Rachmaninoff g# minor prelude

[mattgreenecomposer]

Here's the infamous g#minor prelude.  Gotta love it! Click on the link.

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[teresa_b]

Hi Matt,

I adore this prelude, infamous or no!  You have it down very well, and it appears effortless.  My suggestions (and I do have some )?

You clarity is great, but it sounds as though you are just playing through it at tempo, and missing the richness to some extent.  I would like to hear you play the lush melody lines with more rubato. 

Do more when you have those wonderful bass chords and bass melody lines, really dig into those. 

You could make more contrast by starting even softer at the beginning of the 3rd page, and really build to that climactic passage just before the recap of the beginning RH flickering. 

You have a great start--just some ideas.
Teresa

[rachfan]

Hi matt,

I don't play this particular prelude (at least not yet), so greatly enjoyed hearing your rendition.  I think you have a good "handle" on this piece.  With so much melody in the left hand, this piece proves once again that any Rachmaninoff "prelude" is actually an etude.  You do a fine job in etching the melody at all times and keeping accompaniment in the background despite its shifting between the hands at different times or being played in the same hand.  You give good attention to touch and phrasing, and layer the sounds within the textures well for the listener.  I suspect that your dynamic range is greater than the recording reveals, as is the case for many of us here.  I do believe that you could pay closer attention to pedaling at times.  It's generally quite good, but occasionally the releases could be a bit cleaner, or you could use faster half-to-quarter pedals if you wish some light blending of the sounds.

On the bass notes mentioned by teresa, generally this is not a loud piece.  There is a sff for the low bass at one point, and the arpeggio beginning in the low bass in the codetta is another opportunity.  The video cam only shows the keyboard, so I couldn't tell whether the recording was made with the lid up, with the singer stick only, or with the lid down.  That would have some bearing on the carrying power of the bass.  Also, the Yamaha bass tends to be more woody in sound than Steinway or Baldwin, so that too could be a factor.

My sense is that if you live with the piece longer, and if you can memorize it such that you can then concentrate on the flow and your execution without reliance on the sheet music, you could further enhance your performance.  I myself have difficulty with memorization now.  I find that the older I get, memorization gets farther out of reach. 

Overall, a fine performance,  matt.  Thanks for posting!

 

[mattgreenecomposer]

It IS memorized. 
Thanks for the nice comments though.  Your too kind...   

[rachfan]

You sure fooled me, ha-ha!  I thought for sure the music was on the music desk in the video, but come to think of it now, I didn't see you do any page turning.  Well then, where you have it memorized, that's super.  Being free of the score will enable you to continue to hone in on any details that you want to polish.  Keep up the good work!