Great Gate of Kiev

[Will Millar]

I'm currently in the middle of learning the 'Great Gate of Kiev'. There are a few passages that are giving me a spot of bother.

The first is the part where the bass line plays the tune and the treble clef is playing large up and down scales over the top (Bar 47 - 63). I can't play it as quick as it is meant to. Any Advice? Secondly bars 89-106. I can play both hands seperately but when I try to play them both together all precision disappears.  Finally the lightening fast down scale in Eb (bars 111-114) again I can play both hands seperately with correct fingering but when they go together they mess up! And I can't play them as quick as they should be.

Thanks
Will

[matt_haley]

hi will, what an incredabile piece hey i played this last year and wel,but not to perfection- a work isnt perfect unless 1 has played it through years.
anyways, the first passage u mentioned with thr RH playing down in octaves and the theme in the base clef,the right hand follows a scale decending downwards and if you force the chords in the left that are all on equal even beats,then after much practice it will come together.
the scale u also said, which plays almost the entire length of the piano to the bottom furthest C,it isnt easy at all to play at the right tempo with the needed touch. but what follows this directly is personally my favourite variation of the great gates,with the melody where both hands are striking the chords then coming to the middle of the piano in sequence, such an amazing passage.
in my own opinion i found most difficult the broken chords that scale up and down,futher through the piece with the minor bass note and chord - do you no what passage i mean.
then that climax to the end is fantastic,the work is made up of such church like chords if you like,im sure ul get there no problem will.

good luck
   hope to hear how your doing.

by the way have you played through any of the other movements/pictures yet.

lay off baba yagas hut if you ask me.
matt

[Will Millar]

Hi Matt
  Firstly, thanks for the tips - I know what you mean it is a fantastic song! Mussorgsky is my favourite composer. I love the peice where the right hand plays the very high "Octave leaps" just before the large scale down...however it is very difficult. I have pretty much grasped the other pieces of Pictures except Baba Yaga all the way through... oh and Ballet of the Chicks with the appogiaturas!!

  The hardest thing about Mussorgsky is that there are a lot of Dynamics. for example in Roman Catacombes in one bar you have ff mzp dimin!! I saw Evgeny Kissin play this suite and immediately loved it. It's my life long dream to be a concert pianist or a conducter. So if I get Pictures sorted then thats a Concert in itself! Thanks again

Will

[matt_haley]

hi will,
yer the ballet of the chicks is difficult,you drawed my attention when u mentioned evgeny kissin,i think he is the greatest pianist around,incredabile. Iv seen him many times you saw the mussorsky recital so i believe that was the one including bachs toccata adagio and fugue. ive learnt the toccata and adagio they are amazing but the technical brilliance and musical maturity need for the fugue even out steps many chopin etude if u like to play perfectly.
did you hear glinkas the lark-great hey.
yes like you and many others id luv to be a pianist,what would many of us do if we couldnt play.but in my case i started very late from 16 im now 19,i played bit brass then changed to the piano and it all clicked,im self taught but hopefully trying to get a very good teacher,theres so much amazing music out there dont you agree.
i read a few topics on people in this forum saying they dislike evgeny kissin and his performances,so ive posted a topic in repertoire under horowitz=lifeless. u may like to read,because as many people love him i find him to be outshadowed by people like kissin.

who is your favourit pianist ?by the way u got me back looking at the great gates the another night,it came back to me what a wonderful piece it is, i also played through the various promenades-i find them very rich.


when i got evgeny kissins autograph i asked him to sign the music i was learning- chopins sonata in bminor have u heard this piece,it is a master piece check out the final movement.


matt

[Will Millar]

I think you are my exact double!! lol. I am basically everything you said about being self taught - up to Grade 5!!! The thing with Mussorgsky's music is that it needs practice. I'm having trouble getting my hands on an electric piano at the moment.

YOUV'E MET EVGENY KISSIN!! he's the entire reason I took up piano four years ago. He is my idol/hero/god, everything. I would love to meet him. The Lark...Genius. Apparently Evgeny Kissin is very shy and very to himself...WHO CARES if he plays like that!! He practiced four hours a day...so...I practice three.

I would also love to be a conducter.. especially of Prokofiev's 'Dance of the Knights' from Romeo and Juliet: and/or Candide by Leonard Bernstein.

I STILL CAN'T GET THAT D**N DOWN SCALE BIT IN GREAT GATE!!

ANY TIPS BERNHARD??

Thanks Again
Will