repertoire obsessions

[liszmaninopin]

Do any of you ever get completely obsessed with one particular composer or piece in your practicing and sight reading?  Right now, I'm absolutely stuck on Ligeti, I can't seem to get enough of him right now.

[Antnee]

Yes, it can actually be quite distracting. I have to prep my repertoire for a christmas performance, but for the past few days, Beethoven's last sonata has been the only piece of music in my head, and on my piano. Arghhh. I have so much other memorizing and work to do, but my thirst for this piece is unbearable. I have been doing nothing, but reading it and playing it for the past three or four days...    

[liszmaninopin]

You've only been playing for a year, right?

Beethoven's op. 111 should be quite a challenging piece for you!

[donjuan]

I'm a Liszt addict - people die if I dont get my fix..
:)donjuan

[allchopin]

I think my name speaks for itself.  However it's a bit inexorable- I've recently latched onto Liszt transcriptions.  Not Liszt compositions... he was born to transcribe.

[donjuan]

I think my name speaks for itself.  However it's a bit inexorable- I've recently latched onto Liszt transcriptions.  Not Liszt compositions... he was born to transcribe.

That's the spirit!  What's your fav transcription?
donjuan

[Spatula]

Do any of you ever get completely obsessed with one particular composer or piece in your practicing and sight reading?  Right now, I'm absolutely stuck on Ligeti, I can't seem to get enough of him right now.

I have this HUGE drive to get Chopin's sonata 1 presto underway...Started it sept 25 and now into the fourth line....not too bad... considering its above the ARTC level.

It's much harder than the Fan Imp I think....just listening to the piece and seeing the music sheets....

[Spatula]

Don't you find that you have the most drive when you're starting out on a piece and its so BLOODY difficult but you don't mind because of the challenge?

Right now even Rach's prelude no 5, op 23 is starting to get not so challenging...although it still needs major tune ups to be at performance level.

[Shagdac]

I'm completely obsessed with Gottschalk! While I enjoy many others, he's been my favorite for sometime.

AllChopin - you may want to check out the Liszt transcription of John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever"...pretty crazy, but a wonderful piece. And it sounds awesome. And being a patriotic piece, it's not heard or as familiar as some of the others.

S

[brewtality]

I'm completely obsessed with Gottschalk! While I enjoy many others, he's been my favorite for sometime.

AllChopin - you may want to check out the Liszt transcription of John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever"...pretty crazy, but a wonderful piece. And it sounds awesome. And being a patriotic piece, it's not heard or as familiar as some of the others.

S

are you sure that Liszt made a transcription of that? he died in 1886 and i read that sousa composed stars and stripes in 1896.

[Shagdac]

Brewtality.....I can't believe I did that. Sorry everyone, it's late, tired I guess. I'm thinking of Horowitz. Duh!
Horowitz did a transcription of the piece. I was listening to Horowitz CD of Liszt pieces earlier....between that an no sleep, I screwed up! Thanks for correcting me!

S

[cziffra777]

Do any of you ever get completely obsessed with one particular composer or piece in your practicing and sight reading?

Yes. The composer is Bach. I'm always working on something by him no matter what other pieces I'm learning.

[chopiabin]

I'm obsessed with the 3rd scherzo and the 3rd ballade.

[allchopin]

That's the spirit!  What's your fav transcription?
donjuan

Don't do this to me!  Well, I'll throw a few.. Schumann's Widmung (the original with singing is great too, but Liszt sure did a number on it), Wagner's Tannhauser (to be played at a recital hopefully), Schubert's Ave Maria.  Beethoven symphonies I forsee being way down the road.

AllChopin - you may want to check out the Liszt transcription of John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever"...pretty crazy, but a wonderful piece. And it sounds awesome. And being a patriotic piece, it's not heard or as familiar as some of the others.

Thanks Brewtality, took the words right out of my fingers.  I don't know how I would find such sheet music but I will try and find the recording to see if I like it.

I'm obsessed with the 3rd scherzo and the 3rd ballade

Odd.  I've never known anyone to be obsessed with the Bal 3.

[Antnee]

You've only been playing for a year, right?

Beethoven's op. 111 should be quite a challenging piece for you!

Yes, I don't intend to learn the whole thing right now, as I know that if I wait for just a little while, the results will probably be better. But, if I don't manage to put it away soon, I just may!!

[Max]

Don't do this to me!  Well, I'll throw a few.. Schumann's Widmung (the original with singing is great too, but Liszt sure did a number on it), Wagner's Tannhauser (to be played at a recital hopefully), Schubert's Ave Maria.  Beethoven symphonies I forsee being way down the road.

