Schubert's piano duet D.940 Fantasy in F Minor

[guermantes]

Hello !

I'm trying to learn the above piece (secondo) and find the two-handed trills that appear in measures 122, 124, and 152 pretty daunting, as well as the timing for the right hand trills m149 and 151 and the corresponding left hand trill m150.

Would anyone out there be able to help me - fingering, number of alternations, etc.

Thank you in advance for your help !

Guermantes

[faulty_damper]

For those trills, you must be proficient trilling with each hand at the necessary speed.  Usually, one had will lag behind the other (usually the left).  Practice each hand separately and focus on the weaker hand before combining both.

[guermantes]

Thank-you Faulty_damper for your reply.

My professor always has me write the trills in musical notation so I know exactly what I am playing. Hence my question. Timing is of the essence in this duo since the 2 duet players echo each other's 2-handed trill. In measures 149-152, there is also the additional difficulty of marrying the trill in the right hand to the left hand which plays a doubly dotted eighth - 32nd melody at the same time.

I've listened very closely to the recording by Schiff-Rohmann (Hungarton Classics) which was very enlightening.

[prongated]

Just...trill...

The trick is for me is, trill as if there is no end to it. Don't anticipate or emphasise the 32nd notes! Only escape to the 32nd notes at the very last possible moment - and even when it is later than the very last possible moment, it will still be fine!

Practise just the trill hands together first, as if it's never ending. Then, practise with the escape (32nd notes) but without a sense of beat - just go to the escape when you're ready to come out of the trill. Make sure that there is no break between the trill and the escape - as though the escape is part of the trill. And then practise it in time by feeling the 3rd, 4th, and 1st beat (of the next bar) only - this will give you an idea of how late you can really play those 32nd notes (I bet it's much, much, MUCH later than you think they need to be).

Working out the trills precisely is only a good idea if the trill is short. When it is this long, it is rather silly. So...just...trill...

Measures 149-152 is the same really...just play the written 32nd notes as late as possible. Don't count in eight notes, but in quarter notes. Feel the beat this way and you will know when the right moment to escape is.

Hope that helps ^^ and have fun with this magnificent work!

[markjaffe]

Can anyone point me to a 2 handed version of the Fantasy in F minor? On youtube I listened to Kassia play a 5+ minute version instead of the almost 20 minute version. Would anyone know if this version exists online so that I can download it?

Here is the youtube link

[lelle]

I have not found that particular version but there are some 2 handed arrangements on IMSLP https://imslp.org/wiki/Fantasie_in_F_minor%2C_D.940_(Schubert%2C_Franz) (under the tab Arrangements and Transcriptions). Do any of those suit your needs?