Pianoloverus,
I would suggest you work very slowly with metronome (as suggested above), and analyze the technique you think will be required at tempo. Over-do it when practicing, and try and sense the "feel" you think will be required later on.
For example, watch for down-wrist or up-wrist movement, using the keyboard rebound to spring off of a chord when possible, preparing for the next chord while playing the previous (in terms of hand position and fingers if possible). Arm weight for the first chord of the rhythmic motive or for the melodic line (based on the rhythmic position in the measure). Often one hand can be "blind" in finding the next chord/octave, allowing you to be aware that you need to look at a specific point on the keyboard for the coming jump (when tempo increases, students tend to get sloppy because -- in part -- you can't look at two places at one time).
Economy of motion for Rachmaninoff is essential. Use too much brute strength, and you'll run out halfway through the first page. Consider that the loudest accents are done with the wrist (Russian School), the fingers can be in contact with the notes and never leave. Fingers can also produce accents from above, if they are considered the "end of the whip" from the upper arm through the forearm and snapped via the wrist. You can also play loud and produce accents using predominantly finger technique with arm weight (German School). . .and in Rach, you need to use all of the above and much more.
There's a whole bunch of wonderful technique to be learned from this Prelude. Keep in mind: you have the same equipment as anyone else that worked on this piece, why can't you master it? The answer is in the technique you must allow yourself to discover while working on difficult repertoire. You will have to think about arms, elbows, and in this particular Prelude, leaning (when to lean, how far), where you should sit (try sitting in front of G, 4th below middle C), etc. etc.
Keep it dead slow, with metronome, so slow that you agree to send me 25-cents for any wrong note or incorrect fingering. . .that's how slow I would suggest you start out.
That's a joke (sort of), but I'm also suggesting how critical the initial stages of conceptualizing are. You will never master this piece if you allow yourself to simply play it 1,000 times any old way, and then hope to somehow correct things when everything falls apart as you approach 1/2 performance tempo.
Sorry for the long "soap box" post, don't mean to get so overbearing!! Must be the awful day I had, wife forced me to paint the bedroom - - including the ceiling, and now wants some kind of border.
Geez, I hate the brute strenght work! Wax on...wax off
Rein Vaga, DMA
Oh, another thought I've suggested to students. Comes from Ali, and keep this in mind for overall technique:
You need to "float like a butterfly
. . . sting like a bee"
