Winter is probably the most successful arrangement within the set. The grace notes from bar 4 substitute the trill in the violin line as a trill here is very complicated. Although the opening is marked staccato, the notes should not be very short and they should be more detached than spiky. There are several "ossias" in this movement, especially at bar 47. This writing is typical string writing and unless you have a very floppy hand, it is better to play the ossia at this point.

Winter is probably the most successful arrangement within the set. The grace notes from bar 4 substitute the trill in the violin line as a trill here is very complicated. Although the opening is marked staccato, the notes should not be very short and they should be more detached than spiky. There are several "ossias" in this movement, especially at bar 47. This writing is typical string writing and unless you have a very floppy hand, it is better to play the ossia at this point.

All Reviews

There are 5 reviews for this score

Great Arrangement!
This is a very brilliant arrangement. Although I admit that the chords at some points seem very difficult, it's no "Le Gibet", from Gaspard de la Nuit, by Maurice Ravel, which features some very large stretches in the left hand. But I manage to do it, and I'm only 13. Also, many say that things like measure 12 seem almost impossible to be done, when in fact, it should provide little, if any, challenge. Why? Well, you have to listen to live recordings! There are 2 live recordings at www.classicalarchives.com, and in things like section 12, its not played at the rapid fire speed you listen to. That's just midi, but we are humans! We have the ability to play differently, and give life to music. If someone actually played this song just how it sounds like in this MIDI, it would be very dull indeed. So what I say is, play with life! We are not robots! This arrangement isn't extremely difficult, it's no Scarbo nor Islamey. This has always been my favorite song from the Seasons, and now there is a great arrangement for piano!

Christian Florez

Write what you know.
This set of piano reductions of The Seasons has achieved great popularity with the Sib Music Staff and the arranger is indeed to be commended for taking on this project. I have to question, however, if the arranger has played this one...Winter. We all tend to write this computerized music for various instruments and don't always know if it is playable... it just sounds neat. However, if you are going to present a piece for sale as a piano score, do be sure it can be played by a living, breathing pianist. Another reviewer noted that some 32nd note passages should be rewritten as 16th notes, so do fix that. Now here are my notes, as a female pianist: 1. Don't write so much in tenths. Very few pianists can actually play tenths comfortably in a chord, and I know many pianists. We are not all Rachmaninoff in span. Perhaps the arranger here can do so, but he needs to be aware of his marketable audience. 2. M. 20 and after, let the left hand do the f-f- broken octave and get that second f out of the right hand before the right hand locks up from tension. Left hand has lots of free time to play that. 3. M. 32 - the arranger did finally provide a nice ossia with an alternate left hand but you can include the E nat. in the middle of that chord, too. 4. Around M. 47 and beyond, do write out the patterns you want the pianist to play. This is on the order of a student work, so they need to see sixteenth notes exactly as you want them to be played rather than general tremolo marks. Students have questions, such as how many to play per beat. There is nothing wrong with tremolo marks for the pianist, but think of clarity foremost for the performer when you write a score. 5. M. 6 - not necessary to write Ab in both right and left hands. Perhaps these are picky points, but if you want to offer a clean, playable score for sale, be sure it can be played by someone other than yourself. Don't demand that the pianist make drastic leaps around the keyboard in 16th and 32nd notes if there are alternate means to create a similar sound and effect. My accompanying coach in college instructed us to make the piano SOUND like the orchestra, which does not always include playing everything written in the orchestral score but achieving the effect. A nice job overall.. my suggestions are simply to make a more playable score.

Carol Jordan Rist

he he- that was fun
hey that was a great little diddy. I couldnt help but smile as it went on into the faster bits. Though, as others have indeed noticed, this piece is essentially unplayable, I think the simple fact that you were able to get this kind of precise notation down is quite amazing. Ye haw!

Kyle Brenda

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