What is your favorite piano transcription?

[freddychopin]

I like

"The Lark" by Balakirev (Glinka)
"Danse du Sabre" by Cziffra (Katchaturian)

what do you like?

[stebroccm]

Wagner-Liszt Isolends Liebestod
Wagner-Liszt Tannhauser Overture
Schubert-Liszt Erlkonig
Bach-Godowsky Violin Sonata in G minor
Chopin-Godowsky Etude, op. 10, no. 1 (first version)
Bach-Busoni Chaccone
Bach-Siloti Prelude in B minor

[Goldberg]

Everything done by Cziffra, but *especially* ( ) his William Tell Overture, On the Blue Danube, Sabre Danse, and Valse Triste. I like Hamelin's La Campanella and Black Key Etude transcriptions, Volodos' Italian Polka and Turkish March, Horowitz's Danse Macabre, Stars and Stripes forever, "Carmen" Fantasy...

And my favorite Liszt transcriptions include "Norma," "Tannhauser Overture," Waltz from Gounod's "Faust," Polonaise from "Eugene Onegin," Valse Infernale from "Robert Le Diable," Tarantelle from Auber's "La Muette de Portici," and no doubt a few other smashing works...

Ah, yes, and I love Alkan's transcription of both the first movement of Beethoven's 3rd PC, not to mention that terrifying cadenza...

[Goldberg]

I knew I was forgetting something! I just recently got a CD of Gould's Wagner transcriptions and those are remarkably effective as "literal" transcriptions. He made transcriptions of the Siegfried-Idyll, Die Mastersinger von Nurnberg Prelude (act 1), and Gotterdammerung ("Dawn" and "Seigfried's Rhine Journey").

Then Godowsky...yeah he has some great stuff (the etudes...) as well as Busoni's Bach works, particularly the D major and Eb major organ preludes and fugues.

[thalbergmad]

Tausig-Weber-Invitation to the Dance
Thalberg-Rossini-Seriminade

Learning both at the moment

[musik_man]

Wagner/Liszt Tannhauser Overture
Wagner/Liszt Isolde's Liebestod
Schubert/Liszt Auf dem Wasser zu Singen
Schubert/Liszt Der Leiermann (this one's technically a very easy piece)
Bach/Busoni Chaconne in D minor
Glinka/Balakirev The Lark

[pianomann1984]

Here's my little list!

Liszt Transcriptions:-

Schubert Standchen & Erlkonig
Schumann Widmung & Fruhlingsnacht
Verdi Concert Paraphrase on Rigoletto
Liszt Rhapsody Espagnole (Transcribes, as part of it, two Spanish Folk Songs)

Rachmaninov Transcriptions:-

J S Bach Suite from Partita in E for Solo Violin
Mendelssohn Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream

Also:-

Bach/Busoni Chaconne in D minor
J Strauss/Schultz-Elver Blue Danube
R Strauss/Grainger Ramble on the Last Love Duet from Der Rosenkavalier
Britten/Stevenson Fantasy on Peter Grimes
Stephen Hough My Favourite Things from the Sound of Music

Amongst many others yet unknown to me!

[redflux]

Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto (1st mvmt), Transcribed by Alkan....incredible

[nanabush]

I love bach/busoni chaconne, Cziffra sabre dance is it in public domain by any chance?  I also like Totentanz.... and most of Liszt's opera transcriptions..

[quantum]

"The Lark" by Balakirev (Glinka)

Volodos: "Turkish March", "Wedding March"

Anyone know if Volodos' transcriptions have been notated?

[apion]

Wagner-Liszt Tannhauser Overture

Wagner-Liszt Tannhauser Overture is my fave!

[freddychopin]

Volodos: "Turkish March", "Wedding March"

Anyone know if Volodos' transcriptions have been notated?

PM me for the Turkish March by Volodos..

[thalbergmad]

Lots of Volodos about. Carmen, Hungarian Rhapsody 13, Entincelles, Glinka Etc

[Glyptodont]

No question for me--

The Myra Hess version of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

One of the members of this board sent me the music and I was in heaven for two weeks.

For anyone who wishes to hear her play it, it plays in the background on this website-- 

https://www.carolinaclassical.com/hess/

[iumonito]

This one makes you reveal your stripes!  If you let me have two, I will take "To me a flower you are" (Schumann-Godowsky) and Nachtfalter (Strauss-Tausig).  Alas, but how do you leave out the Tannhauser overture, Albeniz-Godowsky Tango, Petrouchka and La Valse!?

