Scriabin Prelude Opus 16, No. 4

[goldentone]

Here is a little romantic prelude from Scriabin, my first offering on the forum.  I recorded it back in August, and finally decided I was satisfied with it enough to post it.  Thanks, Rachfan.

Recorded on my Yamaha M302 with the Edirol R-09 HR.

Comments welcome. Enjoy.

[m19834]

Hi, Goldentone.  Thanks for posting this .  I don't know this prelude all that well and it's a treat to become a little better acquainted with it through your playing.  I would like to congratulate you on your first post here in the audition room !  You definitely created a kind of romance between the piece and your playing, and it's a pleasure listening to your musical ideas . 

Hope to hear more from you .

[rachfan]

Hi goldentone,

Congrats on posting your first recording here!  Hearing a selection from Scriabin's early Op. 16 Preludes, which are lesser known works, is refreshing.  The character of this Prelude No. 4 is almost like a lament, isn't it?  Your playing and pedaling show much sensitivity for the phrasing.  I also like your portato touch on the chords at the end of the phrases, and your voicing of the upper notes in the RH and lower notes in the LH--that is to say, the outside notes of those chords.  I noticed that a challenge in this piece is the quiet range of dynamics (nothing of Scriabin is ever easy!).  It's mostly gradients of p, all the way down to ppp, which takes much effort to play, especially where the the music is already sotto voce right from the start.  I think you do a good job with that.     

In listening, I noticed that in measure 6 in the RH chords, I can clearly hear the D naturals in the RH, but not the upper F's in that set.  But similar to variations among editions of Chopin, differences occasionally crop up in various editions of Scriabin's music. 

Again, good work in shaping your rendition, goldentone, and thanks for posting!   

     

[goldentone]

Thank you Karli.   I appreciate your comments very much.  To me it is a romantic piece, a romantic lament, as also Rachfan suggested its lamenting quality.  Scriabin has the power to evoke moods, and I believe weave and explore complex emotions. 

I am glad you enjoyed listening.   And yes, I will return.

 

[goldentone]

Hi Rachfan,

A lament is exactly what I thought, too.   And yet I hear pleasure in there as well.  An interesting evocation.  Perhaps akin to Longellow's words:

I see the lights of the village
Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me,
That my soul cannot resist;

A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.

Yes, the dynamics were definitely a challenge.  I put a lot of concentration into playing it as softly as I could, and I didn't think I adequately conveyed that.  But what you said makes me feel better.  I appreciate what you said about the phrasing and pedaling.  Yeah, the upper f's in measure 6 got a bit lost there.

Thanks for all your positive comments and feedback.      

[pianowolfi]

Hi Goldy

 I listened to your first contribution here in the audition room immediately after seeing it first. I know you as "Goldentone" and your nick seems to represent a bit of how you are, as far as I know so far I hear the "golden tone" and your always positive kind to be, and I hear how much you have to say with music.

I agree with rachfan's comments and I would add: pay more attention to the rhythm. Often when Scriabin writes triplets he doesn't use the little "3" above and that can be a bit confusing. Actually you have to assume that in this piece, written  in 3/4 time, the eighth-dotted eighth-sixteenth pattern on the last count always needs to be read as a triplet. Never lose the feeling of the slow 3/4 time.

hope to hear more from you

[goldentone]

Wolfi,

Thanks for pointing out the triplet figure.  It wasn't in my score, but I'll admit I only spent a few sessions working on this, and should have noticed it.

Thank you for your kind words.  Your friendship has been a blessing for which I am very grateful.