Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Tchaikovsky Themed Recital: April 2014

Well I was going to keep procrastinating, but you forced my hand, RIchard. I talked to my teacher about this and he seemed to think it wasn't unreasonable. So I'll give it my best shot...


The Tchaikovsky Themed Recital is due to take place April 15.

To preserve existing selections, always QUOTE from the latest list then, in any order:

-- Delete the initial "[quote=<name> ]"
-- Delete the final "[/quote ]"
-- Add your name and the bold tags, "[b ]" and "[/b ]", around your chosen piece.

Then submit the new list.
A 30sec clip is available of each piece in the same order as below @ Deezer (If you sign up or in with FB, the whole pieces can be played for free)
Or here, if you're restricted from the above due to your location:
All Music
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Op. 1 No. 1. Scherzo a la russe
Op. 1 No. 2. Impromptu (patH)

Op. 2 No. 1. Ruines d'un chateau (Morodiene)
Op. 2 No. 2. Scherzo
Op. 2 No. 3. Chant sans paroles

Op. 4 Valse caprice in D major
Op. 5 Romance in F minor (Ganddalf)
Op. 7 Valse-scherzo No. 1 in A major
Op. 8 Capriccio in G flat major

Op. 9 No. 1. Reverie
Op. 9 No. 2. Polka de salon
Op. 9 No. 3. Mazurka de salon

Op. 10 No. 1. Nocturne in F major (Valencia)
Op. 10 No. 2. Humoresque in E minor

Op. 19 No. 1. Reverie du soir (Dipsy)
Op. 19 No. 2. Scherzo humoristique
Op. 19 No. 3. Album Leaf (zrtf90)
Op. 19 No. 4. Nocturne (Rupak Bhattacharya)
Op. 19 No. 5. Capriccioso
Op. 19 No. 6. Theme originale et variations

Op. 21 No. 1. Prelude in B major
Op. 21 No. 2. Fugue a 4 voix in G sharp minor
Op. 21 No. 3. Impromptu in C sharp minor
Op. 21 No. 4. Marche funebre in A flat minor
Op. 21 No. 5. Mazurque in A flat minor
Op. 21 No. 6. Scherzo in A flat major

Op. 37 No. 1 January: By the Fireside
Op. 37 No. 2 February: Carnival
Op. 37 No. 3 March: Song of the Lark (SwissMS)
Op. 37 No. 4 April: Snowdrop (Pavel.K)
Op. 37 No. 5 May: White Nights
Op. 37 No. 6 June: Barcarolle (Sam S)
Op. 37 No. 7 July: Song of the Reaper
Op. 37 No. 8 August: The Harvest (dire tonic)
Op. 37 No. 9 September: The Hunt
Op. 37 No. 10 October: Autumn Song (Andy Platt)
Op. 37 No. 11 November: Troika
Op. 37 No. 12 December: Christmas (carlos88)

Op. 39 No. 1. Morning Prayer (casinitaly)
Op. 39 No. 2. Winter Morning
Op. 39 No. 3. Mamma
Op. 39 No. 4. Hobbyhorse
Op. 39 No. 5. The Toy Soldiers' March
Op. 39 No. 6. The New Doll (ClsscLib)
Op. 39 No. 7. The Sick Doll (earlofmar)
Op. 39 No. 8. The Doll's Funeral (ajames)
Op. 39 No. 9. Waltz
Op. 39 No. 10. Polka
Op. 39 No. 11. Mazurka (MrPozor)
Op. 39 No. 12. Russian Song (Johnny D)
Op. 39 No. 13. Peasant Prelude
Op. 39 No. 14. Popular Song
Op. 39 No. 15. Italian Song (sinophilia)
Op. 39 No. 16. Old French Song (Recaredo)
Op. 39 No. 17. German Song (sydnal)
Op. 39 No. 18. Neapolitan Song (IreneAdler)
Op. 39 No. 19. A Nursery Tale
Op. 39 No. 20. The Witch Baba Yaga
Op. 39 No. 21. Sweet Dreams (AimeeO)
Op. 39 No. 22. The Lark (tangleweeds)
Op. 39 No. 23. At Church (AZ_Astro)
Op. 39 No. 24. The Organ-Grinder's Song

