Early concert announcement for those in and around New York

THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE FRIENDS OF GYÖRGY CZIFFRA
PRESENTS:
Homage a Cziffra: “The Art of the Transcription”

~ PROGRAM ~

Yashar Yaslowitz
Bach-Yaslowitz: Passacaglia in C Minor BWV 582

Claire Huangci
Schubert-Liszt: "Gretchen am Spinnrade"
Tchaikovsky-Pletnev: Concert Suite from “The Nutcracker”
March-Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy–Tarantella-Intermezzo-Trepak-Chinese Danse-Andante Maestoso

Alexander Moutouzkine
TBA

Gyorgy Cziffra
Audio recording of Gounod-Liszt: “Faust Waltz”

INTERMISSION

Koji Attwood
Wolf-Attwood: "Die Bekherte", "Vershwiegene Liebe" (World premiere)
Schumann-Attwood: "Berg und Burgen" (World premiere)
Tarrega-Attwood: "Recuerdos de la Alhambra"
Tchaikovsky-Attwood: Symphony No. 4, Op. 36, 1st movement, Andante sostenuto-Moderato con anima-Moderato assai, quasi Andante-Allegro vivo
(World premiere)

Mykola Suk
Thalberg: Fantasy on “Moses” by Rossini, Op. 33

Kimball Gallagher
Saint-Saens-Godowsky: "The Swan"
Saint-Saens-Liszt-Horowitz: "Danse Macabre”

Mei-Ting Sun
Stravinsky-Sun: Suite from "The Firebird" (1919)
Debussy-Sun: "Fetes" from Nocturnes
(World Premiere)

Hosted by Francis Romano


GYÖRGY CZIFFRA


FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25th 7:30 PM
THE PIANO SALON AT YAMAHA ARTIST SERVICES
689 FIFTH AVE(3rd Floor)
(Entrance on East 54th St b/w Madison and Fifth Ave.)
Tickets $20, seniors/students $15 for information please visit www.yasi@yamaha.com
For tickets, please call (516) 379-7598, or email: frankriss@verizon.net

Wow...nice line-up!

Nice!! Unfortunately, I'm too far away, but will this be recorded at all?

It should be--I'm in the process of setting up a youtube channel for the Cziffra society, which will have some video clips from past concerts.

Cool to see a few world premieres programmed. We definitely don't see those enough (well I don't anyways...)

Daniel

My God, that concert is going to be epic...as epic as that picture of the great Cziffra, or maybe moreso. I am definitely living in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Have you ever played any Cziffra transcriptions, Koji? I know that many suffer from poor (sometimes down right shoddy) notations, especially in the Peters edition, but some--like the Tritsch-Tratsch Polka and Brahms Dances--are admirably printed. I studied them a long time ago, but was too foolish to realize they were far beyond me. But you...

Thanks - Please bump several times leading up to it. I will try nit to miss it.

I was particularly enamoured with the Brahms Dances, but never worked up the temerity to perform them in public.

Oh, nice! Let us know when you get that up and running.

I'm there!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/CziffraSociety
(Thanks Brendan!)

Thanks! And the sole video is you and one of my favorite Liszt pieces.

man, how long is that gonna last? and i love cziffra as much as the next guy, but a recording seems a little odd. may work though

We always have had the tradition of playing either an audio or video recording of Cziffra (sometimes both, time permitting) at these concerts.
And yes, it's going to be a pretty long concert--at least you'll get (hopefully) your money's worth!

I'll be there. Great pianists and perfect for a transcription freak like me. And all those world premiers! The only other all transcription recital I've been to was one by Earl Wild at Carnegie Hall a long time ago. I hope it lasts at least three hours!

I hope DD isn't going to be speaking or will at least be brief if he's does. I used to like hearing him, but for my tastes he's has become somewhat oppressive.

I hope DD isn't going to be speaking or will at least be brief if he's does. I used to like hearing him, but for my tastes he's become somewhat oppressive.

