Rachmaninoff - Rapsody on a theme by Paganini

[franz_]

Could anyone post the sheet music of the Paganini Variations from Rachmaninoff.
Thanks a lot! Anyone who played it by the way and could tell me how hard it is.

[pianistimo]

looked this up on wikipedia (as i've only played brahms variations - which fits nicely in my hands).  rach's paganini variations - i am imagining, is harder.  probably more wide leaps and chords to play.  hope u'll find some good fingerings as that is what really helped (i kept experimenting in the brahms to find the best ones to connect everything). 

did u know that the first variation comes BEFORE the theme.  wikipedia also says that the work 'rhapsody on a theme by paganini' was conceived as a concerto!  variations 1-11 would be the first mvt. and 12-18 the slow mvt (with 14-15 scherzo -interlude), and the rest of the variations a sort of finale.

it also says that rach got the idea for the skeletal pizzicato type variation at the beginning from beethoven's eroica symphony (finale).  it was intended at first as a pun on it - but then - it sounds good.

[franzliszt2]

I am performing it in 3 weeks, it's very tricky in lots of places. Variation 15 very nasty, and variation 19- end very hard. It's managable, but lots of nasty bits. The leaps are evil in the last variation.

I think it might be harder than the Brahms,(I started work on Brahms 2 days ago so still not sure) It all depends of hand size as well, I can stretch a 10th confortably, and found some of the Rach hard to get hands around some of the big fast chords, but it did get there, just needed a lot of work. The big flamboyant stuff tends to be easier than the bits you don;t expect to be hard. For example.. The big cadenza variation 11 if my memory severs me correctly is not to hard at all, yet some of the slower ones are very awkward. Variation 15 is a total nightmare, it very very hard to get going, and it realyl needs to be kept on top of.

I dunno how to rate it in terms of difficulty on the whole. I started learning it in January and had the notes finished by May. It's nice to do because you feel like you've accomplished something at the end of each variation, unlike another concerto where the difficulties seem to come at you and the end is no where no be seen. Have a read thorugh when you get a score, and don;t be out off by some bits if you struggle, a lot of takes slow work, when I started on the last variation, I still couldn;t play it at the slowest speed on the metronome, but with lots of work it comes quickly.

[mikey6]

I Played it last year ith orchestra - it's tricky to get ensemble together.  Make sure in var. 5, you know exactly what part of the bar you play coz it's rather easy to get lost.  Var.8 is a pregnant dog! I spent 3 weeks solid on the 2nd half of it, dam octave jumping! var. 15 is actually pretty scary, you got this huge sound and then it all dies down to the piano!
I would say the Brahms are more difficult as they specifically develop awkward techniques that you don't use all that often (FAST 3rd's and 6th's in the LH!) But it definitaley takes time!

[kriskicksass]

I've never studied the Paganini Rhapsody, but my teacher has, so I can tell you what he's told me. Apparently the rhythmic schemes and heavy interaction with the orchestra makes that as difficult, if not more, than any of the four concerti to learn and put together with an orchestra. Also, as one of the other posters said, it has some very awkward passages, even for Rachmaninoff.

[franz_]

Very nice all the comments here. Thanks a lot. Nobody has the score or know a website where I could download it?

[sklebil]

Here you go. I think it comes from https://www.piano.ru/library.html even though it doesn't have their logo.

[dnephi]

Which one is that lovely soothing melody? I'd like to learn just that one...

[avetma]

Which one is that lovely soothing melody? I'd like to learn just that one...

Variation XVIII?