Op. 40 No. 1. Etude
Op. 40 No. 2. Chanson triste (Greener)
Op. 40 No. 3. Marche funebre
Op. 40 No. 4. Mazurka in C major
Op. 40 No. 5. Mazurka in D major
Op. 40 No. 6. Chant sans paroles
Op. 40 No. 7. Au village
Op. 40 No. 8. Valse in A flat major (timmyab)
Op. 40 No. 9. Valse in F sharp minor (PikaPianist)
Op. 40 No. 10. Danse russe
Op. 40 No. 11. Scherzo
Op. 40 No. 12. Reverie interrompue

Op. 51 No. 1. Valse de salon
Op. 51 No. 2. Polka peu dansante
Op. 51 No. 3. Menuetto scherzoso
Op. 51 No. 4. Natha-valse
Op. 51 No. 5. Romance
Op. 51 No. 6. Valse sentimentale (lyricmudra)

Op. 72 No. 1. Impromptu (Peterws)
Op. 72 No. 2. Berceuse (MaryBee)
Op. 72 No. 3. Tendres reproches
Op. 72 No. 4. Danse caracteristique
Op. 72 No. 5. Meditation
Op. 72 No. 6. Mazurka pour danser
Op. 72 No. 7. Polacca de concert
Op. 72 No. 8. Dialogue
Op. 72 No. 9. Un poco di Schumann (Wayne32yrs)
Op. 72 No. 10. Scherzo-fantaisie
Op. 72 No. 11. Valse bluette
Op. 72 No. 12. L'espiegle
Op. 72 No. 13. Echo rustique
Op. 72 No. 14. Chant elegiaque
Op. 72 No. 15. Un poco di Chopin
Op. 72 No. 16. Valse a cinq temps
Op. 72 No. 17. Passe lointain
Op. 72 No. 18. Scene dansante: invitation au trepak

Which witch? Oooh, I know. A clever piece!

There are still several gems unclaimed in Opus 39 that would be good for a beginner. The Doll's Funeral (Easy!) and The Organ Grinder's Song are delightful (late beginner/early intermediate?). And there are quite a few others that might suit somebody's fancy.

[Ah - I see aJames has selected The Doll's Funeral. Great! It would be a shame not to have that piece played after The New Doll and the Sick Doll.]

I'm almost to the recording stage with Italian Song but I don't think I can learn a second piece, since Joplin is giving me a hard time and there are many other things I want to learn during the winter months. So I won't claim any other op. 39 piece.

Thanks to zrtf90 (Richard) and Morodiene for the tips on legato thirds! I am struggling with this right now in two another pieces. I especially have trouble getting 3-5 simultaneous, and your practice ideas help!

I have just ordered a copy of the sheet music (Jurgenson edition) of Op.72. I'm going to play through some of the pieces before I select a second piece. I have been thinking about "Meditation" or "Valse a cinq temps".
Боюсь, что музыка слишком сложная.....

Another thing you can do it play and hold both the notes with finger 3 & 5, then lift up finger 3 and press it down, lift and press, doing this slowly and repeat several times, all while keeping 5 down. Then you can do the same with finger 5 while holding down finger 3. Be careful that the "holding" finger isn't overly tense as you do this, and be sure the lifting finger relaxes after each time you press the key down before lifting again.

I suggest this because I'm guessing there is some tension that is preventing you.

Another thought that just came to me: is one of the pitches a black key and the other white? If so, the uneven nature of the notes can present some trouble. Even with two white keys it can be an issue, but let me explain. Imagine a horizontal line that goes across the keys. The ideal is that your fingers all touch the key at the same horizontal position, whether high up on the key o father down. This is why we curve our fingers when we play, because our fingers are uneven lengths and that can create an uneven sound when playing. So try and make sure that when you play these thirds that you get your fingers as close to an even horizontal plane as possible. It may not be 100% possible (especially if it's a black-white combination), so don't obsess about it, but even getting closer will help.

You can play and hold the third in question with fingers 3 & 5, then lift your hand up but maintain whatever position they were in at the end both both were fully pressed down. That may also help get the right position when you press the keys.

