Unfortunately, despite all our best efforts, it was not particularly well-attended, but I certainly appreciate all the people who did show up. Glad you enjoyed the concert, pianoloverus.

How was Suk's Thalberg? I heard him play it about a year ago and his Thalberg glistened so beautifully.

Suk didn't perform(there is a later, revised program listing on this thread). I've heard Suk a few times at the Mannes summer piano festival(IKIF), and I enjoyed his performances. I think he quite often includes Thalberg on his programs. I remember hearing him play the Liszt Sonata, Pictures at an Exhibition, and Liszt HR #8.

Debussy 20: Are all those AP's keeping you from posting at PW?

-AP history is sweet, love the teacher
-AP music is simple. I have a 100 average, without the 10 additional points for it being an AP....
-AP bio, oh lord... I'm beginning to hate phospholipids
-The other three honors classes arent that hard, just a lot of work.

Tennis is keeping me away a little too.. and a little is just going from tennis to schoolwork to piano from 3 till about 10 at night. It's so hard for me to go from summer when i could practice as much as i needed to and wanted to... to barely getting 30 minutes in some night. It's slowly teaching me to practice very VERY smart... because who knows what my work load will be tomorrow!

I can't imagine why anyone would hate them. I can't even imagine what they are.



I suggest writing "too easy" on your next test.

I guess you won't miss your graduation like McEnroe did. Of course, he had an excuse...he was playing at Wimbledon.

Here's a hint on how to handle the situation if your teacher doesn't answer your question in class:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0eqZKTj...PL&index=19

I can't believe it wasn't sold out, not to mention not even "well attended." What a shame! With a blockbuster program like that and some of the finest pianists in America today playing in it--you'd think in NEW YORK people would swarm in! I know that if I lived within 100 miles, I'd be there.

I've been to tons of free recitals and masterclasses in NYC that only had attendance of 25-100 people. It's disappointing but at least you don't get claustrophobia.

Some of my humble contributions to the concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwXWyJRyy8U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Win23nhGODE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqlaWzzbTuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EliS3kGo_o8

A thousand thanks to Brendan for the uploads; more performances to be posted today.

Those are all stunning, Koji! Yes, thank you to Brendan for the uploads.

Mei-ting's Firebird:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wnLoQKbWPQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN_Pq6vLdxg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYsUgkXmyGg

I think Koji's song transcriptions and Mei-Ting's Firebird could easily become standards in classical recitals in the future. And the Firebird could take a place right along Stravinsky's own transcription of his Petrouchka.

I'd be interested in hearing other PW member's thougths about what to me are amazing, beautiful transcriptions.

Very kind of you think so; here is Claire's outstanding performance of the Pletnev arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxZ8RPufEQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLX0esKCrsI

I loved MT's Firebird transcription and hope that it will gain recognition. I definitely want to see the music! For my tastes, Firebird has the best melodies and musical ideas of Stravinsky's Russian period ballets. Aside from the Danse Russe, Petrushka really suffers in its current form. The last movement is very poorly adapted to the piano in that it's so unpianistic and doesn't achieve a really sonorous effect. Many of the great Russian pianists who played it (Gilels, Berman, etc.) substantially rewrote parts of it, notably the ending. Serhiy Salov did a reportedly stunning transcription of The Rite of Spring.

As for the other pieces on the Ziff program...well, Koji's Tchaikovsky was simply overwhelming. Weight of the freaking world. Now that's a piece that works REALLY well on the piano.

I don't mind saying I was pretty drained after listening to Koji's Tchaikovsky. It is a monumental accomplishment.

Koji, would I be correct in assuming you were influenced in this endeavor by Feinberg's work with Tchaikovsky's symphonies? Particularly that overpowering example on your YT channel.

Yes indeed, I was very much inspired by Feinberg's amazing transcription; am slated to perform the ENTIRE symphony at some point in the spring, and am now seriously considering the wisdom of such an undertaking. Glad you guys enjoyed all the performances, we were all very buoyed by the positive audience response both during and after the concert, so I guess transcriptions still do have a place in the concert hall.

Oh, nice! I really enjoyed that Feinberg, BTW. Good luck on performing your own entire transcription if you go through with it!

I love transcriptions, and I hope you guys can "grow" this event into a well-known concert.