Rachmaninoff Prelude op.23 no.5 in g minor - masterclasses and tutorials (LTCL/LRSM)

Rachmaninoff's Prelude op.23 no.5 in g minor, premiered in 1903 in Moscow. It's in the alla marcia or March style. It has a military feel and style to it. Pianist Emil Gilel's performed it at the war front in support of the Soviet Army in World War II.

Here are some masterclasses. The first one is by Lang Lang, the introduction is in Spanish, but later
Lang Lang runs the class entirely in English. Rachmaninoff's G minor prelude is featured 14 minutes into the video. After the performance, Lang Lang comes in at 18 minutes in.



Lang Lang's ideas

• The beginning as a soft march,  with the dramatic melody entering later.
• Imagine different instruments - trumpets, strings, and percussion (so think orchestrally)
• Two different sounds - the octaves vs. the repeated chords.
• Bring out the passionate motifs (bar 17)
• Middle section (pp part) - like a beautiful girl arriving, bring your heart out. Watch out for the  two voices (countermelody)

Josh wright has tips also recorded in 2014.
 

Josh Wright's ideas:

• When to pedal on and off in the beginning (a pedal  for each bass octave in the beginning)
• Stroking out with the elbows, down and off  for the repeated  percussive parts 
• Sweeping motions to move  up and down the keyboard and release tension.

Alan Weiss masterclass below recorded in Barcelona 2006- duration 33 minutes.