Liszt 1838 Paganini 4b tempo

SDC Legendz Repertoire
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Just a question here - what is your belief about how fast this piece (4b, the one in double notes) ought to be played?

I’ve seen a lot of Youtube comments claiming that the Petrov performance was “slow”.

However, Liszt did not actually write any particular tempo marking for this one, as far as I’m aware of. There is a version with a marking of Quarter equals 60 (much slower than the expected “intended tempo” of something like 80) but I believe an editor was the one to have put that.

The original tempo, which would have been the one used for the violin, is obviously extremely fast. 80 seems on the average side.

But that’s the violin. Not the piano, and not the study in double notes by Liszt.

What are you people’s thoughts on this? Do you agree that it should be played at 80 bpm, or is Petrov’s tempo good enough for you?

Thanks.

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I think it should be played as close to the original violin tempo as possible

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Interesting opinion.

Personally I think such a speed would make the chords blur. There’s also going to be a huge disparity of technical difficulty between that etude played at 80 and any of the most demanding pieces of Liszt.

Anyway, I doubt of any pianist that has achieved a similar technical feat as to have played that etude at the 80 bpm tempo…to me, it just sounds like Liszt did not really have that speed in mind. I don’t think he himself could have been able to play it at that tempo.

But that’s just me. Your idea is your own of course.

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I would say about 80, as in the violin version. Double beat of course :wim:

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I don’t imagine Cziffra successfully playing that in 80. And he’s one of the finest Lisztians out there.

Arghh. It just seems sped up at that point. If you want that speed go play the revised version, it’s more well-suited that way.

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I mean, it’s music. If you believe you should play it at a particular tempo, do it I guess.

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Okay I will stop repeating my statement lol. I think I expressed it enough already.

I’d be interested to hear more opinions of course.

Really though, part of why I made this a big deal is because of some people who kept insisting that Liszt had an intended tempo for it and calling Petrov slow for not meeting this tempo. There isn’t a marking on the score, so you can’t just claim that Petrov didn’t follow Liszt’s directions, when there wasn’t one to begin with.

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Isnt this moderato? Possibly my boozoni edition added this though… he marked Allgretto for big dick one, moderato for huge dick one and presto for school girl one.

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Hahaha :sunglasses: Good luck mate

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Dat tempo iz for single notz verzon

Speed unlimited in diz piece yet slowah den za Perlman

Me believez not tempo double nowtez same cuz da Liszt none marking.

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He “forgot” the tempo

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I’m not gonna believe one bit Liszt dreamed of playing at that speed.

Now tell me - why hasn’t anyone complained of Extrememofo not playing the Rev at 168? So we’re now going to insist that “he did not play it at the intended tempo” (Dreyshock supposedly playing the study in “the correct tempo”)? >:(