VEGANGELICA

Keeping with the death theme, last night I listened to an interesting and wildly intense piece by Liszt called "Totentanz" (Dance of Death), a set of variations for piano and orchestra:

Franz Liszt - "Totentanz" (excerpt)
This portion of "Totentanz" is performed stunningly by Valentina Lisitsa (Valentina Lisitsa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), whose fingers really do seem to fly over the keys. I like the gentle beginning the most. The frenzy of the main body of the piece is impressive and inspires the image of a legion of dancing skeletons and corpses, but it doesn't appeal to me as much as the delicate introduction. Complex, extremely fast-paced piano pieces like the main body of this one sometimes make me feel as if they were designed more to impress than to convey a musical message or mood.




In contrast with the rush of notes in Liszt's "Totentanz," the simplicity and economy of Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C Major is much more my style. Prelude No. 1 in C Major is piercingly beautiful to me and doesn't require vast ornamentation and a profusion of notes to hold my attention. It is one of my favorite piano pieces. Since you have beyond a shadow's shadow of a doubt heard the original, below, I also found a modernized version to give you something new to listen to:

J.S. Bach - Prelude No. 1 in C Major
Hélène Grimaud - pianist
I had to search through around twenty YouTube videos to find a performance I liked. So much for the claim that posting and commenting on YouTube videos doesn't take effort!



Next, the modern version...

A variation on Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C Major
Played on a synthesizer, which creates an interesting, haunting effect through the echos that gives me chills...



I'm not familiar with the "I love Youtube" piano piece!

YouTube is great, though, I agree. It is such a fast (and free) way to hear performances, share music and allow others to listen to what is going into your ears. What are some of your favorite piano pieces that you've heard on YouTube, modatrio?

__________________

VEGANGELICA

Today I watched the movie The Pianist with my dad, thinking he'd appreciate it since he enjoyed playing piano, and I was not disappointed. The movie was great! I loved it.

While watching the movie, I was happy and surprised to hear one of the pieces my dad used to practice often...the first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, which I posted earlier. I also heard a piece that was new to me: Chopin's Ballade No.1 in G Minor, Op.23, B. 66. This music has added meaning for me now that I associate it with a pivotal scene in the movie.

Chopin - Ballade No.1 in G Minor, Op.23, B. 66
Arthur Rubinstein, pianist

I like the dreamy, contemplative, and sweet feeling of this piece, which starts out gentle but grows more intense and frenzied occasionally as it progresses. I like its many moods. I can't decide if it is happy or sad. I feel it is both at the same time. What is the word for that?

__________________

Zaqarbal

I'm curious about technically difficult pieces.



*Rossini (Liszt's transcription): William Tell overture. Played by Kemal Gekić. Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee. Piano: Yuja Wang

__________________

VEGANGELICA

Technically difficult pieces certainly are impressive, especially Flight of the Bumblebee. But yikes! Can you say carpal tunnel syndrome? I wonder if great pianists are able to type around 500 words per minute!

I still prefer slower and less frenzied pieces. When I hear fast and technically difficult songs (including showy violin solos), I find myself thinking mostly, "Wow! That is impressive!" rather than actually focusing on the music itself and enjoying it. The technical difficulty becomes a distraction.

While listening to Chopin's Preludes, I have identified the following as my favorites because I like their simplicity and emotion as well as the breathing room among the notes:

Chopin - Prelude Op. 28 No. 7 in A major
Ivo Pogorelich, Pianist
This prelude is short, sweet, and relaxed...like the end of a day when night is falling and all is becoming quiet:




Chopin - Prelude Op. 28, No. 15 in D flat Major
Vladimir Horowitz, pianist
I like how this prelude transitions from serene to intense and troubled then back to serene:

__________________

Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra

Ferruccio Busoni is fantastic, if not already mentioned:

__________________
Al Pacino = God

Siddi

I like to make up pieces by myself with a piano roll editor.

for instance

Piano composition: Murphy's law - YouTube

VEGANGELICA

Lowell Liebermann - Gargoyles op. 29, no. 3
I like the dreamy feeling of this piece by Liebermann.

I had never heard any of Liebermann's compositions before tonight. An acquaintance recommended I listen to his Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra, which made me curious about the composer since the piccolo isn't often featured as a solo instrument. This led me to his piano music in addition to compositions for solo cello and solo flute. I like that Liebermann's work "combines elements of traditional tonality and structure with more adventurous harmonies." Lowell Liebermann - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

__________________

777by

I can´t put links but i hope someone put something of George Winston

skaltezon

Anything but Pachelbel's Canon, for God's sake.
Get your post count to 15 and pick something.

VEGANGELICA

Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No.1

__________________