[rohansahai]

Pletnev/Tchaikovsky: Nutrcracker

[brokenagraffe]

does anyone have the Beethoven -Alkan PC 3 1st mvmt as an audio file?

[theodopolis]

It's another vote for Wagner/Liszt Tannhauser Overture.

Bach/Busoni Chaconne a close second.

[rafant]

Besides the operatic ones mentioned in another recent thread about Liszt:

i) Bach-Busoni: Chorale 'Nun Kommt der Heiden Heiland', BVW659
ii) Bach-Feinberg: Largo (Trio Sonata No. 5, BVW529)
iii) Bach - (?): Largo (Concert for Harpsichord BVW1056)

All of them serene, profound and beautiful works.

iv) Beethoven-Liszt: 6th Simphony, 1st Mov.
v) Brahms-Idil Biret: 3rd Simphony, 3rd Mov.

For this kind of repertory I recommend the Maurice Hinson's guide "Piano transcription, Arrangements and Paraphrases".

Finally I'd wish to play a piano transcription of the Dvorak's Serenade for Strings. It must be beautiful, but I don't know if one exists at all.
 

[musicsdarkangel]

I hate being cliche,

But Busoni's Chaconne and Horowitz's Carmen.

[hodi]

Mendelssohn/Liszt/Horowitz - Wedding March

[dlu]

Stravinsk's The Rite of Spring transcribed by Leyetchkiss

[sharon_f]

Bach/Busoni Chaconne
Gluck/Sgambati - Mélodie from from Orfeo ed Euridice
Schulz-Evler/Strauss Blue Danube
Stravinsky Petrushka

[lau]

volodos ruslan and ludmilla might be my favorite, that ending is spectacular. I have the music for cziffra's sabre dance, but i have all this music and i want to know what it sounds like so i don't waste my time trying to learn it...I also really want to hear hamelins bumbebee and la campanella

[nicco]

volodos ruslan and ludmilla might be my favorite, that ending is spectacular. I have the music for cziffra's sabre dance, but i have all this music and i want to know what it sounds like so i don't waste my time trying to learn it...I also really want to hear hamelins bumbebee and la campanella

i could send you the mp3

[lau]

you will send me the mp3...

[franz_]

Volodos: "Turkish March", "Wedding March"

Wasn't this done by Horowitz before?

[nicco]

you will send me the mp3...

pm'ed you

[lau]

...confused what you "gave" me was a little square box called image preview that said "no preview available"

[burstroman]

 I love to play these:
Bach/Brahms Chaconne in D minor (l.h.)
Mendelssohn/Rachmaninov Scherzo from "Midsummer-Night's Dream"
Offenbach/Moszkowski Barcarolle de "Les Contes d'Hoffman"
Bellini/Thalberg "Casta Diva"

[klavierkonzerte]

tchaikovsky/wild     pas de quatre

almost all the trascriptions of thalberg on donizetti operas, probably these are thalberg at his best

verdi/thalberg         trovatore

bellini/thalberg        Sonnambula, grand caprice

bach/busoni            chaconne

gluck/sgambatti       melodie

[thalbergmad]

bellini/thalberg        Sonnambula, grand caprice

Massive respect for this. Heart tearing and show stopping at its best.

Tested my modest mechanical ability to its fullest extent.

Mr 3 hands excelled himself with this one.

Thal

[ihatepop]

My favourite so far is the La Campenella.....

[gidselgrisen]

Rachmaninoff´s transcription of the tchaikovsky lullaby. 

btw I HATE virtuoso transcriptions of already difficult pieces. They have one purpose only. And are often ugly. 

[thalbergmad]

btw I HATE virtuoso transcriptions of already difficult pieces. They have one purpose only. And are often ugly. 

I don't know what to say to that.

