Liszt's Transcendental Etude Nr. 4: Mazeppa

[cyclicadenosinemonophosphate]

Hi all,

For Liszt's 'Mazeppa' - I am struggling to get the thirds accurate to tempo. I am following (and would like to continue following) the 4-2, 2-4, 4-2 fingering for them as written.

Has anyone got any tips on how to ensure I can make these passages accurate up to tempo?

Also, for the octaves, do you recommend 1-5 throughout or alternating 1-5, 1-4 for white and black respectively? I normally do 1-5 for octaves but I find it sounds overly disjointed.

Many thanks!

[adodd81802]

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[pianiststrongbad]

I don't think Chopin's 3rds etude has much in common with Liszt's Mazeppa. The only similar passage I can think of is the descending major 3rds passage about half way through the piece.

Sorry, I can't provide any suggestions regarding accuracy - when I performed this a long time ago, accuracy definitely got lost in the performance though I attribute this to nerves. For what it is worth I used the 2-4 fingerings throughout. I think that alternating between 2-4 and 1-3 on the thirds does make it easier from an accuracy standpoint but you lose the marcato effect.

Regarding the octaves, do what is comfortable. I use 1-5, 1-4 on white and black respectively, but if your hands can only reach the octaves with 1-5 then that is what you must do. Using 1-3 on the black octaves is too large or a stretch for me, but is an option if you have large hands.

[pianistcellist]

It is quite the Etude! I found that I needed the most work with "choreographing" my hands; moving fluidly to be prepared and in place before you play the next notes/passage.

RE 3rds, I always find that practicing them with one voice forte and legato and the other piano and staccato and then doing the opposite is the most useful for really training the fingers to be accurate. Of course do be aware of any tension while doing this.

As far as octaves go I find that alternating 1-4 1-5 is what works best for me, but regardless of fingering, the proper balance between finger, wrist, and arm activity is where the true difficulty lies. The best octaves are able to feel light and free while the relaxation of the arm/wrist allows the natural weight of the arm to create the power.

It is a marvelous piece that is quite effective in performance. I hope you enjoy your time with it.

[ansgarpiano]

Don´t forget that it is (in my opinion) one of the 5 most difficult pieces of all by Liszt along with trancendental etude no 5,8,10 and 12

[minhogang]

Does anyone know if a professional pianist has ever played this piece with the fingering other than 4242 2424 and successfully replicated the "galloping" sound? Like 4233

[diomedes]

I never opted for the repeated use of 4 and 2 in this one, instead using standard fingerings. It's difficult enough as it is.

[liszt1022]

The 42-42 and 24-24 is meant to bring "octave technique" to your inside fingers. However well you can 51-51 your way through octaves, you should be able to play 42-42 just as well on thirds - but it is added difficulty of having lots of mixed sets (black/white, white/black.)
You can 42-31 if you want to end up with something that sounds like Mazeppa without getting the full technical benefit.