Godowsky- The Swan, The Trout

[pianiststrongbad]

Hi Everyone,
I gave my senior recital a week ago, figured I would upload a little of it. 
I have attached the Swan and the Trout transcribed by Godowsky.  These are by no means perfect, since they are live.  Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks

[pianistimo]

i don't know why - but the first one sounds like the trout is swimming with the swan - and the second one visa-versa.  please excuse me if i sound confused.  sincerely, i thought it was some sort of computer glitch.

ok.  this is merely a listener's perspective and not someone who has played these pieces.  as i hear it - there should be no perceptible variation with dynamics among the first part until the voice of the swan enters.  there is a little doubt as to if a trumpet swan (tenor voice) entered first.  also, the variation in tempo (slight rubatos) actually take away from the smooth gliding of the swan and make it sound like a trout.  the last part - i think should also be very even and smooth.  pretty much metronomic excepting the swan gliding around.

i think the accompaniment on the trout is a bit loud (enough to be confusing in the middle section).  i can't put my finger on it - but i think perhaps it would be to put the rubato that you did in the 'swan' into the trout.  a sort of going upstream and sliding back feeling.

you have a clear and sparkly playing - but sometimes the mental image gets lost.

[pianiststrongbad]

Thanks for your feedback.  Does anyone else have any opinions about these?  I greatly appreciate all comments.

[pianistimo]

i would practice on the accompanying figurement to 'the swan' - and make it metronomically smooth (no rubato at all).  then, attempt to get the swan to swim above it.

the trout - maybe more rubato.

if you feel like posting again -show some experimentation with what you visualize in your head as a swan and a trout.  right now - the swan is swimming in circles with the right foot.  the accompaniment being more solidy straight will give him an edge.

the trout could be really jumping out of the stream at the mid-point.  this is a cautious trout. 

but, hey - i haven't played these pieces and you may well be playing them just perfectly for the amount of notes required in each measure to keep tabs on.  these pieces are difficult enough to actually turn them into quite fabulous duets.

[iumonito]

You did a very fine job.  I am glad you are attracted to this repertoire and I think you should expand your repertoire in this direction, more of the Schubert songs, the Bach transcriptions, some of the Chopin and also the Strauss waltzes, etc.

I think you would benefit from listening a lot to the likes of Bolet, Lehvine, Hoffmann, Rachmaninov and Gilels.  One thing they all have in common is that regardless of how powerful their rubato is, they immediately and relentlessly establish the pulse of the piece.  Although overall you have good rhythm, I feel that you don't have a strong sense of pulse, and that makes both performance a little wobbly. 

Particularly in the Swan, I think what Susan was describing can also be put as this: the failure to establish a pulse makes the music a little more restless than I think it should be.  If the notes find their rightful place in time, then your intentional deviations from that pulse will be much more powerful, and you will express the emotional content of the piece, which I think has a "still" quality to it, better.

To be even more specific, I think you are rushing the begining and the end of your small groups of notes (fours in the Saint-Saens, threes in the Schubert).

An additional thought, try learning the words for the trout and sing along as you play.  I think you will find a more natural rubato and correct a couple of phrases that currently make no sense to me agogically.

I like your sound and your pedal.  I like the balance between melody and secondary melodies, and accompaniment.

Very nice job!  Post more.

[rachfan]

Hey, pianostrongbad,

I've been meaning to listen to your recordings here, but am just getting to them now.  Nice job!  No transcription by Godowsky is easy, so congrats on putting in the time and effort to learn and perform these evocative pieces!  Godowsky's composing idiom strikes me as being quite similar to the modern-day Volodos.  Earl Wild also comes to mind.  These artist-composers have a way of wrapping a voluptuous melody in an intricately woven chromatic filligree figuration that can be ravishing to the listener.  In each of these pieces you've been able to feature the melodic line, while keeping the filligree mostly in the background, yet bringing out certain important inner lines of the accompaniment where they can contribute to voice leading, harmonic interest, and effectively enhance the overall lush sound and enjoyment of the pieces.  You introduce many beautiful nuances as well.

I've not studied these works, but can tell that the execution presents its challenges in achieving that proper balance between foreground and background.  I think iumonito has a point on the continuity of pulse, where, in a few spots, it becomes a little out of phase.  But I attribute that to the difficulty of executing certain passagework, as you try to combine the analysis of desired effect with the emotional content of the music.  You're definitely thinking as you turn a phrase, no doubt about it.  That's a good thing.  I believe that as you live with these pieces longer, or return to them later (which you should), fluidity of pulse and rubato will come more naturally to you as your confidence level with the technical execution increases.  There's a lot to contend with in there! 

I'm curious about the piano, so I'll go out on a limb--K. Kawai???

Keep playing repertoire "off the beaten path".  It enables you to put your own stamp on less frequently heard works, and to champion those composers as well.  Again, very fine playing!  I'm quite impressed with the level of your musicianship in these recordings.     

[pianiststrongbad]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the nice replies.

Regarding the tempo, I agree that the pulse fluctuates nonstop throughout the Swan.  It was a conscious decision though.  Maybe when I return to it later, I will feel different regarding it.  The tempo changes in the Trout were more directed towards technical difficulty and execution of some of the passages.

To answer rachfan's question I played this on a Bösendorfer model no. 225.

Thanks again everyone for all the feedback.

[pianiststrongbad]

I finally got around to uploading these on Youtube for the people who enjoy watching.
The Swan-

The Trout-

Enjoy!