Mozart Piano Question

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I'm trying to play the Adagio in B Minor, K. 540. One thing which puzzles me is the amount of hand-crossing in the score. There are long stretches where my hands are crossed and I'm wondering if it's normal for it to go on so long, since it seems unnatural and uncomfortable.

The score I'm using doesn't have fingering, which might be the cause of the problem. You can see the score below. The long hand-crossings begin at the bottom of page 1 and continue into page 2 (please note that pages 2 and 3 are reversed here, so to see what I'm talking about, go from the first page straight to the top of the third):

http://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/e/e6/IMSLP25151-PMLP56433-Mozart_Adagio_K.540.pdf

So the question for you piano players is, What would you do here? Hold your hands crossed for so long, or switch them to a more comfortable position? And if the latter, where precisely?

[AndanteCantabile]

If it were me, I would go ahead and do the crossings. It just seems logical given the continuous nature of the repeated-chord accompaniment. The only other option that I see would be to have the left hand play the repeated chords whenever the score has a switch. In that case you would play the high notes with the right hand that the score gives to the left hand. Personally, I think that this would be risky, as the switches occur fairly frequently. So, if I were playing this piece, I would do the crossings as written. One thing that's nice is that you are never asked to have your hands crossed for more than 2 measures at a time, as far as I can tell.

I hope this helps. Happy practicing!

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Thanks for the advice Andante. I'll try to keep my hands crossed, even though it feels kinda awkward. 

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

One thing that's nice is that you are never asked to have your hands crossed for more than 2 measures at a time, as far as I can tell.

Slight correction. If you saw my note about the order of the pages in the score, they are presented out of sequence (i.e. the real page 2 is where page 3 ought to be). This means the hand-crossing starting at the bottom of p. 1 actually goes on for 4 bars, at slow tempo, which is what makes it awkward.

[AndanteCantabile]

Slight correction. If you saw my note about the order of the pages in the score, they are presented out of sequence (i.e. the real page 2 is where page 3 ought to be). This means the hand-crossing starting at the bottom of p. 1 actually goes on for 4 bars, at slow tempo, which is what makes it awkward.

Ah, I see. Well, just make sure your hands are relaxed and that you're not playing it too fast. Here is a video of someone who I think does a nice job with the crossings:

http://youtu.be/IPW_w68fTHA

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Thanks, that's a very helpful video.

[mc ukrneal]

Ah, I see. Well, just make sure your hands are relaxed and that you're not playing it too fast. Here is a video of someone who I think does a nice job with the crossings:

http://youtu.be/IPW_w68fTHA

I'm not able to be helpful for piano playing, but that is a great video (and she is one of the best) for someone who wants to see hand movement and placement!