Liszt Ricordanza

[david_w]

I've been learning a few of the Liszt Transcendental Etudes (Nos. 5, 8, 10, 11, 12) and am starting on Ricordanza.   My teacher and I have a fundamental difference on how the opening lines should be played, i.e., he believes the right hand should take the opening melody (which is done by only a handful of pianists) but I believe it should be played as written, with the left hand taking the first couple of lines thru m. 8, as the score indicates.  Of course if you take the beginning with the right hand, the tone will be completely different.   Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on this or has knowledge of any scholarly articles on this piece? 

[nightwindsonata]

I personally play it as written. Liszt, being the ultimate expert on piano technique, understood thoroughly the difference in sound that depends on which fingers are being used, and as such was very deliberate with decisions like these, especially in a technical piece like Ricordanza. And yes--it is STILL an etude, despite the lyrical melodies and slower tempo. Good job on recognizing the fundamental difference in color between the two hands!

[lelle]

With Liszt, play it as written unless you can give a good reason why you shouldn't IMO.