Soooooooooooooooooooooooo, I've been brainstorming on what program I'd like to learn for next season, and I've come up with the following ideas. Which one sounds most appealing to you?

Program #1 (French)
Boulez: Douze Notations
Debussy: Etudes (selections)
Ravel: Gasp Hard

-intermission-

Messiaen: Regards (selections)

Program #2
Rzewski: People United

Option #3 (Dance)
Brahms: Hungarian Dances (selections)
Godowsky: Kunstlerleben
Stravinsky: Petrouchka

-intermission-

Cage: Sonatas and Interludes (selections, with dancers)

There's something I've always wanted to learn/play on each (Gaspard, the whole Rzewski in one go, and Kunstlerleben), so I'm waffling. If I could find a good transcription of Swan Lake, I'd swap Petrouchka out for that in the dance program.

I'd attend all of them! Cool stuff - why don't you learn all three programs in one go? heh.
Possibly, the first program appeals the most to me - I like the combination of Debussy etudes with music by two of the fiercest proponents of that particular work, Boulez and Messiaen. Not enough familiar with the Cage/Godowsky of the last program to comment...

I'd love to hear your take on Brahms, so that's probably my #1 choice. But I think they're all solid programs.

With the caveat that it's all trumped by rather attending whichever one you're more driven to play.....let's say 'other things being equal' it's the first program, easily.


I think swapping out Petrouchka for Mary Had a Little Lamb would be a good idea.

I'm not familiar with the Godowsky, so that might shift my opinion, but the first program is almost irresistible to me.

Great selections. I'd want to attend either in #yyc.

All of them! (But especially Kunsterleben)

How about all three? Though in particular I'd love to hear the Rzewski.

I'd see all of them! #3 stands out the most for me, though. Awesome repertoire overall, and I'd go far out of my way to see the Cage with dancers on stage.

On the other hand, they're all great programs...

I marginally prefer the first, but if you swap the Stravinsky Petrushka for Mikhail Pletnev's transcription of The Sleeping Beauty or The Nutcracker, or even Guido Agosti's transcription of Stravinsky's Firebird (http://youtu.be/NGpLDneV17A), I might prefer the third one instead.......

All, but People United looks to be my favorite.

As per Orange Soda King; some of those variations have such heartbreaking strife locked within (not that the others necessarily don't ).

Old comfortable habits die hard, and my first impulse was to choose the first through familiarity. But I am an improviser and these days surprise, revelation and new insight are increasingly important, practically essential to me. Therefore let's hear the Rzewski.

Program #1

I'd happily go to them all - but as you asked for a choice, I'd go for #3. And I'd keep Petrouchka.

I like them all, but you started this thread because you want a choice from us, so I will go with #1.

I will go to the first part of Program #1, and the first part of Option #3. (Why is it Option #3 and not Program #3? What am I not seeing?)

Thank you!

I wondered too, including whether the shift was intentional or just an oversight.

If "intentional" is the answer, I figured it meant that 1 and 2 were your main thoughts and 3 was only if everybody said they hated 1 & 2.

I'm going to echo your choice, and also add that if you're looking to throw some Godowsky in, his Java Suite is also quite fantastic and severely underplayed. Perhaps in a varied program you would do several selections since it's about an hour in total.

Option 3 is most appealing to me. 1 is least.

#1 especially if you choose to end with #10.

Don't get me wrong I would love all 3, but the Brahms and Stravinsky seem a bit "meh" compared to the other selections; and "meh" is of course relative!!

-Daniel

Oddly enough, I'm with Mark_C on this one. Program #1 sounds very appealing. But, were I in the area, I'd come to any of those programs to listen and enjoy the sounds. Definitely!

Aside: program 1 seems very... ...conventional... ...in its own way, even though it would be an unconventional and sensitive grouping of material.

Where is RealPlayer when you need him?

Of course, the real question is: "Which program is in your heart to play?"

--Andy

P.S. Just realized I was with Mark_C on the "real question," too!

Hey, I don't see what's so odd....

They're all good ones, but People United would be a pretty amazing thing to see live!

Typo!

Thanks for the input so far. I sat down and reacquainted myself with Petrouchka today and spent most of the time wondering how I did it in the first place (ugh). As of now, I'm leaning towards the Rzewski since that might have the most mass-market appeal. Stephen Drury does it on the same programs the Hammerklavier Sonata. DON'T THINK I'LL BE TRYING THAT ANY TIME SOON...

Well, if I had said, "Oddly enough, I'm with BruceD on this one," that would have been odd, because BruceD and I never spar.

But I will grant you that it is not odd to think program 1 is a keeper, because it is (a keeper).

?

Definitely like program 1 the best, but I'm a Deb/Rav junkie.

Absolutely!

Program #2. Contemporary American composers have down some amazing things and we need to support them and further build an audience. I attended an excellent concert of Rzewski's People United played by Ralph van Raat and will never forget the experience! Pass it on.