Liszt Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (video)

[furiouzpianist]

I've played it on and off since 2007. Work on a piece never stops, and there is always something new to say.........

[pianoman53]

I once played for Bashkirov on a masterclass. I played the second Chopin ballade. He was happy and all, but said that I should think more of the special notes. He said that it's usually the top note, but not always. It's not always the top note that makes it special. Say the beginning, the low, fast triplets, in octaves. For me, the lower one is far more special than the top one, and makes it far more spooky.

In general, I feel that the "special" part of your playing is gone, and it could just be any piece. It's very effectively played, and everything is clear, but this piece should be more than effective and clear, no?

[awesom_o]

I'm afraid to say I rather agree with pianoman53.
You play the piece brilliantly from a motoric/mechanical perspective,  but musically, it was a bit ho-hum. I think you could really scare the crap out of people with this piece, but in order to do so, you may have to forget about dasdc. 

[furiouzpianist]

I'll have to put quite a bit more work into this. I've played for many years, and after a certain point - it loses some freshness...

If the live performances go well, I'll post one of them. Or maybe I'll record another take on a better piano in a few weeks.

[awesom_o]

I'll have to put quite a bit more work into this. I've played for many years, and after a certain point - it loses some freshness...

I think you've hit the nail on the head in regards to freshness. It can be so hard with old pieces. I don''t think it needs a lot more WORK, perhaps just a bit more THOUGHT.

Speed is a wonderful thing, but it is worthless if it comes at the expense of musical character. I wished for somehow.... a more personal sense of storytelling, rather than...... "listen to how effortlessly I can blast through the RH octave jumps without scuffing a single wrong note!"

I'm exaggerating.... but I think this work  is one of Liszt's most brilliant solo pieces, and to do it real justice requires just as much musicality as it requires technique.

Still, I enjoyed watching your video.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

From a technical perspective, it's fantastic. But there are lot of places where it's all just forward, forward, and it would benefit from touches of fantasy. The coda, for example, is a bit of a damp squib (9.33 in particular). The rhythmic aspects are often very good, but it feels like you've focussed on them to the detriment of the sensual. I would actually put to one side for a few months, to me it sounds like more work is the last thing it needs. There's not the slightest doubt you can play this incredibly well, but it needs to be freer, imo.

[furiouzpianist]

I'll try this out on stage a few times this month and then finally put the program aside. (Bach-Busoni Chaconne, Beethoven Waldstein, Liszt Mephisto Waltz No. 1, Prokofiev Sonata No. 6) I'll experiment more onstage - that's where the real work begins. There is a huge difference between the practice room and actually communicating with an audience. After 2 years at Juilliard (just finished my Masters), I want to play much more freely.

I have to learn Rachmaninoff's 1st Concerto (final version) for October. Not an easy work.....This is for a competition at Manhattan School of Music, where I'll start my Doctorate in September.

[davudvesnic]

If you want to learn Rachmaninoff First piano concerto, I will help you! For small stuff where you have to pay attention! And, what you say? Messege me!

[furiouzpianist]

I gotta learn it first, heh.

[flashyfingers]

Very nice! I would like more dynamics, you were too aggressive with the piece in the first sections, even though your technique is something enviable.