Large Scale Works

[mjames]

For the more experienced members, how do you deal with difficult and large scale works? I'm not talking about large-scale like the Ballades (difficult but they dont last long) or Schubert's sonatas (long but they're not technically difficult). Large-scale in the sense that they're difficult technically (and of course musically) and extremely long. A few examples would Alkan's concerto for solo piano, Medtner Nightwind sonata, and Liszt B minor sonata.

How do you guys usually tackle these monster pieces? How do you learn them? How do you polish them? And how do you prepare them for performance? How long does it usually take you guys to get it up to standard?

Curious because I just recently finished working on Schubert's 18th sonata and it was an exhausting and difficult experience because of its length. I was wondering how it would be if the sonata was technically demanding...

The sheer amount of will power it must take to power through a 30min virtousic piece must be astounding. I'd like to read about your experiences.