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Joined: Dec 2009
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My son usually picks pieces that are not super flashy to play, but are interesting or challenging in another way. But after playing Beethoven's Sonata No. 12, Op. 26, No.1 recently, he turned to me and said "I want to play something flashy, you know, that my friends would appreciate." What are your favorite "flashy" pieces, and why do you like to play them? He has about 3 months to listen to and pick out new repertoire with the approval of his teacher, of course. He has played Beethoven's Sonata No. 7 and Ravel's Sonatine. But most of his other pieces have been pretty controlled.
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A Joplin rag? They're not too hard and almost anybody would like them.
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If he plays the last movement of that sonata real fast, it'll be flashy, and maybe his friends will appreciate it.  I think OSK made a great suggestion, even though Joplin isn't exactly "flashy." I think "catchy" would be a better word to think in terms of -- although maybe that's what your son meant by flashy!  I second the motion of Joplin rags. Provided that your son likes them well enough to want to learn some of them, I think they're sure to succeed.
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The Poulenc Toccata, or Prokofiev's march from "The love of three oranges.
The Prokofiev should be okay, though..okay after listening for a bit, the Poulenc might be pretty hard, but the Ravel Sonatine is no slouch to play.
Working on:
Chopin - Nocturne op. 48 no.1
Debussy - Images Book II
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Yeah, everybody loves a Joplin rag! If he's played Beethoven's 7th Sonata, then he's should be ready for a Chopin Etude, or if that's a little to much, a Mozskowski etude, perhaps No 2 in Gm. Or this. It might a stretch, but it's really cool! 
Last edited by DanS; 12/18/12 02:00 AM.
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Off the beaten track, one of the Dohnanyi Rhapsodies, or a Moskowski Etude from the School of Double Notes.
Semipro Tech
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It might be fun for him to dust off one of the old crowd-pleasers like Sinding's Rustles of Spring, Grieg's March of the Trolls, Paderewski's Menuet in G, one of the Brahms Hungarian Dances, Confrey's Kitten on the Keys, or Lecuona's Malaguena. There are many more of the type - those just came to mind immediately.
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It might be fun for him to dust off one of the old crowd-pleasers like Sinding's Rustles of Spring, Grieg's March of the Trolls, Paderewski's Menuet in G, one of the Brahms Hungarian Dances, Confrey's Kitten on the Keys, or Lecuona's Malaguena. There are many more of the type - those just came to mind immediately. Yes. I think those kinds of pieces are more likely to do what he's saying than "flashy" pieces -- I think he'd get more mileage from Malaguena (or, by the way, Fur Elise) than a Chopin etude, and with 1% of the work. IMO "crowd pleaser" is a more apt way to think of this thing than "flashy." (BTW I don't think the Paderewski is a good example but that's just quibbling.)
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It might be fun for him to dust off one of the old crowd-pleasers like Sinding's Rustles of Spring, Grieg's March of the Trolls, Paderewski's Menuet in G, one of the Brahms Hungarian Dances, Confrey's Kitten on the Keys, or Lecuona's Malaguena. There are many more of the type - those just came to mind immediately. Pretty much every single suggestion I was going to make (except for Grieg and Confrey.. didn't think of those). Depending on your son's age, if he decides to go with Brahms, No 5 is probably the most recognizable in terms of melody, but they're all fun. If he finds it too easy, for some reason, there are several nasty/difficult transcriptions (Cziffra's being at/near the top of the list), but I would expect the transcriptions to be a little above his head at present.
Every day we are afforded a new chance. The problem with life is not that you run out of chances. In the end, what you run out of are days.
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Y'all think the Paderewski is a crowd pleaser?? I don't see it that way at all. I see it as something that brings a smile to people who know what it is, but that's it.
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Imagine dropping a Beethoven Sonata to impress the motley with something “flashyâ€.
This is like wanting to fall off a train when there is good eating in the dining car.
There are lots of good alternative suggestions by everyone ... but we seem to be straying from the path of good advice for dear Mum (who might well see
a budding Mozart in her care) ... which should be to listen to the experienced Piano Teacher who would look on “flashy†with disdain.
“Flashy†means superficial and vacuous ... don’t do it!!
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“Flashy†means superficial and vacuous ... don’t do it!! But wanting to play some stuff that more people will be interested in makes sense.
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Who wouldn't snap to attention with a rousing rendition of the first movement of the Waldstein Sonata by you know who.
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Khachaturian's Toccata ? Very flashy and not as difficult as it sounds (or so they say, it's probably too difficult for me...)
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Mussorgsky's "Hut of Baba Yaga + Great gate of Kiev" from pictures of the Exhibition!
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A crowd pleaser? How about That One Prelude in C-sharp minor? Or the not-so-mainstream That One Etude, also in C-sharp minor? The masses also seem to like Jon Schmidt, but I don't know him very well. For flashy, perhaps he could play Chopin's last etude, Op. 25 No. 12. Once you get it, which shouldn't be too difficult, it's probably one of the easiest etudes.
One111
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“Flashy†means superficial and vacuous ... don’t do it!!
I think that descents into the superficial and vacuous, not to mention the cheap and the vulgar, are good for my perspective. I LIKE a good deal of entertaining, if somewhat shallow, classical music, and think there's a place for it. It's not as if it somehow corrupts my appreciation for the more high-minded stuff. And I think that the joie de vivre that some of it expresses actually isn't shallow at all.
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Hi wr,
You should get out more ... smell the roses.
Sitting on your bum watching TV addles the mind ...
I know because I've been addled.
Kind regards, btb
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Chopin Fantasie Impromptu, Beethoven Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement, Chopin Opus 25 no 2. These would be me suggestions
Serge P. Marinkovic, MD
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Last edited by pianoloverus; 12/18/12 04:38 PM.
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