Rachmaninoff op 23 no 7 prelude in c minor, fingering and more

[pjaul]

Dear Piano Streeters,

I'm currently working on a Rachmaninoff prelude in c minor (op 23 no 7) and would like to hear some of your thoughts regarding fingering.

Look at the second group of 4 sixteenth notes in measure one.  The turn figuration (a flat, g, f sharp, g  How would you finger this? 4-3-2-1 or 3-1-2-1?

I understand different fingerings a better suited to different hands.  Why do you prefer the fingering you prefer?

In measures 5-8, this turn figure is repeated a whole step lower. But it's very different because it's g flat, f, e, f (black, white, white, white; instead of black, white, black white)Would you use the same fingering here as in measures 1-4?

Would you consider this piece to be more of an etude than a prelude? After all, that turn figure is repeated over and over throughout the entire piece and poses major technical difficulties in later passages. For example, virtually all of pages 5-6 in the right hand.

How would you go about practicing this piece?

Thanks every one