I almost feel like I'm channeling the composer himself...I haven't attempted any of Rachmaninov's concertos, so I'm wondering which is the best place to start. I've played and/or performed almost all of his preludes and etudes and I've also briefly studied the composer's personal and political background, so I think I have a good understanding of his musicality.
...I have a good understanding of his musicality....
can you help me? I would like to know what musicality is.
Finally! A troll that might follow in the footsteps of notable ones like 89_keys(was that his name?! It has been so long that I've even forgotten it!) has surfaced. The site has been a bit dry lately, I miss reading posts like these. Stick around troll, don't leave too soon. Just because you're obvious, not clever, and not original whatsoever doesn't mean your posts won't be appreciated by me. Enjoy the site.Sincerely,An avid lover of idiots.
I've been playing since I was 6 and I'm 28 now, so I've been on the bench for about 22 years.
I've not yet heard a student answer a teacher even once when asked why he/she started working on a piece that because was chosen by an internet forum for him/her.I dont know..ee nee my nee mo. catch a tiger by the toe. choose one. I only play a handful of a prelude, or etude, or sonata part from any one of the composers but they are specifically chosen, by me, because the specific piece touched/inspired me in some way, or, I always enjoyed that piece for ages and always wanted to learn it. Not because I needed to 'carve out another notch on the bedpost'. oh, havent gotten a concerto in my rep. not yet.. i gotta have a concerto in my rep. gotta have one. I'll show dem I m well-rounded... huh? no. Music is personal.
To this new user, I'll just try to answer him assuming he's not the "troll" they all think he is.Of the 4 concertos Rachmaninoff wrote for piano and orchestra, my favourite in my opinion is the second one. But well, a subjetive opinion means nothing in this case and may not be useful for you.
Technically demanding, this is easier than the 3rd concerto ( despite Rachmaninoff said that 3rd was easier than 2nd for him because the third was more naturally to his fingers ). Anyway, if you have played all his preludes and etudes, and you've been playing for that long, I think you'll make it work out for every concert. I recommend you to start by the second concerto, due to it's popularity and musical structure. I really love all the movements. The beauty of this concert is absolute.Anyway, all his concerts are amazing haha. I cannot give you more than a subjetive opinion. Since you're so familiar with him, there's no need for me to talk to you about the structure of the piece and it's history ( Anyway you can find everything about this in internet or books :p )
I love them all, I can't really decide which is my favorite. The second one has a ton of beautiful moments, I agree.I was holding off on ordering the sheet music because I didn't know which concerto would be appropriate to start with from a technical standpoint. I didn't mention this in my first post but I've been traveling abroad for the past 2 years and I think my technique may need to be brought back up to speed. Even as someone who has played a lot of Rachmaninov, I imagine the concertos are more demanding than any of the preludes/etudes. The 3rd mvmt of the 3rd is a little intimidating, especially.Think I'm gonna go order the second one then. Thanks for the suggestion!
Wow, I really have a hard time understanding the hostility of this community. He might as well be a troll, just answer the damn question lol.
Indeed, the second has a lot of beautiful moments. I gotta love those chords at the beggining of the first movement which creates that incredible tension, and then....BANG! , it resolves with the introduction of the first theme, the orchest playing that russian melody accompagnied by the arpeggios on the piano.
Not only does his writing style resemble a typical/senseless troll but just take a look at his signature. If I had joined this site before I began playing piano (the time I was infatuated with 'popular' classical music) and if I also intended as coming off as a "genius expert 1000 power level musician" then my signature would have looked exactly like that. Just think, how many concert-level(Ariel, Rondo, Awesome, Perfect Pitch etc) pianists actually come here and ask what they should play? Not to mention being unable to gauge the difficulty of a concerto. But hey, benefit of the doubt! He really might be that talented and musically illiterate at the same time...unnnntillll you read this:schubert etudesin his signature.Seriously, he's messing with you all. Save your benefit of the doubt for someone that deserves it. It's not hostility, it's just being able to spot falseness or at least the fact that he's more worried about impressing others than actually discussing the music..but hey, i might be wrong. : ]
once op helps me learn what musicality is, i hope i can get help with using musicality to master the schubert etudes. my playing power level right now is only at level russet potato. I hope to reach over 9000 someday.sorry if off topic and i should have started new thread asking for this help but Op seemed best suited to help me.
Despite of the "Schubert etudes" in his signature ( which can be understandable, since I've seen so many people misspelling Schubert for Schumann and vice versa ; I've commited that mistake too. ), so he may have refered to Schumann symphonic etudes...
I will just make a few points before I quit replying to this thread. OP's reception was an adequate result of their way of presenting themselves. Nobody here was actually hostile - people read, perceive and react. There is action and reaction - it is what it is. Community consists of individuals. It is normal that people perceive things differently (e.g. some can read between the lines, some can't) and react differently. The ability to accept each other's distinctness is what makes a community, indeed.
Wow. Bravo. We are getting to know you so much better with every post you write. No need to be so sarcastic, dear. I would appreciate if you would not put words in my mouth that I did not say. Good luck with your playing of 2 concerto or whatever.
Thanks!
Whatever!
Also, he never said he was a professional piano player or a concertist.
once op helps me learn what musicality is, i hope i can get help with using musicality to master the schubert etudes. my playing power level right now is only at level russet potato. I hope to reach over 9000 someday.
Really, with all of your scathing and hostile replies you haven't done more than add fuel to the fire to this already unpleasant conversation. Just let it go...
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Why am I responding to a 6 year old thread?? Maybe op can give us an update!The initial question itself doesn't have to be regarded as ridiculous, although I think when embarking on such a journey as a Rach concerto, one should probably have very strong and personal feelings... The op, now years ago, said he or she has studied nearly all of the Rach preludes/etudes... if this is true, then op could approach any of the five concerti (counting Paganini as #5) because the complete Rach preludes and etudes easily cover the range of challenges you'll discover in the concerti.Personally, I've played 2 and 3, and only 2 with orchestra. They are not easy pieces! Rach 3 deserves its reputation. That said, nothing is unplayable. It's all very pianistic (It's Rachmaninov after all), it's just very very demanding. One should expect a solid year of learning all the notes/letting them sink in. By the time you are ready to perform a Rach concerto, you'd better feel every single note in your bones, like you were born that way. Now, the pecking order... I'd say Rach 3 is the most difficult in practically every regard, musically and technically. It really is. If I HAD to order them in terms of technical difficulty (a stupid concept to begin with) I would probably go:1. Rach 32. Rach 43. Rach 24. Rach/Pag5. Rach 1I'm not totally sure about my placement of Rach 4... And don't let this make it seem like Rach 1 is easy! Keep in mind they're basically all among the most difficult works written for piano, so... anyone approaching these pieces at all should already know fully what they're doing.Op, did you ever end up studying one of the concerti? I recommend to anyone and everyone, no matter the level, to familiarize yourself with these concerti through listening to the great recordings and absorbing/thinking about the music. Taking it upon yourself to study the notes from the ground up is probably not the right approach for someone who isn't already very familiar with the music. I would even go as far as to say that anyone out there who plays a concerto like Rach 3 very well was already extremely familiar with the music before they touched a single note. By the time a pianist chooses to approach a piece like Rach 3, or the Liszt B minor, or the Hammerklavier, or the Goldberg... it's probably been rattling around in the head for years already.Just some stuff to think about. In the end, I encourage doing whatever you are truly inspired to do, even if it breaks some of the "rules." Go with your gut!
Topic: Which Rach concerto should I start with first? 