obscurity for the past 60 years.  During all those decades both pianists and audiences have lost out on performing and hearing this extraordinary composer's works.  And, unfortunately, some of his scores were lost or destroyed during the bombings of Germany in WWII.  The good news is that we still have access to most of his scores.  I do my small part to raise awareness by posting recordings here, but if just one pianist becomes intrigued or is sufficiently inspired to learn a Bortkiewicz piece, any piece, then it has all been worthwhile to me!

[gerryjay]

hey rachfan!

you´re welcome. thanks for the link, and the information about the composer. i was not aware of him until listen to your other recording, and now i´m glad to get acquainted with more of his works.

i can´t listen to eros yet (pc audio board problems  ), but as soon as i do that, i´ll post my impressions in the thread!

 

[rachfan]

Hi gerryjay,

Great!  When you download "Eros", turn the volume up.  When I transferred it to mp3, it was softer than it should have been.  Enjoy listening!

[exigence]

Still looking for some of that Bortkiewicz sheet music in this other thread of mine (Op. 15 etude in Em / Op. 33:7 Prelude).

Would much appreciate it.

Thanks!

[redbaron]

Chopin - Etude in E Op 10 No 3

[mknueven]

Clair De Lune - for sure!
How about Love Story?
Timeless- as you have mentioned by Brickman is fantastic!
Unless jazz is out of the question -
why not some Chris Botti music on the piano?
(I know he plays trumpet!)
Funny Valentine - especially with Feb 14 coming up
Codependent Love - Bob Bennett
if you're singing

[gerryjay]

How about Love Story?

i think the international federation of piano performance doesn´t allow this music as an encore...

[cygnusdei]

Your own arrangement of a local folk song would be quite effective.

[thierry13]

i think the international federation of piano performance doesn´t allow this music as an encore...

What the hell is that ? Do not know. If you are being ironic and think you are showing a point, you are absolutely not. "This music" is simply bad, popular, and cheap music, wich would absolutely not fit in a recital next to something wrote by a great composer like Chopin.

[gerryjay]

EDIT: that don´t deserve any argument.

hey thierry!

take it easy my brother charles!

[thierry13]

EDIT: that don´t deserve any argument.

hey thierry!

take it easy my brother charles!

 

What ? brother charles? take it easy what ?

[quantum]

Hmm... And if da Doc comes out with a Love Story encore, what would we say then.

[retrouvailles]

Hmm... And if da Doc comes out with a Love Story encore, what would we say then.

You never know, after what he did with that Nokia ringtone.

Actually Geoffrey Tozer has been known to improvise on many themes, popular or not, as encores. Sometimes he allows the audience to shout out suggestions.

[daro]

To step back into the 19th century for a moment, for a pure tearjerker, it's pretty hard to beat the Wagner-Liszt Liebestod.  Of course, it's a mere shadow of the real thing - I saw the magnificent L.A. Opera production of Tristan last night, and when Isolde finished singing at the end, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. Well worth the 4 1/2 hours it took to get to that point.

yd

[retrouvailles]

To step back into the 19th century for a moment, for a pure tearjerker, it's pretty hard to beat the Wagner-Liszt Liebestod.  Of course, it's a mere shadow of the real thing - I saw the magnificent L.A. Opera production of Tristan last night, and when Isolde finished singing at the end, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. Well worth the 4 1/2 hours it took to get to that point.

Oh, I've been wanting to see that! I don't have the money to though. Such a great opera.

[daro]

You've still got three more chances if you can beg, borrow or steal the money. David Hockney's sets and the incredible lighting effects are almost worth the price of admission just by themselves. I know how you feel though - I missed the 1987 and 1997 stagings, but I just didn't want to wait another 10 years for them to get around to doing it again.

yd

[retrouvailles]

I might have to steal some cash. I'm a poor college student with no job. I might have to wait the 10 years, but then I probably won't be living in Los Angeles anymore.

[dnephi]

I might have to steal some cash. I'm a poor college student with no job. I might have to wait the 10 years, but then I probably won't be living in Los Angeles anymore.

Know what you mean.