Pianophilia

soh choon wee wrote: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??

You are welcome!

Regarding Brahms 2, imho there are not many fingering problems.
I know of two editions which are fully fingered and with pedal indications:

1) Edited by Edwin Hughes (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics Vol 1456, 1922; still in print!!)
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Con ... 83/3145318

2) Edited by Moritz Mayer-Mahr (Simrock, 1926, out-of-print).
I will post this, if 10 or more pianophilians are interested

The following edition has some additional fingering and some hints for simplifying certain spots:

3) Russian edition by Milstein [/i]

Alfred, that Russian edition of the Brahms 2nd is a very beautiful edition and easy on the eyes. I also have had no real issues with the fingering most of Brahms works.

Have played through your fingering on the entire 1st movement of the Rach 3 and I must say it makes a very substantial difference in playability, at least in my amateur hands.

Of course, since it's Monday, this is a good day to play the Blanchet Op.47 "Divertimentos", for which no amount of re-fingering will help my hands to grow larger.

Calligraphic studies finished :

RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No. 3
2nd movement
alfor fingered™

alfor wrote:Calligraphic studies finished :

RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No. 3
2nd movement
alfor fingered™

Rach 3,2A fgd.pdf

Rach 3,2B fgd.pdf

Rach 3,2C fgd.pdf

I truly appreciate this, thank you, Alfor!

Do you have any plans to review the Rach 2? This would be useful and special to me.

Calligraphic studies indeed, Alfred!

Thank you so much for completing your work on this masterpiece. Pianists aspiring to learn this incredibly difficult work now have an excellent learning tool with extremely practical solutions to a multitude of thorny fingering issues. This represents a lot of work on your part and hope others find this as practical and useful as I do.

Now to assemble all these parts! I'm going to have a fun afternoon. And fun for years go come.

Dear musiclife218, dear fleubis,

You are welcome!!

OK. At least the awkward (thorny) spots of op. 18.

RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No. 2
1st movement A
alfor fingered™

Astonishingly enough Rachmaninov complained about the nasty playability of....op. 18 (!!!)
and obviously had much less problems with op. 30!!!
Close observation in facts reveals that nearly all parts of op. 30, though pianistically demanding, are of a straightforward playability, while op. 18, in general much less demanding, includes spots which do not at all fall easily under the hands.
Large parts of R.'s op. 18 may aptly be described by the term „Noble Sonority“.

The first pages (beginning with bar 9) are mere accompaniment (backing). Nevertheless each note should be played as sonorous as possible, notably the bass „melody“. Play legatissimo; use „Finger Legato“ (right hand) wherever possible, i.e. hold down the notes of the respective chords (bar 9: E flat - G - C - E flat / G - C - E flat - G and so on). Try to hold down the first (and second) note of the left hand as long as possible, pushing the right pedal as late as possible to achieve clean sounding harmonies. Strictly observe the „alla breve“ meter, playing the different number of notes as evenly as possible (never try to split into crotchets!).

Rach 2....! (Thanks, Alfred)
Agree that Op.18 seems mostly straightforward and pianisticly much less challenging than Op.30, but I do wonder what R. considered to be awkward.

But R. lived on a plane of existence far beyond us mere morals.

fleubis wrote:Rach 2....! (Thanks, Alfred)
Agree that Op.18 seems mostly straightforward and pianisticly much less challenging than Op.30, but I do wonder what R. considered to be awkward...

The first 5 pages of the first movement, page 3 and 4 of the third movement of op. 18, I guess - but otherwise I would agree, that op. 30 is a good deal more difficult (pianistically).

P.S. There is the following Rachmaninoff quotation around, but without an indication of source:

„I much prefer the Third, because my Second is so uncomfortable to play.“

alfor wrote:P.S. There is the following Rachmaninoff quotation around, but without an indication of source:

„I much prefer the Third, because my Second is so uncomfortable to play.“

Russian understatement .... LOL