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Topic: Liszt - Un Sospiro, concert etude  (Read 3161 times)

Offline onwan

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Liszt - Un Sospiro, concert etude
on: May 24, 2016, 04:25:54 PM
Hi,
I've been practising this etude for a while. I want to share it with you, and also want to hear your opinion on my playing and maybe some advices :)





Sorry for bad quality of the video.
Bach-Prelude and Fugue 2
Mozart-Sonata 545
Schubert-Klavierstucke D946 - 1, 2
Chopin-Etude 10/9, 25/12
Liszt-Un Sospiro
Rachmaninoff-Prelude 23/5, 3/2
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Offline adodd81802

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Re: Liszt - Un Sospiro, concert etude
Reply #1 on: May 24, 2016, 06:30:00 PM
.
"England is a country of pianos, they are everywhere."

Offline onwan

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Re: Liszt - Un Sospiro, concert etude
Reply #2 on: May 24, 2016, 09:05:59 PM


How long have you been practicing this piece for - as you said it's been a while :D


I've been practicing it for a half year, but it wasn't intensive at all. Something like 3x1 hour per week.
I study at grammar school, so I don't have much time for playing the piano.
Bach-Prelude and Fugue 2
Mozart-Sonata 545
Schubert-Klavierstucke D946 - 1, 2
Chopin-Etude 10/9, 25/12
Liszt-Un Sospiro
Rachmaninoff-Prelude 23/5, 3/2

Offline lateromantic

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Re: Liszt - Un Sospiro, concert etude
Reply #3 on: May 25, 2016, 03:50:13 PM
I think you're off to a very good start on the piece.  Now, I would now aim toward getting more of a "blend" or a "sweep" in the arpeggios and especially in the cadenzas, so that you no longer focus on each individual note, but rather on the shape and direction of the phrases.  A good example would be the velocissimo passage just before the Un poco più mosso, which ends in one great sweep up the keyboard.  (Don't be afraid to use a little pedal here; it's not a dry technical scale, but a great Romantic gesture.)  And you can make a lot more of the dramatic pauses in the music, like the fermata in bar 21 or just before the key signature goes to four sharps.

If you get a chance, check out my own recording of the piece on this page.  It is far from perfect but should give you the general idea.  It's from a recital decades ago, and when I look at my old score of it right now, I see notations I wrote to myself like "swirl!" and arrows and squiggles.  Obviously, I was no longer thinking about individual notes very much, except perhaps in the melody line to some degree.  In your case, you already have the notes in your fingers, so you're ready to move to that next stage.

Offline kalospiano

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Re: Liszt - Un Sospiro, concert etude
Reply #4 on: May 25, 2016, 07:57:06 PM
I wish I was advanced enough to give you any tips but for the moment I will limit myself to congratulate you for your playing :) the piece is not perfect yet but it's very very nice and it's an excellent starting point to perfect it. Good luck!

Offline onwan

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Re: Liszt - Un Sospiro, concert etude
Reply #5 on: May 28, 2016, 02:02:31 PM
I think you're off to a very good start on the piece.  Now, I would now aim toward getting more of a "blend" or a "sweep" in the arpeggios and especially in the cadenzas, so that you no longer focus on each individual note, but rather on the shape and direction of the phrases.  A good example would be the velocissimo passage just before the Un poco più mosso, which ends in one great sweep up the keyboard.  (Don't be afraid to use a little pedal here; it's not a dry technical scale, but a great Romantic gesture.)  And you can make a lot more of the dramatic pauses in the music, like the fermata in bar 21 or just before the key signature goes to four sharps.



Thank you very much for your advice. I'll try to make the best of it. The cadenzas are tricky parts. I really struggle with the velocissimo part and also bit with the leggierissimo volante. Hope it will be better in future.
I don't use pedal on my scales, because my teacher doesn't want me to play any scale with pedal. Sometimes I don't agree with it, but I accept it.
Bach-Prelude and Fugue 2
Mozart-Sonata 545
Schubert-Klavierstucke D946 - 1, 2
Chopin-Etude 10/9, 25/12
Liszt-Un Sospiro
Rachmaninoff-Prelude 23/5, 3/2

Offline lateromantic

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Re: Liszt - Un Sospiro, concert etude
Reply #6 on: May 28, 2016, 05:10:30 PM
I don't use pedal on my scales, because my teacher doesn't want me to play any scale with pedal. Sometimes I don't agree with it, but I accept it.
I don't use pedal on scales either, but Un Sospiro is no longer a scale:  it is a work of Romantic art, and I think a touch of pedal is called for that scale-like passage.

Best of luck in your continued work with the piece! :)
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