Looking for a concerto and pieces by Liszt ...

[iceman]

hi guys! i'm looking for a concerto to play. Also, some pieces by Liszt. Just to let you know my standard, here are some pieces that I've played recently:

Bach C# major prelude and fugue from book 1
Mozart sonata in D K457
Brahms Rhapsody in B minor op79
Debussy Jardin sous la pluie
Chopin etudes op 10 no1, no 4, no12; op 25 no 12
Chopin Scherzo no 3
Tchaikovsky Dumka
Vine Sonata no 1 2nd mvt
Vine 5 bagatelles
Lutoslawski Variations on a theme of Paganini for 2 pianos
Poulenc piano concerto
Prokofiev Piano concerto no1

I have also achieved my LMusA diploma (licentiate)

Thanks guys! Could you let me know what you think and any suggestions please?

[steinwayguy]

Well I think you could play just about anything if you really wanted. Personally, I've always wanted somebody to do a complete year from Les Annees de Pelerinages by Liszt; my favorite being the second year. You might also look into a transcendental etude or the Mephisto Waltz or a Paganini Etude (or all of them!). For concerti, my favorites of "your level" would be Liszt 2nd, Rachmaninoff Second, Beethoven's 3rd or 5th, Mozart's 20th, Chopin F Minor, or Bartok's 3rd.

[iceman]

Hey thanks! also forgot to mention that i've also played Mozart K576. Anyway, I've been wondering about the Liszt Hungarian rhapsodies... which ones do you recommend? And how difficult is Beethoven's Emperor Concerto compared to Prokofiev 1? Also, thinking about some Chopin, which of the ballades would suit me - like which one is the most difficult etc.? What about the barcarolle and the A flat polanaise? I also seem to think that the Mazurkas are underplayed, is that so?

Thanks

[dbrainiak914]

Hey, wow great rep.  I think you could tackle any one of the ballades, honestly.  But difficulty is 3<1<2<4, so pick wisely?  My personal fave is 2, mainly because of the coda. 

Poulenc concerto?  Never knew he wrote one.  What's it like?  Poulenc is great.  Same question for the Lutoslawski.

As for Liszt - I really like 6, 9 and 12.  Those are good, don't know of difficulty though.  I would stay away from Mephisto... it's great but every apsiring pianist seems to need to play it.  But it's a great piece... if you wanna go for it.  I really love his Waldesrauschen and Gnomenreigen...  GREAT stuff.

And for concerto, go with Liszt 2.  I think it is deeper, showier, more dramatic and fun than Beethoven 5 or Prokofiev 1.  Destroys Liszt 1, IMO.

[steinwayguy]

Well there is much debate over the relative difficulty of the Ballades. I'd say 2-3-1-4 easiest to hardest, but that's just me. I would do the Barcarolle instead of one of the Ballades, at first. The Barcarolle is so underappreciated and it definitely shouldn't be.

[danyal]

Try going for
Pieces:
Bach- Partita no 2 (c minor), English suite no 2, and sone of the more difficult inventions, Italian Concerto
Schubert- Any of the Impromtus
Chopin- Ballades (any) Scherzo no 1 or 2, Etude op 25 no 4, no 10
Liszt- nothing wrong with the Mephisto (dont avoid it cos supposedly "everyone" plays it- if its what you want to play, then play it!), Etudes de Transcendante, The Dante Sonata, Venezia e Napoli
Mozart- Sonata K284, K330 (if mozart is your style)
Prokofiev- Sonata no 7

Concertos:
Mozart- 15, 17, 20, 23, 10 (double concerto- one of my personal favorites)
Chopin- 1
Saint Saens- 2
Rachmaninoff- 2, Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini (good luck...)
Liszt- Any of them (1, 2, Totentanz or Hungarian Fantasy)
Brahms- 1

This is just a select list from my best loved music! Good luck though.

[Daevren]

Learn the ones you like the most.

[iceman]

ooo thanks guys! Great feedback and pieces you've suggested. Barcarolle - i love it... I heard Louis Lortie play it in a recital the other week. He also played scherzo no 4, polanaise fantasie, sonata no 3, and a nocturne (can't remember which one). Mephisto ... yeah everyone wants to play it! and Ballade no 4, thats a killer! I'm not such a big fan of Bach, and i have played the Italian concerto before danyalswan, but its a nice piece.

Poulenc concerto?  Never knew he wrote one.  What's it like?  Poulenc is great.  Same question for the Lutoslawski.

The poulenc concerto is much like film music of the 40s and 50s... its so cool!!!

Keep the suggestions and comments coming in!!!

[steinwayguy]

It's really up to you. You're at the point where it practically doesn't matter how difficult a piece is, so just do as Daevran said and learn what you like the most.

[Bouter Boogie]

Piano concerto nr. 1 - Liszt 

[iceman]

great suggestions guys! keep them coming. btw i'm 17 so what pieces would suit this age?

[Daevren]

If I where you I would try to LISTEN to as many piano concerto's as possible. And listen to them with the sole aim of enjoyment. Since you say you are (only) 17 and already have the ability to play very difficult pieces I would not be in a real hurry.

I am not sure if you have done this already. But it seems like a silly question. Don't you love like 4 or 5 concerto's (or less or more) that much you really want to play it? Why should we tell you what pieces you should learn. And more important, HOW?

I have seen many people ask this question here and I am absolutely puzzled by it. I always get the impression that the people that ask this question do not even listen music, they only play and there fore they don't know piano literature or something.

The only answer I can give is giving my favorite piano concerto and my favorite Liszt piece. But these are quite meaningless to you. What do you want? A piece that you think is great music? A piece that works on your weak spots? A piece that impresses people and is generally well known? How should I know? How could I possibly answer this? Why would you want to learn a piece I think would love to listen/play? Plus you are asking everyone.

What piece suits your age? What do you mean? Do you think composers wrote pieces  for pianists with specific ages? And even if they did, why not play a 'piano concerto for a 57 year old' when you are 17 because you like the piece?

[iceman]

What I meant by mentioning I'm 17 is that I may not have the maturity to handle such pieces (e.g. ballade no 4? or rach 3?) I mean, if you could tell me from those pieces listed above, like a 'maturity rating' it might be helpful. Also, apart from the VIne Sonata and Prokofiev 1 and the etudes, I really don't think that some of those pieces are THAT difficult... but maybe thats cos I've played them.

What are your thoughts???

[Daevren]

Doesn't maturity come mostly from experience? If you feel adding musical value to music by things like dynamics and interpertation is one of your weaknessess then maybe pick a small piece that focusses on this. And I still think listening and enjoying is important in terms of understanding what music and musical value is.

Some people believe that you become more mature by developing yourself as a person. Maybe interest yourself for other art forms. Or science or philosophy. I am not saying this will really help your music. But it will make you a more mature person.