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Every Saturday I pull out new music and sight read my way through. It is a wonderful time of exploration and sometimes I get lucky enough to find a piece that I want to work on.

Today, I fell in love with Mozart's Adagio in B minor K.540. I can see what my new passion will be over the next weeks. The notes are deceptively simple............the dynamics and technique required are anything but. What an absolutely gorgeous piece of music. I didn't know whether to laugh with the wonderful discovery or cry at profound emotions this piece brings forth. Now this is why I am still playing the piano 42 years after that first lesson.

So what piece do you just respond to completely? Should be an interesting list. Give me some more things to sight ready through and discover.

Eileen

Interesting question, Eileen. For me, most recently it was "Souvenir de la Havane" by Gottschalk. BDB here identified it from an audio clip and Plays88 scanned her sheets for me. I am grateful to both. It, too, appears deceptively simple on paper. But between constant large leaps in a tango rhythm for the left and a mostly single-note-at-a-time melody for the right which must be played elegantly legato with little graceful trill-like turns interspersed, it's not so easy. I spend a little time every afternoon working on that, among other things. Close, but no "Havana". After discovering that Gottschalk piece, I've rounded up several things of his I may work on someday.

I'm a big fan of Gottschalk... my favorites are Bamboula, Souvenir de Puerto Rico, The Dying Poet, Tournament Galop, and the Grand Tarantelle for Piano and Orchestra.

moonlite 3 because it stays in your head forever after u reely lisen to it once and in a league of its own when played with enough emotion and artistic-ness if thats a word...

Brahms Intermezzo #2 Opus 118

I never get tired of that piece.

Jodi

oh, oh, oh - one more - the piano duet that Elena and Laura play - Schubert Fantasy in f minor (I think). It is SO fabulous. Gives me goosebumps.

Jodi

How can there be just one? Barber - Adagio for Strings, Rhapsody in Blue, I don't think I could choose one if I had to.

I have been personally obsessing over a piano roll transcription of Gershwin's Kickin' The Clouds Away. I have been rescoring it from a duet version. It is playable but, like a lot of piano roll versions that include a lot of "hand cutting" there are some inner voices that I will probably have to forego. That is unless I can learn to stretch two octaves with fills.

The first of Schumann's "Gesang der Fruhe"

I just sight read this one this weekend: Prelude by Ravel. The notes aren't hard, it doesn't go fast, and it's gorgeous. To turn it into music takes a little effort.

Mine varies. For a long time last year, it was Brahms' Capriccio op. 116 no. 3.

This summer's new obsession is Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 no 1. I've just started and would love any tips on measures 3-4 and 11-12, BTW!!

Probably the smartest thing for me to do would be to obsess about something by a composer who didn't like writing things for people with such big hands...

Nina

I can certainly relate to that post. Wanting to work on something outside classical, I chose to work on Gershwin's "Summertime". I could only find a version arranged for 2 violins, viola, cello and voice. I had such fun transcribing that for piano two hands last week. I made choices as I went about merging the various voices into two hands and learned a lot about rhythm and time values as a result of my desire to keep as much of the counterpoint of the voices as possible while arriving at something actually playable. Working in Finale, I was able to note and audition the choices as I went. When I finally sat down at the piano to play it, I did find a small number of reaches I couldn't make, though I'd eliminated most at the computer. So I'm amid the first edition, marking it up, preparing for the final edition. What I have ended up with is not Rick Wakeman's tour de force version, but something quite near the original between my transcription of the melody, but with Gershwin's long overture leading in.

I'm guessing those piano-roll hand cuts are pretty much the same as those wonderful bits written for a fourth or fifth player that a soloist has to scrap, if he has the sense to realize it. I could have gone and bought the score, but I doubt I'd have learned as much.

I've started a little file to list pieces suggested here.

teachum, that Adagio by S.Barber is gorgeously heart rending. I don't know that I've ever heard it played on piano, and I've never seen piano sheet music for it. (but thats not saying a lot.) It could be one of those pieces that needs the continuous volume and sound control of bowed instruments.

But you have mentioned it here, so I'll optimistically ask if you know of or have piano music for this piece. I would love to see if I could do anything with it.

Bob

Ooooohhh... I selected this as one of my exam pieces for next year.

I'm with Jodi on the Brahms...except I can't play it.

The last piece I went absolutely full-tilt about was the 2nd (variations) movement to the Appassionata. Those beautiful deep chords in the opening measures sometimes bring me to tears. Unfortunately, I injured my left arm trying to bring the final variation up to tempo, so I never truly "finished" it.

Bach's Sinfonia no.2 is such a beautiful piece that i just keep playing over and over. i first heard Gould playing it and decided to learn it right after...

In recent years the only music eliciting the "love at first hearing" symptoms has been that of David Thomas Roberts.

I told my teacher the same thing. Problem is I think she is probably tired of me playing it! :p I am working on it again over the summer..

I never tire of Schumann, it is always on my piano.

I wish it could be done on piano, but I agree it is just for strings - I was just responding literally to the question - what piece of music do you totally respond to. That music just tears me up no matter what context I hear it in. It did it to me long before they used it in Platoon - but that totally sealed it.

I believe it was Kreisler who said he liked the WTC #7 in B minor. I certainly am enjoying relearning it. I think it's love. I'm not sure.