Pianophilia

The Chopin Preludes "revised" by Oscar Wilde's brother, Willie.
From Richard Ellman's biography of Oscar Wilde:
"Yet Willie carved out a fragile place for himself in London... His piano playing led him to compose his own 'improved' endings for Chopin's Preludes--an enterprise that might have made a better man quail."

Arjuna wrote:There is supposed to have been a 3rd series of Villa-lobos's "Prole do Bebê". Apparently he made a recording of it but never wrote it down. The other two are among my favorite collections of piano pieces so I would really love to hear what the third was like.

I knew he composed a third serie and that the score was lost during his move from Paris, but I never knew he recorded it. Was this recording ever released on LP or CD ? I would be very interested in hearing it.

Thanks in advance.

My personal piano holy grail. I'm quite sure a piano reduction of this waltz exists, but none is available at the NYC Library of the Performing Arts or, to my knowledge, at any of the well known online sources. Of course, Korngold's own transcription of this piece is probably far more beautiful than the published version but even the published version would be terrific. I am dying to play this piece but do not have the skills to transcribe it.

ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD plays Die schönste Nacht from his operetta Die Stumme Serenade (1946)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXDuBKvQ8-U

lebowl wrote:My personal piano holy grail. I'm quite sure a piano reduction of this waltz exists, but none is available at the NYC Library of the Performing Arts or, to my knowledge, at any of the well known online sources. Of course, Korngold's own transcription of this piece is probably far more beautiful than the published version but even the published version would be terrific. I am dying to play this piece but do not have the skills to transcribe it.

ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD plays Die schönste Nacht from his operetta Die Stumme Serenade (1946)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXDuBKvQ8-U

I've only just recently seen your request. Here is the beautiful waltz from Die Stumme Serenade. More people should hear this and indeed the entire operetta, for it is an inexhaustible font of unforgettable melody. I think you'll find that this reduction does a good job of conjuring the Korngold piano style within reasonable technical demands. Based upon this you can add the filigree heard in the composer's performance as you see fit.

THANKS A LOT!!

What about Medtners Works? There are some unpublished works by him out there (Facon de parter, Moderato, P'yesa, Präludium, Marsch, Ekspromt, Humoresque, Postyudiya, Marsch, Etüde in E minor, Album leaf for piano, Postyudiya in C minor, Musikalischer Moment, Sonata B minor, Impromptu alla Mazurka, Easy piano piece no.1, Adagio funèbre for piano, Pastorale in C major, Listok iz alboma) I'd really love seeing them. I hope I'll find them

Or what about the 'lost' Niemann stuff. His opp. 1, 151, 157, 172, 164, 166, 156, 172, 187. Would be great if anybody knows something about them

I am posting a fascinating but probably impossible request. I am reading a bio of Godowsky, and he apparently wrote a transcription of Strauss' Blue Danube. He played it in Europe and maybe other places but the book said it was never published. Since Godowsky was quite critical of the Schulz-Evler transcription(although he performed it), it would really be fascinating to see what he did with perhaps the most iconic waltz ever written.

I am posting a fascinating but probably impossible request. I am reading a bio of Godowsky, and he apparently wrote a transcription of Strauss' Blue Danube. He played it in Europe and maybe other places but the book said it was never published. Since Godowsky was quite critical of the Schulz-Evler transcription(although he performed it), it would really be fascinating to see what he did with perhaps the most iconic waltz ever written.

The bio has one very funny story I want to share. G was about to perform a concert somewhere in Europe but feeling under the weather. A friend suggested he order some kind of drink but after waiting a while with the drink not arriving he went on stage to start the recital. During the slow movement of Chopin's Sonata Op.35 he sees the delivery person off stage in the wings. He tries to signal this person not to come on stage but the delivery person misunderstands and walks on stage. He stands next to G holding the drink while the audience starts laughing. At one point he tries to present G with the bill. I doubt he got a tip.

Reminds me of the numerous Pachmann stories...

alfor wrote:Reminds me of the numerous Pachmann stories...

Oh, please share.....