I must say that I enjoy listening to that piece very much. But I guess I also belong in the category of people who don't really count as people (read: composers)...

Thanks for the link Nikolas, I definitely say Wow! But in the end, that piece shouldn't be so hard. Once you get to bar 69, you just play what you already know backwards and you're already halfway through the piece!

Bit of a "wow" factor here. Thanks Koji , not very ego building for the rest of us.

Hey, wr, I like all your "wow" variations.

I almost forgot about that jazz stuff I listened to all the time in college. My biggest "wow" back then came when I heard Art Tatum's "Tiger Rag." Kim, if you've never heard Art Tatum, get ready for a "wow" and a half. He was almost totally blind, for what that's worth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaPeks0H3_s

Here's Tatum's rendition of Dvorak's Humoresque, if anybody's interested.

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

Here's an improv warm-up by Cziffra, who played a lot of jazz in addition to fast Liszt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf2accwGEaU&feature=related

Also, the other guy in jazz who scared me was Phineas Newborn, Jr. His whole album A World of Piano! is sick. Mulgrew Miller said of him, "when he was on, it was all the piano you could stand."

I think it's time to hear from the Original Poster to see if we are "on-track' with her/his expectations. See the original post: 2 parts.

This could go on ad infinitum (not that that's bad, as Seinfeld said) yet perhaps only 5% is within the capability of Kim88.

At this point I feel like we are shooting blindly through dense fog on a moonless night.

What say you Kim88?

Roger: Indeed if the pianist is insane enough and able to retrograde 5-6 pages... by all means then this piece is easy! hahaha!

But really, the pianist in the link is doing an AMAZING job (I know, after seeing this in youtube I went and bought the DVD, which is simply stunning throughout!)

You guys might not be impressed, but I play Requiem for a Dream on piano, and most people I know are jaw dropped.

As a reply to PlayLiszt, I posted that to get some ideas as to what pieces I should learn next. I'm after a piece that won't cause the audience to fall asleep in the middle of it, one that will make them want to listen to your playing.

Also, pieces which are beautiful and really move the audience but also have that 'wow' factor (eg. Liebestraume by Liszt which I mentioned earlier), pieces that you can pour so much emotion into.

Many of the suggestions are incredible pieces and I've definately learnt alot from this post.

Well, for a simple piece that isn't difficult The Storm by Burgmuller ( I think ) seems to impress a certain friend of mine who insists I play it every time she visits. The piece is becoming like Rach's C#Minor Prelude for me.

Also try Scriabin's Etude Op. 8 No. 12

Since Playliszt recommended some Grainger, let me also recommend a set called Four Irish Dances, originally an orchestral suite by Charles Villiers Stanford, "freely arranged" by Grainger for piano.

Two in the set (I only know three) are quite virtuosic and exciting, but the main reason I want to bring up this set is because it is so well-composed. Much of Grainger (to me) seems somewhat superficial and sentimental to me, but these pieces have an internal integrity that you can hear even amid the flurry of notes.

It's a surprise it is not played more often.

So mean! :p I'd love to know what those Chinese comments are saying.

A ridiculously crude interpretation! I was saying WOW, but for a different reason.

Ahh, much better!

what the....

Ah yes - that's better.

Not that I should be criticizing the other guy; La Campanella is one of the pieces I attempt every so often, and I can't play it yet. Probably won't be able to play it, ever.

Larisa:... Not that I should be criticizing the other guy...[/b]

I disagree. He, or someone, determined that it would be OK to ATTEMPT to perform this in public. This is "BAD JUJU, MON".

A good performance is rewarded with applause; a great performance with the standing ovation and curtain calls. An atrocious performance should be rewarded accordingly to perhaps re-introduce reality to whomever decided this person was ready to mangle this piece in public.

This was an example of wasted bandwidth on the internet.

So mean! :p I'd love to know what those Chinese comments are saying. [/b] I literally cannot watch this video all the way through.

Well, I suppose. I feel bad for the guy, though. And I wonder how many people would fling tomatoes at my Youtube videos for the same reason.

But yes, I agree with you; this should not be up there. I could not watch the whole thing through.

LM

How about Mendelssohn's "Spinning song"?

Very easy on the ear, nice and airy, something every one would enjoy listening to, but in my eyes impressive also to "look at", though I am sure there are many songs which are more difficult...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wQuDkZj67_c

My son just finished up the allegro movement to Faschingsschwank aus Wien. Definitely fun to play. Audiences react very well. It certainly has wow factor up to speed. And it's not such a killer that only a professional can pull it off.

Any piece is a "wow" piece if played just right.

(At least to classical fans anyway.)

Any piece is a "wow" piece if played just right.

(At least to classical fans anyway.)

I'd sorry Aviator1010110 I'd have to disagree with you on that one, there are some pieces which are ridiculously long and incredibly boring. They make you want to fall asleep. The thing is, you're playing for your audience and if they're asleep who are you playing to? I think the goal of a pianist is leaving the audience wanting more

Regarding the La Campanella video(the "interesting" one)-Is he being serious? Is there an avant-garde thing going on here that I don't understand?

Well, I think it's pretty serious, at least compared to his interpretation of the revolutionary etude ...

I would have rephrased it as any *good* piece can be a wow piece. If it's a good piece and the listener is bored than it could be the listener's fault. I've heard several live performances of the Hammerklavier Sonata or the Brahms Sonata No.3 and have not been bored and certainly felt "wow".

Of course, the question depends on the audience.
If they are not classical music fans they could be less than "wowed" by either of these works. It also depends on one's interpretation of "wow".

Here's a very short and technically easy piece but for me it was a wow piece because it was played far more beautifully then I had ever heard.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oy6uV-eMOEs

It's reputed that Brahms fell asleep during Liszt's performance of his Sonata. While many consider this Sonata to be among Liszt's finest works, Brahms thought it was boring. And i'm quite sure that neither is Brahms musically illiterate, nor is Liszt a bad pianist! It's just a matter of taste.

Most people consider Liszt's Sonata his greatest work. There was even a thread on PW on Liszt's greatest work not including the Sonata. There will always be exceptions to liking a great piece of music but I don't think this has much to do with thread.

Video was removed. It was the Rubinstein performance, wasn't it. Incredible video, my favorite performance of that particular SWW.

Haha, made my day!