Hi!

I am looking for some angry, frustrated piano pieces in the vein of Rach's cis-minor prelude and Chopin's "revolutionary" etude. I've finished those two and I need something new that I and my piano teacher could work on. I've considered Toccata in D-minor by Prokofiev, but could I make it? Here is a good interpretation of the mentioned piece:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUU_0QMoe2k

Any suggestions welcomed!

Anders S

Chopin's No. 11 op. 25 and no. 12 op. 25 would be good candidates. The thirds etude is good too, although quite difficult.

Rachmaninoff's prelude in B minor, op. 32.

-Colin

Liszt's Wilde Jagd. It's presto agitato, so it's got some fury.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JgU-ZRRTqFY

Chopin 28/18 - F-minor prelude[/b] - it's about as fast, angry, tangled, and agitated as anything.

The Rachmaninoff C minor prelude
op. 23 no. 7

You want a really "badass" piece? Check out Rachmaninoff's First Piano Sonata in D minor. Not as well known as the Second Sonata, but a much better and much more intense piece in my opinion.

I'm playing that right now, and I agree that it fits this topic quite well.

bad assed, not angry and frustrating but funky?

Schnell und Spieland (closing of Kreisleriana)

How about Rach's Etude op.39 #6 ?
Here's Valentina Lisitsa's version
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tVuP1BjbhAg

I know people don't think of Mozart and bad-*** in the same sentence, but the first movement of the sonata in C minor K. 457 is rather angry and can be played with wild abandon. Check out Schiff's version for evidence. I just finished a hack at recording it. It leaves you a bit breathless at the end.

Funny, no one has yet mentioned one of Rachmaninov's angriest[/b] compositions: the C# minor Etude-Tableaux from the Op. 33.

An angry caricature of a certain bloody Prelude?

He certainly had an axe to grind... "I coulda made money on that!"... at least he was a player with apologies to Paul Newman.

Chopin f# minor prelude.

Argerichfan, i love that piece. and it certainly is WOW angry.

How about Chopin's Funeral March. That is certainly not a happy piece and it sounds really great.

Even sadder is Liszt's Funérailles. I never heard of this today til I listened to it on pianosociety.com

Sad? Of course. Angry? Most definitely, what with Liszt's big build-up fortressed with the octave salvos in the middle section. This piece is the ultimate catharsis[/b].

My personal axe to grind: some commentators have dismissed this piece as merely commemorating Chopin's Ab Polonaise.

Remove the famous left hand octaves, and the two compositions could hardly be more different. Talk about lazy, idiotic listening...

But of course it's really more about Liszt's presumed inferiority to Chopin isn't it?

Can you please not swear? I find that highly offensive.

maybe he was talking about a bad(wild donkey) minor piece. I suppose it's possible.

I have to admit, I've never heard a bad wild donkey piece. sounds cool though.


my contribution: Brahms 2nd hungarian dance. Even though it has some changes of mood, i think it'd fit your description.

Hmm, me too, now that you mention it.

I too find it highly offensive when people swear.

I second Mozart's Sonata in c minor K457, studied that piece for 10 months with my teacher, it does involve emotions (anger,frustration etc.) and has to be played with depth and a high level of maturity.

If you can find a partner you can play Saint Saens'"Animaux Veloces". They may not be badasses, but they are asses.

Swift asses!

Theoretically, one wouldn't actually need a partner. The two pianos are playing a single line in unison an octave apart. Wouldn't it be a neat trick to try it on one piano a la the finale of the Chopin Bb minor?

Does it make me a bad person, that I listened to Funerailles just because I needed to hear some really sad and angry all at once?

Today, I'm going to try to compose the saddest angriest piece ever tonight. A friend of mine is engaged to someone only 3 weeks ago she was super upset that he was controlling her life and trying to get rid of her friends. I know sometimes you have to learn from your mistakes; but marriage isn't something to play around with. Thats jsut stupidity. So tonight will be spent compose sad and angry music. Too bad I only have a 76 key keyboard.

I need to learn Chopin's Funeral March as well, so it can be like a "Fare Thee Well", for my friend.

