Dr. TingTing Zhang Plays Scriabin Etude in C-sharp minor, Op.42 No.5

Here is my latest recording of Scriabin Etude, Op.42 No.5. You will also see some hair pulling moments during my preparation.😂

[@op23ak]

awesome, great and wonderful. 😊😀

[@gtugarev]

Прекрасно играете! Восхитительное произведение требует такой же восхитительной игры. Мне понравилось)

[@zara11135]

Hello Dr . Do you know where i can find a sheet music for this etude with fingering numbers?

[@Han-cq4ug]

Thank you for making this video, it was very enjoyable! I know it may have been a while since you’ve played this piece but I wanted to ask if you have any tips for the part that starts at 7:50 . I’m struggling with finding fingering that works for the right hand while still having some voicing. I’m also finding I can’t bring the pedal into that section without making it too muddy.

[@damienchong]

Great video and explanation of the learning process during lockdown. Yes, I'd certainly be interested in a tutorial on how to break down a few of the tricky passages in the left and right hand. Even some suggested fingerings would be very helpful!

[@tingtingzhang]

I appreciate your feedback. Tutorial on this piece probably will take a while as there're other pieces I want to explore and share,😊 but I'd be happy to share some fingerings here if you give me the measure numbers. Good fingerings are essential to a piece like this.

[@damienchong]

@@tingtingzhang Thanks for your reply! The main fingering issue for me is Bar 13, right hand semiquavers where the pinky is holding an A natural. Each group of six semiquavers is playable, but linking them together shows that my fingering is not optimal 😬 Any tips for how to end and start each group of six semiquavers in the right hand would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[@tingtingzhang]

@@damienchong Damien, here're my fingerings for the 16th notes in bar 13: 123132, 123132, 123143, 123143. As you can see, I end the last 16th note in the group with finger 2 or 3 and start the first note with thumb. Try this fingering, you should be able to easily connect the notes from one group to the next. One more tip, let go of your top note A sooner. Don't hold it all the way. It will help your hand stay relaxed and flexible.

[@peterbrenton410]

​@@tingtingzhangbut a nightmare to work out😢

[@tomhuang1843]

Beautifully played! What technical/musical skills would you say this etude helps develop?

[@chrislimnios9180]

I cannot tell you how surprised I am to see your question posted here, of all of the videos of this etude posted to KZbin. Your question is perhaps the most important one anyone can ask with respect to this piece, because at the end of the day, it is an Etude. In some cases, picking out the exercise showcased by the Etude is the most difficult aspect of learning and performing the piece, and in some cases (I see this in Chopin ALL the time), pianists are tricked by the Etude into thinking one aspect of the piece is the "exercisional" one, when it's not. When it comes to Opus 42, no. 5, I believe the challenge Scriabin is posing to the pianist is to maintain an incredibly beautiful, linear, and very long melody, against a backdrop that is completely juxtaposed (not beautiful, non-linear, and repetitive) in two main circumstances: 7:50 - 8:25 , for example, and 9:01 - 9:30. 99% of pianists fail at this, including the one who posted this video, but it's a nearly impossible feat - Evgeny Kissin fails at this even more spectacularly, so the pianist who posted this video should definitely not be ashamed as I actually enjoyed her playing. The only one who comes close to pulling this off is a studio recording by Horowitz, recorded some time in the early to mid 1970s.

[@johnfox8912]

tingting haha like in little britain 😄

[@mazzel4488]

Great Performance! Do you have tips for these nasty left hand jumps? I just can't get the tempo altogether.

[@tingtingzhang]

Thank you! I struggled with my LH a lot too. I remember after weeks of drilling on LH alone, I still couldn't get it to move fast enough and also missed a lot of notes. Just when I felt hopeless, one day I had a breakthrough. The grouping of six notes in the score is visually misleading, because you never need to play a full legato on these notes. In fact, it's extremely awkward to connect from pinky to thumb. So instead, you should think the grouping to be 4+2, and comfortably move your hand down as you travel from pinky to thumb. This new way of thinking helped me tremendously. Also, as you move your hand back up to play the next group, you need some wrist rotations. Let your wrist take your hand to where it needs to be. Otherwise, it'll be very tiring. So keep your wrist fluid and gradually build up your speed and accuracy. This piece is so damn hard but totally worth the trouble! I felt so rewarded after jumping those hurdles. Maybe some day I should make a tutorial on this piece if more people are interested.

[@markus7894]

@@tingtingzhang Yes, please make a tutorial! There is no tutorial about this wonderful piece in YT!!!

[@tingtingzhang]

@@markus7894 May I ask what would you like to learn in the tutorial? And what parts in the piece do you feel the most challenging? This will help my tutorial be more specific.

[@markus7894]

@@tingtingzhang Oh, thank you! As there isn't one single tutorial on this famous piece on YT and it is quite complicated, I guess anything that you found important or helpful is so for other players. I personally find the second page the most difficult (when the right hand also plays 16th notes) and the last replica of the 2nd theme when the hand movement is alternatingly inverted. But also pedaling, transparency vs atmosphere, speed, expression, weight, etc. is difficult! Thanks!

[@peterbrenton410]

​@@markus7894there are so many superfluous 'between melody' notes in this Reminds me of Chopin's prelude no 8 in f sharp minor