easiest transcendental study

[ax166]

hello! what is the easiest transcendental study of liszt, (except the third study, Paysage)?
thanks !

[pseudopianist]

I guess it would be the first one, Preludio

[super_ardua]

1

[legend]

numero uno

its easier than the 3rd

[ax166]

well... the next one?

[chopiabin]

What's wrong with Paysage?
I think its a beautiful piece that is very cool. The earlier version of it is awesome too.

[fnork]

how difficult do you think the second one is? I really like that one...

[donjuan]

well... the next one?

i dont understand this... by "the next one" are you refering to the etude following no.1? that is, No.2, or the next one in difficulty?

how difficult do you think the second one is? I really like that one...

no 2 is tough, but the transcendental version is loads easier than the 1837 version which requires retched evil octave technique..
donjuan

[Spatula]

I should give this a listen...Don Juan. you have any stuff you can send me?  I know I've asked like a prick for like 1 week now.  sorry 

[donjuan]

I should give this a listen...Don Juan. you have any stuff you can send me?  I know I've asked like a prick for like 1 week now.  sorry 

i just sent you a private message, asking you to log on to msn! do it man, now!  Yes, I have both 1851 and 1837 versions of no 2 for you
donjuan

[legend]

not just midi?

whos recordings do you have?

[allchopin]

It sounds like Harmonies du Soir (11) isn't quite as dangerous as the rest - I've not played it, but from listening it seems this way.

[donjuan]

not just midi?

whos recordings do you have?

I have Janice Weber and Leslie Howard playing Grande etude No.2 (1837); Jeno Jando and Gyorgy Cziffra playing Transcendental Etude No.2 (1851).

midis suck dont they...
donjuan

[hodi]

It sounds like Harmonies du Soir (11) isn't quite as dangerous as the rest - I've not played it, but from listening it seems this way.

liszt's works is much more difficult than they sound 

[m]

It sounds like Harmonies du Soir (11) isn't quite as dangerous as the rest - I've not played it, but from listening it seems this way.

liszt's works is much more difficult than they sound 

I could argue here. In fact, many of his pieces are much less dificult that they sound, but difficulties are very individual for everyone.
It is really very hard to answer the question about easiest etude without knowing your hands, level of your advancement, what kind of teqnique is "easy" for you. If you have big enough and loose hands, Harmonies du Soir would be a nice etude to play. But if your hands are small and stiff, then with this etude there is a great danger to overstress them.

[donjuan]

It sounds like Harmonies du Soir (11) isn't quite as dangerous as the rest - I've not played it, but from listening it seems this way.

liszt's works is much more difficult than they sound 

no, Mozart and Haydn's works ARE harder than they sound.  Liszt's works are actually very comfortable for the hands because Liszt himself was such an excellent pianist.  This makes them easy to learn, but hard to perform and control.   I agree with Marik for the most part.
donjuan

By the way, Transcendental Etude No.11 isnt nearly as difficult as Grande Etude No.11.  However, I cant say either of them can be described as easy...

donjuan

[BoliverAllmon]

It sounds like Harmonies du Soir (11) isn't quite as dangerous as the rest - I've not played it, but from listening it seems this way.

liszt's works is much more difficult than they sound 

no, Mozart and Haydn's works ARE harder than they sound.  Liszt's works are actually very comfortable for the hands because Liszt himself was such an excellent pianist.  This makes them easy to learn, but hard to perform and control.   I agree with Marik for the most part.
donjuan

By the way, Transcendental Etude No.11 isnt nearly as difficult as Grande Etude No.11.  However, I cant say either of them can be described as easy...

donjuan

yes, liszt stuff is easy because he was a great pianist. While mozart is hard, cuz he sucked at piano.

Yeah that sounds right.

boliver

[donjuan]

do I detect a note of sarcasm?
....

I never said Mozart sucked at the piano, however I find his works difficult to sightread, memorize, or learn.

donjuan

[Troldhaugen]

I found Liszt's transcendetal etude No.6 relatively easier (I emphasize...RELATIVELY) than the rest. But, everyone has a different idea about the difficulty......so I'm not one to ask. You can try Liapunov's transcendental etudes......they are as technically challenging and musically beautiful as those by Liszt. But, it doesn't really matter which one you play since they are all meant to be "transcendental" after all.

[m]

After working on Feux Follets on and off for 20 years (for five years every day for an hour), I found it quite easy untill... I played it on stage. After that I realized that I need a few years more.
OT, friend of mine has studied with Gilels. He told me that Gilels was working on this etude for whole his life, but never was brave enough to play it in public.

[thracozaag]

After working on Feux Follets on and off for 20 years (for five years every day for an hour), I found it quite easy untill... I played it on stage. After that I realized that I need a few years more.
OT, friend of mine has studied with Gilels. He told me that Gilels was working on this etude for whole his life, but never was brave enough to play it in public.

  Then you probably don't want to hear this....heh:
https://www.meiting.com/m3u/liszt.transcendental.etude.no.5.feux.follets.20020712.m3u


koji (STSD)

[super_ardua]

After working on Feux Follets on and off for 20 years (for five years every day for an hour), I found it quite easy untill... I played it on stage. After that I realized that I need a few years more.
OT, friend of mine has studied with Gilels. He told me that Gilels was working on this etude for whole his life, but never was brave enough to play it in public.

  Then you probably don't want to hear this....heh:
https://www.meiting.com/m3u/liszt.transcendental.etude.no.5.feux.follets.20020712.m3u


koji (STSD)

I think that was one of the best recordings of feux follets.

