Lorem's Piano Showcase

[Lorem Ipsum]

I notice that this board hasn't had many posts in it in the past two months! I hope to remedy that. Here are a few pieces that I've played: I'd appreciate it if you commented both here and on YouTube, to get my presence up there. Thanks!

First is Prelude in C Sharp Minor, by Rachmaninoff:
Prelude in C Sharp Minor

I've also recorded an almost faultless (in my opinion) performance of Clair de Lune by the winner that is Claude Debussy. It is not from Twilight, although you may have heard it there.
Clair de Lune

And now, I've done another one. This time, it's Liebestraume No. 3, by Franz Liszt, and purportedly one of the most technically challenging pieces to play for the piano. Here's my attempt:
Liebestraume No. 3

Oh yeah, and guys, please comment - I'd really appreciate some feedback. Thanks!

[markymark]

Claire de Lune:

I thought that there was quite good light and shade in the piece or as far as I can make out from the recording. One thing I did notice was that you had the tendency to raise your wrists when you played, particularly in the very lively movements but it didn't seem to affect what you were playing.

[Colin Nicholson]

Hi there!

Liszt: I enjoyed this very much - well done. Showed expression and maturity.
Just a little "cautious" during the cadenzas! - how is your 4 octave scale playing at high speed? Yeh, these bits need to flow from the tips of your fingers, and perhaps you could relax a bit more?

Very musically played - (but get your piano tuned!! - some of the octaves were well-out!)

Cheers

CN

[Colin Nicholson]

RACHMANINOV:-

Again, a fairly decent performance - a very demanding piece, and I play it frequently.
My only main criticism is that you seem to overdo "rubato" - e.g. when the music modulates to G# minor (dominant) about half way thru the 1st page, it suddenly changes speed? A more gradual "stretto" is OK, but I would re-think that bit.

I think the triplet section is also marked "Agitato" (from the beginning) - and the transition from a slow tempo to a quicker one took too long. Yeh - reading 4 staves isn't easy, and I recommend that you try this from memory - much easier to play!!

An adjudicator said to me once, "always state the main theme in fairly strict time..... then bend it!" - I think this also applies to the opening - try playing the quavers in more strict time at the start - and remember that there are 2 melodies. Have you tried this on a grand with a sostenuto pedal? - the opening is ideal for this so it allows the C# to drone through (using left foot on sos pedal), whilst maintaining a smooth legato for the quavers..... have a go!!

[Colin Nicholson]

DEBUSSY:-

I liked this very much - well done. Have you done your Grade 8?

In the opening, I liked the tonal sound of the thirds blending, but perhaps try to allow the duplets to have more "breathing space" - I think of them as 2 X dotted quavers, rather than 2 quavers (with a number 2 popped on top)! Also (page 2) - the group of 6 quavers are I think 3 X duplets - so they need to be more spacious with a touch more expression.

In some of the semiquaver passages, good fingerwork - the upper melody just needed more projection, and some of your phrase endings need care - some were quite abrupt!!

In the last bar, check out the rhythm in the left hand ascending arpeggio of D flat - (out the top of my head) - I think it changes from semiquavers to quavers, so you need to halve your speed for the last 6 quavers, then gradually slow them down - just a little thing!

However your playing is very nice, and shows great promise.

Colin

[Lorem Ipsum]

Thank you very much! Sorry - I hadn't realised you'd posted D:

But yes, I did my Grade 8 last month, and passed. And I'm getting my piano tuned next week as well - it's awful at the moment!

Anyway. On the Liszt, the cadenzas are the only parts that I feel difficulty with - some of the shapes are difficult to wrap your fingers around at high speed, without messing them up, especially at the top registers. With the Rachmaninov, I was told by my examiner for Grade 6 that I overdid my rubato, but it's difficult to get right in my opinion. The music does tend to speed up, though, and I agree - the triplet "Agitato" section is rather untidy. And since the recording, I've committed the four stave ending to memory, so that's a lot better. I really need to update the recordings

And with the Debussy, I can only say that your criticisms are all correct - my phrasing and structure is one thing that I really need to work on, but which I feel is improving. And yes, the last arpeggio does switch to quavers, something I didn't realise until taking a closer look at the score.

Thank you very much for your kind comments though! I'm looking to upload my three Grade 8 pieces once the piano's been tuned. Those are the Sonata in D Minor by Cimarosa, the Finale from Sonata in C Minor by Beethoven (No. 5 Op. 10) and Alligator Crawl by Fats Waller. I'm also working on Rachmaninov's "Elegie", Octobre: Chant d'Automne by Tchaikovsky, and one of the Vier Kleine Klavierstucke by Liszt.

In the very distant future, I'm looking to upload the first movement of Beethoven's Appassionata as well (although I'm failing miserably at the moment, so you'll have to wait )