Thoughts on Liszt's Fountain of the Villa d'Este

During my lesson with Mr. Cosmo on this piece we discussed again the importance of "relaxation" in playing very soft, delicate sounds to express the beautiful, subtle movement of water. Relaxation is very important in playing any piece, but I think it is especially important in this piece, which has so much tremolo, representing the movement of water.

In this section of the piece that I am playing in this practice video, I want to express the feeling of being in a place of paradise, feeling the beauty of nature, and experiencing a sense of renewal, upliftment, and purification of the spirit. Mr. Cosmo once said that the tremolo in the right hand sounds like the sound of water, and the melody in the left hand is like the sound of an angel's wings—what a beautiful image!

Liszt indicates "p" (piano) several times in this section (four times in the Budapest edition I am using). Therefore, for the tremolo in the right hand, I play with my fingers very, very close to the keys, not by lifting them off, and I imagine playing within the keys, using the wrist rather than the fingers. When it comes to controlling sound, whether it's a loud sound or a subtle, delicate one, I find that I can control it better when my fingertips are in a very relaxed state, with a heightened sense of sensitivity in my fingertips.

When we think about water and the grandeur of nature, of course, we think of magnificent things, but we can also feel a vast universe in even the smallest water droplets—the reflection of the sky, trees, the faces of loved ones, or the way sunlight refracts off the water as it falls from a fountain. 

In this piece, I would be very happy if I could express the beauty of nature and lead the audience's hearts to a place of paradise.

And, I can't wait to visit Villa d'Este someday!!

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