Rachmaninoff etude op 39 no4 again

[andhow04]

I rerecorded the rachmaninoff, as my earlier version was ALSO TOO TAME AN DLAME AND BORING!
Please feel free to compare,
http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,23510.0.html
and let me know, what do you think>?
It doesn';t start out strong, but the first half repeated sounds pretty good.
THANKS!

[ramseytheii]

The opening may not be note-perfect, but I think you doubt too much - the energy is palpable, the character is immediate, the texture is clear, in short it's terrific.  Is this a live concert performance?  if so, missed notes are totallye xcusable. 
I find your tempo interesting, I wouldn't call it stable, yet I wouldn't call it unstable either.  It reminds me of something written by a contemporary of Beethoven about him, "He seemed to play every bar in a different tempo..."  not that you do that, but I would say you have a more poetic approcah to tempo then strict.  Sometimes though it barrels ahead too much and it could be held back.
I think you start the last page too fsat, it isn't the same tempo as before, at least the tempo seems unrelated.  The climax is awesome!
Bravo!

Walter Ramsey

[rach n bach]

I agree with Ramesy here, that was awsome!   

You have a terrific way of bringing out the feel and texture of the piece in a way that sounds perfectly natural.  I really dig the way you bring out the melody line, it's something that makes the whole piece sound clear and well articulated.  Yeah, you missed a couple notes, but hey, I like Horowitz too!     There was a little acceleration towards the end, but it came across as a build up to finnish rather than an anomoly.  Much respect!

RnB

[pianistimo]

on the repeated sixteenths -can there be a lightening of the accent (which lets off the note) - to allow for the marcato notes that follow to be heard.  i don't hear the next two marcato chords in the first line.   they are actually more important than the repeated notes with the accent (which lets off - as you nicely do).

[pianistimo]

i tried playing some of the first page today and fully agree that the accented notes do best when slightly longer than staccato - but not held forever.  that gives them the accent - but time for you to get to where you need to go asap.  i understand better.  i guess my only complaint is that i would like to hear consistency then, with the marcatos - being a movement with relaxed hand down - hearing the solid fullness of them - in contrast to the accents.  it's almost like they are 'glossed over' at the beginning - but i hear them more towards the end. 

ps i tried playing some of this piece last night.  this is really difficult!  excuse me for the earlier comments as i had no idea how difficult this piece is to play 'allegro assai.'  wow - you're really good!

[andhow04]

i tried playing some of the first page today and fully agree that the accented notes do best when slightly longer than staccato - but not held forever.  that gives them the accent - but time for you to get to where you need to go asap.  i understand better.  i guess my only complaint is that i would like to hear consistency then, with the marcatos - being a movement with relaxed hand down - hearing the solid fullness of them - in contrast to the accents.  it's almost like they are 'glossed over' at the beginning - but i hear them more towards the end. 

ps i tried playing some of this piece last night.  this is really difficult!  excuse me for the earlier comments as i had no idea how difficult this piece is to play 'allegro assai.'  wow - you're really good!

Thanks for your comments and nice ps at the end. i think i can (should) do that part ebtter, its hard because of the polyphony - you have to hold the high b, and then play the other chords. but you need to pedal to hold out the b, so the other chords can get so mushy.  Gotta try try try agfain!

[mephisto]

I really like how you play. Especially your sense of energy and forward motion.

If there is one thing I didn't like is how you sometimes play the repeated notes to fast for my taste,  that way they sound as if they don't have the correct rythm. I may of course be wrong.

Still a very beautifull performance

[zheer]

  Good stuff, something victorian about this etude.

[andhow04]

I really like how you play. Especially your sense of energy and forward motion.

If there is one thing I didn't like is how you sometimes play the repeated notes to fast for my taste,  that way they sound as if they don't have the correct rythm. I may of course be wrong.

Still a very beautifull performance

Thanks very mch.  i appreciate esp. your first comment becos i recorded it again to get the energy, m first one seemed so boring to me after i recorded it.  Dunno what hapened!
you re rite the repeated notes should be clear & in a bit BETTER rhythM!  they are the "caling card" thruout the piece like a shrill panpipe bleating out over the ruckus.

someone else said victorian, its not the word i woud have chose but there does seem somethign ENGLISH about it!  like an english folk fair... hmm!