Liszt transcriptions

[elis_piano]

Hello! I was wondering which is the difficulty level of Händel's "Almira" transcripted by Liszt.. Is it considered an easy piece or no?
Thanks in advance!

[distantfieldrelative]

As a general rule anything that begins with "Liszt" is not going to be easy. Techniqally the consolations are just about the techniqally easiest thing he wrote. But as far as paraphrases and/or transcriptions go this is not the hardest.

I would not consider this to be an easy piece as it has some quick passages among other things.
If you can play something like Liebestraum or Un Sosporiso then I don't think there would be any problem.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

It depends on what you are used to playing. As Liszt transcriptions go, it is pretty easy, but some Liszt transcriptions are extremely difficult. You will need decent octaves and thirds. I would start by trying the three or so pages from un poco piu mosso (con fuoco) until the piu moderato religioso (ma non lento) and see how you get on.

[elis_piano]

As a general rule anything that begins with "Liszt" is not going to be easy. Techniqally the consolations are just about the techniqally easiest thing he wrote. But as far as paraphrases and/or transcriptions go this is not the hardest.

I would not consider this to be an easy piece as it has some quick passages among other things.
If you can play something like Liebestraum or Un Sosporiso then I don't think there would be any problem.

I play pieces like:Chopin revolutionary etude, chopin nocturne op 48 no 1, rachmaninoff: moment musical op 16 n 4, rachmaninoff: prelude in c# minor
Do you believe i can handle it? thanks

[storyseller]

That one is not extremelly difficult overall technically... but it is a "treacherous" piece: In the piu mosso everyone (including myself) starts too fast and then accelerates even more in the first bars of the page... so when you get to the end of that page (with the 3rds) you either make it a mess, or overpedal it to "cover up" the mess, or simply cut speed a lot...   you can see that in most versions out there on YouTube, even with some pianists of the highest order.

So be carefull if you are choosing to play it because of it's "easyness". Actually, I find it to be a failed piece if you see it as a virtuosso transcription: it's too long, too little fireworks, too inward, too mediative. It's not a typical Liszt transcription,it's more like a set of original variations - and he was really old when he wrote it so it's rather dark,gloomy, philosofical, bitter at some points. It is a masterpiece but only if you see it as Liszt's "de profundis" in his old age - not if seen as a viruosso transcription.

[elis_piano]

That one is not extremelly difficult overall technically... but it is a "treacherous" piece: In the piu mosso everyone (including myself) starts too fast and then accelerates even more in the first bars of the page... so when you get to the end of that page (with the 3rds) you either make it a mess, or overpedal it to "cover up" the mess, or simply cut speed a lot...   you can see that in most versions out there on YouTube, even with some pianists of the highest order.

So be carefull if you are choosing to play it because of it's "easyness". Actually, I find it to be a failed piece if you see it as a virtuosso transcription: it's too long, too little fireworks, too inward, too mediative. It's not a typical Liszt transcription,it's more like a set of original variations - and he was really old when he wrote it so it's rather dark,gloomy, philosofical, bitter at some points. It is a masterpiece but only if you see it as Liszt's "de profundis" in his old age - not if seen as a viruosso transcription.

Thank you for your answer.
If you were the teacher of a student that plays pieces like those i mentioned, would you allow him to play this next?
Thanks in advance