Pianophilia

fleubis wrote:

As far as I know Rachm. improvised his cadenza at the recording session!!!
Regarding Don Juan: I will also post Max Pauer's „no-nonsense“ edition (contains some good fingering).

I am even more in awe of this cadenza, knowing this!

I found a fairly well readable version of this cadenza
(original edition with foreword by transcriber Vladimir Tropp)!!

nms

Rose valley meets Obermanns valley:

alfor scan

The preface to the Rach cadenza is extremely interesting. I had no idea it was such a recent transcription--and we are fortunate that the transcriber(s) had 3 separate sources to work from to compile this transcription. One does tend to wonder how much they differ if this truly was improvised on the spot. There's real Rach magic here in these pages and it's almost enough incentive for me to take up this old warhorse again, just for the opportunity to play this cadenza in context.

And Obermann's Valley is nicely edited by Rosenthal, and hope I can muster up a little more enthusiasm for this piece by playing through it a couple more times.

Thank you, Alfred.

Dear fleubis,
Obermann has always been one of my favourite pieces by Liszt...and it has always been ruined by the so-called virtuosi who throw the opening bars and pages away as if it was by Rosellen or Goria. I have listened to many recordings and there is only one pianist who plays the opening bars as intended by liszt and that is Richter, OK he makes a mess of the rest of it but at least he gets the opening bars right.
Read the poem and feel the oppressive depression of those opening bars and then play the piece, the poem is full of Byronic gothic imagery which has to be placed firmly in your imagination, give the storm it's due forget that it requires a good technique, play the music and not the notes. I am sure your feelings will then change about it, it is a great piece but it requires a great performer to realise it properly and I am sure you could be just that man.
best wishes
Brian
PS you could always post your performance for us all here to praise beyond your wildest hopes.

Brian,

You are quite right about just about every pianist messing this piece up, and I am quite confident I could do no better.

fleubis wrote:Brian,

You are quite right about just about every pianist messing this piece up, and I am quite confident I could do no better.

fleubis, your modesty almost exceeds your brevity.

fleubis, your modesty almost exceeds your brevity.

Once in a while I am rather brief!

HullandHellandHalifax wrote: PS You could always post your performance for us all here to praise beyond your wildest hopes.

Maybe in a parallel universe there's another version of Pianophilia,
where everyone has to upload a photo of their music collection,
make a video of themselves playing something on the piano (or
other instrument), and do least 4 scans from their own music
collection every calendar year.

Timtin wrote:Maybe in a parallel universe there's another version of Pianophilia,

There is. I'm afraid I've just removed you from it for failing to observe the above conditions...

Regards
Fred #2

Hmm,
... and certain people like Percy Grainger lying nude under his piano would not really be someone I would like to receive photo's from...
puts pianophilia (as a word) into a horrifying perspective.

regards,
tobyjj