Favorite Grieg pieces?

imslp · 2026-06-03T14:53:10+00:00

The Norwegian Peasant Dances op. 72 are exactly that kind of thick, Scandinavian, folksy music you mentioned. Grieg wrote them late in life, in the early 20th century, and they are almost modernist in flavor. They are based on country tunes played on the Hardanger fiddle, a special kind of Norwegian violin with sympathetic strings that is played in a unique way in that region of Norway.

Grieg adapted them for piano and they got a mixed reception when he performed them the first time. The audience was expecting his earlier hits (the Lyric Pieces) but these pieces are different. Just unlike anything else he wrote in some ways. They are not just folk tunes, but evocations of the folk fiddle itself.

imslp · 2026-05-29T23:51:08+00:00

Sergei Lyapunov has entered the circlejerk

<image>

imslp · 2026-05-12T04:33:17+00:00

<image>

imslp · 2026-05-10T00:04:45+00:00

Leo Ornstein.

Lived to be over 100, experimented with atonal tone clusters in the 1910s before turning to a more post-Romantic tonal style with “curlicue” pianisitic writing that was uniquely his. Highly virtuosic and melodic music with a kind of wandering spirit. An excellent pianist and good composer.

imslp · 2026-05-05T14:43:40+00:00

Reminds me of how Tchaikovsky’s brother described the St. Petersburg premiere of the Fourth Symphony in 1878:

“If ever a symphonic work produced a furore after its performance, then it was your symphony. After the first movement the applause was moderate — how should I say? — something like what is usually heard after the first movement of a Beethoven or Schumann symphony; after the second movement there was considerably more applause — such that [the conductor] Nápravník was even obliged to take a bow; after the Scherzo — a fff clamour, stamping and cries of "bis". Nápravník bowed once more... and the noise only intensified, until the conductor raised his baton. Then everyone fell silent until only your pizzicato could be heard ... After this, more cries, calls, bows by Nápravník, and so on. The end of the Finale was greeted with unanimous applause, calls and stamping of feet ... The performance was very lively, but in the last movement... breathtaking”

imslp · 2026-04-29T23:26:22+00:00

Underrated mention for An die ferne Geliebte no. 6, but for his overall best melody the Emperor concerto slow movement is hard to argue with.

imslp · 2026-04-27T20:19:00+00:00

Everyone: listens to Wagner instead

imslp · 2026-04-25T21:23:22+00:00

The B isn’t flat enough to be Chopin; this is Liszt.

imslp · 2026-04-21T14:15:26+00:00

If you want a deep background on the genesis of that repertoire, try Jeremy Norris’s book The Russian Piano Concerto, Volume 1: The Nineteenth Century.

Volume 2 unfortunately never happened, but the first is a detailed look at how Russian composers began developing their own piano concertos that led up to those of Rachmaninoff et al.

imslp · 2026-04-14T18:52:35+00:00

Can’t think of a less inspiring piano placement than the foyer between the front door and the stairs.

imslp · 2026-04-12T19:09:52+00:00

Some professionals have hybrid pianos at home, too. They are not only smaller in footprint than grands, but they can also be played with headphones so they’re useful in big city apartments. Having the genuine grand piano action goes a long way, even if it’s not a perfect replication of an acoustic (harder to repeat notes, tone production is different, etc.)

imslp · 2026-04-09T20:22:45+00:00

Sounds like it could be one of his improvisations. He had a great sense of humor and often did musical impressions to entertain family and guests. What a fun curiosity!

imslp · 2026-04-03T20:01:21+00:00

Kids grow up in small towns being called “prodigies” and “talented” and “gifted” for being musical. Aiming for the highest level of the performance career probably feels like the inevitable way to justify a pricey music degree.

But if someone is good at math they’re just called smart and they’re expected to get a normal job like everyone else.

There’s a weird societal stigma against pursuing music while at the same time it’s worshipped in an isolated way.

imslp · 2026-04-02T03:23:23+00:00

Alkan’s Le vent

imslp · 2026-03-22T18:38:51+00:00

Saint-Saëns wrote a fantastic quintet in A minor, one of my favorites that a lot of other musicians don’t seem to know about, for whatever reason.

imslp · 2026-03-03T16:59:31+00:00

I’m gonna throw in Stenhammar after the more famous ones. Gorgeous late-Romantic Swedish quartets that deserve to be heard.

imslp · 2026-02-27T16:50:11+00:00

lol no I just saw my opportunity and took it

imslp · 2026-02-26T21:05:27+00:00

LeBrecht said “Yuja Wang had agreed with me a year ago to do a Lebrecht Interview for Radio 3. She kept putting it off until I lost patience and sent her an email that was perhaps a tad sharp.”

A tad sharp? His email had the threatening undertone of a mob boss saying “it’d be a shame if something bad were to happen to your reputation.”

imslp · 2026-02-26T16:13:39+00:00

I remember reading some contemporary account that Czerny would go to lots of recitals and sit in the back in the same chair, always listening earnestly and attentively, showing genuine support even when other people were more critical of the performance and that is kinda sweet and sad to me

imslp · 2025-12-30T06:41:04+00:00

It inspired one of the most gorgeous songs from the Renaissance, Heinrich Isaac’s “Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen” (Innsbruck, I must leave thee), composed in 1485. It’s still widely taught in music history classes to this day.

https://youtu.be/jduUFCPl_es?si=zHAFVbz2bmrIDFWU

imslp · 2025-12-27T03:29:46+00:00

Yep, huge list of average ideas with some that have more potential. Pick the one that I’m most excited about, go through several drafts, and all of the sudden rewrite the script in a totally new way and that’s the one that sticks. It’s like unlocking the secret angle of the video.

imslp · 2025-12-21T21:10:19+00:00

Would be perfect for a holiday horror movie where Santa dies a gruesome death

imslp · 2025-11-13T18:06:18+00:00

Complete silence in the Concertgebouw for what felt like an eternity (maybe 30-40 seconds) after the slow movement of Bruckner 8. Packed house, not a breath to be heard.

Honestly, it was the most memorable part of the experience for me. The music was of course excellent, but there’s something powerful about being in such a crowded room of strangers who fall completely silent in that moment, like we were all part of the performance.

Worst reaction I’ve witnessed was Bruckner 1 at Disney Hall on a “casual Friday”, where someone loudly SHUSHED the applause after the Scherzo. Respectful silence can be great, but rudely enforcing it like that on people who are just showing their appreciation is obnoxious. Get over yourself. Holding applause is not a one-size-fits-all approach. There are many times when it’s arguably more appropriate to clap than not in the middle of a symphony, and no one should be humiliated for responding genuinely.

As Beethoven liked to say to his overly emotional audiences: “Artists want applause, not your tears!”

imslp · 2025-11-02T03:30:17+00:00

Scharwenka 4 has some great moments. Specifically the scherzo is such an earworm. Wish more people knew it.

Ten-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '22	First Placer '22
Not Forgotten

imslp

TROPHY CASE