# Lively Dance for the Piano!



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I'm in the mood for something that's going to make me move - but, before you modernist folks want to take a jab, I'd like to spend this evening in my Classical/Romantic comfort zone, thank you very much. 

I was just listening to the first movement from Rachmaninov's Second Suite for Piano, Op. 17, which is a huge bundle of fun, and I'm about to listen to some of Brahms's Hungarian Dances. Can anyone recommend some more pieces down this avenue of not-too-sincere/playful/dance-like.

Solo piano only plz, fnx.


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## humanbean (Mar 5, 2011)

Schumann - 6 Intermezzi, Op. 4 No. 3 in A minor: Allegro marcato


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Goliwog's cakewalk by Debussy. I'm sure that won't be too out of your comfort zone. Or how about that g minor Rachmaninov prelude that everyone likes.


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## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

Festive piano, eh?

How about Schumann's Faschingsschwank aus Wien ("Carnival Scenes from Vienna"), op. 26. I own a live recording by Murray Perahia, pretty good.

In the vein of the Hungarian dances, I own a set of Dvorak's Slavonic dances for piano 4 hands. Kindred spirits they were, as you know.

As a bit of a "stretch", I kind of like Liszt's Réminiscences de Don Juan (S. 418), technically demanding, but quite jolly to my ears, anyway.


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Several of Grieg's pieces are dances.

Norwegian Dances, Op 35
Symphonic Dances, Op 63, which aren't all fun and games, but lots of fun anyhow
The Holberg Suite, Op 40
Several of the Lyric Pieces are dances, like Op 10 nos 2 and 4; Op 38 nos 4, 5 and 7; Op 47 nos 1, 4 and 6; Op 54 no 2; Op 68 nos 2 and 6; Op 71 nos 1 and 6.
Slåtter (Norwegian peasant dances), Op 72


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Aksel said:


> Several of Grieg's pieces are dances.
> 
> Norwegian Dances, Op 35
> Symphonic Dances, Op 63, which aren't all fun and games, but lots of fun anyhow
> ...


Of course! I was an idiot to leave those out of my considerations - I love Grieg <3!


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Polednice said:


> Of course! I was an idiot to leave those out of my considerations - I love Grieg <3!


Oh, and I forgot to add the Humoresker, Op 6. At least one of them qualify as a dance, and either way, they are perfectly charming pieces. Especially the 1st one.


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

Any of Smetana's czech dances and polkas.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I second Dvorak's Slavonic Dances for piano!


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Most of Chopin's Waltzes and many of his Mazurkas.


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## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

Can't help you, I only deal with piano music of the horribly depressing variety.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Ravellian said:


> Can't help you, I only deal with piano music of the horribly depressing variety.


Oh don't worry, I dance to that too.


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## Rasa (Apr 23, 2009)

Ravellian said:


> Can't help you, I only deal with piano music of the horribly depressing variety.


You must be into Brahms


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## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

Ravellian said:


> Can't help you, I only deal with piano music of the horribly depressing variety.


Not all the piano music of your namesake is depressing (e.g. Miroirs has lively tunes). Most of it has a dark texture, though.

When it comes to "killjoy" piano tunes, Satie gets the prize IMO.

(I shall now put on my bullet-[roof vest, hard hat, and hide behind that big rock while people throw "D" cells and other assorted garbage my way)


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Polednice said:


> Oh don't worry, I dance to that too.


I wouldn't be surprised if you preferred it.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Well, this is from the 1920's, but still "tonal," & quite "jumpy" & "dancy" so why not give it a go? -

Karol Szymanowski - Mazurka in A, Op. 50 #2 (Artur Rubinstein, piano) (1:53)


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Sid James said:


> Well, this is from the 1920's, but still "tonal," & quite "jumpy" & "dancy" so why not give it a go? -
> 
> Karol Szymanowski - Mazurka in A, Op. 50 #2 (Artur Rubinstein, piano) (1:53)


Yeah, that might be nice to dance to if you have one arm and three legs...


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

So I'm driving last night and upon getting to the fourth mvt. of the Beethoven sonata 18 in e-flat I think of this thread...I'm not good with dances and know very little about them in classical (when i do dance it's usually salsa and for the reason listed in the 'do you dance' thread) but to me it seemed you meant something like this...or not...i just thought of a big, crazy vampig jumping up and down on the bench like something out of Looney Tunes!


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

kv466 said:


> So I'm driving last night and upon getting to the fourth mvt. of the Beethoven sonata 18 in e-flat I think of this thread...I'm not good with dances and know very little about them in classical (when i do dance it's usually salsa and for the reason listed in the 'do you dance' thread) but to me it seemed you meant something like this...or not...i just thought of a big, crazy vampig jumping up and down on the bench like something out of Looney Tunes!


That's spot on!  I'd forgotten about that sonata actually - I quite like bouncing around to the second movement.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Polednice said:


> Yeah, that might be nice to dance to if you have one arm and three legs...


Well, the Szymanowski was a bit of a "test" whether you wanted this sort of thing. Probably not, which is fine as you weren't asking for this kind of thing. I would have put up some of Bartok's folk transcriptions for piano, some of the earlier ones are quite "tonal" and "middle of the road." I was thinking of his _Three Hungarian Dances from the Csik District_ for solo piano. They're on youtube, I'll leave it up to you to search them out if you're interested later. His _Romanian Folk Dances _are "easy" too, but it's a string orchestra work...


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Were Dvorak's slavonic dances mentioned? Also, the solo piano version of the Russian Dance from Stravinsky's Pertrouchka




Also, Balakirev's Islamey is very dance like, I like Berezovsky's recording. And I recommend Balakirev Mazurakas any day, though recordings are hard to find. And I'll post a video of a Lyapunov piece I really like


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

From Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin:






Perhaps an overly obvious suggestion from Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11:


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