has any flautist ever done this? it, to me, looks NEARLY impossible..

Mais oui I have indeed attempted this piece! (although i think there may be more than one version...)

Its one of those pieces where I would say learn a chunk at a time- theres no point trying to do the whole lot in one go. There is still one section in it that i dont think i will EVER manage (the quick succession of slurred octaves) but if you take each chunk SLOWLY and ensure even-ness in the semis/ demi semis then youll be fine!!

Go for it! Its one heck of a cheesy piece but its good to show off with!

PS ever seen the music for the Freischutz variations??? Now there is a page in that which is EVIL!!!

oooo have you got that scanned or anything? i'd love to see it

sorry havent got it scanned (like Id know how to use one!!!!) but believe me, about 4 pages in there is a page of death!! I did it for my final recital at college and as i turned over the page, I just had to take a deep breath and pray my fingers worked! Its just filled with sextuplet semiquavers and no where to take a breath all at a stupid speed!!! To be honest, I wasnt 100% ready to play it for the actual thing but i ended up 1 mark from a first so i must have blagged it some how!!

Those sorts of pieces, although CHEESE, are fun to practise and sound really impressive - but you have to like your scales and arpeggios!!!!

ok, OUCH! thats like the Paganini Moto Perpetuo arranged for flute and piano if you look under Paganini on www.virtualsheetmusic.com (the first page alone)

Whoa....this is a killer trumpet piece, I've seen it performed, and it's just mental. He had to have 2 or 3 music stands, it's so long.

what is it?

I think Oddball is referring to the trumpet version of the carnival of venice. I remmber my younger bro learned the main theme for a grade exam about 10 years ago.

Yeah ive got a copy of that moto perpetuo in one of those Galway showpieces books i think - its the breathing that scares me with these pieces!!!

ahhh i see, yeah it scares me too especially with the moto perpetuo, cause you have to make it seem like the title, perpetual motion, like a violinist can so easily do

hah, it ain't easy on the violin either!

yes its hard for a violinist but still easier on a violin than a flute to get the perpetual motion feel

No not really vastly easier or harder - just different. Each has its own problems. That lovely liquid flowing that you can get on the flute is harder to achieve on the violin, and although you don't have to worry about breathing, it's not so very easy to get the bowing that smooth and flowing, even though it may be easier than when you have to worry about finding spaces to breathe.

Yup I did it last year,it's absolutely divine. I love variations setting pieces, and the Carnival of Venice certainly lives up to that! It's fantastic.

Another one, along the lines is the Fantasie Pastorale Hongroise .. I think it's Faure? I cant remember (even though I only did it last year lol ... oops)

There's another one as well, along the lines - i have it in my room, will post in a sec.

Nah - the Hongroise hunk of cheddar is by Doppler!! I did that for a GCSE performance back in the day and the audience started clapping half way through becuase they thought it had finished! Unfortunately no, it had only just begun....
Its quite a good show piece though - and you get to use a B foot!!

Im attempting to do the Carmen Fantasie in a months time for a recital. Bit scared though!

Aha Doppler, that's the one. LOL yes that happened to me too - quite funny And Im doing the Fantasies this year too Except I wont be performing them for another two years - just doing the backbreaking work now, and then leaving them until my fourth year perf exam.

Awesome pieces though

The hardest piece I've ever done was Variations on a Swedish Folktune by Dahl.

oooo, whats that like?

It's really really fun. It's unaccompanied, and since it was written in 1930-something, it's something of the crossover to contemparary music. It has a very simple theme with 7 variations. It's a great piece to work on show off wellroundedness, because each movement works on a different stylistic/rythmical asppect. I love it.