Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11

[furiouzpianist]

I started this piece 2 weeks ago (I am also reviewing 2 Episodes from Lenau's Faust, and 2 Lugumbre Gondolas).

It has a few wrong notes, but I did not want to record it again. One take, unedited, as always.
The piano is now in a smaller room, so it sounds even brighter.

[furiouzpianist]

https://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/7/76/IMSLP05076-Liszt_-_S244_Hungarian_Rhapsody_No11__edition_b_.PDF

here is the score. Most pianist play the beginning as a free tremolo, but it actually is written out.

[birba]

I'm wondering why I'm not really impressed with this at all.  It's certainly brilliant, accurate (wrong notes?!  Where?) and...I guess that's about it.  It's also absolutely incredible that you learned it like this in only 2 weeks!!!  If this is, in fact, YOU (what with the discussion of midifile performances here lately), you've got an impressive technique at your disposition.  You can do whatever you want.  Except, in this case, make music.  And here we're talking about a partiular music, with Hungarian overtones and rythms.  Making it much more difficult to achieve.  Where's the impetus and dash of this czardas-like finale?  You only play it fast.  And the andante sostenuto.  Do you know what "altieramente" means?  It really defines the character of this andante.  And I think the fact to play the zimbalon in the introduction, exactly, metronomically, metrically, correct, is detrimental to the effect.  It's no secret that Liszt, at times, intended Tremolo where he wrote in the value of the 32nd or 64th notes.  You'll find this a lot in his transcriptions.
When I was in school, I worked in a Hungarian restaurant for a while, and every night there was live music.  with a zimbalon, or whatever they call it now.  I didn't really care for the music, per se, but I loved to watch them play.  And, though it had nothing to do with the refined composing of Liszt, the character was just the same as in this music.  There was always that "altieramente" attitude that bordered on Macho.  And the speeding up of the czardas that would inevitably rouse the  dinner crowd.
You've got to grasp this Hungarian gypsy-like character  to make this rhapsody work!

[furiouzpianist]

well, I guess this is just the notes, up to tempo. It takes me a while to create an interpretation. You know, the feeling of improvisation actually happens when all of the details have been worked out and now fall into place.

I still think the tremolo in the beggining should be counted, because when Liszt wants a tremolo - he writies it out in 32nd notes and then also write "tremolando" underneath. I've seen this in the Danse Macabre transcription, for instance. Ginzburg counts them out - unlike virtually every other performance.

Anyway, I will keep working on this, and post an updated recording.

B.T.W. My favorite recording of this is Cherkassky.

[birba]

You said it!  Cherkassy was THE romantic virtuoso.

[mistermoe]

well technically, there is nothing to comment on. you seem to have no problems with this piece. congrats!

musically i miss freedom a lot. i'm no expert on this kind of music, but i feel you have to take a lot more musical risks to make this piece (like all the hung rhaps) interesting.
i think in this music everything must be unpredictable but still comprehensible and natural.
that of course makes it really difficult.

but i'm sure you'll get there.

[furiouzpianist]

You said it!  Cherkassy was THE romantic virtuoso.

yeah, and what a tone he had!!! His recording of the Liszt Liebestraume No 3 is unbelievable, right up there with Moiseiwitsch.