Romantic Repertoire

[qpalqpal]

What do you guys deem essential for a pianist focused almost solely on Romanticism music as the "need to have" repertoire? From Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Liszt etc? I would like pieces hard and easy, and basically pieces that are definately worth learning and having under my belt./

[pianoxtreme]

Chopin: Any of the ballades or scherzi, the grande polonaise brilliante, sonata 2
Schumann: Sonata 2, anything from fantasiestucke, kinderzehen
Brahms: Any of the rhapsodies, intermezzo 2
Schubert: I wouldn't consider him romantic, but, the wanderer fantasie, sonata in a major.
Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G minor, musical moment in b flat minor, concerto 2,
Liszt: Hungarian rhapsody 2, liebestraum, la campanella,

[stoudemirestat]

This is by no means a comprehensive list - i'm interested in the replies too to broaden my horizons, and i'm really going to limit my selections to what are IMO the true essentials - but here are some works I feel are essential.

Chopin

- Ballades: 1 and 4.
- Etudes: Op. 10 No's 3, 12. Op. 25 No's 1, 7, 11, 12.
- Fantaisie-Impromptu.
- Nocturnes: Op. 9 No. 2, Op. 27 No. 2, Op. 48 No. 1, Op. Posth C# Minor.
- Polonaises: Op. 40 No. 1. Op. 44. Op. 53.
- Preludes: Op. 28 No's 4, 15, 20, 24.
- Scherzi: 2, 3.
- Piano Sonatas 2, 3.
- Waltz Op. 64 No. 2.
- Fantaisie in F Minor.
- Barcarolle.
- Polonaise-Fantaisie.

Schumann.

- Davidsbündlertänze.
- Carnaval.
- Études symphoniques.
- Kreisleriana.
- Fantasie in C.

Brahms (I really ought to know Brahms better than I do).

- Piano Sonata No. 3.

Schubert.

- Wanderer Fantasie.
- Impromptu's D. 899, No's 3, 4.
- Piano Sonatas D. 958 - D. 960.

Liszt.

- Transcendental Etudes: No's 4, 5, 10, 12.
- Grandes études de Paganini No. 3 (La Campanella)
- Trois études de concert No. 3 (Un Sospiro).
- Années de pèlerinage: Au bord d'une source, Vallée d'Obermann, Sonetto 104 del Petrarca, Après une Lecture de Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata, Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este.
- Ballade No. 2.
- Consolation No. 3.
- Harmonies poétiques et religieuses: Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, Pensée des morts, Funérailles.
- Piano Sonata.
- Variations on a theme from Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen.
- Mephisto Waltz No. 1.
- Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.
- Réminiscences de Norma.
- Réminiscences de Don Juan.
- Liebesträume No. 3.

There are obviously many more, and I intentionally didn't name many pieces I consider to be masterpieces or great pieces that may not quite be essential.

[j_menz]

What do you guys deem essential for a pianist focused almost solely on Romanticism music as the "need to have" repertoire? From Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Liszt etc?

That list is a pretty narrow view of romanticism, and gives very little in terms of where it came from, where it went and the enormous variety it encompassed.

I suspect you mean "focused on a few composers I know I like".

Be more adventurous.

[qpalqpal]

I named composers that I knew for example. I meant all composers. Also, what other composers should I learn from, maybe not so famous but good

[outin]

Some suggestions of pieces without any regard on the difficulty level:

Scriabin:
Anything you like

Mendehlsson
A few of the songs without words

Glinka
Valse-Fantasia
Nocturne Eb major
Some of the variations

Franck
Prelude, choral et fugue
Prelude, aria et final

Grieg:
A few from the lyric pieces

Ooops, seems I managed to accidently overwrite my original post  

Well, it was just a list of more romantic composers that you could select nice pieces from:
Faure, Moszkovsky, Balakirev, Liadov, Lyapunov, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov, Scharwenka, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky

[49410enrique]

*cough! "Henselt".....wrote a 'pretty etude or two', dare I say I very much like more than many of Liszt, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff.....

[asuhayda]

You've got pretty much all of them covered now... I'd definitely look into the following:  Most of these pieces are difficult, but not impossible.

