Hi,

I`ve just checked "La Campanella" in the Franz Liszt transcription for piano and I am horrified. Is it physically possible for 1 human being to play it? Now, I`ve got rather small hands (c`-d``) but it`s not only the enormous spans but there are parts, that I just don`t understand. I listen to Mr. Vladimir Horrowitz play them, I have the sheet in front of me but I just don`t get how one would play this. There is the part starting in the 53rd measure where you`re supposed to play these insane triplets... J.C.
I never really intended to actually learn this piece - as I`ve been warned before that Franz Liszt in general is rather hardcore - I just checked out of curiosity and now I wonder, does anybody here play this song? Or does anybody know somebody who can? And if, how long took it to learn it and how much experience was needed?

just like a primary school student sitting in front of maths question prepared for an university student, he may think it is impossible for a human to work it out too. and when he get older, he can imagine one day he can work it out, and finally he can work it out when he get into university of course.

i don`t think la campanella is very difficult, when you can take a look at other listz`s composition it is rather simple...you may not know this because you haven`t seen them, and among them la campanella is the most famous.

i can`t play la campanella also, it is also too difficult for me , and i think it is a waste of time to practise it now, just like a primary student who spends a month to solve a university question, why not he wait until university at the time when he can solve it in a minute? he can still have a lot of more simpler works to solve.

i can imagine i can play it, if i spend 8 hours a day at piano, just like those piantist like horwitz,ask yourself how much time you spend playing piano a day, before you say it is impossible to play la campanella. but of course, very few people can spend such a time at piano, we have to work and play other things, right?

lastly, to play such nice song successfully it worths you such a long time practice

note: playing this song require the "feeling" of the position of note. so it does not matter even the note separate very far away, you can successfully touch the far-away key by your feeling --just move your whole arm to do it!!