Some questions about Symphonies, Switzerland, Op.70/1

[Pastorali]

To take not too much of place I'm packing three questions together in this post.

1) Brahms wrote of all his symphonies four hand piano versions. Did Beethoven that too?

2) Was Beethoven once in his lifetime in Switzerland?

3) What's about Op.70/1's name Geister-Trio? What has it to do with ghosts?

Thank you for any response!

regards
pastorali

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Von Herzen - möge es wieder zu Herzen gehen.
L.v.B.
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[This message has been edited by Pastorali (edited October 07, 2003).]

[Gurn Blanston]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Pastorali:
[B]To take not too much of place I'm packing three questions together in this post.

1) Brahms wrote of all his symphonies four hand piano versions. Did Beethoven that too?

2) Was Beethoven once in his lifetime in Switzerland?

3) What's about Op.70/1's name Geister-Trio? What has it to do with ghosts?

Thank you for any response!

regards
pastorali

=====================================
Von Herzen - möge es wieder zu Herzen gehen.
L.v.B.
=====================================

1.) No, not all, and not in 4-hands piano, but he did arrange piano versions of some, and also piano trio of at least one (op 36).
2.) In reading 3 biographies of B, I have not found any mention of such a trip.
3.) Not named this of course by B, but probably by some enterprising publisher, in reference to the surreal sounding second movement.


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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[melvyn]

Originally posted by Pastorali:
Brahms wrote of all his symphonies four hand piano versions. Did Beethoven that too?

No, but all of Beethoven's symphonies were later trancribed for piano by Franz Liszt.

Melvyn.

[Pastorali]

Originally posted by melvyn:
No, but all of Beethoven's symphonies were later trancribed for piano by Franz Liszt.

Melvyn.

Hi Melvyn
Cool! I will follow this tip next time visiting my favored cd store. Thanks!

Kind regards
pastorali

=====================================
Von Herzen - möge es wieder zu Herzen gehen.
L.v.B.
=====================================

[Pastorali]

No, not all, and not in 4-hands piano, but he did arrange piano versions of some, and also piano trio of at least one (op 36).

[/B]

Hi Gurn
Thank you! Sounds well!! But were can I find theses piano versions and from wich symphonies?

Kind regards
pastorali

=====================================
Von Herzen - möge es wieder zu Herzen gehen.
L.v.B.
=====================================

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Pastorali:
Hi Gurn
Thank you! Sounds well!! But were can I find theses piano versions and from wich symphonies?

Kind regards
pastorali

=====================================
Von Herzen - möge es wieder zu Herzen gehen.
L.v.B.
=====================================

If you are not too particular as to who transcribed the symphonies to piano you might find some two-hand transcriptions that were made for study purposes. I have several of the symphonies thus transcribed but I think the editions are old enough that they may no longer be available. However, with some looking you might be able to find something. Check music stores that sell classical sheet music as well as check online.

[melvyn]

Originally posted by Pastorali:
Hi Melvyn
Cool! I will follow this tip next time visiting my favored cd store. Thanks!

The Liszt transcriptions are generally regarded as masterpieces of the genre. Unlike some of his other transcriptions, which were merely paraphrases, his piano transcriptions of the Beethoven symphonies remain completely faithful to the originals. I believe it took Liszt over 20 years to transcribe all 9 symphonies.

The Liszt transcriptions are available from Amazon as a boxed set, but it may take a bit of finding. Their catalogue No. is B000002ZT9.

I bought the set earlier this year and was amazed at Liszt's achievement. How he managed to condense a full orchestra (and choir and soloists) into 2-handed piano arrangements I'll never know, but he has. It's even possible to hear many aspects of the works which can't be heard on the orchestral versions.

Melvyn.

[Pastorali]

Originally posted by melvyn:
The Liszt transcriptions are generally regarded as masterpieces of the genre. Unlike some of his other transcriptions, which were merely paraphrases, his piano transcriptions of the Beethoven symphonies remain completely faithful to the originals. I believe it took Liszt over 20 years to transcribe all 9 symphonies.

The Liszt transcriptions are available from Amazon as a boxed set, but it may take a bit of finding. Their catalogue No. is B000002ZT9.

I bought the set earlier this year and was amazed at Liszt's achievement. How he managed to condense a full orchestra (and choir and soloists) into 2-handed piano arrangements I'll never know, but he has. It's even possible to hear many aspects of the works which can't be heard on the orchestral versions.

Melvyn.

I ordered the cd's yesterday by NAXOS. The dealer wasn't shure the whole set is already available, but some of it are.

I'm mostly looking for bying naxos cd's. They are well priced and of good quality. Till now I was never disapointed about a buy.

Kind regards
pastorali

=====================================
Von Herzen - möge es wieder zu Herzen gehen.
L.v.B.
=====================================

[Joy]

Originally posted by melvyn:


I bought the set earlier this year and was amazed at Liszt's achievement. How he managed to condense a full orchestra (and choir and soloists) into 2-handed piano arrangements I'll never know, but he has. It's even possible to hear many aspects of the works which can't be heard on the orchestral versions.

Melvyn.

Thanks for all the information. I, too, am amazed at how Liszt managed to transcribe all that. I'm not surprised it took so long! Absolutely phenomenal.

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Pastorali]

Originally posted by melvyn:
The Liszt transcriptions are generally regarded as masterpieces of the genre. Unlike some of his other transcriptions, which were merely paraphrases, his piano transcriptions of the Beethoven symphonies remain completely faithful to the originals. I believe it took Liszt over 20 years to transcribe all 9 symphonies.

The Liszt transcriptions are available from Amazon as a boxed set, but it may take a bit of finding. Their catalogue No. is B000002ZT9.

I bought the set earlier this year and was amazed at Liszt's achievement. How he managed to condense a full orchestra (and choir and soloists) into 2-handed piano arrangements I'll never know, but he has. It's even possible to hear many aspects of the works which can't be heard on the orchestral versions.

Melvyn.

Thanks Melvin!
I got them. Ohhhhhhh, they are great!! I agree with you and Joy. Absolutely fascinatingly.

Kind regards
pastorali

=====================================
Von Herzen - möge es wieder zu Herzen gehen.
L.v.B.
=====================================



[This message has been edited by Pastorali (edited October 17, 2003).]

[Roehre]

To take not too much of place I'm packing three questions together in this post.

2) Was Beethoven once in his lifetime in Switzerland?

3) What's about Op.70/1's name Geister-Trio? What has it to do with ghosts?

Thank you for any response!

regards
pastorali

Though Beethoven as far as is known never visited Switzerland, he did keep in contact with a couple of Swiss people, most notably Nägeli in Zürich, the publisher of the sonatas opus 31.

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As far as piano-reductions of the symphonies are concerned, Beethoven generally didn't make them.

Publishers in general made arrangements of all kinds of works published by them, and consequently arrangements for one or two pianos saw the light of day regularly. The most important of those transcriptions were obviously the ones prepared by Liszt, generally for his own use.
Here it must be addded that Liszt made more than one arrangement of nearly all the Beethoven symphonies.

Beethoven did however at least contemplate making piano reductions or arrangements, and one even began to take shape: a piano arrangement of the 7th.
Shortly after starting this project Beethoven abandoned it, but nevertheless we do have a piano arrangement of the introduction (Poco sostenuto) to the 1st movement by Beethoven, Hess 96. It has been published in its entirety in James F. Green, The New Hess Catalogue of Beethoven's works. Vance book publishing, West Newbury, Vermont, 2003, pp.245-250.
It has been recorded as well http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al...7111/3&f=liszt (CD 3 of this set)