Looking forward to hearing all your world premiers, Koji. Have you ever considered transcribing any Scriabin? That way you could combine transcribing with one of your, I'm guessing favorite composers.

Since most of Scriabin's output was for piano anyway, the only pieces one could transcribe I suppose are those symphonic poems, which would certainly be a challenging project!
A friend of mine (violinist) plays the fiendishly difficult Szigeti transcription of the Scriabin etude in thirds and did his own arrangement of the Feuillet d'album, Op. 45 which we recorded, if you're interested.

Bump for this awesome program - wish I could be there live to hear it!

Still plenty of great seats available--more videos have been added to the youtube page (thanks once again to Brendan):

http://www.youtube.com/user/CziffraSociety

A bump and a sticky for this awesome event - wish I could be there!

Thanks! Here's the updated program:
NOTE--concert now is starting at 7, instead of 7:30 due to the length of the program--

Yashar Yaslowitz
Bach-Yaslowitz- Passacaglia in C Minor BWV 582

Mykola Suk
Thalberg-Fantasy on “Moses” by Rossini Op 33

Koji Attwood
Wolf-Attwood: "Die Bekehrte", "Verschwiegene Liebe" (World premiere)
Schumann-Attwood: "Berg und Burgen" (World premiere)
Tárrega-Attwood: "Recuerdos de la Alhambra"
Tchaikovsky-Attwood: Symphony No. 4, Op. 36, 1st movement, Andante
sostenuto-Moderato con anima (World premiere)

Gyorgy Cziffra
StraussII-Cziffra-Tritch-Tratsch Polka

INTERMISSION

Alexander Moutouzkine
Bellini-Liszt-Reminiscenses of "Norma"

Claire HuangCi
Schubert-Liszt-Gretchen am Spinnrade
Tchaikovsky-Pletnev- Concert Suite from “The Nutcracker”
March - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – Tarantella - Intermezzo - Trepak - Chinese Danse - Andante Maestoso

Kimball Gallagher
Dvořák-Gallagher- "Songs of the Moon" from "Rusalka"(World premiere)
Saint-Saens-Liszt-Horowitz-"Danse Macabre"

Mei-Ting Sun
Stravinsky-Sun-Suite from "The Firebird" (1919) (World premiere)

Like Brendan , I wish I could attend. Will any of these be posted to YT like previous Cziffra Society stuff?

Were any of the Cziffra Society concerts in the past all transcription recitals?

I went to Earl Wild's famous all transcription concert at Carnegie Hall a long time ago(around 1981?), but this recital looks even more interesting and certainly more challenging. No one person could play all the notes in this recital by themself!

Any truth to the rumor about the encore on four pianos played by Koji, Mei Ting, Cyprien and Gyorgy?

I've got my tickets! This is going to be really impressive. Can't wait to hear you and the rest of the performers Koji!

Just got back from the concert.

Koji and Mei Ting were fantastic. I especially liked the three beautiful song transcriptions Koji opened with(two by Wolf and one Schumann).


I think Mei Ting's transcription of the Firebird will, if and when it is published, eventually be thought of as a masterpiece in the same league as Stravinsky's own version of Petrouchka. This performance was one of the most exciting concert moments in my life.

Bravo Koji and Mei-Ting!

Anyone else go? Will any of these performances be on Youtube?

As soon as I get the DVD, yes.

Grats on what was surely a great concert!

Mei Ting seems to enjoy talking to the audience(he did at his Mannes recital last summer also).

So he comes on stage with his usual award winning grin and says he would like to dedicate his world premier performance to something that without which the performance would not have been possible........CAFFEINE AND COFFEE!

was it well attended?

Unfortunately, despite all our best efforts, it was not particularly well-attended, but I certainly appreciate all the people who did show up. Glad you enjoyed the concert, pianoloverus.

How was Suk's Thalberg? I heard him play it about a year ago and his Thalberg glistened so beautifully.

