Refreshing interpretation of Scriabin Etude Op. 8 No. 12

[infectedmushroom]

What do you think of it?

[ramibarniv]

Unexciting, boring, some wrong text towards the end.
I'll be doing this etude in my concert in the DC area Feb 24.
Best wishes,
Rami
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

[andhow04]

Unexciting, boring, some wrong text towards the end.
I'll be doing this etude in my concert in the DC area Feb 24.
Best wishes,
Rami
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

W
O
W

MAKES ME WANTSA GO TO UR KONZERT

[phil13]

I don't know, it seemed...lacking in fire, spirit. It was certainly different, and I liked the fact that she began piano, and only let out the forte at the second statement of the theme. Also, her playing of the middle section reminded me of my own interpretation, except for the transition into the last section, which I prefer louder and more con fuoco. The coda I didn't like at all, the rubato in the climax and the interpretation of the last 6 measures were not exactly to my taste.

I'll be doing this etude in my concert in the DC area Feb 24.

Shameless self-promotion.    

(I'm performing this soon too. So what?)

Phil

[infectedmushroom]

It's also not my favorite interpretation of this piece, but I really liked some parts of her playing. I also liked the fact that she plays is differently, compared to a lot of other Pianists who play this piece.

[arensky]

What do you think of it?

I like it, she kept the singing line throughout the piece, many pianists don't bother with that they just smash their way through it. The piece is furious but also very beautiful, what a melody. I would have liked more fury (particularly at the coda) but this was an excellent interpretation, very individual without sacrificing Scriabin's intentions ( although that note near the end was strange) and it was cool to hear someone play Scriabin's alternate dynamic indications  for the last six bars, although she did play the last two chords forte, not piano as Scriabin indicates in the manuscript.

[counterpoint]

This Etude should sound like the world is in flames in my opinion.
Like Scriabins "Vers la flamme".

Dinorah Varsi looks somewhat sceptical, reserved and from a distance on
this burning world.
Looks a bit like she wants to imitate Rubinstein's facial expression.
(Rubinstein looks much better)

[pianistimo]

i think she plays very intensely.  opus10no2 might think too slow -but you know - sometimes it's just intense that way.

rami is very astute, too - but in a different way.  i think more reserved actually than dinorah varsi despite appearances.  she is effortless.  his still takes too much effort.  but, is getting there.  by this - i mean that dinorah uses very little extra motion per sound.  rami has a motion or two per sound.  it is possible to use very little motion and get the same sound.  it is visually less distracting.

also, sometimes the motions counter each other and make movements less effective.  but, i am not criticizing the 'emotion' at all.  i think it is very pleasing and effortless there - and great clarity and precision.  just wondering why some of the trills start on the note, though?  i mean the ones that don't have a preceeding note above.

[mikey6]

It seems more like a lament to me from his reading than a patriotic protest - a Russian 'revolutionary' etude.  Doesn't really convince me.

[pianogeek_cz]

Very.... untraditional. Melancholic, which is definitely not a common association with this piece. But nevertheless, a moving performance... Feels like a flight over barren ground...

Probably not the way Scriabin envisaged it would be played. That doesn't, however, make it a less valid performance.

[arensky]

It seems more like a lament to me from his reading than a patriotic protest - a Russian 'revolutionary' etude.  Doesn't really convince me.

He's a she! 

I wondered for a second too.

Scriabin marks this piece "Patetico". Dictionary.com defines this adjective as "weak and useless". Perhaps Scriabin meant to convey something other than Godzilla smashing Tokyo to bits a la Barere and Horowitz, although it's hard not to give into that urge as this piece wraps up.  . I would have liked a bit (just a little) more of that in her interpretation, which I do find refreshing and not emotionally constrained at all. She conveys the emotion very clearly. Many people think Scriabin has to be played like "mad scientist" music and yes the guy had some strange extra-musical notions but his music is very elaborately and clearly written and requires great clarity in it's execution. It's like playing Beethoven like a football game (American) and playing Chopin like an afternoon soap opera; neither are appropriate to the composer's ouevre as a whole but many performers persist in rendering these stereotypes while missing the real essence of the music.

Later today I will post Scriabin's Welte-Mignon roll of this piece...

[mikey6]

He's a she! 

I wondered for a second too.

I realised that afterwards from reading the comments below the vid but forgot to add it.

[arensky]

Link to Scriabin playing this piece in the Audition Room.... 


https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,23465.0.html

[prongated]

What do you think of it?

...amazing! You don't encounter very often such sensitivity in style and expression. And sensuousness in sound...lots of substance and weight. Who is Dinorah Varsi? Thank you very much for linking this!

i think she plays very intensely.

Absolutely. Too many people like Horowitz butchered this piece.

Scriabin marks this piece "Patetico". Dictionary.com defines this adjective as "weak and useless".

Hmmm will be good to see this applied more often to Beethoven op. 13 also...

[jlh]

Unexciting, boring, some wrong text towards the end.
I'll be doing this etude in my concert in the DC area Feb 24.
Best wishes,
Rami
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

I just played this etude in a recital on a Bosendorfer Imperial on Feb 20th.  I have a bad quality recording (made by my digital still camera) in the audition room already that I made while trying to polish the piece, but as soon as I get a good recording (plus video) back from this recital, I'll post it.  I'll post the other pieces from the recital as well.  Until then... looking at this video in this thread made me bored.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the tonal quality and the sensitivity, but it lacks conviction.

[evariste]

Like it very much. Usually the pianists just bang the keys for 3 minutes; they reach fortissimo in the first 2 bars and as a result there's no way for them to make the piece evolve convincingly.
This is the first time I see a video of this étude where you can actually hear a melody, as opposed a terribly loud succession of notes. Great!

[dutch_pianist]

Like it very much. Usually the pianists just bang the keys for 3 minutes; they reach fortissimo in the first 2 bars and as a result there's no way for them to make the piece evolve convincingly.
This is the first time I see a video of this étude where you can actually hear a melody, as opposed a terribly loud succession of notes. Great!

I agree totally. she communicates without playing very loudly. I like Horowitz too in the various recordings he made of this piece, but only he could play in that way, and none of the others should attempt to play it the same way, because it simply won't sound convincing. This on the other hand is very tasteful, romantic, and very patetico indeed.

[hodi]

horowitz OWNS this etude
his performance is unbeatable
scriabin should be played with FIRE
she plays this etude with.. WATER 

[ramibarniv]

Shameless self-promotion.    

(I'm performing this soon too. So what?)

Phil

I admit, guilty as charged.
So be happy, be proud, promote yourself too.
Best wishes,
Rami
rrpcrrpc@yahoo.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

[hodi]

Unexciting, boring, some wrong text towards the end.
I'll be doing this etude in my concert in the DC area Feb 24.
Best wishes,
Rami
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

rami, lo bekol hoda'a ata zarich lefarsem et azmecha
bishvil ze yesh et forum ha odishenim, ata yode'a....