Alfor's Rarities

[fleubis]

Alfred, much success in downloading these two files today. I was most interested to see your fingerings for the "Piú vivo "on p.28, (IMHO this is the most beautiful harmonic sequence in all of Rachmaninoff and the rather startling way in which he ends the sequence is always surprising). It really doesn't get much better than this, but for me it has always been difficult to play, so this new fingering helps quite a bit and gives me new perspectives on playability.

As much as I've been enjoying this Rachmaninoff, I would like to point out the beautiful performance by Anthony Goldstone of Moyzes Piano Sonata No.2 just posted by fyrexianoff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6Dhfw1yjzM

Somehow I managed to miss this as it is buried in your 2009 posting of Slovak Composers:

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=554&p=3043&hilit=moyzes#p3043

the final adagio and fugue theme is hauntingly beautiful.

[soh choon wee]

Dear Alfor
Thank you very much for the Rach 3rd concerto!!
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you x one million !!!

[alfor]

Dear Alfor
Thank you very much for the Rach 3rd concerto!!
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you x one million !!!

You are welcome!

Tonight only some audio files:
Max Reger
Intermezzi

[fleubis]

Alfred, I started playing through the Rach 3,1C and enjoying the unabashed simplicity of the first theme, and I was struck by what seemed to be unnecessary thumb crossings......and yet......there is good reason for your fingering.......so now I am grasping the meaning of your phrase "sound catching".

[alfor]

Alfred, I started playing through the Rach 3,1C and enjoying the unabashed simplicity of the first theme, and I was struck by what seemed to be unnecessary thumb crossings......and yet......there is good reason for your fingering.......so now I am grasping the meaning of your phrase "sound catching".

My fingering of the long unisono melody is just one possible solution. Cortot would have used a lot more "silent change". Others might prefer the following ("non-changing position" fingering):

from the start - see tonight's posting resp. the complete repetition pages 46 to 48 (already posted):

r. h.: 3 5 4 3 / 2 3 4 3 4 / 3 4 5 5 5 / etc.
page 4: 5 4 3 2 / 3ˆ4 3 2 1 / 2 3 4 / 4 3 2 / 1 2 3 4 5 etc.

( / = bar lines)

A nice "exercise in sound" would be trying to achieve the desired sound by fingering the unisono melody throughout (!) with

right hand:
a single finger (!)
The late Busoni might definitely have played it thus - using the 2nd or 3rd finger!!!
(See also Frank Merrick's "Practising the Piano")
1-2 or
1-2-3 or
2-3-4 or
3-4-5

left hand accordingly

[alfor]

To Ferruccio, who may have the chance to play this with the North-Kazakh Symphony*** (principal conductor: Mr. Borat):
***If not yet booked by isokani

RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No. 3
1st movement
first portion, first part
alfor fingered™

Rach 3,1E.pdf

P.S. page 24, last crotchet, left hand,
page 25, first bar, 4th crotchet, left hand
and all similar places:

Once you are able to "sound-catch" the double-note (resp. chord) without "smearing"
you can of course use the 2nd finger instead of the thumb and release the half note.

[fleubis]

Thank you, Alfred for the 3.1C...I do hope Ferruccio gets the opportunity to perform this piece. (Alas, I shall never have the opportunity to hear this concerto live, but at least am blessed with a good sound system to hear recordings.) I do hope that our professional pianists here would weigh in on your fingering suggestions at some point. From an amateur's point of view, I am gaining insights heretofore outside of my purview.

Per your suggestions on p.24 & p.25, I can very clearly hear what you mean by "smearing", and it's on many of my recordings.

[alfor]

First movement finished:

RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No. 3
1st movement
first portion, second part
alfor fingered™

Rach 3,1F fingered.pdf

Rach 3,1G fingered.pdf

P.S. Anybody interested in the fingered second movement?
P.P.S. Anybody interested in a recording of the two
String Quartet Fragments of a certain
С. В. Рахманинов?

[fleubis]

Thank you, Alfred. I am currently enjoying your fingering work on these last portions of the 1st mov't. And, and resounding YES, to expresses my hope for your fingering the 2nd movement--there are many tricky spots created by the lush chromaticism. (I'm hopeful of printing out the whole concerto for a nice Alfor-fingered edition.)

I certainly never heard of any Rachmaninoff string quartet fragments--and they would be interesting hear. (NB: Thanks to Google Translate!)

[soh choon wee]

Thank you Alfor,
I am learning so much from your fingering... please continue with your good work with Second Mvmt.

(This is so useful, more so than private lessons or masterclass) In private lessons, it is usually a discussion with your teacher, while in masterclass, it is interaction between guest-and-student.
Your post had stimulated much discussion, and that is invaluable.

I really hope you continue with some other works, eg Rach 1, 4?? Brahms 2?? or Prokofiev??