I came across this one and really enjoyed it.



What are some other good examples?

Much prefer the piano versions of the first two, though.

I think the Mephisto Waltz is a better piece for orchestra than piano.

Pictures at an Exhibition is a very famous example, but I find the original piano version to be the best.

It was originally for orchestra I believe. I prefer the piano version, but they are both great.

There must be countless examples of this. Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" were orchestrated by Ravel. Somebody orchestrated Scriabin's 9th Sonata. Felix Weingartner orchestrated Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies produced an orchestration of the first two movements of Sorabji's "Opus clavicembalisticum", while Sorabji orchestrated at least one of his own pieces. Webern orchestrated the "Ricercar a 6" from Bach's "The Musical Offering".

Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn for piano (Op. 56b, 1873) was orchestrated by Brahms as Op. 56a, (1874) - in spite of the "a" "b" the piano version was written first.

The theme is now determined most likely not to be by Haydn but quite possibly by Ignaz Pleyel.

The orchestral version is considered by some to be better than the two-piano version and is certainly more frequently performed than the two-piano version.

I'll be playing some of the variations with a colleague at the end of the month.

Regards,

Somebody also orchestrated the Handel Variations! It's quite nice.

I'm a fan of Volodya's transcription myself (yes, I AM biased ), but it really is quite a marvelous accomplishment to create such a depth of sound on the piano.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE2P9gvlsPQ

And indeed, Mussorgsky has always been fair game. He needed a lot of help -poor guy- his muse was just too uncouth for Western sensibilities.

So the biggest dandy of them all, Ravel, decides to orchestrate a piece of piano music which IMO is so perfectly conceived as is. Ravel's orchestration puts a slimy, sweet syrup over Mussorgsky's musical 100% whole grain.

I agree about your take on Ravel's orchestration, but I can't really discredit Ravel for it. I still like it, but it's just in my opinion not as good as the original piano version.

Nor can I. I would be foolish to claim that Ravel's orchestration is anything less than a pure exercise of his awesome talent as a composer and orchestrator. It is really amazing.

But yet, Mussorgsky's original for piano has a certain inevitability to it which makes the gilding of the Lilly rather beside the point.

I stumbled across a few orchestrations of Corpus Christi En Sevilla. Besides being one of my favorite pieces, I think it really lends itself to an orchestration because of all of the dense harmonies that the different instruments are able to seperate:




Has anyone heard Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano arranged for piano and orchestra? I think it's a great concept but it was executed poorly.

On no no, you philistine.
Ravel's orchestration is a work of sheer beauty.

Shame on Maestro Hartung for not telling us which orchestration that is! It's gorgeous - thanks.

The whole of Iberia works pretty well for orchestra, I think. I've got a good recording by the Cincinnati Symphony under Lopez-Cobos, where the orchestrations are by Arbos and Surinach.



You mean the one by Klindworth that's on Naxos? Yes, that's disappointing. There's another by Mark Starr, but I haven't heard it.

Of course it is, but it is not Mussorgsky, and has nothing to do with M's unique sound world.

Mussorgsky was an incredibly original orchestrator, and I have never read anything to suggest that M considered orchestrating his piano masterpiece.

I've heard Klindworth's arrangement and was not impressed. I suppose there are others -a uni friend of mine wanted to undertake the task- but what difference would it make, really?

Alkan's concerto is so perfectly conceived as a piano solo, and where the orchestra is implied, it is still very pianistic nonetheless.

Liszt's arrangement of the Wanderer Fantasy is IMO more successful.

Yes, that's the one.



Without a doubt. No arrangement could ever replace the piece itself. But considering it's a solo piano piece "mimicking" an orchestra it would have been a fun listen had it been executed better.

On a semi-related note, I've always preferred the piano and orchestra version of Liszt's Totentanz to the solo piano version.

With due respect to Liszt, I don't like the solo version of Totentanz at all. Like his rather humdrum arrangement of the 14th rhapsody for piano and orchestra, the great Franz Liszt had his mind on other things and was simply -IMO- working on autopilot.

Most definitely. I feel the same way about Chopin's Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise. The orchestra adds next to nothing, it's just as good as a solo piece. Funny how depending on the piece my preference changes.

I'm always looking for a way to talk about how great Ravel is, so here I go: Those examples stand in contrast to his orchestrations of his Tombeau de Couperin. They are so original and so masterfully done that they almost become separated from their solo piano counterparts and stand on their own merit side-by-side.

Well yes and no. The orchestra may not add anything earth shaking, but I sincerely feel that the piece is given an extra -if expensive- dimension with the orchestra. Listen to Garrick Ohlsson's recording!


Please do not think that I have any less than the most profound respect for Ravel as a composer and orchestrator. I agree with you about the orchestrated piano versions of Ravel's works, but I humbly feel that Ravel took Mussorgky's uncouth Russian manliness and turned it all into a dandified French feminism.

Could any two composers be more ascetically different than Ravel and Mussorgsky?

Can't argue there. I definitely prefer the original piano version when it comes to Pictures. Ravel did take it and make it something entirely different, although I don't hate it. But yes, you will find me listening to the original 99 out of 100 times.

I was mostly referring to his efforts on Tombeau, but I understand your sentiment about Pictures. It's technically amazing, but very "french" like you said. Almost cinematic in its unabashed use of syrupy string parts.

P.S. I'll take a listen to Garrick Ohlsson's Polonaise.

I was not even aware of that. It seems Ravel dit not orchestrate Toccata. The orchestrated Toccata in my opening post is from a conductor Zoltan Kocsis.

Correct, he didn't orchestrate the Fugue or the Toccata from Tombeau.