Concerto rating

[rph108]

What would you rate the following concertos?

Saints-Saens in g minor
Liszt 1 and 2
and Grieg

Just a question involving an upcoming competition.

[Goldberg]

Rate them in preference, you mean?
Liszt 2
Liszt 1
Saint-Saens G minor
Grieg
I really don't care at all for the latter two but that's how it'd go.

[rph108]

no. It was more general difficulty.

[Goldberg]

Well...oddly enough, my first post about my preferences just might have been it for difficulty as well, if you rank it from top (hardest) to bottom (easiest)...There may be slight variations, but general I'd say that's it. None of them are extremely difficult, of course, but the Liszt 2nd is much harder than it sounds. Still, I think it's the best concerto on there, and IMO, a good competition-winner. At least I hope so (I'm tackling it myself at the mo).

[rph108]

I actually prefer the Liszt 2 over the Liszt 1, which I'm working on right now. I'm thinking on making a jump to Rach 3 next year. My teacher says if I handle Liszt well, which I am I guess, I should be able to handle it. I don't know though, because Rach 3 sounds really difficult. Do you think this would be to big of a jump?

[Goldberg]

I MUCH prefer the Liszt 2 to the Liszt 1. But as for going from Liszt to Rachmaninoff's 3rd...I don't think that's wise. If you're set on Rachmaninoff, do them in order: 1st, 2nd, then 3rd (or if you're adventurous, replace the 1st or 2nd with the 4th)....or, at the very least, play the 2nd first. I would even play the Paganini Rhapsody to perhaps gain more experience with such scores and Rachmaninoff's style (even though the Rhapsody has little to do with the D minor concerto). Liszt's concertos are not at all representative of his most difficult works, but Rachmaninoff's pretty much are.

[rph108]

Thank you for your help on this. My teacher suggested the Paganini Rhapsody also, or I might work on Liszt 2nd concerto. It shouldn't be that difficult, since there are so many great works I haven't played and admire very much. So thanks again for your advice.

[abe]

i wasnt' much impressed with Liszt piano concerto in A minor (i think? no. 1 anyway) to tell the truth. IF th saint-saens Gm is his 2nd concerto, there is not way its harder than the greig.

[Goldberg]

Well, whatever: the Grieg and Saint-Saens pieces are quite easy compared to certain other concertos...Liszt's 1st concerto is in Eflat major...the second one is in A major.
rph108: If you're looking to compete, though, I personally would use the Liszt 2nd instead of the Paganini Rhapsody. The latter just doesn't seem fit for a more serious competition to me, anyway. But, really, there's nothing wrong with the Liszt. It's a fabulous concerto that's difficult enough to at least get the judges' attention, and if you pull it off properly, it's really great music. Plus, it's not often played (unlike the Rhapsody), so I think judges--and audiences--will feel a little refreshed after hearing it between the Griegs and Rachmaninoffs.

[Motrax]

A little off-topic, but is Rachmaninoff's 4th Concerto played a lot at competitions? I'm not very familiar with the concerto competition scene.

[donjuan]

i wasnt' much impressed with Liszt piano concerto in A minor (i think? no. 1 anyway) to tell the truth.  

No.1 is in Eflat Major.  Liszt made it that way because he was inspired by Beethovens Emperor Concerto. No.2 is in A minor.

[Goldberg]

A little off-topic, but is Rachmaninoff's 4th Concerto played a lot at competitions? I'm not very familiar with the concerto competition scene.

As much as I like the Rach 4 (in its own little way), I don't think it's good competition material. It's pretty difficult, yes, but at the same time, one can't really expect to use such a composition to compete with more "complete" concertos such as, well, the earlier Rachmaninoff concertos and Beethoven, etc. It's not very well put together and does much better, I think, in preformance provided the pianist is skilled enough. I've also seen several competitions where they list acceptable repertoire, and the Rach 4 is always left off the list. Still, it's got some really great melodies, and call me crazy, but the second movement is just awesome. Still, it suffers dramatically from the major cuts that Rachmaninoff did and the melodies, no matter how cool they are, don't connect very well.
Donjuan: a slight error in your post. The 2nd Liszt concerto is in A major, not minor. I don't know enough about his piano/orchestra music, but I think one of the pieces is in A minor, but it's one of the more obscure pieces....or something like that. Totentanz is in D minor and The Hungarian Fantasy, I believe, is in A major as well, and those are the most widely played of the orchestra/piano works.

[donjuan]

As much as I like the Rach 4 (in its own little way), I don't think it's good competition material. It's pretty difficult, yes, but at the same time, one can't really expect to use such a composition to compete with more "complete" concertos such as, well, the earlier Rachmaninoff concertos and Beethoven, etc. It's not very well put together and does much better, I think, in preformance provided the pianist is skilled enough. I've also seen several competitions where they list acceptable repertoire, and the Rach 4 is always left off the list. Still, it's got some really great melodies, and call me crazy, but the second movement is just awesome. Still, it suffers dramatically from the major cuts that Rachmaninoff did and the melodies, no matter how cool they are, don't connect very well.
Donjuan: a slight error in your post. The 2nd Liszt concerto is in A major, not minor. I don't know enough about his piano/orchestra music, but I think one of the pieces is in A minor, but it's one of the more obscure pieces....or something like that. Totentanz is in D minor and The Hungarian Fantasy, I believe, is in A major as well, and those are the most widely played of the orchestra/piano works.

yeah, you're right- A major.  I thought that's what I wrote, but I wrote Minor instead...hmm might have been a freudian slip..  

[Goldberg]

Oops- I made a mistake as well...the Hungarian Fantasy of course is not in A major but E minor (originally). I just had that triumphant theme in my head from listening and, because for some reason I think in fifths, I've spent the whole afternoon thinking it's in A major (it's actually E major of course).