[elevateme]

Bach/Busoni Chaconne in D minor

i hate that piece

[jakev2.0]

Godowsky - Chopin Etudes

[elevateme]

definately. i actually prefer some of the godowsky ones to the chopin originals

[pianistimo]

i've honestly never heard those.  must listen.

pianomann 1984, quantum, and sharon_f's idea about the schultz-evler rendition of blue danube (that took my breath away when i heard it the first time).

have the five browns made some transcriptions for all five of themselves?  i heard a duo with two of them - but somewhere's i thought they had some kind of piano quintet going.  must look for it again.  ah. i found it.  they have composer/arranger friends jeffrey shumway and kendall briggs who arranged 'firebird' for them.  it seemed to be a hit.

i want to arrange music for piano someday.  i think it would be a blast.  am working on rachmaninov's 'the bells.' 

[thalbergmad]

pianomann 1984, quantum, and sharon_f's idea about the schultz-evler rendition of blue danube (that took my breath away when i heard it the first time).

In my humble opinion, the Pennario transcription of the Emporer Waltz is superior.

Thal

[minstrel]

Brahms' transcription of his own D minor string sextet is awesome..I play it all the time.

My favourite Liszt transcription is probably a tie between Beethovens 6th symphony 1st movement, and the Tanhauser overture.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Too many contenders, though I can just manage to pick an alltime favourite..

Liszt: Isolde's Liebestod (my absolute no.1 choice); Norma; Waltz from Gounod's Faust
Thalberg: Don Pasquale; Moses; Casta Diva
Martucci: Force of Destiny
Tausig: Fantasy on Moniuszko's "Halka"
Pabst: Eugene Onegin
Cziffra: Flight of the Bumblebee

etc, etc, etc...

I suppose, strictly speaking, some of these are not truly "transcriptions".

[sjskb]

I will have to say Volodos Turkish March.... mostly coz of the wonderful inner parts. It takes a fantastic ear to be able to "imagine" the sound produced...

other favourites include:

sgambati-gluck melodie, earl wild's vocalise (rach), pletnev nutcracker (only the Maestoso), schulz-evler blue danube.

oh yes, cziffra's bumblebee must be the craziest etude ever....

for some reason, i do not like horowitz and volodos transcriptions of liszt hungarian rhapsodies... they are mostly similar to the liszt original, except for lots of extra (unnecessary) flourishes.

[rach n bach]

oh yes, cziffra's bumblebee must be the craziest etude ever....

for some reason, i do not like horowitz and volodos transcriptions of liszt hungarian rhapsodies... they are mostly similar to the liszt original, except for lots of extra (unnecessary) flourishes.

Agreed on both points.  However, I still love Horowitz's Carmen, Stars and Stripes, and (best of all) his Dance Macarbe.     

Bach-Busoni OR Bhrams Chaconne.

Liszt's Beetoven's 5th is also great, Liszt manages to stay pretty close to the origanial, and doesn't put too many flourshes in there.

RnB

[dabbler]

I'm still quite new to transcriptions, so there's so much to discover yet...
But at the moment I enjoy
* those that I get to know via Audition Room or Youtube, so keep posting 
* all Bach-Busoni choral preludes, especially "Nun freut Euch lieber Christen gmein" (as I'm practicing, this is turning into a love-hate relationship), "Ich ruf zu Dir Herr Jesu Christ" and "Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme".
* Bach-Hess "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring"
* Wagner-Liszt Tannhauser, Schubert-Liszt Standchen
* Godowksy transcriptions... those on Schubert's "Wandering" and "The trout" are really funny. And the Chopin studies (haven't listened through all yet, my current favourite is #4, the second study on op.10/2). And the Saint Saens "Swan"....
* Cortot's transcription of Brahms' lullaby 49/4 (thal, it's now on my desk, thanks again for suggesting).
* Swan, lullaby, ...oh wait, before getting too kitschy, I better stop here.

[hodi]

Mendelssohn Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream - rachmaninov
and bach's busoni chaconne in d minor.

[burstroman]

I agree with you completely, "hodi", and I've come to add a couple of other more distant choices, Thalberg's "Casta Diva", Liszt-Mendelssohn's "On Wings of Song", and Moszkowski's "Barcarolle" of Offenbach.

[pianowelsh]

too many but :

Wagners liebestod
Bach busoni Chaconne
Bach Rachmaninov suite in E
Schubert Liszt widmung
Kreisler rachmaninov liebesleid

are some of my favourites

[counterpoint]

Since yesterday, it's the Schulz-Evler transcription of Blue Danube.

Normally I don't like transcriptions, but this Schulz-Evler composition changes a silly waltz into a magnificent piece of music.

[opus10no2]

i hate that piece

And why?