How is it possible?

[RiskyP]

Please listen to the 11th variation of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Now, please tell me how it is possible to play piano like that?! It sounds sooo fast that that it is almost like flowing water as opposed to individual notes. Is the pianist rolling his hands or what? I wish I atleast new how that sort of magical sound is made.

[allchopin]

if you wanna hear some water, check out Liszt's Rigolletto Paraphrase- its insane.

[debussy_lover]

Believe it or not, the 11th Variation is actually one of the easier parts in the Rhapsody on a Them of Paganini.

In the end, playing it well is just a matter of practice, practice, practice.

More specifically, the key to mastering this section is finding the appropriate hand positions for each passage, and (as you mentioned) rolling the hand from the wrist.  

[eddie92099]

Have a look at the score:
https://muslib.mmv.ru

Ed