What would be more fun?

[musicsdarkangel]

Liszt - Mazeppa, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 or his Mephisto Waltz?

I am deciding on which one to do, and I don't want to play anything that is tedious to memorize.

I know that these will be technically difficult, but I think that finishing la Campanella is a descent start.

[Goldberg]

My vote is cast for Mazeppa. Quite fun once you get going and the memorisation is very straightforward, as it is mostly the same theme over and over again. The Mephisto Waltz would be my next choice since it covers a wide range of colours, and the Rhapsody...well I imagine that would be fun if you're into the piece. Personally, I can think of several other rhapsodies that would be more fun to play.

[donjuan]

HR2!!! HR2!!!!  Its so easy to memorize.. just play through a couple times and you can actually piece a version of it together every time to you try to play it without the sheetmusic.  Now, the fun starts..

maybe if you can do HR2 you should check out mephisto waltz.  Mazeppa is really tough..

[maxy]

HR2, Mazeppa and Mephisto waltz are all fairly easy to memorize.  All these pieces are quite fun to play.  I find Mazeppa is the hardest but also the most rewarding...

[anda]

the rhapsody is definitely funniest! especially if you've seen tom&jerry and bugs bunny enough times to see in your head the whole cartoon while you're playing

not that i don't like mazeppa or mephisto - but i find these more dramatic, more profound and serious works, and not so fun to play.

[SteinwayTony]

Tough decision!  All excellent choices.

Mazeppa is gorgeous (though I'm not sure if you're referencing the Fantasy or the Transcendental #4), but the 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody is a crowd-pleaser and you get to display some bravura while you're at it.

I  personally think HR#2 is overdone, and I favor HR#12, which is also C# minor.  Check that one out if you can, it's very fun!

[SteinwayTony]

HR#2 was also in the opening of one of my favorite movies, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  Daffy Duck and Donald Duck perform a marvelous MIDI-ized 2-piano version...slightly abridged.

[musicsdarkangel]

How much harder are these than la Campanella?

by the way, I mean Mazeppa etude.


Thanks for the replies


P.S. I'm leaning towards Mephisto

[Goldberg]

Mazeppa is considerably more difficult than La Campanella, and I'd say the Mephisto is too; both are more difficult musically (with the Mephisto being tops on the list of 4). HR2 is about even with La Campanella, in my opinion, if slightly easier technically.

[steinwaymodeld]

How much harder are these than la Campanella?

by the way, I mean Mazeppa etude.


Thanks for the replies


P.S. I'm leaning towards Mephisto

I performed La Campanella too.

I think Mazeppa is completely different from LC. The technical issues, so it's kinda hard to tell.
But I think u will spend lesser time on Mazeppa in order to 'mature' it, in comparasion, La Campanella is easier note-wise, but it's very hard to 'polish' and perform.

HR2 is not too hard, Mephisto is also around that level.

But for fun and crowd-pleasing, of course it goes to the HR2. You can even learn/write you own favorite cadanze!

[chopin_girl]

I think Mephisto's pretty amusing, but... it has it's trickie parts.
Hungarian rhapsody 2, (c-sharp minor is it?) is a great piece and I have played it and loved it, so I vote for HR2.
And I have to say (as I almost always "mention" to donjuan) that Mephisto is a typical guy piece. Just like the Revolutionary etude. Oh come on,,,you know what I mean!

Someone mentioned La Campanella? Oh God. That etude is beating the hell out of me for the last few weeks. 
I'm going crazy. I really hate all of his Paganini etudes. Even though they are beautiful.

Well, I think Liszt's pieces are the hardest pieces I have ever played, starting with Liebestraum over his Tarantella and straight ahead to la Campanella.

[musicsdarkangel]

I'll be honest, I think that la campanella is the most difficult (with the exception of Mazeppa).

I have struggled so much with it, because there are parts that seems to be written just to annoy the pianist (example: 4-5 trills in the right hand while playing the thumb every 4 notes, trills where the thumb changes notes every time whille the 2 and 3 do the trill).......the parts that sound the hardest seem the easiest for me.  I do think that it is maybe easier to learn, but much harder to master.

I have looked over Mephisto quite a lot, and it doesn't seem like it will be much of a problem (with the exception of the jumping octaves).


I have chosen Mephisto, and think that it will be a wonderful experience.  Thanks for the replies.

By the way, I believe that I am an inch away from mastering la campanella, and let me tell you, the trick is to be as light as possible and to stay as close to the keys as possible.  I used to be tense when I played, and it would not only make it harder for me to play, but I would sound obnoxious. 

Lighten up!  especially during the repeated note sections.  Stay as close to the keys as possible, and move horizontally rather than vertically (of course you have to move vertically a bit to repeat the notes, but whenever you have a leap, don't raise the altitude of your hand).