G. Catoire, Prelude, Op. 17, No. 3 in Cm

[rachfan]

I'm pleased to post the "Prelude, Op. 17, No. 3" in Cm of the late romantic Russian composer Georgy Catoire (1861-1926).  The Four Preludes, Op. 17 were published c. 1903.  The main influences on Catoire were Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Scriabin and Faure.  I hope you'll enjoy this music.  (Previously I posted the other three here, Preludes No. 1 in G#m, No. 2 in G, and No. 4 in B flat.)

Piano: Baldwin Model L Artist Grand (6'3") just tuned

Recording: Digital, Korg MR-1000 DSD

Comments welcome

[pianowolfi]

I like the dark music and I like how you play it, it's very descriptive and the listener is being caught in. Perhaps I would play even a bit more "agitato" where the score suggests it, to emphasize the "dramatico" charakter.

[rachfan]

Hi wolfi,

Thanks for listening!  I have to say this piece really tested me.  It's not an easy one to play.  Your suggestion is a good one.  Yes, I did, during practicing, attempt more agitato where you indicate, but the problem was that it made me feel less secure with the music there, so decided, for the sake of accuracy, to be more cautious for the time being.  Perhaps if I were to take up the piece again in the future, that spot might come easier to me and enabling me to finesse it more.  I'm glad you enjoyed the piece!

P.S.  I think this piece is the first in my pianistic lifetime that called upon me to use the highest C at the top of the treble of the keyboard.  

[allthumbs]

A difficult piece indeed to play well!

I really loved your playing of this piece. As pianowolfi stated, it caught me and dragged me into the music also.

Well done, but you know what my next comment will be already.

[rachfan]

Hi allthumbs,

Thanks for your compliment on my playing.  Your next unspoken comment, however, surely cannot be that the piano is out of tune, as it was tuned only 48 hours before the recording was made (as mentioned in my initial post), and was not touched until the actual recording session.    I will concede that the piano is intentionally tuned sharp to concert pitch rather than A440, as in this climate it must be until more springlike weather arrives to counteract the tendency for the scale to go flat, as is the case with all pianos here.

So I'll guess then that you're thinking instead of the page turns.  Well, first I've reached the age now when memorizing is no longer possible unfortunately.  And, this piece is too long to string the pages along the music desk.  So I had to cope with the infernal page turns.  Sorry about that!

Thanks for listening! 

[allthumbs]

Well, I didn't want to mention the page turns, but I can relate to the memory problems.

No, I was thinking of the tuning, in the upper registers in particular.

Some tuners seem to be able to set the strings better than others. I don't know if that is the problem here, but if one listens to that aspect of the performance, it shows up.

Maybe it's just that my ears are out of tune.

Thinks...hmmmn, I wonder where I can get aural.

[allthumbs]

BTW, do you play the other three preludes in this opus? They look pretty interesting as well.

Anyway, you've inspired me to have a go at this one, I think.

[goldentone]

A brooding utterance and very distinguished piece.  With each prelude in this set, I believe Catoire says something very different, and this one is no exception.  In fact, I think it's the most unique of the four.  I recognized the passage you spoke about the task of choreographing.  I like the big coda, and you play it with the signature Rachfan dramatic infusion.  Nice playing!  I've really enjoyed all four of these preludes.  Nice work, Rachfan! 

[rachfan]

Hi allthumbs,

Yes, I play and have recorded the other preludes.  Here are the links to the other three:

No. 1 in G#m:

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,33016.0.html

No. 2 in G:

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,32148.0.html

and No. 4 in B flat:

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,32614.0.html

On tuning, I have both A and C tuning forks, but can't use them now, as the piano is intentionally tuned sharp for the climate.  But when I get a moment I can at least test octaves, thirds and fifths in the treble to see if I can detect a problem there.  If so, I'm sure the tuner will adjust it.


Enjoy!

[rachfan]

Hi goldentone,

Thanks so much for you kind comments!  Yes, it's a tough piece to play well in more ways than one.  Quite a challenge!  Where the other three preludes have obvious romantic content, I found this piece a bit more enigmatic as I worked with it, especially at first.  It's definitely unique as you say.  I believe that Catoire's thoughts when composing seem to have run very deep.  And to form an interpretation for effective performance, one has to work overtime to decipher his vision. 

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Once again, another fascinating piece of obscure Russian romanticism from you. Atmospheric, well-shaped, artistic playing, and most enjoyable to listen to.

It seems churlish to mention it, but allthumbs is right in his unspoken comment. It's only really an issue in the notes starting from about 2 octaves above middle C, and curiously, whilst they are not much off-pitch, they are off-pitch by varying amounts. In view of what you said about it being freshly tuned, it is most peculiar, but in the upper range the piano unfortunately does sound off-colour. I hasten to add that I don't wish to detract from your fine playing.

