Anyone got any tips for liszt's Rigoletto?

[mr_liszter]

Has anybody played liszt's Rigoletto-paraphrase de concert in c# minor?

if so are there any tips on the lightening quick runs between the right and left hands?

i would be gratfull for any hints!!!

[donjuan]

Hi mr_Liszter,
I haven't played that transcription of Verdi-yet, but I plan to within the year.  You have to admit, of all of Liszt's opera transcriptions, Rigoletto is the easiest.  Are you refering to the place where the right hand does a  repeating sequence of arpeggios up the treble clef while the left hand plys the melody?  What I would do is move in positions with the right hand and practice timing the left hand.  I would learn to play the part slowly first, gradually building up speed...

but then again,,I haven't formally started the piece, just fooled around with the slow part after the introduction as sightreading practice...let me know if I have been any help..
donjuan

[Roberto]

Hello mr.Liszter,
I played the Rigoletto "Paraphrase de concert" serveral times in concert and I know that extremely beautyful piece quiet well...
I do not know what kind of tips you should like to have.
So if you like you can send me  a mail conserning your questions and I will answer you as soon as possible...good luck!
roberto

[shoenberg3]

I have played this in a competition.
Very effective, musically & technically balanced piece.

And as for those fast passages, I recommend that you play them slowly note by note, exaggerating clarity and your arm motion. Then, you could pick up speed, but remember to play even the fastest passages MUSICALLY. After all, this entire piece is derived from a opera.
It would also help to watch or listen to the original piece by Verdi. By listening to opera singers, it is easier to imitate the singing tone for those passages.

[shoenberg3]

I have played this in a competition.
Very effective, musically & technically balanced piece.

And as for those fast passages, I recommend that you play them slowly note by note, exaggerating clarity and your arm motion. Then, you could pick up speed, but remember to play even the fastest passages MUSICALLY. After all, this entire piece is derived from a opera.
It would also help to watch or listen to the original piece by Verdi. By listening to opera singers, it is easier to imitate the singing tone for those passages.

[JeffL]

This is, surely, one of the best of Liszt's operatic paraphrases and, fortunately, one of the easiest technically; it fits the hand like a glove and almost "plays itself" once learnt.
Here are a few of my tips:
Try to "finger" octave passages wherever possible rather than using 5/1 (which tends to result in inaccuracy and fatigue) all the time. Fingering is a very personal thing and depends on a number of factors, not least the size of the individual hand. I finger the outer line of the octaves in bar 1 thus:
554544455545455. and the right hand in bar 2 like this:
45, 54, 554.
But you will need to establish what is most comfortable for yourself.

The most awkward passage, I found, was the cadenza which consists of minor 6ths between the hands. Work out the fingering which feels most comfortable and practice the passage in small units (for example stopping on the first demisemiquaver of each group, then adding another until you have built up the whole run) Do the same thing starting from the end of the passage and work backwards! Practise in dotted rhythms; play the passage transposing the l.h. down an octave which will help you to hear it clearly. Also, using the correct fingering, play with just the outer fingers of the right and left hand and then with the inner ones. If, after all this, the passage still remains a mess, either cut it out or have a look at a Haydn sonata instead!

Don't be tempted to play the repeated octaves in demisemiquavers which occur later in the piece too vigorously. The passage is marked "dolce" and, as has been suggested elsewhere in this thread, has its origin in vocal music. Just feel a light stress on the first of each group of four demisemiquavers, and relax on the remaining three, keeping in contact with the keys. I believe this is sometimes known as "The vibrato touch" (but somebody please correct me if I'm wrong).Again, finger the octaves if possible.