Help choosing Rachmaninoff prelude

[winstonian3]

Hey everyone,
I'm choosing between the two most iconic Rachmaninoff preludes, the C# minor, and the G minor. I understand that the C# minor is generally considered easier; however, I honestly prefer the G minor. Problem is, I don't know if it's too hard for me. The last two pieces I played was the Schubert impromptu op. 90 no. 2, which I did without issue, and the Chopin nocturne op48 no. 1, which was admittedly very hard for me, it pushed me to my limits for sure. Do you think it would be reasonable to go for the G minor prelude knowing this? Also, I can stretch a ninth comfortably and a tenth not so comfortably, so you get a sense of the size of my hands.
Thanks guys!

[classicalnhiphop]

the c sharp minor is more likely around your level.  wait a bit for the g minor if you struggled with the nocturne

[cabbynum]

the c sharp minor is more likely around your level.  wait a bit for the g minor if you struggled with the nocturne

I agree and disagree, I think you could the g minor it would be a stretch but you could do it. If the op.48 gave you trouble so will this, but they are similar in some ways, play with both and see which one you like better.

[michaeljames]

To play Rachmaninoff well requires the ability to play melody lines with moving parts.  The g minor prelude reads fairly easily for the first two pages, but playing it to speed gets tricky. 
The beautiful soaring melodies of pages 3 and 4 are more difficult because of the inner melodic lines that must be played clearly, loudly but not too loud, etc.  The last two pages read easily, as well, but again, playing to speed presents the biggest challenge.

As for the C# minor prelude, I learned this piece when I was fairly new to the piano and lessons...maybe the 5th year of lessons.  I remember reading all of the incidentals on page one drove me crazy. I also know that the middle section of triplets requires bringing out the melodic notes while not losing them in the triplets.  While I played this prelude at a very young age, it wasn't until I was more experienced that I began to play it well.  (If that makes sense).

Difficulty levels of the two are hard for me to determine.  Playing both at speed require good control. 

Please let us know which you decide.

[onwan]

I'm just finishing the g minor prelude. I've been playing it for a half year and of course there were some struggles, that I'm not ready jet, that some places are just impossible to play...
but everything takes time. If you can't play the coda that fast, play it slow and after some time you'll find, that you can play it as fast as you want!

When I start learning the g minor prelude I wasn't really ready (I was playing the piano for 4 years, the pieces I had done were: Chopin-Op.40/1, Op.9/2 and valse e minor) but I practiced quite a lot and a did it!

If you can play the nocturne Op.48/1 you're good enough to play the g minor prelude.

[pytheamateur]

I have learnt a few of Rachmaninov's preludes in the past 16 years.  Here are the orders in which I learnt the ones I learnt (not immediately one after another; I have leant many other pieces in between):

Op 3, No2 in C sharp minor; Op 23, No 5 in G minor; Op 23, No 4, in D major; Op 23, No 2 in B flat major; Op 23, No 9 in E flat minor.

[winstonian3]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm going to consult with my teacher about this, but I think I might go for the tougher G Minor prelude. I know it will be a stretch, but it will be good to contrast the Nocturne, which contains similar dark emotions as the C# minor prelude. Thanks so much for the replies and keep them coming! I will post later when I make a final decision.