music to dock spaceships by

[kip_w]

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The best version of "The Blue Danube" is the Schulz-Evler "Arabesques" for solo piano. I have a copy of the music just to admire and play with the first couple of pages (after the intro, which Sgouros here has omitted anyway, as did Lhevinne on the first recording I had of the piece, and Dad says he leaves it off when he plays it). To me, the Blue Danube isn't dull, because this is how I listen to it.

Watch on YouTube

I wish they'd shown some close-ups of his hands.
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Comments

[meggins.livejournal.com]

It's like Classic Arts Showcase! (That's a good thing.)

[asimovberlioz.livejournal.com]

Josef Lhevinne's classic 1928 disc is the famous recording of this delightful arrangement, and deservedly so. As you say it is missing the beautifully filigreed introduction (which Lhevinne's 1906 Welte piano roll includes), and I believe it is also cut.

You owe it to yourself to hear Jorge Bolet's live-in-recital (!) 1974 reading, which is complete and amazing. Unfortunately, it was in the first of two volumes devoted to Bolet in Philips' now out-of-print "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" series, which was riddled with errors and strange omissions, but worst of all was produced by a thoroughly vile and despicable human being named Tom Deacon.

Of course, Something Can Be Arranged.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

Sure, I'd like to hear Bolet. I have Hans Kann playing it on an MHS LP, and I've heard other versions, like Chiu's recording (I can't remember if it's on an Earl Wild LP of great transcriptions), but I'm always open to a good recording of it.

I also have Cziffra's recording of his own version of the piece. When I was at Boosey & Hawkes's store three years ago, I got to look at two very expensive volumes of Cziffra's transcriptions. So many notes in them, they were able to get one or two measures in the width of a page. I do wish I'd paused to look specifically at his "Flight of the Bumblebee" so I could find out just what the hell he's doing in that one.

Schulz-Evler wrote a few other pieces. I'd sure be interesting in hearing something else he did. WHRO was able to oblige me with some other music by "one-hit" composers like Fucik, but they never could come up with anything else by Schulz-Evler, or Brassins, for that matter.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I don't know why I choose the Blue Danube, but when the cats whine at me too long, I start whining back to the tune of the Blue Danube.

[gixhaix.livejournal.com]

This might be the first time I've truly enjoyed this piece. Thanks!