A performance analysis of my journey in learning Franz Liszt's Sposalizio

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to identify and analyze technical and musical challenges I encountered while preparing to perform Franz Liszt Sposalizio for my Master’s Recital. The paper presents biographical information on the composer’s life that is directly connected to the interpretation of Sposalizio, as well as challenges that pertain to how musical character is related to organic musical flow. Furthermore, an assessment of technical difficulties encountered in the piece is presented in addition to a proposition on practice methods aimed to overcome them. The technical challenges identified in this piece pertain to difficulties with octave technique, large extensions of the hand, pedaling, voicing and arpeggiation. After each challenge was identified a practice method was suggested, followed by a discussion on what was achieved through each exercise. The paper concludes with an assessment on the evolution of my technical and musical skills and a reflexion of how knowledge gained from this piece can be further applied.