Liszt Eroica

[pseudopianist]

I think this is probaly my favourit Transcendental study. It has everything, I just wanna marry it.

For you people who have played it, how difficult is it?

I noticed some huge chords like G EB B, is this piece required huge hands? And what are the most difficult passages? The octaves I'm guessing.

[MaXiMuS]

I think this is probaly my favourit Transcendental study. It has everything, I just wanna marry it.

For you people who have played it, how difficult is it?

I noticed some huge chords like G EB B, is this piece required huge hands? And what are the most difficult passages? The octaves I'm guessing.

which Liszt??

[pseudopianist]

Trascendental etude no 7?

[etudes]

i think that is really nice piece
the fact is i like all of his transcendental etudes
btw do u play any of them yet?
i would suggest to play the first one (easiest of that set but i wont say that is easy)
but if u play the first one then i think i would try no.8 wild jagd(hope spell it right) i really love that piece
but i really recommend to try the first one first to test your skill.

[pseudopianist]

i think that is really nice piece
the fact is i like all of his transcendental etudes
btw do u play any of them yet?
i would suggest to play the first one (easiest of that set but i wont say that is easy)
but if u play the first one then i think i would try no.8 wild jagd(hope spell it right) i really love that piece
but i really recommend to try the first one first to test your skill.

Yeah I played it a few months ago but I brought it back up to work on details. It wasn't that complicated but to make it sound good is nearly impossible.

I think that Wild Jagd is a lot more complicated than both of them put together. A great piece tho.

[edouard]

Hi Pseudopianist,

I've performed this work at three occasions and I can try to answer a few of your questions.

In relation to the other Liszt etudes its not the hardest for certain aspects (eg articulation, scales, arpeggios, tremolos, double notes) but it probably is one of the hardest for octaves.

The large chords: eg at the beginning and in several other places: I can take most of them (ie minor 10ths) but otherwise you can arpeggiate and it doesn't sound ugly.

The descending arpeggios right at the beginning. You can take them with your right hand only or split them. I tend to split them in concert.

The last thing I understood in this etude is that the SILENCES are very important. If you read the score you will see a few of them; they are rarely respected in the recordings i've heard. For the example, just before the theme comes in first in EbM (a bit of a surprise because it comes in so late)

You must learn to pace yourself because if you start f (when the piece starts getting fast - ie when you get the arpeggios for the right hand - descending). Especially that once you think you have reached the climax, then you have a page and half of octaves !!! So the difficulty is pacing yourself - practice the whole thing piano to see...

Another problem is that there are some passages where it is difficult to control jumps in one hand whilst the  right hand arpeggiates...most people seem to screw this up in concert (including Berezowsky).

There is a passage for the right hand similar to Chopin Op 10(1) ie wide arpeggios. I've seen one pianist split them between left and right (not sure how, can't remember) but I simply use 125125125

The octaves are the hardest thing I guess from a technical point of view. You must relax a lot. You can achieve this (apart from having a good octave from the start) by slowing down a tiny bit between the 'chords' (ie between the next 'chord') and relaxing your wrist. Then gradually reduce this slowing down until it is imperceptible.
Make sure you don't finish with a whimper (the octaves). The last flurry of octaves has to be the most fierce.

The end of the piece is quite fun and you have a nice cadence at the end so people know when to clap

IMO the hardest aspect is : to pace yourself correctly, and not to make the whole thing sound pompous. Also avoid 'banging' the chords out.

ok, my post is probably obscure for those who haven't got the score in front of them, or even for those!
Don't hesitate to ask if you have any specific questions...

edouard

[pseudopianist]

Thank for that great and very helpfull post. Now I know where should put most of my technical focus.

Hopefully I will start this piece within a month or so. Thanks once again, a really great post.

[trunks]

Once learnt it by heart but already let it slip away for some time, planning to re-work on it soon.

Technically the worst passage, in my opinion,  is most definitely Bars 78 - 79, the wild leaps in both hands coupled with progressively wider chords in the RH. That is one of the most treacherous leaps I've ever played written by Liszt (the others I've played and find deadly treacherous are two in Dante Sonata and especially one in Il Lamento from Trois Etudes de Concert).

The double octave passage that shortly follows is indeed very easy as compared to Bars 78 - 79 (!!)