OK, if no one objects, I'm going to claim all of Op. 2. Of course, anyone else who would like to play them is welcome to!


The Tchaikovsky Themed Recital is due to take place April 15.

To preserve existing selections, always QUOTE from the latest list then, in any order:

-- Delete the initial "[quote=<name> ]"
-- Delete the final "[/quote ]"
-- Add your name and the bold tags, "[b ]" and "[/b ]", around your chosen piece.

Then submit the new list.
A 30sec clip is available of each piece in the same order as below @ Deezer (If you sign up or in with FB, the whole pieces can be played for free)
Or here, if you're restricted from the above due to your location:
All Music
[/i]

Op. 1 No. 1. Scherzo a la russe
Op. 1 No. 2. Impromptu (patH)

Op. 2 No. 1. Ruines d'un chateau (Morodiene)
Op. 2 No. 2. Scherzo (Morodiene)
Op. 2 No. 3. Chant sans paroles (Morodiene)

Op. 4 Valse caprice in D major
Op. 5 Romance in F minor (Ganddalf)
Op. 7 Valse-scherzo No. 1 in A major
Op. 8 Capriccio in G flat major

Op. 9 No. 1. Reverie
Op. 9 No. 2. Polka de salon
Op. 9 No. 3. Mazurka de salon

Op. 10 No. 1. Nocturne in F major (Valencia)
Op. 10 No. 2. Humoresque in E minor

Op. 19 No. 1. Reverie du soir (Dipsy)
Op. 19 No. 2. Scherzo humoristique
Op. 19 No. 3. Album Leaf (zrtf90)
Op. 19 No. 4. Nocturne (Rupak Bhattacharya)
Op. 19 No. 5. Capriccioso
Op. 19 No. 6. Theme originale et variations

Op. 21 No. 1. Prelude in B major
Op. 21 No. 2. Fugue a 4 voix in G sharp minor
Op. 21 No. 3. Impromptu in C sharp minor
Op. 21 No. 4. Marche funebre in A flat minor
Op. 21 No. 5. Mazurque in A flat minor
Op. 21 No. 6. Scherzo in A flat major

Op. 37 No. 1 January: By the Fireside
Op. 37 No. 2 February: Carnival
Op. 37 No. 3 March: Song of the Lark (SwissMS)
Op. 37 No. 4 April: Snowdrop (Pavel.K)
Op. 37 No. 5 May: White Nights
Op. 37 No. 6 June: Barcarolle (Sam S)
Op. 37 No. 7 July: Song of the Reaper
Op. 37 No. 8 August: The Harvest (dire tonic)
Op. 37 No. 9 September: The Hunt
Op. 37 No. 10 October: Autumn Song (Andy Platt)
Op. 37 No. 11 November: Troika
Op. 37 No. 12 December: Christmas (carlos88)

Op. 39 No. 1. Morning Prayer (casinitaly)
Op. 39 No. 2. Winter Morning
Op. 39 No. 3. Mamma
Op. 39 No. 4. Hobbyhorse
Op. 39 No. 5. The Toy Soldiers' March
Op. 39 No. 6. The New Doll (ClsscLib)
Op. 39 No. 7. The Sick Doll (earlofmar)
Op. 39 No. 8. The Doll's Funeral (ajames)
Op. 39 No. 9. Waltz
Op. 39 No. 10. Polka
Op. 39 No. 11. Mazurka (MrPozor)
Op. 39 No. 12. Russian Song (Johnny D)
Op. 39 No. 13. Peasant Prelude
Op. 39 No. 14. Popular Song
Op. 39 No. 15. Italian Song (sinophilia)
Op. 39 No. 16. Old French Song (Recaredo)
Op. 39 No. 17. German Song (sydnal)
Op. 39 No. 18. Neapolitan Song (IreneAdler)
Op. 39 No. 19. A Nursery Tale
Op. 39 No. 20. The Witch Baba Yaga
Op. 39 No. 21. Sweet Dreams (AimeeO)
Op. 39 No. 22. The Lark (tangleweeds)
Op. 39 No. 23. At Church (AZ_Astro)
Op. 39 No. 24. The Organ-Grinder's Song

