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The World of Piano Competitions – issue 2 2025

The World of Piano Competitions magazine is a well-established reference for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of today’s international classical piano landscape. In this new issue, Chopin stands at the centre — not merely as the focus of a competition, but as a celebration of a unique musical legacy. Read more

Topic: Need help recognizing/identifying piece of classical music  (Read 4923 times)

Offline cporter

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When I was younger, I played this wonderful classical piano solo that had a very loud and fast beginning. But for the life of me I cannot remember what it's called or who composed it. I figured the experts in this forum might be able to listen to my (probably very flawed) recall of the beginning of the song and help me identify the piece. I know the right hand begins playing octaves while the left hand does a bit more movement. I included an audio recording of what I believe the right hand sounds like at the beginning of the piece. Thank you for any and all guesses!! 
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Offline fftransform

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Re: Need help recognizing/identifying piece of classical music
Reply #1 on: January 27, 2022, 08:46:43 PM
Is that the theme from the actual opening, or that's the main theme?  Sounds like a Brahms piece, trying to remember which.  One of the Op. 116 or maybe from the Sonata 2?  It's on the tip of my tongue...  Or maybe it was Schumann.  I think it might have been in F Minor because my brain keeps trying to meld it with the Schumann Sonata No. 3 1st movement.

It has a sort of 'fugato' flavor, right?  And after the theme you played, there is a sort of active chorded passage followed by some huge, thundering chords right?

EDIT:

Offline cporter

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Re: Need help recognizing/identifying piece of classical music
Reply #2 on: January 27, 2022, 10:29:53 PM
Oh my goodness, that Youtube clip you added is the EXACT piece! You are a genius and I am so so grateful!!

Offline fftransform

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Re: Need help recognizing/identifying piece of classical music
Reply #3 on: January 28, 2022, 01:28:19 AM
Oh my goodness, that Youtube clip you added is the EXACT piece! You are a genius and I am so so grateful!!

naw I never would have remembered, I haven't listened to this piece in probably 10 years.  I asked on another forum haha  I was stuck in Brahms/Schumann.

Like, in my brain I could 'play back' a good couple minutes of this piece (tho I forgot the tiny intro section and started at the octaves still on the 1st page, hence 'fugato'-'active chords'-'big chords') but I was making zero progress on what it was from.  I'm really terrible at this sort of thing.
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Piano Street Magazine:
New Piano Piece by Chopin Discovered – Free Piano Score

A previously unknown manuscript by Frédéric Chopin has been discovered at New York’s Morgan Library and Museum. The handwritten score is titled “Valse” and consists of 24 bars of music in the key of A minor and is considered a major discovery in the wold of classical piano music. Read more
 

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