In no particular order:

Brahms - Rhapsody in B minor
             Any of the intermezzos

Chopin - Etudes, #2, #3, #12
            Minute Waltz (Db major)
            Waltz in c# minor
            Some of his easier preludes

Schumman - His Bunte Blatter as well as the Albumblatter (are they the same thing?? can't remember)

Schubert -  Impromptus and Sonatas

Rachmaninoff - Prelude Op. 2 No.3
                     Prelude Op. 23 Nos. 4,5,7
                     Prelude Op. 32 No. 12

Liszt - Un Sospiro
         Liebstraume
         Consolations
         Hungarian Rhapsody #11, #13
         Bagatelle Sans Tonalite <-- this is an interesting piece that nobody ever plays.


That's the short list..

Good Luck!

         

[patrickd]

Parts of Alkan's op 39.

[scherzo123]

Too many to list, but these guys have listed about half of them  .

[thalbergmad]

*cough! "Henselt".....wrote a 'pretty etude or two

And a piano concerto so far in advance of others of the era, that Liszt could not have composed it in his dreams;

Thal

[argerichfan]

And a piano concerto so far in advance of others of the era, that Liszt could not have composed it in his dreams;

Not that Liszt would have wanted to... far too conventional!

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I think he wants to broaden his horizons of romantic repertoire, so it's probably not the best idea just to state famous, or even overplayed works.

[qpalqpal]

Well I am a Chopin fanatic (cliche I know) I also LOVE Rachmaninoff obviously. I don't know why but I can't really listen long and hard to Brahms or mendelssohn or others. I generally like their music more than others, but... I don't know it's weird.

I anyways want to play a Liszt piece soon and I don't know here to start to get his Germanic virtuosic taste

[stoudemirestat]

Well I am a Chopin fanatic (cliche I know) I also LOVE Rachmaninoff obviously. I don't know why but I can't really listen long and hard to Brahms or mendelssohn or others. I generally like their music more than others, but... I don't know it's weird.

I anyways want to play a Liszt piece soon and I don't know here to start to get his Germanic virtuosic taste

Well, what is your current standard? What works have you played?

[perprocrastinate]

You should try Alkan's Le Festin d'Esope, Op. 39 at some point in your life.

It's a unique piece, I feel as if Alkan combines elements of every music era and slams it together into one big piece. Humorous and artistic, it would be a waste to not at least just look at it. Too bad he didn't really write anything like it ever again.

[qpalqpal]

Look at my signature

However, I have a lot of dexterity an can play scales fast

[j_menz]

You should try Alkan's Le Festin d'Esope, Op. 39 at some point in your life.


It's a unique piece, I feel as if Alkan combines elements of every music era and slams it together into one big piece. Humorous and artistic, it would be a waste to not at least just look at it. Too bad he didn't really write anything like it ever again.

I find there's a fair bit of Alkan with the same adventurous spirit.  Agree OP should look at it one day for sure, but not for quite some time, I would think. It's quite a challenge.

[redbaron]

Brahms:
Scherzo
Ballade Op 10, No 1
Sextet Variations (less well known than his other variations but just as good)
Paganini Variations
Intermezzo Op 76, No 7
Rhapsody Op 79, No 2
Opp 116 - 119 (anything you like really, I'd go for Op 118, No 3 and Op 119, No 3)

Dvorak:
Humoresques Op 101 (nothing profound but they're all delightful)

Grieg:
Lyric Pieces

Liszt:
Paganini Etudes
Transcendental Etudes
Mephisto Waltz No 1
Spanish Rhapsody

Mendelssohn:
Songs Without Words
Gondola Song in A major

Mussorgsky:
Pictures at an Exhibition

Rachmaninov:
Preludes Op 3, No 2, Op 23, No 2, Op 23, No 5
Etude Tableau Op 33, No 4
Oriental Sketch

Tchaikovsky:
The Seasons
Dumka
Sonata in G

[stoudemirestat]

Look at my signature

However, I have a lot of dexterity an can play scales fast

Sorry for the belated reply.

With the repertoire in your signiature there really isn't that much Liszt that would be appropriate - and what is is doesn't have that 'germanic virtuosity.' There are numerous more restrained works, like the Consolations, pieces from the Weihnachtsbaum, and the Funf Klavierstucke that would be manageable for you, though. Here are some suggestions:

And in this last video there are some very nice, technically modest pieces to choose from and you can follow the score, although the performance kinda sucks (Leslie Howard). Of course, some of the pieces are very difficult, but there's a good selection of easier ones. You can find the track listings and times on the youtube description.

[49410enrique]

Look at my signature

However, I have a lot of dexterity an can play scales fast

please elaborate?