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Piano

post #1 of 19
1/18/09 at 10:42pm
Thread Starter 
Probably my favorite instrument. I took lessons at a very young age, then moved to classical guitar, and not taken either very seriously. I have the best parents in the world and I should have listened to them much more than I did.

What are your favorite pieces? I don't have one in general, just what I happen to love at any given time, and right now, that is this:



Please share.

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H
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post #2 of 19
1/19/09 at 6:29am

Re: Piano

I wish I could hear the work you posted, but with dial-up from home, I won't be able to hear it. But once I get to work I will have a listen to it.

I am a classically-trained pianist, although my primary instrument is harpsichord.

I would be hard pressed to list my very favorite pieces, but I like most anything by J. S. Bach, even though he most likely did not write for the piano per se. My favorite composers for the piano are Chopin and Scriabin, and to a slightly lesser extent, Debussy. I also love the works (especially both sets of the Impromptus) of Schubert; additionally, the four scherzi of Chopin are among my favorite works for the instrument.

I also appreciate the sonatas of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, several of the works for piano by Arnold Schoenberg, and a few works of Liszt and Schumann. My favorite set of variations for piano are the Variations Serieuses of Felix Mendelssohn.
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post #3 of 19
1/19/09 at 8:46am

Re: Piano

I'd like to play the piano one day though I'm afraid it will probably be too much for me poor head.
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post #4 of 19
1/19/09 at 12:21pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Piano

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ockeghem
I wish I could hear the work you posted, but with dial-up from home, I won't be able to hear it. But once I get to work I will have a listen to it.
That was Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 No. 5.

Sounds wonderful and looks like hell to play...

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H
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post #5 of 19
1/19/09 at 3:25pm

Re: Piano

Quote:
Originally Posted by Holadem
That was Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 No. 5.

Sounds wonderful and looks like hell to play...

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H
Holadem,

Thanks. I'm listening to the work now. It's gorgeous.

Among my favorite works of Rachmaninoff's are the Etude Tableaux (also very difficult to play). I think my favorite is the E-flat minor etude from the op. 39 set. I own a recording of the work by Van Cliburn which I like very much.

Here is a link to the Mendelssohn work. I've played this work for years, and it never, ever fails to move me greatly. I think it's one of the greatest sets of piano variations ever written. My favorite interpretation is that of Abbey Simon; however, I could not locate a performance of the work by Simon online.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?...um=4&ct=title#
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post #6 of 19
1/21/09 at 3:15am

Re: Piano

I too like Piano. I enjoy playing it.
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post #7 of 19
1/21/09 at 9:21am

Re: Piano

I am very fond of "Girl With the Flaxen Hair". I assume you mean solo piano, but if you mean piano concertos I love too many to list.

Never too late to start playing again. Good luck. When you have playing music in your soul it's pretty hard to deny it.
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post #8 of 19
2/18/09 at 6:35pm

Re: Piano

Faves would be too many Beethoven sonatas to list, but check out the second mvt of #27 for starters. Some non-solo faves would be The Archduke Trio and concerto #5, just for starters.

I also love that Rachmaninoff prelude you linked. My favorite recording of it is by Andrei Gavrilov on EMI, and is no doubt OOP.
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post #9 of 19
2/21/09 at 6:53pm

Re: Piano

The Chopin Preludes fall into my favorites list...along with the Mozart Sonatas.

Since you asked for a particular piece...here's some young punk playing the outrageous Rondo Alla Turca (Turkish Rondo) from Mozart's Sonata in A:



I never took piano lessons as a child...but when my daughter was taking, I decided to take lessons. I achieved a certain level of competence...but, sadly, as the kids got older I had less and less time to practice/play.

I have such respect for those who play.
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post #10 of 19
2/21/09 at 8:14pm

Re: Piano

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
The Chopin Preludes fall into my favorites list...along with the Mozart Sonatas.

Since you asked for a particular piece...here's some young punk playing the outrageous Rondo Alla Turca (Turkish Rondo) from Mozart's Sonata in A:



I never took piano lessons as a child...but when my daughter was taking, I decided to take lessons. I achieved a certain level of competence...but, sadly, as the kids got older I had less and less time to practice/play.

