Liszt - Un Sospiro

[onwan]

Hi guys,

I've got just a quick questions.

1. I'm working on this amazing etude for a while, but I got stuck in bar no. 35 - I don't know when exactly to play the small notes in the left hand. There is my suggestion in the first picture, so do you think that it is the right timing of those notes?

2. My second question is about the last page of the etude. There are in left hand big jumps between the bass note and the arpeggio (the red lines) - is it better to use fingering 55421 or 51421?

3. In the same bars in right hand there are 5 tones arpeggios (the green circles) I tried to play it by all five fingers, but it didn't feel very comfortable. In some video I saw someone to play it by crossing the thumb under - but I don't think that it is convenient in this part. Do you think, that I should keep practising it with all five fingers and after a while it will get better?

Thank you guys for your time!

[chopinlover01]

Great that you're working on this. it's a beast of a piece.

1) Unless there's some huge dissonance if you don't time it properly, I'd play it as two separate lines; ie, don't think about it too much. The RH is just accompanying the LH. I'd practice it by playing the LH in time, and playing the LH chords with their respective accompaniment notes. That's about all I can offer, sorry.
2) Personally, I'd play them with the RH, actually. Play the RH chord with a lot of tone and let the accompaniment just whisper underneath.
As for the third, I can't comment on that.
Hope I helped!

[michael_c]

1) I'd say your timing is putting the grace notes too soon. It turns the grace notes into eighth notes, but they should be shorter than that. Exactly how short is then a matter of taste. I note that I play them approximately as sixteenth notes: not quite as late as the last note of the triplet sixteenth in the right hand.

2) and 3) First of all, you don't have to distribute the notes between the hands the way it's indicated in the score. Playing those right hand arpeggios as indicated with all five fingers will put unnecessary strain on your hand (unless it's of a very unusual shape, or simply huge!). There are many possible hand distribution solutions to this passage that make the whole think more comfortable to play. I won't give you mine: better you find what suits you.

Try to find a solution where you are neither stretching nor constantly making huge jumps. Remember: you can take LH notes with RH or vice versa, you can cross hands if you like, and you don't necessarily have to use the same fingering coming down the arpeggio as you did going up.

[apmapmapm]

Hi guys,

I've got just a quick questions.

1. I'm working on this amazing etude for a while, but I got stuck in bar no. 35 - I don't know when exactly to play the small notes in the left hand. There is my suggestion in the first picture, so do you think that it is the right timing of those notes?

2. My second question is about the last page of the etude. There are in left hand big jumps between the bass note and the arpeggio (the red lines) - is it better to use fingering 55421 or 51421?

3. In the same bars in right hand there are 5 tones arpeggios (the green circles) I tried to play it by all five fingers, but it didn't feel very comfortable. In some video I saw someone to play it by crossing the thumb under - but I don't think that it is convenient in this part. Do you think, that I should keep practising it with all five fingers and after a while it will get better?

Thank you guys for your time!

Hi onwan:

1- No one will ever expect you to "correctly" place those grace notes before the beat. Just attack them as an upbeat immediately before the strong beat - ignore the grace notes' relation to the upper hand; it is more importantly related to the strong beat immediately succeeding it.

2- Though what 'michael_c' is completely correct as there are always several possible solutions to a passage, the pianist who chose to use the 5-1(and then cross over) fingering was obviously choosing quite an unpianistic fingering - it is also risky as the stretches become wider and you will be leaping regardless. Given the way Liszt organized the material and also him having accented the bass notes, you are much better off hitting every bass note and then leaping with 5 again and you will see that the material becomes quite easy on the hands. You won't have to feel like you're rushing because the accents at least inform you that you should slightly emphasize these with some weight - the upper chords will also be spread out unless you can negotiate the stretch. So just go with the 5-5421.

3- Once again here, the answer is simple. The right hand hand simply reads 1245 and then you catch the top note with the left hand. It's a very smooth fingering and it's also obvious from the context given that the left hand is free in between bass notes. That should solve your problem.

Any other questions please message me.

[cfcief]

Hi,

1. The grace notes are to be played much faster, almost like an arpeggiated chord. As a reference take them as 32th note (personally I think that's better than taking them as 16th, because it's hard to hear them if the right hand plays at the same time).

2. Personal preference. I use 5-5421, but I think it's safer to use 51421.

3. I use 212454212. Some might use the left hand to play the top note; again, it's personal preference. However, I wouldn't use the left hand here; Liszt has been very clear in this etude on when you use the left hand. But go ahead if you feel more confortable.