Suk didn't perform(there is a later, revised program listing on this thread). I've heard Suk a few times at the Mannes summer piano festival(IKIF), and I enjoyed his performances. I think he quite often includes Thalberg on his programs. I remember hearing him play the Liszt Sonata, Pictures at an Exhibition, and Liszt HR #8.

Debussy 20: Are all those AP's keeping you from posting at PW?

-AP history is sweet, love the teacher
-AP music is simple. I have a 100 average, without the 10 additional points for it being an AP....
-AP bio, oh lord... I'm beginning to hate phospholipids
-The other three honors classes arent that hard, just a lot of work.

Tennis is keeping me away a little too.. and a little is just going from tennis to schoolwork to piano from 3 till about 10 at night. It's so hard for me to go from summer when i could practice as much as i needed to and wanted to... to barely getting 30 minutes in some night. It's slowly teaching me to practice very VERY smart... because who knows what my work load will be tomorrow!

I can't imagine why anyone would hate them. I can't even imagine what they are.



I suggest writing "too easy" on your next test.

I guess you won't miss your graduation like McEnroe did. Of course, he had an excuse...he was playing at Wimbledon.

Here's a hint on how to handle the situation if your teacher doesn't answer your question in class:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0eqZKTj...PL&index=19

I can't believe it wasn't sold out, not to mention not even "well attended." What a shame! With a blockbuster program like that and some of the finest pianists in America today playing in it--you'd think in NEW YORK people would swarm in! I know that if I lived within 100 miles, I'd be there.

I've been to tons of free recitals and masterclasses in NYC that only had attendance of 25-100 people. It's disappointing but at least you don't get claustrophobia.

Some of my humble contributions to the concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwXWyJRyy8U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Win23nhGODE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqlaWzzbTuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EliS3kGo_o8

A thousand thanks to Brendan for the uploads; more performances to be posted today.

Those are all stunning, Koji! Yes, thank you to Brendan for the uploads.

Mei-ting's Firebird:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wnLoQKbWPQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN_Pq6vLdxg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYsUgkXmyGg

I think Koji's song transcriptions and Mei-Ting's Firebird could easily become standards in classical recitals in the future. And the Firebird could take a place right along Stravinsky's own transcription of his Petrouchka.

I'd be interested in hearing other PW member's thougths about what to me are amazing, beautiful transcriptions.

Very kind of you think so; here is Claire's outstanding performance of the Pletnev arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxZ8RPufEQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLX0esKCrsI

I loved MT's Firebird transcription and hope that it will gain recognition. I definitely want to see the music! For my tastes, Firebird has the best melodies and musical ideas of Stravinsky's Russian period ballets. Aside from the Danse Russe, Petrushka really suffers in its current form. The last movement is very poorly adapted to the piano in that it's so unpianistic and doesn't achieve a really sonorous effect. Many of the great Russian pianists who played it (Gilels, Berman, etc.) substantially rewrote parts of it, notably the ending. Serhiy Salov did a reportedly stunning transcription of The Rite of Spring.

As for the other pieces on the Ziff program...well, Koji's Tchaikovsky was simply overwhelming. Weight of the freaking world. Now that's a piece that works REALLY well on the piano.

I don't mind saying I was pretty drained after listening to Koji's Tchaikovsky. It is a monumental accomplishment.

Koji, would I be correct in assuming you were influenced in this endeavor by Feinberg's work with Tchaikovsky's symphonies? Particularly that overpowering example on your YT channel.

Yes indeed, I was very much inspired by Feinberg's amazing transcription; am slated to perform the ENTIRE symphony at some point in the spring, and am now seriously considering the wisdom of such an undertaking. Glad you guys enjoyed all the performances, we were all very buoyed by the positive audience response both during and after the concert, so I guess transcriptions still do have a place in the concert hall.

Oh, nice! I really enjoyed that Feinberg, BTW. Good luck on performing your own entire transcription if you go through with it!

I love transcriptions, and I hope you guys can "grow" this event into a well-known concert.