Liszt

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12

Written in C-sharp minor, the piece has a somewhat dark and solemn quality. The beginning has a very typical figure of Liszt: grace note octaves, which is also seen in the second, tenth, thirteenth, and fourteenth. It starts with a slow, recitative like introduction. It goes through many tempo and key changes throughout the piece. The section of Un poco piu lento has a lyrical and expressive quality with dotted rhthms and chromaticism. In Allegro zingarese, the hungarian dance kicks is interjected by a melancholy slow section. The section follows sounds almost like a march, intertwined with virtuosic Lisztian octaves in, once again, dotted rhythms. In Allegretto giogoso, very Liszt like trills on top of the melodic line, followed by a light heartd dances, emphasizing the second beats! Stretta Vivace: fast and hard! Double notes chromatics and the usual difficult octaves. The ending octave passage on the left hand (before the E major section) sounds like one section in the first movement of the Liszt Concerto No. 1.

Spanish Rhapsody

The Lento introduction sets a gloomy and somber mood to a more light-hearted character later in the piece. This piece combines the "rhapsody" and the "Spanish" aspect together by sometimes emphasizing the second beats (rhapsody like) and other times on the the first beat (Spanish-like). The delicate cadenze follows the slow intro before the real Spanish music begins in Andante moderato. The expressive section is then followed by difficult chromatic double notes on both hands and octaves for a few pages before another Spanish tune enters. This one consists mainly of thirds in the melody. It progressively gets harder and harder as it bursts out into chromatic scales and large octave leaps.

Trascendental Etude No. 10

This etude is full of passion and drama. The famous beginning of this etude, with hands over-lapping at a ridiculously fast speed, sets up the off-beat syncopated pattern in that melody that is seen throughout the piece. The main motive in the first theme is changed every time through the difference in accompaniment: the first time the accompaniment and melody play off of each other more; the second with more "swirling" accompaniment; third with triplets in both melody and accompaniment, but played at different times. Liszt also develops the motive in ascending sequences. The second theme has a beautiful melodic line in octaves with tricky left hand passages. The coda is explosive and even faster than the first established tempo.

Transcendental Etude No. 12

Chasse-Neige is the programmatic title of this etude, which means "impetuous winds which raise whirls of snow". The description fits the piece well. There is a constant "whirling" of sounds through the tremelos, which is the prominent accompaniment of the entire piece. The melody (the snow flakes, maybe?) seems to rise above the turmoil and the difficulty of this, of course, is that the melodic line has to be played seamlessly when it is switched from one hand to the other, but at the same time, without destroying the flow of the turbulent accompaniment. This piece reminds me very much of Un Sospiro from Liszt's Three Concert Etudes, where it sound like an "extra hand" is playing the melody.

La Leggierezza

Possibly the most "Chopinesque" of Liszt. From the title, it is obvious that the challenge here is to play everything "light and delicate". Unlike most of other Liszt's etudes, this one has no bombastic octaves and chords. The left hand leaps are very difficult, especially while trying to coordinate with the right hand double notes (which has to be played delicately!). It is one of my favorite Liszt etude and everyone should play it at some point of their musical career!