Ok first off I just want to say that these etudes are definitely on the top for skill rating. Secondly I want to know out of curiosity if anyone can play the etudes "Wilde Jagd" and "Feux Follets". Seriously if you can play these, then ur either lying or ur a god. Go to www.sheetmusicarchive.net to see the scores for those two, seriously feux folets it`s chromatic like fourths on right hand and randomness on left hand, and it`s absolutely crazy, I cant find a recording of it, only midis, and wilde jagd it sounds kewl but as hard as I try I will never be able to play it. If you can play either of these the whole way through, I just want to know how you managed to learn them, whether it just took like 2 years, or if you learned like a pattern of something. Ya thanks.

Hmmm... I beg to differ about the living God thing.
I think there are people in here who can play them. Not alot, but certainly a few.
Yes, those are difficult show piece, very difficult indeed.
"Wilde Jagd" and "Feux Follets"... I think Feux is definately much more tenacious than Jagd.
But if u work seriously on it, u should be able to play( but not up to perfection of caz).
These kind of pieces require not just time, but great commitment.
I played Feux Follet before. It`s difficult, but not impossible. What I relied on was sequential fingering and after I got used to `one` set of the sequence... then I relied on pure mechanism. Playing etudes as such are not big problems for me( except Chopin`s Nr 1). Because I have a very technical way of playing, which ultimately posed big problems when I played Mozart, Debussy and etc ( touch problems).
But I did spend quite some time on feux. Around 4 months... as it ain`t very long, only 9 pages. And I need only to work on the co-ordination, not intricate problems like touch and so on.
I spent more time on Liszt`s Sonata instead ( almost 7 months ). It`s just soooo long.

Yes I know what you mean, cause I went on that wicked website which has almost everything to offer, and I had a look at feux follets and was in complete awe, how does anyone attempt this piece, it looked diabolically fiendish, I wouldn`t want to look at the music again for years, its scary to look at, I hate thirds and fourths etc.. at speed, I think its very difficult to master effectively without breaking the notes up.

Apart from this etude, I cant bear to look at chopin`s study for the thirds in opus 25, that too I cant think of playing ever.

I had a go at the prelude or no.1 of the liszt trans..etudes, that was ok but still very hard to master, it looks great when playing it, and feels good too. Gave up after a while because I couldnt master the arpeggios at the end.

i am currently playing feux follets and allegro molto agitato (no 11 of the trans...studies) and i must say: it`s pretty hard to play, but it is possible. nethertheless this kind of technique (double-notes) is probably the hardest and most dangerous as you easily get an aching hand. but i had played the schumann-toccata op.7. before i started with feux follets and i think it makes sense to start with this one as it is not that hard as feux follets but similar in its requiered technique. if you want some advices for practice or playing just write a mail.
regards
konstantin

Etudes are some of the more simple pieces, try Liszt`s Mephisto waltz or his Rigoletto (a transcription/variation on a theme from an opera)and you will understand that diverse difficulty is far more challenging than a single technical challenege.

An etude only utilizes a limited variety of techniques, and once you find the pattern, playing it will be effortless. But i wouldn`t advise starting with Liszt etudes unless you`ve completed all of Chopin`s etudes and have a firm grasp on basic scales, arpeggios, and chords ( octaves especially )

Don`t try to learn a piece if it`s blatantly too difficult for you; learn something that`s slightly harder than anything you`ve played before, and work from there. Gradual progression is much more effective than trying to play Liszt etudes without solid technique and maturity.

If you really want to see hell, check out Scriabin sonatas. I just finished the 5th, and though it`s one of the most rewarding pieces i`ve ever played, it was a bitch. If that isn`t bad enough, Ver la Flemme should do it for you. Even Horowitz admitted it took him an hour to learn.