Your unusual repertoire

[BuyBuy]

So we're always talking about overplayed pieces, but how about out of mainstream ones ?

It would be interesting iff we all list rare pieces that we maintain in our repertoire (and no, Fur Elise is not one of them...) and that we tell each other about their interest and the reason we play them (and I like it is a little vague, let's be specific).

[claudio20]

I suppose......some Alkan.
They are very difficult technically,but I have great interests in the actual compositions.He was much ahead of his time,and went in to a complete different direction,which I think nobody since has taken the same path apart from....probably Sorabji.

[Bartolomeo]

- Percy Grainger.  I played "Country Gardens" for a church postlude a couple weeks ago and it was well received.  I've ordered a book of his stuff.

- Jack Fina.  1950s composer and arranger.  Most of his stuff is now out of print but I have a dusty old album he published, with "Garden in the Rain" and a bunch of other standards.  The arrangements are almost overdone, but it makes them charming in an old-school piano bar sort of way.

- There are some excellent lesser known Joplin works that I play.  Solace, Magnetic Rag, Elite Syncopations.  Not all his stuff is great, and some is overplayed, but there are some gems in there.

- Any of Joe Utterback's jazz arrangements.  Playable, well received, and largely unknown.

-Bartolomeo

[Fhugo]

I specially like my not-so-mainstream Villa-Lobos´ Valsa da Dor, Camargo Guarnieri´s Ponteio number 30 and 49, Liszt´s La lugubre Gondola n2 and Skrjabin´s Fantasy op28.

The Villa-Lobos, which can be translated to Waltz of Sorrow/Pain, is an early Villa, sort of european, but you can clearly tell some brazilian writing apart from the usual european writing. It has a allegro ansioso section, that if played correctly, can tear anyone apart. Dark, yet brazilian.

Guarnieri´s 30th ponteio is, as the composer himself called, a photographic reproduction of a scene we has involved in in Rio, circa 1930 (I think). Very prelude-like, tries to recreate the setting of a Rio de Janeiro´s poor suburban bar, where a mulatto singer cries all his despair. Oh yes very dark. The 49th reproduces a session of a religious curse, inspired in Candomblé, an afro-brazilian religion brought and raised by the slaves in 16th century, its quite exotic and horrifying.

Not much to be said about the Liszt, except it was written on the occasion of Wagner´s death, and it has a mysterious and narrative quality I just cant comprehend, it is so much beyond the usual spirituality. And the despair, horror, and all of the markings above, including the misticism of Skrjabin, makes the early Fantasy op28 unique, but again, has to be performed very tasteful heh.

Very dark, no happy ends. Nice encore pieces

[Rockitman]

I have a piece by Jack Fina, called Bumble Boogie.   It's a boogie woogie version of "Flight of the Bumblebee".   It is a kick in the pants to play.  I must find some of his other arrangements.   

Somebody else, not sure who,  arranged a boogie woogie version of the Sabre Dance, called  "Sabre Dance Boogie".   It also is an incredible piece and is great fun to play.

[Bartolomeo]

I have a piece by Jack Fina, called Bumble Boogie.   It's a boogie woogie version of "Flight of the Bumblebee".   It is a kick in the pants to play.  I must find some of his other arrangements.   

I believe that is his best known composition, though I have not heard or played it myself.  His other stuff tends towards chords with great fistfuls of notes combined with gratuitous arpeggios.

[beethoartok]

something quite unusual that I'm learning is...

Segmenti by Rafaelle Bellafronte. It's definitely an interesting piece and hard to find..only publisher is in Italy (Berben).

It's a fast contemporary song, but has some slow parts. It has a motif that it is based on, but as my teacher says "takes a life of it's own" once you really get into it. sounds like someone doing improvisation sorta.

[musicsdarkangel]

My only unusual repitoire so far would be works by George Crumb.

[chuckbutler]

Richard Danielpour    Enchanted Garden (preludes)

Alban Berg Sonata #1, might be my favorite solo piano piece ever.

[Etude]

"Primitive" by John Cage for prepared piano.

I want to play some of his other prepared piano pieces, but all I have is a bunch of screws 

.

[BoliverAllmon]

three pieces for toy piano by John Kiefer.

