Bortkiewicz, Prelude Op. 33, No. 8 in D flat

[rachfan]

This prelude is one of 10 in Op. 33 composed by Sergei Bortkiewicz in Vienna in 1926 and published by D. Rahter.  Although it's a prelude, I think it could have just as easily been titled "Valse Romantique".  The form is a lush-sounding waltz recalling "la belle epoque" which was ended abruptly by WWI.  The prelude is in A-B-A form. Bortkiewicz accomplishes the return from Part B in C#m to the reprise of Part A in D flat this way: he ends Part B on a diminished C#m second inversion chord sounding the tonality of G#.  He then enters the Part A reprise with an enharmonic change from that G# tonality to the lead-in of the main theme with an A flat octave which quickly transitions into the original key of D flat.  He does this change at ff, and the effect is breath taking!  And, as would be expected, the piece features a coda so characteristic of this Late Romantic composer.  Therein, if you listen closely, you'll hear a very fleeting nod in the left hand to Chopin, specifically the coda of Chopin's Prelude Op. 28, No. 21 in B flat.  This is a wonderful piece to play and hear. Where authors draw on their life experiences, so do composers.  It's obvious from listening to this music that Bortkiewicz had danced many sensuous waltzes with a lovely lady during his lifetime.

This is my first digital recording, all of my previous ones posted here having been analog.  It was made with the Korg MR-1000 using direct stream digital (DSD) 1 bit 5.6 MHz technology.  Unfortunately, because of the protocol here, I had to record it in WAV, then converted it to mp3.  The microphones were my trusty Nakamichi MD-300 condenser mics with omni-directional capsules, placed in A-B configuration 8' away from the piano with 12" separation between the mics.   The piano is my Baldwin Model L Artist Grand  (6' 3").   

Comments welcome.   

[counterpoint]

This piece is a real jungle 

There are so many branches in the accompaniment and even in the melody. I think, the main problem in the interpretation is to get a sort of moving force and not to get distracted too much by all the details. Of course every detail is important, but not on cost of the overall line. Yeah I had a hard struggle with this piece myself, as you now  so I have the greatest respect for your achievement! It would be very interesting to have more interpretations of this piece from other people here on the forum 

PS

There is a recurrent rhythmical problem in this recording: when you play dotted rhythm (dotted 8th +16th), the dotted 8th is way too short (sometimes even shorter than a normal 8th!)  The left hand plays a triplet, so the 16th should be played after the 3rd triplet. I'm not even sure, if you play all the triplets of the left hand ?

[rachfan]

Hi counterpoint,

A jungle is right!  Thanks for your kind compliment!   Yes, I tried more than anything else to play the long line, distinguishing foreground from background, and letting the details fall into place.  I also allowed myself some liberties where I thought they would help set the imagery, as the piece is very romantically atmospheric.  This piece looks deceptively easy on paper, but can be quite treacherous in the playing.  And like all the Bortkiewicz pieces, without solidly established performance practices, an interpretation has to be conjured up from scratch--and it has to be convincing.  I think if more pianists resolved to play this great repertoire, they'd find plenty of challenges!     

[rachfan]

Hi counterpoint,

The problem I think is more with the piano at the moment.  Baldwin has a firm action to begin with.  But with rapidly repeated notes: Following the rebuild of my piano, it's still settling in.  I still have some difficulties doing rapid repeated notes as well as with some double hammer strikes.  Fixing those is somewhat trial and error, as it can be caused by the let-off, jack, tension spring, key dip, or back check--or two devils working in tandem on any one key.  So I'm still trying to get those problems adjusted, which would give better responsiveness to the touch.  To compound that, a few weeks ago we changed out the original key punchings for the radically new Crescendo conical wurzen felt punchings.  That also makes the action feel different to me too.  I think once the bugs are out and I'm more comfortable with the action, I can execute figures like that better.   

[counterpoint]

I still have some difficulties doing rapid repeated notes as well as with some double hammer strikes. 

What I tried to mention is surely not a mechanical problem. Your repetitions are extreme fast (too fast in my view, but that's not the problem). You play the note after the dotted 8th too early, it's really much too early.

[rachfan]

Thanks, counterpoint, I'll take another look at it.

P.S.  I found the early attack on the 16ths after the dotted 8ths in some cases, but not all, so I think it comes down to exercising extra care in those particular instances.

[tds]

we hear delay on the playing as you page turn. it's not perfectly played but beeeautifully...

in some spots it's real touching, making me want to be able to play like dat. warmest, tds

[mwhite]

What a beautiful piece.  Thanks for sharing it.  Your recording setup sounds great. 
Mike White

[rachfan]

Hi tds,

Yeah, page turns... it's tough being pianist, recording engineer and page turner.  Memorizing would be nice, but I've reached an age where it's difficult.  Thanks for the compliment on my playing!   

[tds]

ur most welcome, rachfan

[rachfan]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the kind comments!  Yes, I like the results with my new recording setup too.  I wish you and the others here could hear the music in DSD format, but due to server space, we're limited to mp3 format which gives less fidelity.  But that's understandable. 

[apple2]

very nice piece Rachfan!  ?  i'd like to learn that

[rachfan]

Hi apple,

Thanks for listening.  I appreciate it.  If you need the sheet music, let me know.

[mkaykov]

wow, this is exactly the kind of sound that I want in a  recording!  It has just the right amount of articulation - and the bass is captured well.

Which bargain price microphones do you suggest that I invest in?

[rachfan]

Hi mkaykov,

Yeah, I KNEW you'd like this sound.  Goes to show how just how important microphone placement is in the equation.  Believe it or not, my mics are quite old.  They're Nakamichi MD-300 small diaphragm electret condenser mics with interchangeable cartioid/omni-directional capsules that run off 9.1V battery power.  I bought them new more than 20 years ago.  They were highly thought of then as high-quality studio mics, and are still well-regarded today.  (Nakamichi no longer makes mics.)  So when I bought the Korg MR-1000 direct stream digital recorder along with new, higher quality Monster cables, I stayed with my Nakamichi mics and have not regretted it.  As you can hear, they still do a super job.

Some of the small diaphragm condenser mic brands that seemed interesting were the Rode NT5 and Studio Project C4 to name a couple.  (Large diaphragm mics serve better for vocal music.)  A mic can be very cheap, or at the other end of the spectrum, like those used in professional recording studios--like Earthworks and Neumann mics--can be very expensive.  Similarly, the new "ribbon mics" technology is terribly expensive.  You want something affordable but of solid quality.  It's always best to buy a so-called "matched stereo pair" with serial numbers only one digit apart, giving extra assurance that the mics were identically manufactured at the very same time and place, and will deliver uniform sound.  A good matched pair moderately priced for home recording purposes might cost around $400 to $650 for the pair with interchangeable capsules.  If you must choose the type capsule, go with omni-directionals (not cartioids).  Also, you might find some for sale at times on Ebay for a lot less money.  When I was looking, I didn't investigate bargain-priced mics.  Sweetwater, 1-800-222-4700, could advise you on lower price range options, I'm sure.  They're very good.

I hope this helps.