Poulenc Sonata (live)

[fnork]

Here's the Poulenc violin sonata dedicated to the memory of his friend Federico Garcia Lorca, the spanish poet who was executed in the beginning of the spanish civil war. It is a very brutal and at the same time beautiful work, with a spanish-like 2nd movement and slow, tragic coda in the last movement which to me sounds like Lorcas own execution.

Enjoy!

[pianistimo]

rats.  something is wrong with my computer 'media sound' connection.  i want to hear this.  have to wait.

[fnork]

We didn't have a big audience, I'm sure we would've played better otherwise. Just listen to the very first note (first movement) which we're supposed to play together... heh, don't ask me what happened, confusing moment, but after a while things started to work better.

[pianistimo]

for such a difficult work - i'm very impressed.  the whole 'idea' is coming out well.  the impetus to it.  i think that small technical things could not take away from the good musicianship of you both. 

perhaps i think too much - but it sounds to me like the piano needed all three of the treble strings in notes to match.  one of the strings is tuned and the other one or two are off.  it gives the piano a wierd sound.  sometimes - when playing percussive stuff - i think one needs a piano that will keep all the strings tight and taunt.  the violin sounds like it is attempting it's best to match the tones of the piano - but -i'd like to hear the piano as true accompaniment to the violin.  the piano to follow the violin.  in other words - the violin much louder in it's solos next to the piano - (even when playing softly).  maybe the mic didn't pic up the violin as well as piano.  but, also - i'd like to hear  acommand with the violin's tuning - that commands a higher edge than the piano.  if it is set exactly at the piano's notes - then there is no command of the violin over the piano.  this is all, of course, my demands for hearing a violin sonata.

otherwise - i love the intentions of the whole thing.  it comes across very touchable and relatable.  the tempos so cool!  very impressive.
 

[pianistimo]

i like the way you both 'breathe' in a synchronized way.

[rachfan]

The titling of the form of this sonata surprises me somewhat.  The piano part is complex and substantial.  It almost seems more like a sonata for violin AND piano, rather than a violin sonata with piano accompaniment.  That is not a commentary on the playing of this piece, rather pertaining to the composition itself.  Where Poulenc was a pianist-composer, maybe that explains the formidable piano part.  Stylistically, I especially enjoy its improvisatory moments so integral to Poulenc's idiom.  If I had to make one criticism, it would be that in the matter of balance, the piano overpowered the violin a few times in the first movement in particular.  But with more playings over time, I believe that would work itself out.  I'm glad too there is so much renewed interest in Poulenc's music of late.  Thanks for posting this beautiful sonata.  First time I ever heard it.  Great job, fnork!!   

[fnork]

Pianistimo - could you explain further-- are you suggesting that the violin should be tuned slightly higher than the piano? We had problems with the violin before the concert, the violinist had to tune it all of the time (it's a very fine but old violin, borrowed from the violinists teacher who didn't play on it for a long time, so the violin was still "waking up" so to speak...), it probably tuned down slightly during the concert. The balance problems are probably mic problems - also that the violinist decided to play softer in my "solos" which I think was unnecessary (around 2:52 for instance).

Any thoughts on the stretto/accelerando that we did in 2:50 - 3:05 btw? It's not in the score but it feels not only logical but even necessary to do it. I've heard recordings where it's not done, as a result it doesn't sound dramatic at all. The same thing goes for around 4:48 - 4: 58 which is only marked "sans ralentir" - without ritardando.

rachfan - I think it's actually called "Sonate pour violon et piano", not violin sonata as I said. And agreed, the piano part is hard at times (so is the violin part), like the ending of the first movement, but slow practice certainly does wonders. It's a very unusual piece for Poulenc, who used to write in a completely different style in his earlier life - it's a very "serious" and dark Poulenc work.


Ironically, the reactions have been great from audiences so far, EXCEPT my pianist friends from school who didn't like it much at all! And I had hoped that they would want to learn it too after hearing it...

[pianistimo]

this is really apersonal issue and not critique necessarily.  i like to hear the violin tuned to the piano or very very slightly higher- but then the performer to 'aim high and low' in various  places to show the performers ability to mold the notes according to whim. 

the piano, once tuned, is pretty much static in terms of how you can manipulate the tone. but, isn't a violin more free?  i didn't realize that he was using an older violin - but anyways - i enjoyed this piece very very much.  and whatever you did (stretto and accelerando) - it worked.  it sounded 'right.'

perhaps you are spot on with playing equally - since Poulenc may have written it for piano AND violin and not just 'violin sonata.'  he was inventive and ingenious.  perhaps the violin playing slightly louder in spots would just equalize the playing field, so to speak.

i think you are both very good musicians.

[rachfan]

The thing about the "'static" piano, of course, is that it uses equal temperament tuning, a subset of well-temperament.  For well-temperament, in the circle of fifths, to start with C major and end with E minor, and then in order to complete the circle again at C major--i.e., to arrive at the exact same beginning C pitch as before-- means that a tiny bit has to be robbed from each fifth to go full circle.   Equal temperament adds a logarhymic permutation to that scheme.  The lucky violinist can play any microtone that can be conjured.  Violin string tuning is based on fifths, but is more influenced by psychoaccoustic principles.  Thus, when a piano concerto is being staged, and after the concert master stands and "gives the A" for the orchestra to tune, eveyone then holds their breath hoping that the piano and orchestra pitches will be somewhat in synch.