Rachmaninoff Prelude No. 10, op. 32 (B minor) - advice please...

[karelm]

Hello,

I am a beginner piano player and am completely obsessed with Rachmaninoff's Prelude No. 10 in B minor, op. 32.  I wish I could play it but I am wondering if it is considered a very tricky piece and I would be better served by practicing technique pieces first?   For example, a new painter probably shouldn't start off painting the Mona Lisa, but rather still life images to gain basic techniques by which they can lay the groundwork for more advanced pieces.

I have about 1 year of piano lessons so definately a moderate-beginner.  I also have slow clumsy hands so if this piece is technically challanging, I'll have to just practice other things for now.  Any advice on how to approach this piece?  I can play Chopin's Prelude in E minor but never succeeded at Bach's Two Part Invention No. 1 (I don't have the left/right hand independence down yet).

Thanks,
Karim

[Floristan]

Karim,

I think the technique needed for this prelude may be a little beyond you at the moment.  The beginning and end of the piece are not too difficult in terms of getting the notes, and if you listen to a couple of good recordings, you should get some idea about interpretation, but everything else in this prelude presents a multitude of difficulties.  The big chords in the B section have to be managed just so, kept in the background in relation to the melody until the climax when they match the melody in volume.  Very tricky to pull off, and, of course, hard if your hands are small.

The next part of the piece, after the chords, has some quite odd rhythmic moments that must be precisely observed, and the lightness that must be maintained in spite of playing thick harmony is very challenging.

All this segues into a quite difficult cadenza that is supposed to be played "veloce," which means as fast as possible.  That alone could take many months to perfect, and even then, unless your Howard Leslie or the like, good luck to you.

It's a beautiful piece, and supposedly Rach's favorite.  I'm a rank amateur and have been working on it for about a year now, and I doubt I'll ever really master it; I just don't have the pianistic chops (and only 1 hour to practice a day).  But that hasn't kept me from trying.

Just for comparison's sake, I've been playing since I was 8, but have had, in total, about 6 years of formal training spread out over 50 years, which has left me at an advanced intermediate level (grades7-8 or thereabouts).  I took on this prelude because my last teacher wanted to really challenge me.  Challenged I was (and continue to be). 

[desordre]

 Dear Karim:
 If some people say that you have to look for bottles of "Romanée-Conti" only when you have money enough, we can say that the label "Rachmaninoff" is something to consider only when you have time enough of piano playing.
 Best wishes!

 PS: In the mean time between now and then, enjoy playing! By the way, only for comparison, your Invention is in a path that leads, through another inventions (both two and three-voiced), movements of suites, other works (little preludes and fugues, for instance), to the Well-Tempered Clavier. So, when you reach there, you will probably be able to play your Rach prelude.

[karelm]

Thank you very much for the insights!  That was exactly the kind of information I was looking for, but I have to say I am a bit heartbroken that I won't be able to experience this piece for many years if ever.  But I guess that is also part of what makes difficult pieces so wonderful is that they have to be earned and do not reveal themselves lightly.

I am surprised it isn't easier to tell if a piece is difficult until you spend many day or weeks on it.  Perhaps that is an issue of experience. 

Karim