Piano Forum

I apologise for this act of thread necromancy, but I found this topic whilst running a search on Lyapunov's name - his Transcendental Etudes are my favourite obscure pieces, and I've studied the score in depth (I can't play any of them very well as I'm not a serious musician per se).  As is true of the Liszt, the Lyapunov etudes do explore multiple facets of technique, but there are a few which receive special attention in each one.  A few other common links between the two sets include the presence of two major key etudes which are substantially longer than the other four and of a more reflective nature, and the fact that the major key etudes are, on average, not as difficult as the minor key etudes, with one blistering exception (perhaps two in the Lyapunov case).  Anyway, taking the Lyapunov etudes one by one:

No.1 in F-sharp, 'Berceuse', is perhaps technically easier than most of the others, but requires extreme care as far as voicing and colour are concerned (particularly in the second half of the piece), with which it will sound charming and without which it will sound boring.

No.2 in D-sharp minor, 'Ronde des fantomes', in addition to being difficult to read due to its unusual key, requires fast fingerwork and a feather light touch; comparisons with 'Gnomenreigen' are well merited, as this piece also flies about the keyboard with abandon.  Careful control over legato and staccato (as well as mastery of the sort of leaps found in, say, Chopin 25 No.4) is also a must for the secondary theme.  Probably one of the most challenging of the set.

No.3 in B, 'Carillon', shares with some of the Liszt etudes the need for loose yet powerful wrists for the octave chord passages and the right-hand runs as well as the flying leaps in the recapitulation of the hymn tune.  Some care is also needed to emphasise the hymn tune when it appears, be it at the top of rolled chords, as part of the arpeggii in the E-flat major passage (off the beat in the RH and entering in stretto in the two hands), or sandwiched between octaves in the outside voices in the recapitulation.  Not to be underestimated, yet one of the most remarkable in the set.

No.4 in G-sharp minor, 'Terek', once more requires extremely well developed wrist technique in both hands as well as fast fingers for the broken octave passages in the RH, and yet a sensitive touch is also needed for the "Quasi flauto" passage and its re-appearance "Quasi piccolo".  This one also ranks as one of the more challenging in the set.

No.5 in E, 'Nuit d'ete', is very much in the mould of 'Ricordanza' in that it requires tremendous control over voicing and expression as well as loose wrists for the innumerable runs, especially when said runs weave their way around the melody in the recapitulation of the main theme.  Solid control over legato, staccato, and the pedals also comes into play in the "secondary" theme (there's really just one theme but it appears in two quite different guises).

No.6 in C-sharp minor, 'Tempete', I'd venture to say, is not as difficult as most of the others, as long as you have strong fingers, loose wrists, and good octave technique.  The LH stretches in the coda can be difficult to pull off, as can the runs if any double notes show up, but compared to most of the other etudes (especially those in minor keys), it's reasonably accessible.

No.7 in A, 'Idylle', is the 'Paysage' of the Lyapunov set - not only does it carry the tempo prescription 'Andantino pastorale', but, while technically one of the easier in the set, it can very easily sound either boring or murky without judicious use of the pedals and a sensitive, expressive touch.  As there are two voices in the RH for most of the piece, the upper of which is usually the melody, this is also an exercise in voicing.

No.8 in F-sharp minor, 'Chant epique', shares with 'Mazeppa' a need for powerful wrists, well-developed octave technique (there's scarcely a bar outside the harplike passages in which at least one hand is not playing octaves), and endurance, but light, fast fingers are also needed to pull off the harplike passages in the introduction and leading into the recapitulation.  Like 'Carillon', it should not be underestimated technically, but it's a fantastic piece if you can play it (and even if you can't but have a recording of it).

No.9 in D, 'Harpes eoliennes', is the 'Chasse-neige' of the Lyapunov set.  As well as an exercise in tremolos (sometimes in both hands at once) and light, fast fingerwork (when the tremolos blend into runs, often split across both hands), there is of course the voicing issue - it's easy to lose the melody in the harps, especially during runs which weave around the tune.

No.10 in B minor, 'Lesghinka', is an extended study in stretches and leaps in both hands; it's perhaps not as difficult as it may sound, but that doesn't mean it's easy either, especially for people with small hands.  Because of the proliferation of stretches and leaps, even during the slower sections, this also requires considerable strength and endurance in both wrists and fingers.  But it's worth it even if only for the triumphant final cascade in B major (the shortest major resolution in any of the Transcendental Etudes).

No.11 in G, 'Ronde des sylphes', is almost a dead ringer for 'Feux-follets' (listen to them side by side and you might think the first piece has simply been transposed into the new key!).  As such, the technical demands are similar - it requires lightning quick yet feather light fingerwork, and independence of the fingers for the double notes (the interval between which changes from one to the next) and the passages when the staccato secondary theme (which mustn't sound too spiky) appears in the top voice.  As with 'Feux-follets', it's a delightful yet technically blistering piece with an "innocent" title, and ranks among the most difficult in the set (it's arguably the toughest major key etude).

No.12 in E minor, 'Elegie en memoire de Francois Liszt', is another mixed bag of technique, but certainly mastery of double octaves is a must.  Independence of the hands is of central importance in the D-flat major section when the RH melody comes before instead of on the beat, and loose wrists and fast fingers are needed to handle the various runs throughout the piece as well as the RH tremolo in the coda.  Judicious use of expression is also needed, since this shares with 'Vision' the overall plan of transforming from a solemn funeral march to a blaze of glory in the major.  As the longest of the Lyapunov etudes (and the longest of all 24 Transcendental Etudes unless one takes 'Ricordanza' particularly slowly), it's also something of an endurance test.  It rounds off the set brilliantly, though, in my opinion.