[rachfan]

Hi sylphes,

I'm so glad you enjoyed this prelude.  When I first started work on the piece, I had a hard time characterizing it, in particular deciphering Catoire's vision.  Over time though, I came to know it, which then informed my playing.  It is a wonderful piece indeed, and not an easy one to play well.  Thanks for your compliment on my rendition.  It means much to me coming from an accomplished pianist like you.

I don't know what to say about the tuning, as I had the piano tuned for the expressed purpose of making the recording.  And I had shared that with my tuner.  He suggested keeping the piano a bit sharp due to the climate.  (Spring here is more like late winter.)  He's a very seasoned tuner who is also a technician and piano rebuilder.  The piano was only about 2 cents off, and he spent two hours on the tuning.  So I'm at a loss.  This afternoon I did some testing of low notes against the suspect high notes, then checked octaves, thirds and fifths.  I did discover one unison that was off in the high treble, and fixed it immediately.  (That can happen on any piano just after a tuning if the pin should slip after being set.)  Any differences are very, very subtle.  In addition to tuning by ear, he also has a hand-held digital tuning device to cross-check pitches.  Those devices, of course, become less reliable the higher in the treble you use them.  Tunings here are $125 U.S., equivalent to about 85 pounds, so not inexpensive.  I tried to do the right thing, but am really sorry it didn't work out to the optimum.   

[quasimodo]

Hi Rachfan,

First I must really praise your dedication, you are the living proof that serious work and drive for extending repertoire is what makes you progress. You now are a truly proficient pianist as compared to a few years ago when you started posting in this audition room. I wish I could say the same for the myself  .

Moreover you made me discover Catoire whose music I never heard before and it's quite beautiful, indeed.

ronde_des_sylphes is right about the high notes that are not well-tuned, it's bothering quite a bit and ruins an outstanding performance. The problem is that the strings are not pitched equally. In all fairness, your tuner should provide the correction for free, considering you've already paid him for a service that was not fully achieved.

Another possibility, if you're piano is old, is that the tuning pins have gotten loose. I hope it's not the case, because that wouldn't be inexpensive to fix.

Anyway, it's never a good sign when a piano tuner needs those electronic devices to work. Nothing replaces a trained and acute ear.

[rachfan]

Hi quasimodo,

Thanks for your kind comments on my development over the last few years as a musician.  Others have commented on it as well, as late as today in fact.  So there must be something to it.  In reflecting on this good news, here's what I think: 1) You're correct that my persistent expansion of repertoire has definitely been a key factor.  Meeting new challenges in this way certainly stretches any pianist's abilities.  2) For me, Sergei Bortkiewicz and Georgy Catoire have been two hard task masters, but their incredibly beautiful and inspiring music has also provided a huge incentive for me to learn and improve.  3) After 17 years with two excellent teachers earlier in life, I decided relatively recently to get serious about piano, to commune with the composers on my own, to teach myself for a change, and to be fully responsible and accountable for my performances.  After all, isn't the principal aim of a piano teacher to teach the student how to teach himself?  I finally made the leap. 

It's been a transformative growth experience for me to say the least.  I only wish I had much more practice time.  But even at that, I love what I'm doing with music now.  I've also had opportunities to help other pianists along the way which has given me much satisfaction as well.  Thanks again for recognizing my progress!  You've been posting recordings here for a long time, and have listened to mine for many years as well, so your compliment means a lot to me.

Luckily my Baldwin is not really old at all.  I bought it new in 1984 so it's only 25 years old.  Over a year ago we did a partial rebuilding, considering the intensive use I'd given the piano over those years.  So it got new strings, hammers-shanks-flanges, new tuning pins one size larger, new front rail and balance rail felt punchings, and some replacement key tops.  To answer your question, the pins are tight as can be and the pinblock is in great shape.  The new strings have very substantially stretched and have nearly reached stability, but still need a little more time.  So it really comes down mostly to the matter of tuning now.  The tuner has always done it by ear in the past.  The digital device is something new, but I believe he mainly uses it as a crosscheck on the tuning fork to also get a visual readout on how many cents off the scale is before tuning, but may occasionally check a pitch with it here or there.  I just cannot imagine how those small variances developed in the high treble.  Disappointing.

I'm delighted that you've become a Catoire fan!  I truly believe his piano music is nothing short of extraordinary.  He's also not a superficial composer.  His vision and train of thought within a composition tend to be very deep in my opinion.  It requires a good deal of discovery to interpret his music well.

Again, thanks for listening!