So I'm working on Mazeppa, a Liszt Transcendental Etude. It's hard as *@#($*@)#($*@#$@%)(!@$$ and then some. I'm not one to brag but man, it's some darn difficult stuff. I think that when (or maybe if) I can play Mazeppa, I will dispense with all modesty and proclaim myself the man. In retrospect, I thought something similar when I first started Scriabin's 4th Sonata. Well, I still can't play it that well but I can play it. And I don't feel like the man. So maybe the Liszt well make me the man. We'll see. In any case, despite my being completely intimidated by this piece, I've made some good progress. The impossible passages now only seem improbable, which leaves some possiblity. And though I get pretty tired after an hour of practice, a little break and I can go for quite a bit longer. Banging away at Liszt for near 2 hours without my hands being too tired is more than I would have thought I could do. I rule!