If you could hear any piano piece transcribed, what would it be?

[kakeithewolf]

Sometimes, piano pieces do happen to strike my fancy. But then, the moment I hear them, I wonder what they would sound like transcribed.

Whether it is a matter of a sonata being turned orchestral, or dramatic piece set to the organ, I sometimes think "What if?". So, what I am wondering is this: If you could hear any piece transcribed to one or more different instruments, what piece would you choose and what instrument(s) would you like it hear it played with?

Personally, there is a transcription that I've been very much wanting to find, but I've not found it in a year of searching. That would be Liszt's Totentanz for pipe organ. The sheer power and virtuosity of that piece, combined with the significance of its subject matter, would be a marvel to behold.

So, what about you?

[cabbynum]

You should transcribe that for organ then play it!!!

For me I think it would be very cool to hear beethovens appassionata transcribed for full orchestra. I also feel like it would loose a lot of itself in the 3rd movement.

I'd also like to hear Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony for solo piano.

[kakeithewolf]

You should transcribe that for organ then play it!!!

For me I think it would be very cool to hear beethovens appassionata transcribed for full orchestra. I also feel like it would loose a lot of itself in the 3rd movement.

I'd also like to hear Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony for solo piano.

I'm currently working on a transcription for it, actually. The first minute or so is an absolute nightmare to do, but once I have it done, I can get it in MIDI form so I can at least get a decent idea of what to do with it.

[cabbynum]

I would imagine so!
In the syncopated chords up and down are you gonna have the feet play the main arpeggio?

[kakeithewolf]

I would imagine so!
In the syncopated chords up and down are you gonna have the feet play the main arpeggio?

Probably. The MIDI version will primarily be for testing purposes; in the actual transcription I'll be more conscious of the structure of the staves.

[cabbynum]

Awesome, please post it when you have a nice chunk done

[gaidheal]

I've performed Berg's Sonata for Piano three times this year (most recently for an audition), and I was sitting at the organ at the church where I'm the organist, and idly started playing it there. I realised that the organ would be a good medium for exploiting the sheer mass of contrapuntal writing in this marvellous piece. I've got another transcription project I'm doing first (transcribing the orchestral part of Howells' first piano concerto for a second piano), but I may get around to it at some point.

[thalbergmad]

Liszt's Totentanz for pipe organ.

This is such a superb idea, I am rather surprised it has not been done.

One of my favourite CD's is a collection of organ transcriptions played by Thomas Trotter. It was on this CD that I first heard Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance March No. 1 played on the organ and I have to admit I prefer it to the original. Sibelius's Finlandia also sounds superb on the organ.

I wonder how Liszt's Mehpisto Waltz would sound for piano & orchestra. The transcription exists, but no recording as yet, although I have pestered Hyperion to do it.

Thal

[kakeithewolf]

This is such a superb idea, I am rather surprised it has not been done.

One of my favourite CD's is a collection of organ transcriptions played by Thomas Trotter. It was on this CD that I first heard Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance March No. 1 played on the organ and I have to admit I prefer it to the original. Sibelius's Finlandia also sounds superb on the organ.

I wonder how Liszt's Mehpisto Waltz would sound for piano & orchestra. The transcription exists, but no recording as yet, although I have pestered Hyperion to do it.

Thal

I'm quite surprised too. The bass notes after the glissandi in the beginning simply beg to be played on a 64' stop. There a few pieces more suited for transcription than the Totentanz.

I'm also very surprised none of the Mephisto Waltzes have been done for piano and orchestra. The first and second especially.

[roncesvalles]

I'd love to hear  Sorabji's "Gulistan" transcribed for orchestra. The act of transcription in this case would be nearly as creative as actually composing the piece.  As panoramic as Sorabji's piano music is for me, orchestral music is more spatial and immersive for me.  I already like to "wander" when listening to Sorabji--to follow threads or colors--and feel like an orchestral version would allow for that even more.  I wish I had the ability to pull it off with finesse.

[ted]

A lot of Bach sounds really good orchestrated with video game samples, especially fugues; more or less like Isao Tomita used to do. Quite often the silliest samples give the best effects.

[kakeithewolf]

I'd love to hear  Sorabji's "Gulistan" transcribed for orchestra. The act of transcription in this case would be nearly as creative as actually composing the piece.  As panoramic as Sorabji's piano music is for me, orchestral music is more spatial and immersive for me.  I already like to "wander" when listening to Sorabji--to follow threads or colors--and feel like an orchestral version would allow for that even more.  I wish I had the ability to pull it off with finesse.

I would think it would be quite difficult to orchestrate some of Sorabji's works. Not only because of their sheer difficulty, but it's more of a matter of transcribing parts to the right instruments to properly convey the depth and broad range of emotions Sorabji often dealt in.

[ahinton]

I'd love to hear  Sorabji's "Gulistan" transcribed for orchestra. The act of transcription in this case would be nearly as creative as actually composing the piece.  As panoramic as Sorabji's piano music is for me, orchestral music is more spatial and immersive for me.  I already like to "wander" when listening to Sorabji--to follow threads or colors--and feel like an orchestral version would allow for that even more.  I wish I had the ability to pull it off with finesse.

If you haven't, I wouldn't worry unduly about that! It's a fascinating thought but, ultimately (at least in my view) a self-defeating one. In the immediate aftermath of completing Opus Clavicembalisticum in 1930, Sorabji embarked upon a symphony which was supposedly (at least according to its surviving title page) intended to be scored for piano, orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus but for which there exists no evidence of anything other than a self-sufficient work for piano solo; whilst I'm not necessarily suggesting that this is evidence in support of the eschewing of attempts to orchestrate Sorabji's piano music (and I can confirm en passant that someone present in the recent audience for Jonathan Powell's Oxford performance of Sorabji's final piano symphony had not long ago set a class of his students the task of orchestrating In The Hothouse), I do feel that, in most cass, this is best left alone, so deeply immersed in everything about the piano is all of  his best piano music (and Gulistān is undoubtedly one of the finest works that he ever wrote for his own instrument).

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

I would think it would be quite difficult to orchestrate some of Sorabji's works. Not only because of their sheer difficulty, but it's more of a matter of transcribing parts to the right instruments to properly convey the depth and broad range of emotions Sorabji often dealt in.

Agreed!

Best,

Alistair

[roncesvalles]

The impracticality of it is probably part of the charm.  There would be so many different paths that could be taken, likely none of which that could approximate the original, but who knows the value of the outcome.   I would have loved that class, attempting to orchestrate "In the Hothouse". It's difficult to simulate the transparency and ephemeral nature of the piano's tone.

It's interesting that Sorabji's music would be so difficult, when I think it would be feasible to orchestrate Scriabin, even at his most arcane.  Although he left tonality behind, I feel definite goal-oriented movement in his music, which gives a framework to build around. Even Roslavets, due to the rigorous consistency of his color, would be much easier to orchestrate.

[j_menz]

I'd also like to hear Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony for solo piano.

It's been done. At least twice. (Look under the transcriptions tab).  There's also a Dover edition of 4, 5 & 6 together in one book. I'm not sure who they are by, but they're pretty good.

If you could hear any piece transcribed to one or more different instruments, what piece would you choose and what instrument(s) would you like it hear it played with?

The complete works of Robert Schumann transcribed for solo banjo and played by Thal. 

[kakeithewolf]

The complete works of Robert Schumann transcribed for solo banjo and played by Thal. 

Now that would be a performance for the ages.

[steinway43]

The third movement of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata transcribed for guitar.