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Topic: Is this Liszt's most technically difficult etude?  (Read 3059 times)

Offline cuberdrift

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Is this Liszt's most technically difficult etude?
on: April 22, 2019, 02:45:39 AM
As you might know, there exists within Liszt's output an obscenely demanding etude from his Paganini arrangements, S140.



I just have three questions:

1. Are there any Liszt etudes as hard or harder than it, technically speaking?
2. Are there any Liszt PIECES technically harder than it? (Movements will be pieces).
3. Are there any other 19th century etudes as hard or harder than it? Like those of Alkan, Mereaux, etc. Again, movements are pieces, so the Alkan Solo Concerto is not "one etude" in this comparison.

Thanks!
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Offline visitor

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Re: Is this Liszt's most technically difficult etude?
Reply #1 on: May 22, 2019, 08:14:46 PM

I just have three questions:

1. Are there any Liszt etudes as hard or harder than it, technically speaking?
2. Are there any Liszt PIECES technically harder than it? (Movements will be pieces).
3. Are there any other 19th century etudes as hard or harder than it? Like those of Alkan, Mereaux, etc. Again, movements are pieces, so the Alkan Solo Concerto is not "one etude" in this comparison.

1. yes
2. depends who you ask/on the pianist
3. yes again , i can think of a few.

initally Lyupanov's 12th Etude dedicated to the memor of Liszt (indeed the set aims to finish the cycle Liszt started w his etudes), comes to mind.

R Strauss' Burlesque (c1885) is a bugger and I'd say gives more challenges than premise etude cited

Offline soultrap

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Re: Is this Liszt's most technically difficult etude?
Reply #2 on: June 11, 2019, 04:34:08 AM
As you might know, there exists within Liszt's output an obscenely demanding etude from his Paganini arrangements, S140.



I just have three questions:

1. Are there any Liszt etudes as hard or harder than it, technically speaking?
2. Are there any Liszt PIECES technically harder than it? (Movements will be pieces).
3. Are there any other 19th century etudes as hard or harder than it? Like those of Alkan, Mereaux, etc. Again, movements are pieces, so the Alkan Solo Concerto is not "one etude" in this comparison.

Thanks!

I don't want to sound like I'm ruining the party here, but it really depends. This etude is incredibly difficult, yes, but different pianists find different things more challenging.  Let's just take perhaps the most "famous" of the set, La Campanella. Some people struggle intensely with the final page with rapid raging octaves, yet for some other pianists it is the easiest section of the entire work and find the sections with huge leaps more difficult. How do you judge that?

For me, yes, there are definitely more difficult liszt etudes out there. But, that's for me.
Pieces I'm working on:
Beethoven op. 109
Chopin Etudes op.10
Tchaikovsky Seasons June & October
Tchaikovsky Russian scherzo op. 1 no. 1
Tchaikovsky concerto 1
Mozart K 488
Rachmaninoff sonata 2

Offline cuberdrift

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Re: Is this Liszt's most technically difficult etude?
Reply #3 on: June 13, 2019, 05:22:13 PM
For me, yes, there are definitely more difficult liszt etudes out there. But, that's for me.

Really? Like what etudes?

I don't think even the Grandes Etudes are as hard as it.

Offline rachmaninoff_forever

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Re: Is this Liszt's most technically difficult etude?
Reply #4 on: June 14, 2019, 01:29:17 AM
Call me a hater if you want but I always thought Liszt before his B minor sonata is just flashy and trashy.

Except for maybe his TE etudes

His late stuff is where all the sauce is at.
Live large, die large.  Leave a giant coffin.
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