# What Piano piece is this? (from Byzantium) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 17, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piano-piece-is-this-from-byzantium/681520 "2014-02-17T04:19:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thinktank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Thinktank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinktank)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piano-piece-is-this-from-byzantium/681520/1 "2014-02-17T04:19:38Z")
Hi, my thing is music, whenever I hear something that catches my interest I go on a hunt for it. I personally thought this would be an easy “catch”. I tried listening to the Byzantium soundtrack. Honestly I didn’t listen to the whole thing, just the songs that I suspected could be it. So far no joy, the closest piano piece I’ve ever heard so very high tempoed would be “Flight of the Bumblebee” So in my pursuit I fall on the mercy of potentially more saavy music lovers out there. I have a barely decent recording from the TV that I recorded with my phone. I’m hoping 15 seconds is enough for identity purposes. Beyond that time there is dialogue that starts in between and then the same part of this song is repeated and fades out in the movie. Please help if you can, thank you. Btw, I’ve also tried apps like Soundhound and Shazam, but also no luck. The sample can be found [HERE](http://www.filedropper.com/piano) ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piano-piece-is-this-from-byzantium/681520/2 "2014-02-17T08:09:38Z")
Shostakovich Op.87 Prelude & Fugue No.2 A minor [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G0aN0rJmZ4o/hqdefault.jpg "Shostakovich Op.87 Prelude & Fugue No.2 A minor - Ashekenazy") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0aN0rJmZ4o) ---
**Author:** ![Thinktank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Thinktank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinktank)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piano-piece-is-this-from-byzantium/681520/3 "2014-02-17T19:07:19Z")
Thanks so much, like some elusive disease one suffers from in life it’s great to put a name to it =7. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piano-piece-is-this-from-byzantium/681520/4 "2014-03-14T01:37:44Z")
> [@Thinktank](#): > > Thanks so much, like some elusive disease one suffers from in life it’s great to put a name to it =7. Oddly, I:p just happened to see that movie just a few days before your post.😛 ---
**Author:** ![Thinktank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Thinktank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinktank)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piano-piece-is-this-from-byzantium/681520/5 "2014-03-14T03:23:40Z")
I"m glad you wrote back, I know this sounds a bit picky, but I’m rather in love with the style the girl in the movie plays the song. In the scene she’s furious at the boy she trusted and so she plays the piece quite different from the recording sold on Amazon. Since this actress actually learned the piano piece by heart I sure wish she would have shared a recording of the full piece on the soundtrack for the movie. I’ve looked everywhere to see if maybe another pianist would play the piece differently. I can only find 2 who’ve ever performed it though… :smack: