[VIDEO] Rachmaninoff Etude-tableau in E-flat minor Op. 33, No. 6

[jlh]

Ok, brand new rep here -- not polished at all yet.  Recorded this the other night at 3:00am.  My favorite part would be the train whistles at the end -- I'm housesitting a house by the railroad tracks right now.  Oh yeah, and the squeaky damper pedal in the beginning!

So yeah haven't had a lesson yet on this etude, but I got it close enough to the finish tempo that I thought I might just record it and post it.

Comments/critiques?

https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2580032328176292495&hl=en

[quasimodo]

Quite impressive!!! A little sloppy on the second half but as you said it's not polished.
Maybe releasing the pedal now and then during those crazy fast run would make it sound nicer as well ? No what do I know, couldn't play that HS at 1/4 speed, lol.

[franz_]

Very nice. You could play very well this etude. How difficult is it in reality?

[nicco]

Dont you just loooove playing so late After midnight is the best time for practicing.

well played btw, playing this in the competition you talked about?

[jlh]

Dont you just loooove playing so late After midnight is the best time for practicing.

well played btw, playing this in the competition you talked about?

Thanks!  I completely agree, I'd always practice after midnight if I could!   

No, not doing this in competition -- I'm using 39/1 for that competition (with Chopin 10/8, Scriabin 8/2 and Liszt Un Sospiro).

[jlh]

Very nice. You could play very well this etude. How difficult is it in reality?

Not the most difficult of the etudes, but requires a lot of stamina and accuracy.  It's a study in "perpetual motion", much like 39/1 is, but this one (33/6) is probably the most chromatically interesting of all the etudes-tableaux and alludes to dies irae chant like some others do.

[jlh]

Quite impressive!!! A little sloppy on the second half but as you said it's not polished.
Maybe releasing the pedal now and then during those crazy fast run would make it sound nicer as well ? No what do I know, couldn't play that HS at 1/4 speed, lol.

Thanks!

Yeah, the piano is a Carl Ebel 4 footer.  It needs tuning, the mid-low range is noticeably dull and the action is pretty heavy.  I'm not sure how much clearer I could make the sound even if I tried (and I was...).  I'll experiment with less pedal tho.

[quasimodo]

I look forward a new recording when you've had further worked it out. Seems to me you have the right catch for such a wicked piece. 

[nanabush]

Wouldn't this be considered the most difficult of the Op 33?