Classical Music/Help

Advertisement


Question
Hi,
I'm looking for a list of very intense and fast piano pieces.  No
orchestra.  Just piano solo.  I've already looked into Rachmaninoff
but I wanted something faster and more volume.  Can you suggest
any pieces or composers?  This is not for me to play so don't worry
about difficulty.

Thanks

PS: I would prefer pieces in minor

Answer
You might consider "Baba Yaga" and "Great Gate of Kiev" from Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition."  (Listen to the whole suite; there may be others you like, too.)  Also Chopin's "Revolutionary Etude" and "Military Etude."  There's Ravel's  "Gaspard de la Nuit."  And the last movements of Beethoven's cm sonata ("Pathetique") and c#m sonata ("Moonlight").  Moszkowski has written a number of extremely difficult pieces.  Look as well at the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies (#2 is the most famous).  Vladimir Horowitz has played some of his own rhapsodies; the one on "Stars and Stripes Forever" and themes from "Carmen" are the most well-known.  Gottschalk's "Banjo" is another good one.  mb

Classical Music

All Answers


Answers by Expert:


Ask Experts

Volunteer


Marbeth

Expertise

I have a PhD in musicology, with expertise in medieval - Renaissance - Baroque - Classical periods, but I'll try to help you with any period.

>>*****IMPORTANT NOTE*****<<: I do not answer questions marked "private." I don't want to type the same thing to someone else later if I typed it to you already! If you mark your request "private," I will send it back to you requesting you to remove the "private" flag. Thanks for your understanding. Remember, I'm a volunteer.

My answers are not toss-offs. If I don't know the answer, I will do my best to find it.

I have many requests to identify a piece of music. If I can't identify it, I will tell you (1) what composer I think it is; (2) what composer or composers I think it is not; (3) what style period, genre, etc. I think it is or is not. And give you any other help I can to help you find the answer.

Please find a clear clip. In the interest of good computer hygiene, I will not download a clip. Nor will I go to a site where I must "register" in order to hear the clip. Please mount the clip on a public site for which you can give me a direct URL. Thanks for your understanding in this. Remember, I'm a volunteer!

Students, I do NOT do homework questions. The purpose of answering questions on assignments is not only to learn the information, but to LEARN HOW TO FIND IT. Re-read chapter. Look in the index. Look in the references given at the end of the chapter or elsewhere in the book. You also probably can find the answer using Google. Don't be lazy. I wouldn't be doing you any favors by doing your homework for you! I already know the answer. You don't. You need to find it. MORE IMPORTANTLY, you need to learn HOW to find it. That's the whole purpose of education, after all!

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.