Liszt
Transcendental Etude No. 4, 'Mazeppa'
Taught by renowned pianist
Asiya Korepanova
Join powerhouse pianist Asiya Korepanova for a lesson on Mazeppa, Liszt’s Transcendental Etude No. 4. Korepanova’s meticulous, bar-by-bar practice tips will take you a long way toward mastering this tumultuous etude.<br><br>Based on a poem by Victor Hugo, Mazeppa depicts the ordeal of a hero tied to a wild, bucking horse. Korepanova shares ideas that bring out this character while making your performance as technically reliable as possible, in particular how to use Liszt’s unusual fingering to play with vigorous, biting articulation. She offers powerful but simple strategies for tacking very challenging passages: repeat each note immediately to build endurance and independence; repeatedly loop individual beats or measures; play double notes with one voice staccato and the other legato; practice voices of chords and octaves separately; leave out parts of the texture to focus on the specific difficulties holding you back; redistribute notes between the hands; starting from the end of a passage and adding preceding notes a few at a time.<br><br>Korepanova adds to these detailed suggestions by finding the best places to “reset” yourself physically and mentally, and how to stay balanced and stable in even the most death-defying passages. Lastly, she shares her thoughts on how to make sense of the unexpected recitative (hint: it’s voicing) and triumphant coda.
Difficulty:
Advanced
Duration:
1
hours
hour