Maybe you should get some more sleep.

thanks, I probably should

No, it tells me you are human and have emotions. That's good.

Sometimes it's appropriate to keep your pragmatic, rationalist opinions to yourself.

I was recently introduced to Alkan's Scherzo Diabolico... if you have the technique that is probably one of the finest examples of rage and power on the keyboard.

Scherzo Diabolico

The fact that dnephi's advice was heeded says it all.

OP: Check out Scriabin's Sonata No. 1 in F minor, one of the angstiest pieces ever.

Not really. Vanity can correct me if I'm wrong, but perhaps his acquiesce is only habitual since he may doubt the validity of his own emotions.

My statement still stands.

Ahh yes, one of my favourite pieces.

That's quite a time commitment.

I agree that it's a better piece than the first sonata, but oh man does it look like a hell of a lot of work!

It was unintelligible. Yesterday was just a bad day, a lot of things came up. I just needed to get it all out; too bad I was on pianoworld when it occured. It's was my fault for bringing up things that no one would understand or care about except for me and the person I was talking about's friends. Sorry. Things happen, I'll just try not to et them happen again.

Somewhat manageable and fitting would be Brahms's g minor rhapsody. Might achieve the drama you are looking for.

Anders39 started this out with a link to Lisa De La Salle's Prokofiev Toccata. I found it a bit dull. But YouTube also gave me this one, which is really stunning:

Toccata - Claire Huangci

Well, it's certainly fast! She's missing something(s), though. But I can't complain too much, because it's certainly an incredible technical feat for a 16-year-old (for an anything-year-old).

Thanks for the suggestions everybody.

I liked that version too, although I think the dynamics is a little bit of a sudden. Awesome speed btw.

My teacher and I started on the Toccata today.

Seriously, nobody mentioned Mazeppa? (Liszt's TE #4 in bad*** D minor)

It's intense and very mean sounding. After all, it's about a story involving cruel torture and attempted murder. It will tear your head off and hand it back to you after playing football with it, and that's before you get 1/3 of the way into it.

You need to be somewhat physically fit to play it, too. I'm doing an intense 90-day cross-training workout program which I think will help me better cope with the physical demands of this piece. (I'm not joking.)

This is me trying to play it:
Mazeppa

Actually, I can't believe I forgot the transcendental etudes. Nearly all the minor keys fit the description, especially Mazeppa, Wilde Jagd, No. 2 in A minor, and Chasse Neige.

They've all been brought up a few times, but thanks.

I can't believe I forget Reger's Variations and Fugue on a Theme Of Bach, Op. 81 and Szymanowski Sonata #2.

Absolutely titanic.

Basically, Messiaen's Vingt Regards No. 6, sur l'enfant jésus

That's a good angsty piece that luckily isn't too difficult to learn.

Ahahahaha, what?

8) There's really nothing by Messiaen that's easy, but Par Lui Tout a Ete Fait is pretty near impossible.

Yikes, yes.

Then again, organists don't have it much easier. Try Combat de la Mort et de la Vie from Messiaen's "Les Corps Glorieux".

Astounding. The final taper is one of the most mystically extended moments in all of music. Light the Roman Catholic candles, pour a glass of Merlot, have a cigarette (oops, England is non-smoking now), then let yourself flow with Messiaen's timelessness.

Pianists who only know Messiaen's music for their own instrument are simply missing the big picture. Would any of us tolerate a choral conductor making great claims for Beethoven without reference to the piano, symphonic or chamber works?

Ultimately I suspect Messiaen will live by his organ works. His heavy -and uncompromising Catholicism- tends to wilt on the vine when taken outside of the Church.

And one more thing- that piece is modal, not minor, so it can't fit the requirements of this thread.

here is michelangeli playing the funeral march of chopin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXTvdepqgYg&feature=related

i love michelangeli's interpretation.

I clearly second Mazeppa...It's very mean sounding...

Man...I'm trying to play it at the moment and it really wears me off when I reach the middle part...Even worse than when I'd play Chopin's 10/1,10/2,25/6,25/11,25/12 all at the same time...

The hut on Chickens legs a.k.a Baba Yaga(Mussorgsky pictures at an exhibition)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2pWvLd0eK0