Thursday Thirteen 023: Classical Piano.

[misslj_author]

One of the main characters in the book I'm working on at the moment - Deliverance - is a classical pianist. When I was a little L. J., I learned how to play the piano, for eleven or so years. I wasn't too bad at it, actually, and I did enjoy it. More than I enjoyed learning ballet! So, I went through YouTube, looking for pieces that were technically difficult but sounded amazing for the character in the book. Being able to read music, I was able to look at the score after watching the vid, and often I'd find myself going "OMG, that's a hell of a score!"

These are the thirteen pieces with videos of the performances that I selected. Every single one wowed me, but the first nine really stayed with me, particularly Ravel's Left Hand Sonata. I hope you enjoy these performances as much as I did.



1. Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G Minor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u15FeaOS-A

2. Liszt - Sonata in B minor
Part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCF8C5U7Pco
Part two: http://youtu.be/CD0m9vfXadQ

3. Chopin - Scherzo No. 2 Op. 31
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alGaVou6lfk

4. Stravinsky - Three Movements from Petroushka
http://youtu.be/iFGdze-bxpA

5.Beethoven - Sonata Op. 106 Fugue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8gqsYx9NQ4

6. Ravel - Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avj8Uau1kVk

7. Debussy - Reverie L. 68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9AVCRQKME

8. Scarlatti - Sonata in G
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8UXXNLtXMM

9. Beethoven - Pathetique Sonata No. 8 Second Movement A Flat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klZYv-f9kCE

10. Schumann - Piano Quintet in E-flat Major Op. 44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGYwkrv8q2I

11. Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words Op. 102 No. 4 (The Sighing Wind)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maq__moQyec

12. Scriabin - Etude Op 8 No 12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfXjk7GkCF8

13. Chopin - Polonaise in A-flat Opus 53
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4QUNNqlB7M

Comments

[angharad-gam.livejournal.com]

I tried learning piano, but it turns out my left and right hand don't like doing different things at the same time (which is pretty wierd for someone who's ambidextrous, but it was a real struggle). Ballet, on the other hand, I would have loved. I taught myself a little of it when I was about twelve and got really obsessed with it for a while, but it was too late to start then if I was going to do it properly (you have to get into pointe shoes when you're around ten).

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Mum started me on piano and ballet when I was around 4 1/2. Piano was fine, but ballet, nuh-uh, little me was having none of it. I wanted to ride ponies, so she eventually got me to pony riding school instead of the ballet.

[angharad-gam.livejournal.com]

My parents didn't send me to anything until I was old enough to ask to go myself. Which is good in some ways, but occasionally I think they did me out of a career in ballet. Then again, if I'd gone down that road I'd probably be seriously broken by now. Professional dancing is not very good for you.

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Mum was pretty good about what she picked me for to do, though I think she was a bit disappointed that ballet and me didn't get along. Still, she scrimped and saved out of her pension for me to go to horse riding school, which was awesome, so I'm grateful for that.

So many pro dancers have such awful injuries and all, it's really amazing.

[adelle laudan (from livejournal.com)]

I will definitely check these out. Thanks Happy T 13!

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy them. :)

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

I think I have several of these pieces in my music collection. they are lovely. I have a soft spot for classical piano

[misslj-author.livejournal.com]

Me too. I love my hardcore/punk/rock, but classical piano is awesome.