Prelude Op. 28 no. 15 (Raindrop) - Chopin

[ail]

Hi,

I recorded this yesterday. It is still not perfect, but I never could play this without any slip, I guess. Still, it ended up quite near my idea for this piece. I've began paying much more attention to tempo in these last times, after some opinions I received here and before posting here, so it is still a bit unsteady, but I think better anyway than what I used to do.
Please, tell me everything you can think of to help me improve.

Alex

[henrah]

I haven't got time right now to listen to it all, so I skipped through and listened to various bits of sections.

First off, I must say that I think you overuse rubati at the beginning of every bar. It is a unique interpretation standpoint, but I think you overuse it. I think if you played the entire piece at a strict tempo, i.e. with a metronome, and then went back and played with rubato (like you did before) but only in occasion, it would sound much better and be much more pleasant to listen to.

Secondly, your intro has promise, but I think it is too over exaggerated. I think if you lessen the time spaces in the opening 3-4 notes relative to each other, then you could keep the same effect but lessen it's emphasis.

Thirdly, raindrops aren't so chaotic with their falling, and yours seem to pause and then splurt out a load, then pause again. This comes from your use of rubato, as I mentioned in my first point. I think it is too over exaggerated, and occurs too often. Try holding back on pausing until moments you think are crucial, like maybe at the end of phrases to indicate a breath (like a singer, emphasising the end of a phrase and the beginning of a new one) or at a climax, again to emphasise and accentuate.


I will have a proper full listen later on today. I hope my thoughts and opinions on your playing motivate you rather than demotivate you. Also, you said you were still a bit unsteady, so apologies if the pause at the beginning of every bar was due to that and not interpretation.

I hope you really get this piece under your belt so you no longer have to worry about the notes and can focus purely on interpretation. I really love this piece and it's great to hear another play it, especially all the ideas you put it into it, they fascinate me.
Henrah

[ail]

Hi Henrah,

I thank you a lot for your comments. You're very right in what you say about my irregularity in tempo, that is the main failure people point me. But in this piece, it's not exactly a matter of interpretation. I do want to play this piece this slow, as I think it loses much of its meaning when played fast as I hear some pianists do. But I have problems to keep a regular tempo at this speed (I guess I have problems at any speed, but this slow seems much worse because there's more room to variability). I'm more alert to those tempo fluctuations now, and I've even began to dislike the tempo as I played it usually. I'm changing completely my interpretation of Traumerei since I posted it here for the same reason, and I think I'll do the same with this Prelude.

Personally, though, I thought the middle section in this prelude was ok, not great, but acceptable. But that is the reason for me to post anyway ;-).

Thank you for your comments.

Alex

[henrah]

I've had a second listen, and I really like your dynamics. I can tell you know where you're going with these piece. My absolute favourite part (including the tempo and use of rubato) is at 1:05 to 1:20, the last part of the small minor section before the return of the main theme in the first part. I think you play that part extremely well.

It is still the tempo fluctuations that are putting me off. Try spreading them out more and don't confine them to single bars, i.e. spreading out the phrases.

I look forward to another recording
Henrah