When I first heard Yekwon Sunwoo perform the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 on stage at the finals of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, I fell deeply in love and knew the concerto had to be part of my repertoire ASAP. I later heard that the work was perhaps the hardest concerto out there, so while I was sight-reading it, I became terrified and left the book back on my bookshelf. This became an annual ritual – I'd revisit the concerto, spend an hour grappling with it, and then stash it back on the shelf, untouched for the next many months. Even after learning all the hard repertoire out there like the Ravel Gaspard de la nuit, Scriabin Sonata No. 5, Prokofiev Sonata No. 8, and more, I continued to be scared to even learn at least one movement of the concerto.Now, at the brink of turning 20, I have decided to confront my fears and learn the concerto. I've decided to start with the second and third movements, and once that's completed, I'll learn the first movement as well. If there are any tips on learning this beast of a concerto, please let me know!
You're best bet? The 3rd Movement is definitely the hardest, so it might be best to learn the 3rd then deal with the 1st and 2nd, or tackle the easier 1st and 2nd then deal with the 3rd.
Really? That's a little surprising since I'm struggling so much with the second movement compared to the third, but I'll take your word for it. I'll focus on the third movement first, and then i'll do the second then the first
and the really, really tricky part (you know exactly which one if you've had a try of the whole movement) just before the Coda is an arse with those incredibly quicky octaves in the LH and the large chords in the RH.
I have tried the tricky part in the third movement a few days ago. I was prepared to get terrified once again (haha) when I heard it was the trickiest section in the entire concerto, but it wasn't that bad when i got through. I think it's because I'm great with patterns. . .
.... I became terrified and left the book back on my bookshelf. This became an annual ritual – I'd revisit the concerto, spend an hour grappling with it, and then stash it back on the shelf, untouched for the next many months.
And getting it close to speed???
Oh, you must have subconsciously picked up on the new policy - - the music gods have put a ban on conservatory students (up and coming professionals) from learning Rach 2 and 3 - - they believe it's over played to the neglect of other worthy concerti. It will probably soon be banned from competitions. Best get ahead of the game and learn Rach 4 or Medtner 3 or Schnittke piano concerto (1960).
Oh please - what about the Grieg... the Schumann? Tchiakovsky's 1st? Are they going to ban them as well???
And Saint-Saens 2, and Beethoven 3/4/5...
Topic: Finally learning the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3! 