Week 1: Dancing with Liszt and Schubert!
Hello and welcome to the WEEK ONE Main Thread for this challenge! 
Alright everyone - this is the thread where we'll all be posting our daily updates.
Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)
Twice a week between August 16th and August 21st I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Download the music:
Liszt's: Soirees De Vienne No.6
Please use the following format when commenting (feel free to copy & paste!):
- Section you worked on:
- One thing you found easy:
- One thing you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
Sample daily update:
- Section you worked on: 1
- One thing you found easy: Learning the notes, and rhythms were rather straight-forward, and not challenging!
- One thing you found difficult: Playing the trills/ornaments in an elegant way was what challenged me the most.
Feel free to make these updates as short or long as you wish!
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Hi, everyone.
My first post here. Thanks in advance.
- The section you worked on: section 1.
- One thing you found easy: harmonic analysis.
- One thing you found difficult: Pedaling.
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Vander Soares Ramos Beautiful , expressive and accurate . I’m also trying no 1 but not reading to video yet .
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mariannejhampton mariannejhampton so kind of you. Soon I' LL post this section after working on Speed, pedaling and expression. Thanks for watching.
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Vander Soares Ramos Great Job! I think you are doing a good job with pedal! It is nicely done, with sustain, as well as moments of clarity/clear staccato in the LH!
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Dominic Cheli you´re right. I´ll work on this. thanks a lot for your appreciation and tips.
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Hi, everyone! My first post here.
I just start reading the score.
- The section you worked on: section 1.
- One thing you found easy: the section does not have technical difficulties.
- One thing you found difficult: bring the dance feeling in this very dramatic opening.
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Bruno de Lorenzo Bravo . You gave the piece a very grand feeling and I definitely felt you got the dance feeling .
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mariannejhampton thanks a lot! It’s a great pleasure to read a compliment like this
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Bruno de Lorenzo Wonderful playing! I love the flair you bring to this opening, quite dramatic and gripping from the 1st note! Great character, and looking forward to the next section you choose to work on!
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Dominic Cheli thanks a lot for your comment!! I’m waiting my new piano for recording a new video. Thanks for seeing it!
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Bruno de Lorenzo Great job! I love the way you take a tiny breath after the 3 repeated octaves to sort of "telegraph" the bigger next chord. Very majectic!
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Gail Starr thank you very much! I’m happy you like it!
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Nice playing Bruno.
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Vander Soares Ramos thank you!
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My contribution to section 1. Generally found the chords quite straightforward, though tend to trip up in the middle.
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Ching Lee Goh Enjoyed listening. Great job
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mariannejhampton mariannejhampton Thanks, and looking forward to seeing yours. My aim is to send in individual sections every few days!
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Ching Lee Goh Sounds perfect to me, well played. What kind of upright piano do you have (I play upright as well).
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Brett Gilbert Thanks! It helps that I’m learning a couple of his other transcriptions, so I’m getting into his style…! My piano is the Japanese brand TOYO. Though it’s more than 20 years old, and some keys are getting a little sticky. Might need reconditioning…
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Ching Lee Goh Very interesting, I wasn't aware of Toyo but it looks/sounds nice. I've worked on his Schubert Lieder transcriptions before which are my favorites. The Opera transcriptions are amazing, but a bit beyond my reach technically.
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Ching Lee Goh Nice job Ching! This is a wonderful start to the piece, and I would love to see your next section the you are working on! Great tempo, and a classy approach to this 1st section!
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I have enjoyed reading through the beginning. No video yet.
- Section you worked on: 1
- One thing you found easy: Analysis and waltz feel.
- One thing you found difficult: Securing a few of the shifts. I know how to do it, and where I'm going, but it doesn't always sit easily under my hand.
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Karen Lander Great that you are working on the piece! Keep it up! Feel free to share a video if you are comfortable, but very happy that you are analyzing the piece, so important!
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Dominic Cheli First of all, yesterday's live stream was just incredible. Thank you! I am even more inspired to learn the whole piece. We have an unanticipated, but welcome, family visit this week. I am getting in bits of time at the piano and will do a video next week for sure!
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- Section you worked on: 1-4
- One thing you found easy: Less technique required so far than the Handel (last challenge) and so seems easier.
- One thing you found difficult: Consistently hitting the octaves at speed. Plus my hand gets tired, probably because I'm too tense/stiff on octaves.
I've enjoyed everyone's videos so far! I hope to make a video of sections 1-4 this week (or early next) if I can practice enough. My plan is to work on 5-9 the last 2 weeks of the challenge because that will require more time.
