# Favorite Transcriptions



## jeanmarc (Dec 23, 2012)

Just recently became interested in these. Favorite so far: Schmoegner playing Bruckner's 4th on the organ, absolutely incredible. Look forward to recommendations.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Earl Wild's, in general, but the first that came to mind was his transcription of the largo from the f-minor concerto of Chopin.


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## Tero (Jun 2, 2012)

I like all the Bach arranged for guitar, even keyboard works. I have three of the Brandenburgs as well.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Bach on the guitar is awesome. Albeniz on the guitar is less awesome but still good. I once did a transcription of the first three minutes of "Tristan und Isolde" for guitar.


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## jeanmarc (Dec 23, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I once did a transcription of the first three minutes of "Tristan und Isolde" for guitar.


That I would love to hear! Do you put your music on the web?


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Bach-Busoni... you know the one.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Bach-Vivaldi Concertos are really nice.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

One of he most remarkable pieces of piano playing is Glenn Gould playing Liszt's transcription of the Pastoral Symphony. Taken at seemingly impossible slow tempi (apart from the storm) GG nevertheless sustains the concentration and conviction throughout the whole work. Incredible playing whether or not you agree with it.


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

Franz Liszt Beethoven transcriptions.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Maybe the prize for the most exciting transcription of all - Cziffra's flight of the bumblebee - in octaves! Jaw droppingL


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

jeanmarc said:


> That I would love to hear! Do you put your music on the web?


I lost the music amongst my pile of old compositions.


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## rbloom (Dec 25, 2012)

*help finding Bach - Busoni on piano?*

Hi, I am new to the group. trying to identify a good recording of the Bach - Busoni transcription of Partita #2 in D Minor performed on piano... I heard it in a concert recently and fell in love with the piece. Any suggestions?


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I'm fond of the the Canadian Brass playing Bach's Art of Fugue. Very easy to follow all the threads of the music.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

One of the most extraordinary feats of pianism I have heard was Jorge Bolet live at Carnegie Hall, February 25th,1974, playing 
Wagner/Liszt "Tannhauser" Overture.(RCA).
Also. Saint-Saens /Liszt . "Danse Macabre" Leonard Pennario. (RCA).

Also, Beethoven/Liszt. "Eroica" Symphony. Roger Woodward. (RCA)

Berlioz/Liszt. Symphonie Fantastique.
Idil Biret has recorded this twice: LP on Finnadar,1979. On CD ,Naxos ,1992.
They are both terrific.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Biret's set of the Beethoven-Liszt symphonies is also excellent - and recorded without much splicing, in a few days.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I have Cyprien Katsaris's set of the Liszt transcriptions of Beethoven's symphonies and enjoy it very much. BTW Katsaris suffered a stroke on Oct. 1 in mid-concert and lost all feeling on his left side. He quickly made a full recovery (!) and is back on the circuit again.

http://tinyurl.com/c2fy5s4


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

KenOC said:


> I have Cyprien Katsaris's set of the Liszt transcriptions of Beethoven's symphonies and enjoy it very much.


Nothing after the hyphen in my post applies to the Katsaris set. Many slices in that, over months. No wrong notes, and no flow.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Hilltroll72 said:


> Nothing after the hyphen in my post applies to the Katsaris set. Many slices in that, over months. No wrong notes, and no flow.


Too many splices in Katsaris? Well, Glenn Gould himself undertook a pretty rigorous test of "splice recognition" in his essay, "The Grass is Always Greener in the Outtakes" (The Glenn Gould Reader, pp. 357-373). A number of music professionals were challenged to identify splices, or not, in a number of recordings. They did spectacularly poorly. And this was in an age when splices were done with razor blades!

I happily admit that I don't hear the splices in the Katsaris, nor would I expect to. Nor in the Gould. Still, tastes vary as always, and I'm more likely to spin the Katsaris versions of the Liszt transcriptions than those of Gould.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I wouldn't expect to detect the splices in the Katsaris. It's what I don't 'detect' - the 'flow'; i.e. the sum is not greater than its parts.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

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I really like these orchestral reductions, done for Schoenberg's _Society for the Performance of New Music._


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Didn't know Biret did the Beethoven/Liszt transcriptions, her 19CD Beethoven set looks very tempting. Looks like there is a major rerelease of all her recordings, I do like her version of Stravinsky's Firebird.

Also on Naxos is almost Brahms' complete works in four hands piano versions created by the composer himself, recorded by Silke-Thora Matthies and Christian Köhn, I particularly like the Requiem. Another symphony reduction I heard recently was Chitose Okashiro's playing Tchaikovsky's 6th but that seemed a bit bland.

Organ transcriptions always seem to become overly mannered, like some old guy trying to sing Justin Bieber songs, endless wheezing with little resolution, but Holst's planets do really well as a solo organ version, I have the Albrecht and Sykes versions plus a piano reduction.

Yet to get a recording of this, Beethoven's Grosse Fuge for four hands:


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

DavidA said:


> One of he most remarkable pieces of piano playing is Glenn Gould playing Liszt's transcription of the Pastoral Symphony. Taken at seemingly impossible slow tempi (apart from the storm) GG nevertheless sustains the concentration and conviction throughout the whole work. Incredible playing whether or not you agree with it.


Ooh, sign me up!


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