# with or without orchestra?



## KenDuctor (Mar 7, 2014)

​Moonlight sonata, Fur Elise....Or whatever your favorite piano piece may be?


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

I prefer my solo piano pieces without orchestra.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

I normally enjoy sonatas in sonata form.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Huh? While I'm sure you are speaking of some sort of arrangement or another (a purely orchestral arrangement of a solo piano piece, or an arranged piano piece with additional plumping out while still including the piano), I have heard none, including those composer transcriptions of their own piano music, which I think are any kind of great addition or improvement over the original solo piano work.

Ravel did a superb job of orchestrating his piano pieces (if you look at Ravel's orchestral output, a lot of those are transcriptions of what were originally piano pieces.)

Debussy did a fine enough job orchestrating two of the three of Satie's Gymnopedies, while I still much prefer the original piano versions by Satie.

Grieg did a fine job of re-writing _the Holberg Suite_, for string orchestra, but I still prefer his first version as written for piano solo.

If you are thinking about any and all of those fluff arrangements of string or strings and additional instruments as done like backdrops to the likes of Beethoven's Moonlight sonata, or like treatments of Chopin piano pieces, or the various attempts to orchestrate Debussy's Clair de Lune from his Suite Bergamasque -- I think they are all about as equally cheesy and dreadful as near it can get. Put another way, they are more than not my cuppa 

Of course all the above is a kind of projection until you, the OP, drop in and mention some more specific pieces or arrangements, clarifying exactly what you meant in the OP, which as it now stands is not at all clear.


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

Many years ago I was passing by a rehearsal room where a wind octet was trying a wind arrangement of something exceedingly familiar that I couldn't place for the life of me. Went over all the Classical Symphonies, serenades, etc. I could think of and couldn't name it. Was frustrated as all get out. Finally ran into one of the players later. It was Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata!


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

GGluek said:


> Many years ago I was passing by a rehearsal room where a wind octet was trying a wind arrangement of something exceedingly familiar that I couldn't place for the life of me. Went over all the Classical Symphonies, serenades, etc. I could think of and couldn't name it. Was frustrated as all get out. Finally ran into one of the players later. It was Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata!


Ah, that sort of arrangement made expressly because just in case there is no nearby piano to let you hear it, there's still that reliably handy and always at the ready neighborhood woodwind octet :lol:


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## KenDuctor (Mar 7, 2014)

Sorry for any confusion my friends. I recently listened to a few recordings (videos) on YouTube in which there were a version of just piano, and a version of piano and orchestra. The two were the Beethoven pieces mentioned. I was just curious of your preference.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

KenDuctor said:


> Sorry for any confusion my friends. I recently listened to a few recordings (videos) on YouTube in which there were a version of just piano, and a version of piano and orchestra. The two were the Beethoven pieces mentioned. I was just curious of your preference.


If you want really strong and clear responses (whatever direction those may take, you can add the youtube links for readers here to audition for themselves. Copy the youtube URL, click on the round blue icon on the left in the group, upper right as you are looking at the window when editing or writing a reply, et voila, we can hear what you heard.

Best regards.


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## KenDuctor (Mar 7, 2014)

Thank you PetrB for the info. Momentarily all I have is a Samsung tablet. Whenever I try a copy paste it just closes my browser. It used to work, but not sure what the problem is now.
Thank you again for your reply


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Here are the works for solo piano, as written and intended by the composer. I think there is no bettering them by adding anything else.

There are five Beethoven piano concerti, piano and orchestra, general agreement that Nos. 1, 3, 4, & 5 are all pretty superb 

The bagatelles, complete on a fortepiano, as they most likely would have sounded in Beethoven's time.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

When it comes to Erik Satie, I prefer the piano version. Debussy and Ravel produced orchestrations which furthered his career, but they don't have the same spirit as the original. Then there was a group called Camerata which reproduced his pieces on synthesizers, but the originals still stand out.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Some folks are so smitten with an orchestral sound that they love the idea of producing orchestrations of solo music; I'm not one of them.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Neither am I. I so hate when they do that!


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

KenDuctor said:


> Sorry for any confusion my friends. I recently listened to a few recordings (videos) on YouTube in which there were a version of just piano, and a version of piano and orchestra. The two were the Beethoven pieces mentioned. I was just curious of your preference.


I think you'll find most of us don't even recognize whatever arrangements their might be of the Beethoven piano sonatas as of any interest, at least. They are written for piano, and whether performed on a modern piano or a period pianoforte from the composer's time, most classical fans prefer them "neat" and straight


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