<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I seem to remember reading somewhere that Ravel admitted that he couldn't play Gaspard. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br>
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We might want to add Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum to the list.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br>
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Best,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Jim<br>
</span><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 31 August 2010 11:34, Houpt, Fred <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:fred.houpt@rbc.com">fred.houpt@rbc.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff">Good additions. I find that the Beethoven, if played at
tempo is quite challenging. The "A" is not the most difficult but because
it is so poetic and large in structure it is quite something to pull
off. B's Opus 111 is daunting for sure and aside from the cumbersome
trills, is not as overtly hard to go through as say, the third movement of the
"Moonlight" with a blaze of speed behind you. I agree with the Ravel (he
must have been a phenomenally gifted pianist)....I have not printed off
Scarbo and now you've scared me out of it. The Schumann I probably heard
once but I cannot recall it's themes, so I think I'll have a look at the
music....his rarely played show pieces just dazzle the mind. I have
yet to play any Godowsky - too cowardly. Liszt spent much of his career
doing transcriptions; my favorite and I have it in two big books at home, are
the Beethoven symphonies. I feel that a person can gain so much insight
into the inner workings of his symphonies at a more profound level by playing
through Liszt's almost impossibly hard transcriptions. The texture of the
harmonies in the symphonies sound like they are in 3 D versus the rush of sounds
when a whole orchestra is performing. I so enjoyed learning more about the
music in that way. His other transcriptions of other composers are almost
unplayable in difficulty. It is no wonder that women passed out regularly
at his soirees. I think I have the Brahms Paganini variations at home and
I don't recall being that much impressed by the music. I have yet to play any
Stravinsky on the piano. Also too scary. Bartok I have not touched
either.....</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff"></font></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff">Regards,</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff"></font></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff">Fred</font></span></div><br>
<div lang="en-us" dir="ltr" align="left">
<hr>
<font face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org" target="_blank">f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org</a>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org" target="_blank">f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Jean-Christophe
Ponsero<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, August 31, 2010 11:07 AM<br><b>To:</b>
Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.<br><b>Subject:</b> [f_minor] Re
: Short list of hard stuff<br></font><br></div><div><div></div><div class="h5">
<div></div>
<div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif">
<div>Hi Fred, </div>
<div> </div>
<div>I would personally not consider Appasionata a technically difficult piece.
I'm OK with the Waldstein and would add the op. 111 because of the trills +
theme at the right hand. Hammerklavier is difficult because of the final
fugue.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Balakirev's Islamey is a good candidate as suggested by James. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>More food for thought (and fingers) :</div>
<div> </div>
<div>For Ravel I would add Scarbo from Gaspard de la nuit and the
concertos</div>
<div>Schumann's Fantasie op. 17 has one reportedly unplayable moment at the end
of the 2nd movement, although I've neved checked the score.</div>
<div>Godowsky's Passacaglia and most of the etudes on Chopin's etudes</div>
<div>Liszt's transcription of the Tannhäuser overture + some of the hungarian
rhapsodies + the B-minor sonata + transcendental etudes</div>
<div>Brahms's Paganini variations</div>
<div>3 movements from Petrushka by Stravinsky</div>
<div>Bartok's sonata</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Cheers<br></div>
<div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif"><br>
<div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif"><font face="Tahoma" size="2">
<hr size="1">
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">De :</span></b> "Houpt, Fred"
<<a href="mailto:fred.houpt@rbc.com" target="_blank">fred.houpt@rbc.com</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">À :</span></b>
Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.
<<a href="mailto:f_minor@glenngould.org" target="_blank">f_minor@glenngould.org</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">Envoyé le
:</span></b> Mar 31 août 2010, 15h 57min 51s<br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">Objet :</span></b> [f_minor] Short list of hard
stuff<br></font><br>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff">I have drafted a short list, not in any way fully representative,
of hard piano music. Just an opening bunch to think about and add
to.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff"></font></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><b><u><span lang="EN-CA">Difficult
piano music </span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="text-decoration:none"></span></span><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="text-decoration:none"><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff"></font></span></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">Beethoven</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">Appassionato,
Waldstein, Hammerklavier</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">JS
Bach</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">most of
Goldberg</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">Brahms</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">Second Piano
Concerto</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">D.
Scarlatti</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">All his keyboard
sonatas (at full tempo)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">Schumann</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">Parts of Piano
Sonata 1</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">Rachmaninoff</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">Piano sonata
#2</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">Chopin</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">Butterfly
Etude</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">Ravel</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">“La Valse” for
two hands</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">Paul
Dukas</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">“The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice” for two hands</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">Prokofiev</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">Piano Sonatas
(all hard, can’t imagine the concertos….)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><u><span lang="EN-CA">Saint-Saens</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA">Piano Etudes,
Preludes and Fuges (at full tempo)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff">Regards,</font></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff"></font></span></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN-CA"><span><font face="Arial" color="#0000ff">Fred
Houpt</font></span></span></p></span></div><font face="monospace">_______________________________________________________________________<br><br>This
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<br></blockquote></div><br></div>