[DarkWind]

My only unusual repitoire so far would be works by George Crumb.

Oh! What do you play by him? I can play the first three pieces of his first Makrokosmos only.

[Lance Morrison]

"Primitive" by John Cage for prepared piano.

I want to play some of his other prepared piano pieces, but all I have is a bunch of screws 

.

too bad you can't do the adequate preparations for the sonatas and interludes

[Waldszenen]

Humoreske by Stschedrin

One of the funniest pieces I've heard. And I've got a video of Hamelin playing it (two videos, actually) courtesy of SteinwayModelD.

[rafant]

For beginners I suggest Mignon from Schumann's Album For the Young. Charming piece, I don't know why is neglected.

[musicsdarkangel]

Oh! What do you play by him? I can play the first three pieces of his first Makrokosmos only.

Dream Images (love and death music)
and the Bear

Interesting stuff.

[DarkWind]

Dream Images (love and death music)
and the Bear

Interesting stuff.

Ah. Not familiar with the bear. Anyways, I met George Crumb several weeks ago. Interesting man, very lively and full of energy. He'll be with us for a while.

Supposedly he just finished working on something called Spirituals for a 100 percussion players. Don't quote me on that though. Now he's doing something for 8 percussion players.

[Lance Morrison]

Ah. Not familiar with the bear. Anyways, I met George Crumb several weeks ago. Interesting man, very lively and full of energy. He'll be with us for a while.

Supposedly he just finished working on something called Spirituals for a 100 percussion players. Don't quote me on that though. Now he's doing something for 8 percussion players.

wow, that's wonderful,,,and I felt special just for seeing Boulez conduct 

[DarkWind]

wow, that's wonderful,,,and I felt special just for seeing Boulez conduct 

Heh. I've seen Riccardo Chailly conduct. I was really lucky to actually see George Crumb, I never knew he would be there! I went to a performance of his Black Angels and Ancient Voices of Children, and Golijov's Tenebrae and How Slow the Wind. Both composers were present at the performance, much to my surprise. After the playing, I went down to where Crumb was sitting and asked him a few questions. Quite a person! It's good that he decided to go and see his music performed and give us the chance to talk to him. Turns out he draws all those meticulous scores by hand, staves and all. He's really dedicated to the music.

[musicsdarkangel]

Ah. Not familiar with the bear. Anyways, I met George Crumb several weeks ago. Interesting man, very lively and full of energy. He'll be with us for a while.

Supposedly he just finished working on something called Spirituals for a 100 percussion players. Don't quote me on that though. Now he's doing something for 8 percussion players.

Yeah,
My teacher actually met him as well.  He said that he was a great guy and interesting as you mentioned.

[liszt1022]

I have just started the Berg sonata. I'm in love with it, it's like Tristan x100.
Also I play some Philip Glass.

My most unusual would probably be the Seven Balkan Dances by Marko Tajcevic. I reccomend it to everyone. Very fun rhythms. I showed them to Stephen Hough and he thought they were pretty interesting.

[jcromp78]

How about unknown pieces by very well-known composers. For instance:

Schumann Intermezzi op.4
Busoni- well, he is only fairly well known and his works are pretty rare.
Prokofiev op 2 etudes
Stravinsky op7 etudes

It is amazing how deep our repertoire is, if you are willing to explore it.

[Motrax]

I was going to learn Medtner's Op. 38 (the entire set, not just the sonata-reminiscenza), but I switched to Beethoven's Tempest instead. I think it's very important that if you're playing unusual repertoire, you have to have a great understanding of it and be able to bring out the music really well. With standard rep, people generally know the pieces better, so if you don't do a good job it's your own fault. But with the more obscure pieces, if you don't play well, people will tend to blame it on the piece itself, which is not a good way to introduce new works to people.

[Lance Morrison]

I have just started the Berg sonata. I'm in love with it, it's like Tristan x100.
Also I play some Philip Glass.

my friend, i'm glad you're playing Berg, but don't give up on the Webern!

[Derek]

For me, if a piece is good, it cannot be overplayed. I've always found it terribly sad that some people "don't like a piece anymore" because they've heard it "butchered" by countless piano students.  Well then listen to a recording of Ashkenazy or any number of good performers for heaven's sake! Don't let a bunch of children ruin it for you!