Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Has anybody played Bartok's Suite op. 14?

2 questions, firstly, what is the ideal fingering on the 3rd page (sorry can't remember bar numbers) where the right hand has a repeated staccato figuration and the LH goes into 'rolling' semiquavers and the notes are all tangled between the hands - The hands can be comfortably independant for the first 2 bars with the RH on top but then you have to change so that LH is on top but it is impossible to do this change fluently and at the right tempo. Should I just practise until it becomes easier or is it ok to take some of the RH notes with the LH instead?

2nd question... Does this unorthadox programme 'work' for the first half of an afternoon concert:

Bartok- Suite
Beethoven- Pathetique

The 2nd half will contain Brahms and Schubert (I'm not sure which pieces)

Hello! I'm playing that piece too

This is what I'm doing:

-the first two measures are right over left hand, like you said

-the second two measures I'm playing the right hand E with my left hand (So each beat, my left hand plays E and A together with the first and 5th fingers) and also the right hand E-sharp with the left hand A

-the two measures after that I play right over left again

Hope that wasn't too confusing; but it makes it much easier for me

I am not sure what bars you refer to, but there are two similar sections: at the end of my page two, there is a sustained b in LH and staccato in RH starting each bar on g#. Here I do RH on top.
After that, my page 3, there is a sustaained e in LH and staccato each bar starts with c# in RH. Here I do RH on top from 'Tempo I', for 3 bars. Then (where clef changes in LH) 4 bars LH on top. The RH on top again (starting at the measure with e-a3-e in RH and a natural in LH).
I would not redistribute notes over hands, because this changes the simple pattern of staccato in RH and legato in LH.

Yes the program will work, but maybe I would do the suite at the end. Play pieces in chronological order. (save the best fro last

Great Suite, great composer. I am especially fond of the 3rd movement. With it's reapeating never the same rythmic scale patterns. Awesome. Supposedly strongly inspired by Arabic (Algerian, Biskra region) music. The first mvmt is Roumanian in character and the second contains 12-tone series.

After this suite you may want to have a look at Bartók's other suite for piano solo: the Out of Doors suite, my favorite Bartók piece for solo piano.

By the way, welcome "bluecheese", to the forum!

Thanks for the welcome Robert. :p

Sigh...I love the 3rd movement too--the octatonic scales sound so menacing--it's awesome!

And yes! I second Out of Doors! Heh...that piece makes me happy