Short Pieces by Franz Lizst?

[musicluvr49]

I've never played any of his pieces, and I've always wanted to. But I'm already studying a couple of other pieces right now, so I don't want one that is too long, or very difficult. And I would say I am about a level 8? Maybe. Any suggestions??
 

[cmg]

Try "Waldesrauschen," one of Liszt's Concert Etudes.  It's probably level 8 and is far from easy but far from frighteningly diffifcult.  Furthermore, it's a jewel of piece, perfectly crafted for the hands and instrument . . . a beautiful main theme, with a powerful contrapuntal climax and an ethereal ending.  Short, but not too short.  Sweet.  You'll love it. 

[emilye]

Try "Waldesrauschen," one of Liszt's Concert Etudes.  It's probably level 8 and is far from easy but far from frighteningly diffifcult.  Furthermore, it's a jewel of piece, perfectly crafted for the hands and instrument . . . a beautiful main theme, with a powerful contrapuntal climax and an ethereal ending.  Short, but not too short.  Sweet.  You'll love it. 

I agree, it's good idea.
Good luck!

[musicluvr49]

Ok, thank you very much.

[rachfan]

Apart from etudes, probably Liszt's best short pieces are the Annees de Pelerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) Books I and II.  (Book III has little in common with the first two books, as its pieces were composed much later in life and so are considered "late works".)  The first book is subtitled Suisse (Switzerland) and the second is Italie or Italy as you know.  There are gorgeous pieces in these volumes!  

[john11inc]

Il Lamento, although it is ~10'.  Les Cloches de Geneve is great; look for Bolet's recording.  Consolation No. 6, Canzone Napolitana, the 1848 Romance, his Liebestraumen, La Gondoliera (from Venice e Napoli), either of the La Lagubre Gondola pieces, or one of the Valses Oubliees (No. 1 is the most popular, although I prefer No. 2 [a bit tricker], but No. 3 is quite easy [No. 4 is the hardest, and probably the least interesting]).  Look at the Annees des Pelerinage suites, Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuse (S. 173), the Apparitions (S. 155), and the Weihnachtsbaum (S. 186).  The Transcendental Etude No. 11 is easier, from a technical standpoint, than the Waldesrauschen; I wouldn't recommend either piece, though, for different reasons.  And before someone suggests Gnomenreigen, I'd also suggest against that.

However, I personally recommend looking through his Schubert song transcriptions.  There is a huge variety within the sets, and they are pieces you can carry on into a more advanced repertoire, once you progress.

[ahinton]

Il Lamento, although it is ~10'.  Les Cloches de Geneve is great; look for Bolet's recording.  Consolation No. 6, Canzone Napolitana, the 1848 Romance, his Liebestraumen, La Gondoliera (from Venice e Napoli), either of the La Lagubre Gondola pieces, or one of the Valses Oubliees (No. 1 is the most popular, although I prefer No. 2 [a bit tricker], but No. 3 is quite easy [No. 4 is the hardest, and probably the least interesting]).  Look at the Annees des Pelerinage suites, Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuse (S. 173), the Apparitions (S. 155), and the Weihnachtsbaum (S. 186).  The Transcendental Etude No. 11 is easier, from a technical standpoint, than the Waldesrauschen; I wouldn't recommend either piece, though, for different reasons.  And before someone suggests Gnomenreigen, I'd also suggest against that.

However, I personally recommend looking through his Schubert song transcriptions.  There is a huge variety within the sets, and they are pieces you can carry on into a more advanced repertoire, once you progress.

Lots of good sense here (with the odd spelling mistake! - so, who cares about that?!) - and lots of fantastically interesting repertoire well worthy of exploration; many thanks for this input into one aspect of that immense and immensely varied and variable composer Liszt in his bicentenary year! Années de Pèlerenage alone is almost a catalogue of "Lisztianity" (if one could say such a thing); pianistic voyages as well as pilgrimages, replete with of all manner of flights of imagination.

The Schubert song transcriptions are perhaps of even more significance when considered (and worked at) in parallel with and alongside those of Godowsky; Liszt's are usually much more faithful to the originals (no disrespect to Godowsky intended by so saying), yet his recreative instincts are nevertheless peerless in these works, as they are in so many others of his transcriptions.

Best,

Alis(z)tair

[thalbergmad]

I used to play Ab Irato when I had fingers.

Thal

[ahinton]

I used to play Ab Irato when I had fingers.

Then go get them back!

Best,

Alistair

[musicluvr49]

Thanks for the input. I'll check out these works.

[kelly_kelly]

To add everyone who has mention Annees de Pelegrinage, I would also like to specifically recommend the three sonneti in Italie - I played the third (123) and found it very rewarding, with a lyrical, harmonically innovative side of Liszt that is often neglected in favor of virtuosity.

[john11inc]

Lots of good sense here (with the odd spelling mistake! - so, who cares about that?!)

Three: trickier, de and Pelerenage.  Ironic, considering Weihnachtsbaum got through D:

- so, who cares about that?!) -

Oh, Alistair. . .

[djealnla]

Three: trickier, de and Pelerenage.  Ironic, considering Weihnachtsbaum got through D:

Oh, Alistair. . .

Alistair is starting to be like Schubert. He "composes" many posts, but should instead "compose" far less and avoid such typos. 

It's the frequent and frequently obsessive repetition of what often seems less than worthy of statement in the first place. I do accept that Schubert wrote some fine work and I also admit to have come to a little more of it recently, but I still cannot help but feel that he wrote far too much and for most of his creative life failed to concentrate his mind sufficiently on a smaller number of works; not for nothing did his star seem suddenly to be in the ascendent when, as he approached his most untimely death, he began to compose much less and concentrated far more energy on far less music, to the immense advantage of the latter.

[ahinton]

Three: trickier, de and Pelerenage.  Ironic, considering Weihnachtsbaum got through D:

Oh, Alistair. . .

I wasn't counting - and, in British English usage, "the odd mistake" can be used to mean a few mistakes rather than just the one - but in any case, as I said, who cares, really?(!)

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

Alistair is starting to be like Schubert. He "composes" many posts, but should instead "compose" far less and avoid such typos. 

My "starting to be like Schubert" seems a most unlikely scenario, but then you give no purported evidence upon which to base it, so I'll disregard it accordingly. As to the typos, they were not mine! (please check the context by reading the posts concerned). Thank you for the kind suggestion that I compose less; I don't know which or how many of my works you have heard or seen, but if that's what they make you feel, then so be it, I guess. How much less would you like me to compose?

Best,

Alistair

[john11inc]

Lol.  Alistair has actually cooled down from his hayday of pianoforum posting; you weren't around back then, Djealnla.  Anyway, I was also just teasing.

[ahinton]

Lol.  Alistair has actually cooled down from his hayday of pianoforum posting; you weren't around back then, Djealnla.  Anyway, I was also just teasing.

If you'll pardon my saying so, (a) my general temperature has not changed particularly over recent years, (b) the British English spelling of "hayday" is "heyday" and (c) I'm not aware that I ever had a "heyday of pianoform posting" in any case (although, if you're nevertheless correct about that, then so be it! - for thje record, however, I never sought to have any such thing)...

Anyway, since you were, as you say, "just teasing", I guess that all is well.

Best,

Alistair