Your favorite piece to play vs to listen to (solo piano music only!)

Rubens

My favorite to play: Rachmaninoff Sonata no.2 Op. 36
My favorite to listen to : Schumann Sonata no.1, Op.11

The Schumann I have never learned, and I don't think I'll ever be able to. Rachmaninoff is much more pianistic!

ranjit

Great question! Unfortunately the only pieces I love playing are the ones I can't play. Lol. Chopin's Revolutionary Etude and Liszt's Sixth Hungarian Rhapsody. I can't get enough of them for my own enjoyment, but when I play them for teachers, they say it makes their ears bleed (hyperbole, of course 😉).

I'm really liking this new forum, so here's a recording of me playing:

Favorite to listen to? I adore fast music and anything by Cziffra. Maybe his live recording of Totentanz.

Rubens

ranjit the only pieces I love playing are the ones I can't play. Lol

That definitely counts!
I can't play Liszt b-minor Sonata (well, never tried, too scared), but I think I'd enjoy playing it if I ever learn to play it!

I always enjoy your snippets, and nice Schimmel you got there!

Josephine

I think the piece that I'm learning now, Chopin Op 70 no 2 is my favorite piece to play so far.

I don't have a favorite piece to listen to, it changes every week. One of my favorite composers to listen to is Edvard Grieg. I don't like to play his pieces because they are so difficult to play well.

rogerch

My favorite piece to listen to is the third movement of Beethoven's Tempest sonata, specifically this recording:

This was once my favorite piece to play as well. Of course my rendition was nowhere near as nice to listen to as O'Conor's! I have a few much easier pieces I try to keep in my repertoire but I don't really have a favorite at the moment.

A close second favorite piece to listen to is Horowitz playing Hungarian Rhapsody #6. Unlike you ranjit I'm not brave enough to even attempt playing it myself!

johnstaf

My current favourite to play is Schumann's 3rd Sonata. I wish I could play it better, but it's fascinating to work on. Gubaidulina's Chaconne is another contender. It's beautifully strange.

My favourite to listen to is Beethoven's Concerto no. 4.

Rubens

johnstaf My current favourite to play is Schumann's 3rd Sonata.

That's another of my favorite to listen to!
For a Schumann piece it seems to be more pianistic than the usual, which may be the reason why you enjoy to play it? But I find Schumann's music to be quite intimidating to learn. I bought the score of that sonata because I intended to learn the finale, but haven't tackled it yet.

johnstaf

Rubens That's another of my favorite to listen to!
For a Schumann piece it seems to be more pianistic than the usual, which may be the reason why you enjoy to play it? But I find Schumann's music to be quite intimidating to learn. I bought the score of that sonata because I intended to learn the finale, but haven't tackled it yet.

I always find Schumann intimidating too. The technical issues are more conventional than the usual Schumann oddities, but there are some of those too.

BartK

If only there was one... 😆

There are many pieces I like to listen to, most of them way harder than what I can play. I have learned some difficult pieces but I find that I enjoy playing pieces that are more within or below my skill level than demanding virtuosic pieces. Like currently I'm playing a simple one page Brahms waltz (op. 39, no. 15) and Mozart's Alla turca, both of which are very easy for me. That's much more enjoyable than struggling just to play the notes.

jeremy

I enjoy playing Gershwin's Three Preludes
A favorite to listen (and watch someone play) is La Campanella by Liszt: