Ravel - Tombeau de Couperin

[andhow04]

I. Prelude

[andhow04]

II. Fugue

[andhow04]

III. Forlane

[andhow04]

IV. Rigaudon

[andhow04]

V. Menuet

[andhow04]

VI. TOCCATA!!!

[rachfan]

Hi andhow,

It's very late at night (or actually morning now), but I wanted to hear some of the Tombeau, so listened to the "Toccata" (of course!).  Your playing was marvelous--a veritable tour de force.  Bravo! 

[goldentone]

Wonderful playing, andhow!  I listened to this over the course of a few days.  I really enjoyed this work.  Thanks for posting.

[ramseytheii]

I. Prelude

As usual brilliant finger-work and dynamics!  especially, going into the second half (after second ending of repeat) is beautifully done. 

Isn't it a hair too fast?  No orchestra would be able to play it this fast.

Walter Ramsey

[ramseytheii]

II. Fugue

I think this is the way it is truly supposed to sound - beautiful accentuation, clarity, form, balance.  I can hear orchestration (though I know this is not one of the movements Ravel orchestrated).  I've played this fugue and always had trouble with the louder bits, since he doesn't seem to give you a lot to go on.  It tends to come out ugly sounding - but not here!

Bravo.  You should post some Bach, sometime.

Walter Ramsey

[andhow04]

Hi andhow,

It's very late at night (or actually morning now), but I wanted to hear some of the Tombeau, so listened to the "Toccata" (of course!).  Your playing was marvelous--a veritable tour de force.  Bravo! 

hey thanx

if i had to pick one mvmt very late at night i prolly wouldn't pick toccata.. probably menuet   But thanx for listening.

[andhow04]

Wonderful playing, andhow!  I listened to this over the course of a few days.  I really enjoyed this work.  Thanks for posting.

Thanks for the comment!  most mvmts are pretty playable... hard to get the right sound.  Prelude not that hard, strange at first but turns out to be comfortable; fugue very hard to get right sound, and very hard to read but to play not bad; forlane easy to play but you can study it for a long time (lots of pp and they have to sound different); rigadon kind of difficult and easy to bang; menuet not hard to play; toccata very very hard!

[fnork]

I listened to a few movements, and it's very nice playing from your side, good feeling for colours. Around 0:37-0:47 in the prelude I would like to hear all notes more clearly and don't rush - make sure that all sixteenth-notes in the right hand sing. The toccata is on the right track but it's overall a bit too loud - that's what so difficult about it, that there's one climax at the end of the piece and not ten climaxes all over the place. I think this structure could be worked on a bit more. And correct me if I'm wrong, but around 2:25, isn't it written "sostenuto" or something similar? I think the idea is to play this four-bar phrase more dreamy, as one long line (without harshly accenting each melody note as you do), the "toccata" feeling being overpowered by the expressive melody, and then four bars later back to the toccata. Hope that is clear? The same of course goes for the long lyrical section preceding the part I was talking about - don't accent each melody note, see the longer lines.
Around 1:13, there's an inner melody (which reminds of the prelude) in your thumbs that could be brought out more. The same goes for the beginning of the piece - it would be nice to hear f#-e-d-e-f#-e-d-e etc slightly more.
The menuet - very nice! But the appogiaturas should be ON the beat (this goes for all pieces in Le tombeau)

Overall, very good job!

[andhow04]

As usual brilliant finger-work and dynamics!  especially, going into the second half (after second ending of repeat) is beautifully done. 

Isn't it a hair too fast?  No orchestra would be able to play it this fast.

Walter Ramsey

well, perhaps it is a bit fast.  someone else commented not all the notes were clear... i found it really hard to play slower.  PERHAPS that means the difficulty is playing at the right tempo, not just getting the notes!

will record this again on sunday... will try a slower tempo, or at least more relaxed ?
thanks for listening

[anda]

great job, very well balanced and very colorful. i loved it.

Isn't it a hair too fast?  No orchestra would be able to play it this fast.

i don't think it's too fast - i love it in this tempo. you're absolutely right, the orchestral version is slower, but i don't think the piano version needs to be played at the same tempo. the piano and the orchestra versions are different, imho

[andhow04]

great job, very well balanced and very colorful. i loved it.

i don't think it's too fast - i love it in this tempo. you're absolutely right, the orchestral version is slower, but i don't think the piano version needs to be played at the same tempo. the piano and the orchestra versions are different, imho

thanx! i love playing this ipece and want to record it along with a couple of other similary themed works.

[yiyiku]

what a big undertaking to play all 6, congratulations!
prelude - i like the tempo, i don't think it is too fast
fugue - i think this could flow more. i used to play this thinking about every single triplet against eighth notes etc, and it just sounded too calculated. then i met a teacher that said that's how you learn the piece, but when you play, you have to forget about it and let the music flow. it improved my playing so much. hope this helps.

if you have not already done so, listen to angela hewitts recording of this whole suite. she is divine

 

[andhow04]

what a big undertaking to play all 6, congratulations!
prelude - i like the tempo, i don't think it is too fast
fugue - i think this could flow more. i used to play this thinking about every single triplet against eighth notes etc, and it just sounded too calculated. then i met a teacher that said that's how you learn the piece, but when you play, you have to forget about it and let the music flow. it improved my playing so much. hope this helps.

if you have not already done so, listen to angela hewitts recording of this whole suite. she is divine

 

thanx for the reply.  actually i liked the way the fugue came out!  i was lucky to be playnig it on a goodp iano because otherwise it is hard to get those accents to soudn right.  u need a piano with good hammers and deep keys.

i read somwhere that k. zmierman thinks ravel was writing for pianos better than are being made.  does anyone know what he was refering to exactly?

[andhow04]

I listened to a few movements, and it's very nice playing from your side, good feeling for colours. Around 0:37-0:47 in the prelude I would like to hear all notes more clearly and don't rush - make sure that all sixteenth-notes in the right hand sing. The toccata is on the right track but it's overall a bit too loud - that's what so difficult about it, that there's one climax at the end of the piece and not ten climaxes all over the place. I think this structure could be worked on a bit more. And correct me if I'm wrong, but around 2:25, isn't it written "sostenuto" or something similar? I think the idea is to play this four-bar phrase more dreamy, as one long line (without harshly accenting each melody note as you do), the "toccata" feeling being overpowered by the expressive melody, and then four bars later back to the toccata. Hope that is clear? The same of course goes for the long lyrical section preceding the part I was talking about - don't accent each melody note, see the longer lines.
Around 1:13, there's an inner melody (which reminds of the prelude) in your thumbs that could be brought out more. The same goes for the beginning of the piece - it would be nice to hear f#-e-d-e-f#-e-d-e etc slightly more.
The menuet - very nice! But the appogiaturas should be ON the beat (this goes for all pieces in Le tombeau)

Overall, very good job!

somehow i missed ur post!  i listened to this again today ( i havent listend to it since i posted it) and you are right, it is way too loud and at times rushes.  whats a boy to do! 

anther difficulty i found about this piece is that if u practice it always ont he same piano, you will be in for a shock on any instrment that is even slightly diffrent.  to those who are plying this toccata: practice it on as many pianos as possible!!!!