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[markcohen1]

Hello my name is Mark Cohen and I am looking to begin something different from my previous work. I have been thinking along the lines of Liszt or Debussy in contrast to the large amount of Chopin and Rachmaninoff I have played. I would like a challenging piece that will help me keep improving. To give you an idea of my skill level, this year I have polished and am performing the following pieces at my local theater: Chopin Impromptu in A flat, Debussy Arabesque 1, Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# minor (yes I know…my teacher wanted to throw in something I could learn quickly that would be a crowd pleaser), Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a theme from Paganini var 18 (with my high school orchestra). I am also going to perform Mendelssohn's Piano trio no.1 op 49. I appreciate all your help and suggestions. Thank You

[rubinsteinmad]

Liszt's Un Sospiro is a famous crowd-pleaser; another, less familiar piece is the Sonneto 104. The introduction is kind of rough, but after that, it is an amazingly beautiful piece. There are also some great transcriptions by Liszt out there; you could look into Schuman-Liszt "Widmung". Also, Schubert-Liszt serenade is pretty.

Debusxy- "Jardins sous la pluie" is a cool work, but it's dissonant.The Pagodes from Estampes are wonderful as well. I've noticed several people love the "Ballade", as well.

Prokofiev While much of Prokofiev's output is filled by dissonance, there are some exceptions. "Romeo and Juliet Before Parting" is especially beautiful.

Other Similar Pieces

[rubinsteinmad]

Ravel- Ravel is a popular alternative to Debussy. His Pavane pour une Infante defunte is beautiful.

Balakirev Balakirev is a popular Russian composer you've probably heard of. One of his more popular compositions include a transcription of Glinka's "The Lark".

Alyabyev Alyabyev was one of the first great Russian composers. His most familiar work is "The Nightangale". Here is a trascription by Liszt.

[rubinsteinmad]

Moszkowski You may be interested in this Etude

Chopin Even though you mentioned for a contrast to Chopin, this is extremely different from the stereotypical "Chopin piece". Lighthearted and showy, this is a perfect piece to improve your technique while improving other aspects as well.

Liszt The Hungarian Rhapsody #11 is one of my favorite Rhapsodies. It is much technically easier than other popular Hungarian Rhapsodies.

[cranston53]

I would recommend any of the following:

Ravel’s Sonantine – beautiful and a perfect introduction to Ravel’s idiosyncratic approach to the Keyboard. Each movement presents a different challenge.
Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperin – just because it’s wonderful.
Gershwin’s preludes – very fun, and a nice contrast to your previous experience.

Another fun thing to do is dust off your Bach and learn all of the two part inventions!