Expert: Marbeth - 4/21/2009

Question
Hi,
    I am looking for the name of a particular piano piece that absolutely wowed me to the floor several years ago - here's the problem - I don't know what it
is called or who wrote it ( bear with me - I have clues ) I do have some details of the composer and the song - the piano piece is 4 hours long it was
performed by a young man for his friends at a party he threw for his friends when he was 19 ( he also wrote it himself ) and he died when he was 21 - that's
it.  It was played on abc classical radio ( australia ) several years ago about 1:30 am or 2:30 am and I was so tired because I stayed up too late that's why I
didn't remember his name I do believe that he was European and it was not really a recent piece ( a few hundred years old ) I think - wish I could give more
details, sorry - he is very talented I wish he didn't die so young.  If you could help me find out who he was and the piano piece in question I would be very
grateful, I know you are volunteering your time so if it takes a while or you can't find him and his piece it's ok, I'll keep looking.
              Many thanks Chris K.  Australia.

Answer
Hmmm.  My immediate thot when I read "died young" was Mozart or Schubert. Esp when you mentioned "a few hundred years."

What stumps me is "4 hours long".  The only "long" thing I can think of Satie's "Vexation" (something like 36 hours, depending on how fast the piece is played - it's performed by pianists who rotate playing - it's all diminished 7th chords - very interesting piece, but I digress).

Wagner's "Ring" cycle of operas take a lot of time, too!  (Think it's several days.  I don't particularly care for Wagner so I have never paid a lot of attention to the details of performance time.)  

Bruckner wrote some long symphonies, but this doesn't fit "piano."  Was it a piece originally FOR piano?  Maybe it was a transcription of, say, an orchestral work.

Still and all, I'd guess Mozart or Schubert, and the piece having been played over and over (in which case, I'd choose Mozart bcs this is something puckish it seems to me he'd do).

That's about the best I can do for you!

I'm going to assume you contacted the radio station.  They may have playlist archives......
mb