Debussy Images I: No. 1 Reflets dans l'eau

[xavierm]

Here's a performance with bad sound. Just wondering your thoughts. I know I have a bad booboo right after the "development" so no need to tell me about that part!!

[cjp_piano]

Nice performance, I love this piece, I played it for one of my recitals.  Seeing you play it makes me want to get it back in my fingers   

You have good control and your technical facility allows you to play with ease.

You're right about the bad sound, though, so it was hard to hear, but it LOOKS like it would have sounded great, ha ha.

In mm 32-34, there's the loud triplet sixteenths crescendo-ing through the eighth note, and then pp on the high descending figures.  It may just be the recording, but it looked and sounded like you were playing those loud, too.  I'm not trying to pick on you or anything, it's just that those soft figures should sound completely different then the loud chords.  Maybe the loud chords are something splashing into the water and the high sparkly things are the ripples or something. 

m. 44 (en animant) crescendos through m. 48 to the key change.  It all sounded the same to me, your p and then the f.   It's so hard to play all these quiet parts isn't it?  There are so many notes!  One thing that my teacher helped me with was showing me how to play with flatter fingers to kind of "pitter-patter" over the keys.

In m. 58, is the melody Bb C Eb D C, or Bb C Eb Db C? I have a crappy edition and I think it's incorrect.  You played the Db, which I think is correct.  What edition did you use?

Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed watching you play it.  Was this a college recital?  What else did you play? Where do you study?

[xavierm]

Thank you very much. I appreciate your comments. I realize that my dynamics left a lot to be desired - at least, they were not how I usually played them probably due to nervousness. This was my first college performance and I was pretty darn nervous, and I think (hope) that I usually have greater contrast between dynamic ranges. Anyways, I go to Grand Valley State University in MI and my teacher is the great Aviram Reichert (3rd place van cliburn winner in '97). I really love the school and the only real reason I go there is because of Prof. Reichert. It's amazing that somewhere so random like west michigan we have this great of a pianist in residence!! That performance was from about a year ago (and I've improved a lot since then) and right now some pieces I am playing are Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto, Shostakovich's First Piano Concerto, Chopin 10-1, 10-4, Brahms Variations on a Theme by Schumann, and Prokofiev's Seventh Sonata. I will try and upload more videos and maybe audio because I really like everyone's comments. I have a performance of the shostakovich (though my accompanist comes in half a page early in one spot!) and soon I'll be recording the beethoven and prokofiev. Thank you again.

oh btw - I'll have to dig out the edition I was using, but actually if you go to the sheet music archive (sheetmusicarchive.net) it was the same edition that is posted there EXCEPT the mysterious melody that you pointed out in m. 58. I believe it should be Bb C Eb Db C, not D natural, which that edition has. I will check tomorrow in my own - and doublecheck in my teachers - to see the answer! (and to my defense the sound was bad because i had to compress the video to fit onto youtube)

[cjp_piano]

You should be proud of your first college performance, well done!

It's great that you have so much respect for your teacher.  I know some people who hate their teacher, but they want a degree from that school.   I'm like you, I have a Master of Music from a school that you've probably never heard of, certainly no Julliard or Indiana University, that's for sure.  But I went there because of the teacher and I don't regret it a bit.  When it's all said and done, we all go back to Beethoven anyway, right?   

Have fun learning your pieces!

By the way, I'm in Ohio, not that far from you.  I wondered if you went to Xavier U. here in Cincinnati because of your name, that's why I asked.

[teresa_b]

Great!  I really enjoyed it. 

I love this piece.  It is quite difficult, I think, to get that rippling "water" effect.  You did really well.  The recording is not great, so it can obscure the best efforts at dynamics.  I suspect you were playing softer than it seemed in some sections. 

If your dynamics were actually what I heard, I would soften some areas to make it more "dreamy" and less sharply defined.  Debussy, I think, sounds so wonderful when you hear shapes and swirls of sound that evoke these sensuous images (no pun intended).  So, maybe a little less "notey" and declarative, and a little more relaxed and fluid. 

You did fantastic!  Keep it up! 

Teresa

[xavierm]

You should be proud of your first college performance, well done!

It's great that you have so much respect for your teacher.  I know some people who hate their teacher, but they want a degree from that school.  I'm like you, I have a Master of Music from a school that you've probably never heard of, certainly no Julliard or Indiana University, that's for sure.  But I went there because of the teacher and I don't regret it a bit.  When it's all said and done, we all go back to Beethoven anyway, right?   

Have fun learning your pieces!

By the way, I'm in Ohio, not that far from you.  I wondered if you went to Xavier U. here in Cincinnati because of your name, that's why I asked.

Haha, I see!
Exactly what you said. If the teacher gives you what you need in terms of technical and musical progress and learning, there's no reason to spend a bunch of money to go to a "higher" conservatory or university that may not even be what you need at the time.


Thank you teresa_b for the comments! I agree with everything you said.

[paulmt]

That was a nice performance.  I'm not too familiar with French composers, but after listening to this performance I will have to check Debussy out! Any suggestions

[xavierm]

Everything! Actually, well the one I played is from a set of three and all three are good. He also has another set of three titled (amazingly) Images II, but they are from later in his life and a bit more atonal. His L'isle joyeuse (errrm, I think that's how you spell it) is wonderful as are any of the preludes and etudes. There are many miscellaneous pieces as well.

Now, IMO, Ravel is a better composer for the piano. I find his works much more well-structured and melodiously inviting, though many people will disagree. But if you haven't, you should check out Ravel - particularly La Gaspard de la Nuit (of course), Jeux d'eau (which I have also played, a great and difficult piece), Mirors, Le Tambeau de Couperin, and his two piano concertos, one which is only for the left hand and is one of the most extraordinary musical examples of impressionism reaching new emotional heights and harmonic territory. I left out a lot of stuff (esepecially about Saint-Saens and Faure, two very underrated composers) but that should get you started.

[paulmt]

I love Saent-Saens. I was just listening to his piano concertos on my way to work lol. I totally forgot him.  I guess your right about him being underrated. Great violin pieces too.  I guess that is for a different forum.  Don't know much about Ravel or Faure. I just know Faure wrote some awsome Piano quartets. 

[xavierm]

I love Saent-Saens. I was just listening to his piano concertos on my way to work lol. I totally forgot him.  I guess your right about him being underrated. Great violin pieces too.  I guess that is for a different forum.  Don't know much about Ravel or Faure. I just know Faure wrote some awsome Piano quartets. 

Indeed. Both Saint-Saens and Faure are EXTREMELY underrated. Especially Saint-Saens other piano concertos (I mean everything except 2) which get a bad rap for no reason - just because against the magnificent 2nd they look slightly lesser, when that's not really the case. Oh well... ce la vie as the French say.