Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Pianist Quiz #2

Some of these may prove difficult and, if so, I will give addiional clues later.

1. What pianist was the probably the first to perform the complete cycle of the Beethoven Sonatas?

2. What pianist performed 107 concerts in 117 days during his first concert tour of the US? Although the tour was sponsered by Steinway he never gave Steinway his endorsement during the tour.

3. What pianist was described by Artur Rubinstein as "his chief interest lay in dynamics, in a slowly prepared crescendo ending in a volcanic outburst at the climax, and he felt great satisfaction in frightening the audience...and yet he was a pianist of great stature..."?

4. What pianist caused Chopin to weep after hearing a performance of his own f minor Concerto?

5. What pianist included a sheet at his 1972 NYC debut from which the audience could select encores?

6. What pianist, while performing his US concerto debut, had the conductor's suspenders snap during the performance?

7. What pianist was described by Leon Fleisher as "unquestionably the greatest pianistic talent this country has ever produced"?

8. What pianist was described by one author as "with his Tartar features, eyes three quarters closed, the shock of red hair of which he was always conscious, the ecstatic glances towards the heavens, hands lifted high, he was the very picture of a virtuoso"?

9. What pianist was described by his very famous teacher in the following way: "You will never be a pianist...you are a musician"?

10. Which member of PW has learned all 20 of Messiaen's Contemplations of the Infant Jesus?

11. What pianist was the world's best selling composer of the 1830's? His tour of the US was so successful the P.T. Barnum tried to hire him.

12. What PW member recently gave a recital in which, with the exception of a Beethoven Sonata and a P&F by Bach, all the rest of the works were transcriptions(of works by Beethoven and Bach)?

I remember now that you never gave the answers to your first quiz, or did I miss your post?

I didn't give the answers to the first because only two people replied and they only answered a few questions each. I will give the answers to this quiz after a certain amount of time and/or a reasonable number or replies.

Before my time, but I actually know the answer to 5! (How I originally learned of it I don't recall.) Fairly certain about 1,9,10 and 11 without having the time at the moment to do any research on the others.

8 Paderewski
9 Schnabel

The rest ????????? but I'm dying to know whose suspenders snapped during the performance. Was he wearing the full French maid's outfit under the tail suit or just the fishnet stockings?

I think the OP was referring to what we call 'braces'.

And BTW, 5 is definitely Ponti. 1 is probably Hallé, if not it should be.

1. What pianist was the probably the first to perform the complete cycle of the Beethoven Sonatas? CHARLES HALLE

2. What pianist performed 107 concerts in 117 days during his first concert tour of the US? Although the tour was sponsered by Steinway he never gave Steinway his endorsement during the tour. PADEREWSKI

3. What pianist was described by Artur Rubinstein as "his chief interest lay in dynamics, in a slowly prepared crescendo ending in a volcanic outburst at the climax, and he felt great satisfaction in frightening the audience...and yet he was a pianist of great stature..."? J HOFMANN

4. What pianist caused Chopin to weep after hearing a performance of his own f minor Concerto?

5. What pianist included a sheet at his 1972 NYC debut from which the audience could select encores? PONTI

6. What pianist, while performing his US concerto debut, had the conductor's suspenders snap during the performance?

7. What pianist was described by Leon Fleisher as "unquestionably the greatest pianistic talent this country has ever produced"? WILLIAM KAPELL

8. What pianist was described by one author as "with his Tartar features, eyes three quarters closed, the shock of red hair of which he was always conscious, the ecstatic glances towards the heavens, hands lifted high, he was the very picture of a virtuoso"? GILELS

9. What pianist was described by his very famous teacher in the following way: "You will never be a pianist...you are a musician"? LESCHETIZKY about SCHNABEL

10. Which member of PW has learned all 20 of Messiaen's Contemplations of the Infant Jesus? BRENDAN

11. What pianist was the world's best selling composer of the 1830's? His tour of the US was so successful the P.T. Barnum tried to hire him. HENRI HERZ
12. What PW member recently gave a recital in which, with the exception of a Betthoven Sonata and a P&F by Bach, all the rest of the works were transcriptions? ATTWOOD

PS. Thank you David Dubal

You have too much time on your hands.

Andromaque answered 9 out of 12 correctly!

I think so, too.

Steven

I'll take a stab at the "Chopin crying on hearing his Fm Concerto performed by another pianist" question.

It shouldn't be Liszt since then the question/answer would be too obvious and trivial.

I'm guessing: Carl Filtsch.

This is from Wikipedia:
According to numerous letters from Chopin and his acquaintances, Chopin considered Filtsch the most worthy interpreter of his music. A friend of Chopin's, Ferdinand Denis, reported in an article in Vienna's Der Humorist in February 1843 that on one occasion after listening to Filtsch, Chopin exclaimed, "My God! What a child! Nobody has ever understood me as this child has...It is not imitation, it is the same sentiment, an instinct that makes him play without thinking as if it could not have been any other way. He plays almost all my compositions without having heard me [play them], without being shown the smallest thing - not exactly like me [because he has his own cachet], but certainly not less well."

...and since I have no reputation, there's not much to lose in staking it on the answer.

2) Paderewski
7) Kapell
8) Gilels

That's more than I got on your last quiz!

Daniel

L'echange?

The only question no one has gotten correct is #12.

So??

Jeffrey Biegel?

Steven

And the answer to #12 is....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfkHYQ41gpI

There are probably thousands of Bach transcription for piano, but for me this is one of the most beautiful.

Gorgeous indeed (and a propos with the season). How did I miss that?

All above are correct except:

4.Karl Filtsch(who died at the age of 15)
6. Horowitz/Beechman Tchaikovsky PC #1
12. Frederic Chiu