Rachmaninoff - Prelude Op 32 No 10 in b minor

[klick]

My first Rachmaninoff piece I have ever learned.

Try to ignore the poor quality, it sounds like a recording from Rachmaninoff's day. It in fact sounds close to the quality of the Benno Moiseiwitsch video recording of the piece.

Please feel free to comment on it, and thank you for taking the time to listen.

[imbetter]

your name sounds REALLY familiar?

were do you live?

[klick]

London

[rachfan]

Hi klick,

Yes, the recording quality is pretty rough!  But anyone who likes this piece will listen through it to hear your playing regardless.  This prelude offers some difficult technical challenges, but you've got it well on the way as a work in  progress.  Good work! 

Here are a few general suggestions I would make as you continue to refine your concept and interpretation:

First, make many decisions as to what is to be featured in the foreground versus what will be kept in the background (accompaniment, filler, certain harmonic notes, etc.)

Be sure to emphasize the melodic elements of the music while deemphasizing harmonic elements except where important harmonic changes and tone color need to be highlighted as interest points.

You have a few nice dynamic contrasts developed, but the score calls for a lot more.  See if you can work more on those contrasts.  Right now too much of your rendition is at the same level of volume.  Look too for nuance possibilities.

Where the texture of the writing often features chords and double notes, proper voicing is incredibly important to achieve clarity of the melodic line at all times.

Moisewitsch was one of the greatest!  You can't do much better than listening to him.  I've taken the liberty of including my own recording here (although I'm no Moisewitsch!) to better illustrate some of the points I made above.  You're starting to put some shape to this prelude, so keep on practicing!

[prongated]

...hmmm it's hard to say anything much with this kind of recording quality...other than, given the benefit of the doubt, that this sounds like a fine performance! I like the way the piece flows throughout...

Please record this with better equipment next time, if you can!

[klick]

Yeah, I have dynamics, but the quality makes them much more subtle than they actually are.

What equipment should I use next time? Obviously not a tape recorder lol

Klick

[prongated]

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,24606.0.html