Thanks Brewtality, took the words right out of my fingers.  I don't know how I would find such sheet music but I will try and find the recording to see if I like it.

Odd.  I've never known anyone to be obsessed with the Bal 3.

The Ballade 3 is a spectacular piece of music though. My favourite one, both to listen to and play, its got such a good sense of structure.

[Antnee]

I think my name speaks for itself.  However it's a bit inexorable- I've recently latched onto Liszt transcriptions.  Not Liszt compositions... he was born to transcribe.

I was recently in the same boat. I couldn't get enough of his transcriptions. Ultimately I would someday (wish me luck)   love to play Some of the Beethoven Transcriptions, The William Tell and The Robert Le Diable transcription <--- One of my favorites...

[Spatula]

I was recently in the same boat. I couldn't get enough of his transcriptions. Ultimately I would someday (wish me luck)   love to play Some of the Beethoven Transcriptions, The William Tell and The Robert Le Diable transcription <--- One of my favorites...

I have a transcription of Beet's Symphony 5 transcribed for piano format.

[DarkWind]

I don't think anyone knows about this since I mostly keep it a secret, but I'm a pretty big fan of Ravel.

I'm completely obsessed with Gottschalk! While I enjoy many others, he's been my favorite for sometime.

Do you happen to have sheet music for his "Little Notebook of Louis Moreau Gottschalk?"

[johnjwong]

i have played fantasy impromptu, liszt's transcription of rigoletto, and last 5 pages of liszt's transcription of don juan where it sounds really crazy..

I am planning on adding the follow repetoire which i am damn obssesed with:

Hungarian Rhapsody 2
Grieg Concerto 1
Horowitzt's transcription of Carmen

then i will play my dream piece which si rach 3

[Chrysalis]

Mendelssohn-BArtholdy's - Lied Ohne Worte 19:1

dont flame me, but i think its just brilliant (in simplicity) and it stuck in my head for quite a time (and is in myhead at the moment of writing )

[donjuan]

i have played fantasy impromptu, liszt's transcription of rigoletto, and last 5 pages of liszt's transcription of don juan where it sounds really crazy..

I am planning on adding the follow repetoire which i am damn obssesed with:

Hungarian Rhapsody 2
Grieg Concerto 1
Horowitzt's transcription of Carmen

then i will play my dream piece which si rach 3

Where do you get the sheetmusic for Horowitz's transcription of Carmen?

hehe, im also considering trying the Hungarian Rhapsody again..
donjuan

[alextryan]

All Brahms -- I have Richard Goode playing Opp 76, 116, and 119, and also Julius Katchen playing the complete piano works.  No other piano music sounds so purely organic, so much like the ideal "objective correlative" for music.  Lush...  sounds like feelings and thoughts themselves.  

I wish (and plan!) to learn all of opus 76... starting with #1 this week.  (already have opus 116 #2 and #3 under the belt -- just played them in recital yesterday)

[Pumpkinhead]

Man,  lately I can't get enough of Scherzo #2 and un Sospiro

[Rob47]

Anyone who chooses their own repertoire will become obsessed with it because they will want to master it and be able to convey the feeling they felt when they first heard whatever piece it is.

Personally im obsessed with.....uhm.....hm.m...I am actually thinking as I type these dots ....hmmmn..............uh/.///////stil thinking..........

F*** it im going to the club.

your friend
Rob

p.s. not that anyone cares but my internet is f'ed right up so this is my first post in a while...on my roomates computer.  I can really only check this site out now every once in a while...so if you want to start a "Who hates Rob47?" thread...go for it I support you!  

i guess right now..like this second i'm obsessed with Bartok...but only because I'm listeing to the Kovacevich Great Pianists CD at this EXACT moment in toime.

peace out homies.

[prokanninov]

I am obsessed with Khatchaturian, and Prokofiev, I'm currently memorizing the Khatchaturian tocatta, concerto, and the concert rhapsody;  finishing up the Prokofiev sonatas, and then I plan on going for the tocatta as well, I've done all the sarcasms and visions fugitive I will soon be doing a Prokofiev concert series with my school orchestra consisting of the concerti and the overture on Hebrew themes, and also my solo series of the sonatas.  I think everyone should be exposed to everything prokofiev and I'm doing my best to do that.

Dan

[Spatula]

Holy Cow! I'M SUPER HOOKED on chopin's sonata 1 presto like heroine!  I'm finding myself already practicing the first page at about MM = 100 and that's about half the normal tempo!  

This makes me very GLAD~