Op. 40 No. 1. Etude
Op. 40 No. 2. Chanson triste (Greener)
Op. 40 No. 3. Marche funebre
Op. 40 No. 4. Mazurka in C major
Op. 40 No. 5. Mazurka in D major
Op. 40 No. 6. Chant sans paroles
Op. 40 No. 7. Au village
Op. 40 No. 8. Valse in A flat major (timmyab)
Op. 40 No. 9. Valse in F sharp minor (PikaPianist)
Op. 40 No. 10. Danse russe
Op. 40 No. 11. Scherzo
Op. 40 No. 12. Reverie interrompue

Op. 51 No. 1. Valse de salon
Op. 51 No. 2. Polka peu dansante
Op. 51 No. 3. Menuetto scherzoso
Op. 51 No. 4. Natha-valse
Op. 51 No. 5. Romance
Op. 51 No. 6. Valse sentimentale (lyricmudra)

Op. 72 No. 1. Impromptu (Peterws)
Op. 72 No. 2. Berceuse (MaryBee)
Op. 72 No. 3. Tendres reproches
Op. 72 No. 4. Danse caracteristique
Op. 72 No. 5. Meditation
Op. 72 No. 6. Mazurka pour danser
Op. 72 No. 7. Polacca de concert
Op. 72 No. 8. Dialogue
Op. 72 No. 9. Un poco di Schumann (Wayne32yrs)
Op. 72 No. 10. Scherzo-fantaisie
Op. 72 No. 11. Valse bluette
Op. 72 No. 12. L'espiegle
Op. 72 No. 13. Echo rustique
Op. 72 No. 14. Chant elegiaque
Op. 72 No. 15. Un poco di Chopin
Op. 72 No. 16. Valse a cinq temps
Op. 72 No. 17. Passe lointain
Op. 72 No. 18. Scene dansante: invitation au trepak

What is the very easiest Tchaikovsky piece? I might want to try to record it for this recital... (Enough time to practice)

Well I looked back through this thread and I saw where MrPozor had signed up for the Doll's Funeral. I didn't mean to step on anybody's toes and if you want it, MrPozor, just say the word.

Although I guess it has been decided that multiple versions are ok so hop on.



The opus 39 pieces are considered to be the easiest.

Thanks! I see. I'll just do one of the easier parts (perhaps Doll is ill) and post it in the Ecco Fatto Café instead of in the recital thread.

My experience is very limited: I started playing again in October after quitting at age 10, 21 years ago and I've never recorded anything so this might be the better road.
The easier pieces look doable. (I've done some of the easier pieces in the A.M. Bach Notebook).

Thanks Morodiene! I will try your suggestions. One of my problems is I have a particularly short 5th finger, and have played it flat for years. My teacher has been working on teaching me to play it more round, and to rebalance my hand towards the thumb, since I tend to to lean the hand to the outside. It is actually worse when I play two white keys. The change in balance of black/white, or white/black is actually easier. I am slowly getter there though.

Great idea - Ecco Fatto Cafe rules.

Cathy

And thanks from me, too. I'm SwissMS's twin when it comes to short 5th fingers - it's part of the reason I do white key octaves off the edge of the keyboard - I think it shortens my span a quarter of inch . All of these tips help as I learn new things.

Cathy

...is there any other way to play them?

Maybe we should have a piano party for the "short-5th finger" crowd

Cathy

I'll come. I'll be able to display my qualifications at the door.

Ya, my husband calls them my macaroni fingers. They're about an inch and a half shorter than my middle finger

Evening all, hope everyone's well After a couple of weeks on page 1 of my piece, it's dawned on me that I may have made a huge mistake. I've been playing the notes (circled in red below) seperatly, and thinking that it would all come together properly when up to speed. .........but on listening to the piece (slowed down in media player) I think that maybe I should be playing them all together. If this is the case, I'm gonna have to start all over again, as it would affect the fingering etc. Can anyone shed any light on this for me, it would be much appreciated

Hi Wayne, I am sorry.
I am afraid they should be played together and not separately (in time).
They are drawn a little aside to distinguish different voices. It seems to me there are four voices, all in 2/4 meter.
But wait for answer from someone with more experience to be sure about it.