RACHMANINOFF: "Paganini Rhapsody," Op.43

[jhon]

Anyone who has played this already?  I'm learning this piece now and I'm specifically having difficulties with variations 11, 15, and 17.  I have also observed that it just becomes MORE difficult AFTER the 18th variation (which is said to be the climax).  As of now, I'm just done with variations 1-10. (And I'm being "guided" by Ashkenazy's recording with Previn and the London Symphony.)   Any tips?

[Rach3]

Not the kind of tip you were hoping for, but get a different recording. Previn always screws up with Rachmaninoff or Tchaikovsky- actually he pretty much screws up everything, he's my all-time least favorite conductor. His stylistic eccentricities are just unacceptable. My personal recommendation for this piece is Raphael Orozco, with Edo de Waart the the RPO (a NAXOS label, all five Rach concerti in one box!).

[Barbosa-piano]

Not the kind of tip you were hoping for, but get a different recording. Previn always screws up with Rachmaninoff or Tchaikovsky- actually he pretty much screws up everything, he's my all-time least favorite conductor. His stylistic eccentricities are just unacceptable. My personal recommendation for this piece is Raphael Orozco, with Edo de Waart the the RPO (a NAXOS label, all five Rach concerti in one box!).

I would get the real recording, the own Rachmaninoff playing it. Sounds great, and very effective.
Some passages on this piece sound harder that they actually are, but this is a challenging piece anyway. After the 18 Variation, as you said, gets more difficult, and also gets a harder sonority, reason why I just suggest the careful study of each Variation, as if you were practicing different pieces from, for example, the pieces in Album fur das Jugende, by Schumann. This is a great piece that Rachmaninoff wrote as a sorry note for as he said "the stupidities I allowed myself to commit while building the house" (his house in Switzerland).

Enjoy practice!

Sincerely,
Mario Barbosa

[musicsdarkangel]

I am also in the process of learning this.


I know this may sound nuts, but what helps me is aiming for ridiculously high tempos that I can't attain, so that the regular tempos seem much easier.


Also, check out Ashkenazy's recording of this - it's phenominal.

Hmmm, I am just doing a LOT of slow practice, as well as a tempo practice.