The Grande etudes,  I have in a book.  If done correctly are difficult.  If not done correctly I think they will probably be quite painful literally.  Etude no.2 looks ouch.

But not as ouch as Chopin's op 10 no 2.

[m]

After working on Feux Follets on and off for 20 years (for five years every day for an hour), I found it quite easy untill... I played it on stage. After that I realized that I need a few years more.
OT, friend of mine has studied with Gilels. He told me that Gilels was working on this etude for whole his life, but never was brave enough to play it in public.

  Then you probably don't want to hear this....heh:
https://www.meiting.com/m3u/liszt.transcendental.etude.no.5.feux.follets.20020712.m3u


koji (STSD)

RESPECT!!!

How is his Beethoven, Chopin?

[chromatickler]

After working on Feux Follets on and off for 20 years (for five years every day for an hour), I found it quite easy untill... I played it on stage. After that I realized that I need a few years more.
OT, friend of mine has studied with Gilels. He told me that Gilels was working on this etude for whole his life, but never was brave enough to play it in public.

  Then you probably don't want to hear this....heh:
https://www.meiting.com/m3u/liszt.transcendental.etude.no.5.feux.follets.20020712.m3u


koji (STSD)

c'mon! RUDY could do dat 

[m]

After working on Feux Follets on and off for 20 years (for five years every day for an hour), I found it quite easy untill... I played it on stage. After that I realized that I need a few years more.
OT, friend of mine has studied with Gilels. He told me that Gilels was working on this etude for whole his life, but never was brave enough to play it in public.

  Then you probably don't want to hear this....heh:
https://www.meiting.com/m3u/liszt.transcendental.etude.no.5.feux.follets.20020712.m3u


koji (STSD)

c'mon! RUDY could do dat 

Ven he vill, den ve'll tok 

[maxy]

Why is Feux follets mentioned in this topic...  Sure, it is probably the prettiest but it is one of the hardest.  Unless you actually play it allegretto... 

Oh well. 
#1 is obviously the easiest one to learn (very short and repeats)
#6 is not very technically challenging
#7 not hard but probably the most boring of the set
#8 show-off piece with a couple of hard parts. I find it's a good one to start the set... very fun to play.  very straightforward.
#11 should not be underestimated and it's such a pretty one!

[m]

Why is Feux follets mentioned in this topic...  Sure, it is probably the prettiest but it is one of the hardest.  Unless you actually play it allegretto... 

Sorry if I hijaked the thread--my point was that difficulty is realtive, and in this case to how much time you spent working on the piece, and which kind of technique you feel more comfortable with.
But on the other hand, if I did not mention Feux-Follets, we probably wouldn't have a chance to hear Mr. Mei-Ting Sun with such a fabulous perfromance of this etude. 

BTW, the tempo marked as... Allegretto.

[julie391]

i believe his point was that most pianist today play this piece PRESTISSIMO as possible!

i have to say, that i enjoy it played that fast, but an 8 minute performance would be refreshing

[m]

i believe his point was that most pianist today play this piece PRESTISSIMO as possible!

Yes, and..... no

Depends how to look at it. RH is written in 1/32ths and LH is in 1/8ths. If to keep in mind that the meter is 2/4 then it is Allegretto allright, probably on.... Andante side 

[julie391]

good point, but why didnt he just write it in 16ths and mark it presto?

[m]

good point, but why didnt he just write it in 16ths and mark it presto?

It has to do much more with character than with tempo. The hardest thing in this etude is to play it fast, but still, light, with perfect sense of "tranquillo". No rush, no hurry. Presto marking would imply the opposite, like lets say, in Gnomenreigen.

[julie391]

so would you say meiting plays it as liszt would have?

[m]

so would you say meiting plays it as liszt would have?

Who knows? I'd give a lot to hear Liszt playing... even a few notes. Probably in different periods of his life he'd played it differently.

My father heard a few times Richter with complete Transcendental etudes, and also he heard Sofronitzky live with Feux Follets. He told me that nobody ever played this etude like Sofronitsky. And it was not because of the tempo, but because of atmosphere. He was able to create absolutely mysterious feeling, when the air in the hall started trembling with every note. 

[maxy]

good point, but why didnt he just write it in 16ths and mark it presto?

It has to do much more with character than with tempo. The hardest thing in this etude is to play it fast, but still, light, with perfect sense of "tranquillo". No rush, no hurry. Presto marking would imply the opposite, like lets say, in Gnomenreigen.

Sure, it's possible to play Feux Follets very fast and still keep an "allegretto" feel, but let's be honest, most pianists that would attempt a Richter/Mei Ting tempo would not feel it particularly "allegretto".

[julie391]

is it not virtuosity for the sake of virtuosity?

[donjuan]

is it not virtuosity for the sake of virtuosity?

Evgeny Kissin from the great pianists video: but it was neva.....vuhchoo -ositay, fah the Sike....of vuhchoo-ositay.

there- that's my Kissin accent impression!    but it needs more Mr. Bean!!

donjuan

[igorcrotchlickmeoff]

 so i can play debussy's l'isle joyeuse, a couple of rachmaninov preludes and some chopin preludes. My teacher told me i could play some transcendental etudes like :
a) Vision
b) Harmonies du soir
c) Ricordanza

Can you please help chose one to play?

Igor

[fhfghfg]

Easiest to learn completely: probably No. 1 because its under a minute long
Least technical difficulties: No. 3 (however it still has some demonic stretches)

[mjames]

my man my cousin was born in 2004 and she does weed now, that's how long it's been since this thread was created

wyd bumping this up

[fhfghfg]

I mean the guy before me bumped it in April 2020 so I was able to find it.