Scriabin, Prelude Op 16 no.1

[wzkit]

Comments are welcome. Recorded on my Sauter Delta. Something seems missing in this one...the treble doesn't seem prominent enough. I'm thinking of re-recording it soon.

[allchopin]

Very warm sound.  I like it, along with your other recordings I've heard.
The treble seemed okay to me, but the overall timbre was possibly a bit pillowy, which took away from some of the articulation.  This sound is great for some pieces (Chopin nocturnes), and not for others (Scarlatti sonatas).

[Motrax]

One of my favorite preludes, and beautifully played! Your phrasing, shading, rubato, and legato are all done beautifully.

The opening notes are a little bit harsh. Try practicing that "deep" sound I assume you're looking for.

At 2:09, I generally play that more dramatically - I imagine it as an sigh fading off into serenity. I think the "serenity" can be more effective with a louder, more effusive "sigh." (Hope this makes sense). Perhaps this will also give you more direction in the section leading up to the sigh.

Those are my only complaints! And believe me, they are very minor comlpaints. It's a marvellous recording. Good job!

 

- M

[wzkit]

Very warm sound.  I like it, along with your other recordings I've heard.
The treble seemed okay to me, but the overall timbre was possibly a bit pillowy, which took away from some of the articulation.  This sound is great for some pieces (Chopin nocturnes), and not for others (Scarlatti sonatas).

The question is, is this "pillowy" sound and texture suitable for this prelude? I happen to think it is, except for the treble, which wasn't captured well enough. What's your opinion? Is a brighter, more articulate tone preferred?

[wzkit]

One of my favorite preludes, and beautifully played! Your phrasing, shading, rubato, and legato are all done beautifully.

Thanks for the kind comments!

The opening notes are a little bit harsh. Try practicing that "deep" sound I assume you're looking for.

Do you mean the bass notes, or the melodic notes in the treble?

At 2:09, I generally play that more dramatically - I imagine it as an sigh fading off into serenity. I think the "serenity" can be more effective with a louder, more effusive "sigh." (Hope this makes sense). Perhaps this will also give you more direction in the section leading up to the sigh.
- M

[allchopin]

The question is, is this "pillowy" sound and texture suitable for this prelude? I happen to think it is, except for the treble, which wasn't captured well enough. What's your opinion? Is a brighter, more articulate tone preferred?

I just think it is too pillowy, leading to a lack of clarity, but of course I understand equipment constraints.  Maybe you could post your change in the treble situation to see if it makes an improvement.

[arensky]

Good interpretation of one of my favorite Scriabin Preludes! 

Excellent bringing out of the inner voice in the LH tenor, although unfortunately this became less obvious as the piece continued. I like your "pillowy" tone color, perhaps there could be more variety and shading to it, but that could be the recording or maybe your brand new piano isn't quite broken in or acclimatized to it's new home and climate yet. You frequently "break the hands" i.e. play the RH melody slightly before the LH accompaniment in the manner of Paderewski or de Pachmann and Scriabin himself ( if his roll of the d# minor Etude is reliable, I think it is). This practice in was common in lyrical playing 100 years ago, today it's frowned on. In this piece (which was written 112 years ago) it's stylistically appropriate. I enjoyed this, I always enjoy your recordings. In this instance I would like more variety in the tone color and the dynamics. You''ll get it, it's almost there. It just needs to ripen a bit. Thanks for this! 

[wzkit]

Thanks arensky for your always kind and constructive comments. I agree with that the LH tenor voice needs to be brought out more obviously and more consistently. And also the need for more range of colours within the "pillowy" tonal framework. Maybe its the piano, or maybe its my own limitation on the upper end of the dyanmic range! I tend to be better at playing soft than loud, as you would have no doubt noticed.

As for the "breaking of the hands" practice, as you said, I suspect my approach is not one for the "purists", though it was not really deliberate, but just came about instinctively. The overall feeling I was trying to give the music was one of sensousness and mystery, and to my mind, the 'breaking of the hands' was one way of achieving the langorous effect I was striving for. Perhaps I could experiment without breaking the hands, and see if that effect can still be achieved.