fernando sor, malbrough variations

[leslieb547]

Hi All, this is my first post in the audition room and I would welcome any help. This piece was written for classical guitar, I don't think there is a piano version so I am reading straight from the guitar music. I know there are a few mistakes, especially in the final variation but I am trying out a newly purchased Zoom H4, located pointing into the fully open lid of a Bechstein grand in an empty 230 seat concert hall. I'm in my 70s and not very techie so am particularly interested in getting the best out of the Zoom before recording anything more. Thanks in advance

[desordre]

 Dear Leslie:
 What a surprise find some Sor music up here. I'm a guitarrist who turns to be a pianist now, but Sor was my day-to-day until some time ago. And this set of variations I did play and teach for years.
 Do you know that Sor himself was a pianist as well as a guitarrist and composer? By the way, much of his idiom come from the piano music he heard at Barcelona and specially Paris, ranging from Haydn to Chopin, including of course Mozart (the great influence of this set).

 Sorry...I got off-topic, but I always get excited talking about the composer. About your interpretation, I like it really. I think there are some points that you can improve, and if you let me suggest some ideas, here we come:

 Overall: great sound, yet I would use much less pedal. You create an effect more appropriate to romantic music than this light classical. I would rather concentrate myself in the articulation variety and get the pedal off.
 Introduction and theme: nothing to say, it is just like it is.
 Variation 1: why not a bit more of drive and stamina? It must sound brilliant in my opinion and you are playing it too lyrical.
 Variation 2: what do you think about playing it a bit more slowly? Your sound fit the mood, but i feel it somewhat hurried;
 Variation 3: I like the contrast between this and the last one. Why not trying some staccato in the arpeggi?
 Variation 4: Beautiful. Really. Here you give to the music the time it needs. That's what I am talking about in my comment to the second var.
 Variation 5: hmm...this one is the only I dislike to be honest. Push the speed up and play it lively and brilliant. It's a mozartian major coda! Give life to it! The final part (around the harmonics of the original) is good. (There is an abrupt cut in the middle of the variation that sound very unpleasant to me. It's an edition point or it is a harsh end of pedal?)

 Well, hope some of my comments could help. If you want to change some ideas about this work or Sor's music in general, I'll be very glad to colaborate.
 Best wishes, and thanks for this delicate gift!

[desordre]

 PS: about the recording I can't tell you much right now because I'm in a laptop with odd speakers. As soon as I can listen to it in my home PC, I swear I'll post something!

[leslieb547]

Thanks Desordre, I had just about given up on getting any feedback, but yours is really constructive and helpful. I too used to play classical guitar but gave it up 6 years ago and traded my John Mills Concert model in for my Yamaha CLP970 digital piano, a decision I have not regretted. I studied piano up to age 15 (grade 6 I think) then didn't play for a lifetime of work - 50 years. I am now trying to get back to where I was 55 years ago but it's not possible. However, I am slowly improving, hence the post. I totally agree about Sor, he composed some wonderful guitar music and I have a number of CDs which I still listen to. I didn't realise he had actually been influenced by piano music to any extent.
I realised that my playing was a long way off perfect but had decided to post something to get some critical analysis, which you have given me, and also hopefully get some feedback on the quality of the recording as I have only had the Zoom H4 a short time.
Regarding your observations, I know I made a bit of a mess with the last variation, regarding the speed I initially played it faster, then heard a guitarist playing it at this speed so decided to record it like that, a mistake I think. I'm pleased you like var. 4, it's so beautiful on guitar that I just tried to match it.
Regarding pedalling - believe it or not but when I was learning as a child my piano teacher would not let me pedal at all! and I passed all my exams without using it. The result is that now I am trying to teach myself correct pedalling and, at the moment, I know I generally use too much - I'm working on it.
Thanks again for your post and maybe we can, as you say, exchange more ideas. I live in England by the way.