fingering

[beatrixie]

Hi, I' m taking pianolessons for nine years now and next year I hope to pass audition for the conservatory. This means I have to study hard during holidays but I have difficulties with the fingering of one piece. Rachmaninoff's Prelude Opus 23 no.5.
I was always a kind of slow finding the fingering but never before it was so hopeless. I have bought an edition in which not one indication is given.
Can anyone help me with this matter? And in general, is there a way to find fingering more easily?

If there are mistakes in my writing, please forgive me. I'm not a native speaker.

8/1, Belgium

[pianistimo]

there are many fingerings for this.  unfortunately, i don't have rachmaninov's which is what you want.  he had rather large hands - so if you had his fingering - you would easily play it with his own if you, too, have large hands.

here is mine.  i have a smaller hand span and this fingering is comfortable to me.  if there is any mistake or problem to it - i'm sure someone will correct it.  i haven't played this piece - but understand about fingering helping instead of hindering.  in fact, i credit a lot of my learning about fingering to my prof. billaud - as well as explaining the reasons behind it.  basically - you have strong fingers and weak fingers (as you know).  so - you exploit them when you can.

i would start, however, on a 2 in the rh. the reason for this is that you will be able to play the entire chord (of which some notes are in the bass clef) on beat 2.  the rh chord would be 1235.  so, you started on 2 and then play the chord with rh.  the lh will take the octave G's (51). 

the next two octaves in the bass i would take with the lh alone (51, 51) then your chord again (completely rh) then, 3 on the Bb.  then, complete chord with rh again.  then on beat 1 of the next measure - use your rh 2 finger.  then, complete chord again with rh.

now, when you get to the fast sixteenth notes - i usually never try to do this just octaving with one hand.  rach may have.  i find more precision separating the hands.  my fingering is rh 231  lh421.  then there's a chord again.  take the entire chord with rh 1235.  then rh 3  (rh chord) and then 2 on G (rh chord).

now on the second beat of measure 3 you have those fast sixteenths again.  i would use rh 241  and lh 42 (51).  this sets you up for the third beat to have rh 13 and lh 521.  then the sixteenths at the end of the line would be rh 24 and lh 21

this sets you up for measure four - landing on your thumb on the F (since it is a strong finger).  you simply pass over the 24 you just played and land directly on the F.  it will give a strong sound and also help you reach the 53 (Bb D)

[pianistimo]

in measure four on the second beat (fast sixteenths) again rh 241  lh4215.  NOW, we're going to separate the chords.  obviously they are too far apart to stick together - but some of the chords coming up aren't.  so, we'll just do what works here.  rh chord 125.  lh 321.  now we're on the sixteenth notes at the end of measure four.  they would be rh 23 and lh 32.

this sets you up again for rh 1 on the D (which is easy to fly off of to reach the next chord) and 32 (51) in lh.  /  sixteenths would be rh 531 and lh 421  .  then rh single notes 1 and 3 on the F# and Bb.  now the next chord lets play ONLY with rh.  the way you do this is to play two notes with your thumb (playing thumb between D and E) and rh 245.  then rh 2 on next single note G (then chord with only RH again) then end on...

measure five - rh 1 on D  and lh 51.  separate chords on sixteenth notes (rh124 and lh 521)  then rh 241 on the sixteenth and lh 421.  only rh chord ... etc.

[pianistimo]

you can get some tips by listening to what groups of notes he connects in this u-tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjcAXvnWPdM&mode=related&search=

gilels plays this wonderfully, imo.  although - rach playing his own work is probably the most 'russian' sounding with the short endings.  this one is very melodic.  sometimes you can see his fingering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXU7I_Yyi2Y&mode=related&search=

i noticed that gilels uses the rh thumb on the octave at the third beat of first measure.  this might be preferrable.  who knows!

[pianistimo]

the 'chorale' sounding part at measures 7-9 are probably easy for you.  i'd probably cross the lh over the rh thumb at the 2/4  (using rh 421 lh41).  on the second beat do the opposite.  cross the rh thumb (going to F#) over the rh 51.

[pianistimo]

when you get to measure 31 (i realize i skipped some of this - because maybe someone else has a good fingering for some of this octave stuff.  my hand aches when i use 4 to 5 a lot.  sometimes i just use 5 5 5 ). 

ok measure 31 - on beat 2 you have the sixteenth note pattern again - and must quickly switch playing lh chord A D G A  to rh octave (A A) then rh 2 finger in between.  move rh octaves down to G # (playing octaves in bass with lh 51) and then G-natural.  then finger 2 again on measure 32.