I have such respect for those who play.
Mike,

Nice taste there. I too love the preludes (and actually anything at all by Chopin). I play four or five of the Chopin preludes, and two of the Mozart sonatas. Even though there are a plethora of Mozart sonata recordings out there, I've never found to like anything quite as much as I do the entire set being played by Lili Kraus -- such sensitivity and musicality shine in her interpretations.
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post #11 of 19
2/28/09 at 11:56pm

Re: Piano

It's hard to select one from so many worthy performances, but to me a standout is the early Alfred Brendel recording of the "Waldstein" sonata.
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post #12 of 19
3/1/09 at 10:57am

Re: Piano

I recently found a vinyl album in excellent condition at the Goodwill store, and bought it ($.99). I had it already, but this one was in outstanding condition. It's George Winston's "December" album. He's also a very good pianist. If you haven't heard him, check him out.
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post #13 of 19
3/2/09 at 8:28am

Re: Piano

One of my favorite collections is an old Columbia Masterworks anthology of Scriabin pieces by Vladimir Horowitz. I especially love the Tenth Piano Sonata and Vers la flamme.

Other favorites are the two Janáček recitals (DG and BMG) recorded by Rudolf Firkušný. No one knew this music better than he did.
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post #14 of 19
3/2/09 at 2:32pm

Re: Piano

Many good works suggested here so far, but one that has not yet made it is Tchaikovsky's piano concerto no 1, which is a truly great piece.

Also, although not originally written for the piano, Bach's Goldberg variations is something I can listen to again and again.

In a different style, Keith Jarret's Köln concert is an astounding piano piece.
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post #15 of 19
3/2/09 at 4:03pm

Re: Piano

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikael Soderholm
Many good works suggested here so far, but one that has not yet made it is Tchaikovsky's piano concerto no 1, which is a truly great piece.
I own three (two are in mint-condition) LPs of the Kondrashin / Cliburn interpretation. I was born the year Cliburn won the competition.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikael Soderholm
Also, although not originally written for the piano, Bach's Goldberg variations is something I can listen to again and again.
Agreed. Glenn Gould recorded it at least twice (I own both the 1955 and later recordings). The interpretations are quite different. I don't know which one I prefer at this time, but the Goldberg Variations are a joy to listen to and to perform.
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post #16 of 19
3/2/09 at 7:16pm

Re: Piano

Quote:
Also, although not originally written for the piano, Bach's Goldberg variations is something I can listen to again and again.

Actually, that's exactly WHY Bach wrote it.
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post #17 of 19
3/3/09 at 10:41am

Re: Piano

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Nicholls
Actually, that's exactly WHY Bach wrote it.

That...and the need to pay the rent. Although there is some disagreement among historians over his compensation.
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post #18 of 19
3/3/09 at 7:00pm

Re: Piano

Actually historians haven't decided whether Bach had 23 children because he fugued too much, or because he had poor control over his organ stops.
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post #19 of 19
10/10/09 at 10:01am


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Moxley View Post

I recently found a vinyl album in excellent condition at the Goodwill store, and bought it ($.99). I had it already, but this one was in outstanding condition. It's George Winston's "December" album. He's also a very good pianist. If you haven't heard him, check him out.

What makes George Winston's recordings so enjoyable is the recording and production quality.  I believe this was recorded on a Studer two-track master machine at 30 ips with absolutely no processing.  The other factors were the piano itself, the mics used, and most of all, the placement of the mics. 

The best three albums by George are Autumn, Winter Into Spring, and December.
If you're big on vinyl, Windham Hill pressings were about the only decent vinyl produced back in the 80s.

I once heard a very high end system with Snell Speakers and a few boat anchor size tube amps that required their own separate circuits.  The salesman played December.  It was amazing to hear how the sound stage gradually became more and more realistic as the tubes warmed up.

After about 5 minutes, I could close my eyes and swear George was playing a piano in that room.

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