Interpreting Rachmaninov: Prelude in G# minor, op 32 no 12 (tutorial)

Clive Swansbourne discusses ways to bring out the soulfulness of this beautiful prelude.

[Tonysmithmusic]

this is my favourite rach prelude, 1st heard it on the horowitz in moscow recording, wish i had bigger hands.

[jwilliams]

Excellent analysis/tutorial and is also my favorite SVR prelude!!! I am sometimes lukewarm about some of SVRs recordings and interpretations of his own music (EDIT: Though, I am thrilled to have recordings of SVR in the first place and I should not be so spoiled!). However, his recording of Op32 #12 is the best interpretation and phrasing I've ever heard!!! I wanted to ask for clarification RE: the Opus 19 Cello melody ( @ 03:30 in your video): You weren't speaking about the slower 3rd movement, were you? The second movement does have some really long and beautiful Cello lines interspersed within the more energetic passages. But the 3rd movement Cello part also has a very long beautiful melody it carries. I love BOTH!! I very much enjoyed this video, Thank you!

[paules]

Perhaps the best thing he ever wrote, but I have never heard a recording of it that I really like! Boris Giltberg is close. Any recommendations?

[notesofast]

Thanks for this. There is nothing else like this on YouTube that I could find. Especially useful around 8 minutes pivoting with the thumb, and the tips for bringing out the tune in the left hand. If you're interested I have just uploaded my attempt at this piece on my channel, trying to put your advice into action.

[earlybirdsmusic]

Superb! Thank you. Unpicking Rachmaninov is giving me immense joy at the moment. I’m working on balance and looking for the hidden beauty that he embeds into successive chords such as the chromaticism and trying to bring it out. I think you’re really helping with this. I can only just stretch an octave though and this piece might be more of an exercise than anything.I’m interested to know more about his use of tenuto. He uses it a lot and wonder whether he wants us to make more of one note within a chord rather than the whole thing or just the one at the top.

[rizwifaizer]

Thanks so much. How would you “finger” bar 43 please?
Rizwi Faizer

[EricGoetzMusic]

Wonderful interpretation. This video gives some great insights into how to achieve that brilliant sound you're getting. In particular, your fingering and voicing tips were helpful. It might be helpful if you had a camera on your pedal and put that in a picture in the lower right. There are so many pedaling challenges in this piece, and I'm not sure I came away more equipped to deal with them. Even in the top-down view, I can barely see your pedal foot with those dark pants and shoes in that unlit part under the piano.

[Astronist]

For what it's worth, my favourite Russian novel is Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita". But it is set during the Stalin years, so perhaps not quite what you had in mind! Also it's very deep on themes of religion and good and evil. Thank you for this lesson; I can only dream of playing this beautiful prelude properly.

[happynotes]

Please, can someone tell me what form this piece is written in?

[michaelbrown]

You have absolutely huge hands. I wonder how one is supposed to play those broken cords in the left hand starting at roughly 12:07, playing them in one movement with like 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5 seems impossible with my hand, I was experimenting with 2 1 2 5 but doing it in speed seems really hard, maybe 1 2 1 5 is that plausible?