Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat major op. 73, 2nd & 3rd movt.

[prongated]

...here's the rest of it!

Comments and criticisms please! Much thanks in advance, and apologies for all those wrong notes ><

[pianistimo]

now, please don't take this wrong  - but i thought the first chord and top note of the middle movement was anemic.  but, then i see where you are going.  perhaps it's too much submission in my head.  i would just 'go at it.'  like you are reciting poetry to your pet.  as soon as you reach the ba da (with high octave jump) then suddenly you are playing as i like on this one.

ps for just figuring how to put your signature in - you're very perceptive.  i think you should change it to 'extremely dangerous pianist.'  you're a good triller.  i like how it is always doing something (namely crescendoing in this case)  and yet you don't go too far.  amazing really.  i like your control of dynamics very very much.

[pianistimo]

from now until  next monday - last movement all the way.  it's so great.  can't afford many mistakes there.  don't want to end on the wrong note.  which i doubt very much you would do, in any case. 

this is so thrilling!  wow.  really great. 

how much choral conducting or orchestral conducting have you done?  if you haven't been getting into conducting i would seriously suggest it.  you can be good at several things - you know - and obviously you have a command of the keyboard which is essential to conducting.  the thrills of playing piano are great - and also, the thrills of conducting perhaps jsut as much.  it would be my dream to someday play a PC with someone who also is a pianist.  too many times you see the orchestra or the pianist get ignored.  when both are working together as a team - they really pull off of each other as a tandem pair of skaters.  the pull of the spins and letting go and reconnecting.  all split second decisions that either meld or break down.  this ability to hear the connections - imo - are the things that a pianist can do when they have your talent for gauging the speeds of things and the EXACT tempo and dynamics needed for the exact moment.

[teresa_b]

First, do NOT apologize, you played hardly any wrong notes (think of how many you played right!!).  That is fabulous--you are on your way!

Your second movement is lovely.  You hit your stride in the "forte" section and the long line of trills--beautiful.  My suggestion would be to think about how you want the first passages to sound--right now they seem not pp, but mf (could be the recording), a little like a statement of "OK, here are the descending triplet scales..." and not enough of Beethoven's espressivo--to me this is a hushed, suspended, anticipatory melody, almost too beautiful to be real, floating down from heaven (and I am not even religious!).  I think it is a preamble to a prayer, a pleading which is embodied in the melody after the trills, and which continues until, once again--the hushed anticipation of the finale, then the sudden outburst of pure joy!  (Sorry to be so verbose, but this is one of my favorites.  )  I always like to think in terms of metaphor--how about "floating" for those descending scales?

Your finale is great!--infectiously energetic--got me singing along.  Your clarity is wonderful, and don't think I don't appreciate those insane runs Beethoven writes with all those differing groups of notes--triplets here, quadruplets there, a duplet or two thrown in--you nailed them. 

GREAT! 
Teresa

[prongated]

pianistimo-

...yay thanks! Something to look out for/work on! So far you've been way too kind with your comments..!

teresa_b-

Thanks for that insight! I used to play this movt. slower. However, at the discretion of my teacher, I played it faster in order to satisfy the jury members [...murder...ha]. Changes the dynamics quite a bit [i.e. more like the flow - not referring to ff or pp] so I'll give this more thought!
And I will consult the sound dude regarding eq settings on this movt.

Keep blurbs and bombs coming plz!!!!

[Tash]

SAM!! i want to download it except it's going to take me approximately 12hrs...so far i've got about 1% of it....you should burn me a copy of it or something cos i want to hear it. i will harrass you about it in orchestration on tuesday haha- how much am i hating transposing instruments right now!
cheers to a highly useful comment:D

[prongated]

...I um, rerecorded this quite recently...the 3rd movt. is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enk2XJ551Do

...I think/hope it's better than the last attempt and no real excuses this time! If it's bad, it should be because I didn't practise properly or because I suck ><

...so comments and criticisms I most humbly request!