Piano Forum



International Piano Day 2024
Piano Day is an annual worldwide event that takes place on the 88th day of the year, which in 2024 is March 28. Established in 2015, it is now well known across the globe. Every year it provokes special concerts, onstage and online, as well as radio shows, podcasts, and playlists. Read more >>

Topic: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor  (Read 4741 times)

Offline zheer

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2794
Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
on: October 02, 2009, 03:19:33 PM
Hey,
I recorded this some time ago, I hope this is slightly improved since then, thanks for listening.
" Nothing ends nicely, that's why it ends" - Tom Cruise -
Sign up for a Piano Street membership to download this piano score.
Sign up for FREE! >>

Offline ramseytheii

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2488
Re: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
Reply #1 on: October 02, 2009, 06:14:44 PM
Why do you start this piece with rubato?  This is not the first time I listened to a recording of this prelude on this website, only to hear it start with a strange rubato that doesn't make sense to me.  The opening figuration is a figuration, it is not a beautiful melody.  It should sound misty, fluttering, shimmering, like an enveloping fog.  When you start with a rubato, it destroys the effect totally. 

I think it should be also about twice the speed.  But perhaps you have changed that since you made the recording.

Again I like your sound, but when the left hand takes over with those octaves about 2/3 of the way thru, it becomes heavy and the phrasing is no longer flattering.  Work on that left hand.

Also I encourage a little pedal on the last note.  This figuration, which is so common for Rachmaninoff, is like pinching a candle wick and putting out the flame.  It shouldn't sound comical; it should sound like the light goes out - but the smoke yet rises.  It doesn't have to be a long pedal, but you play it so short it reminds me of a car horn.

Walter Ramsey



Offline zheer

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2794
Re: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
Reply #2 on: October 02, 2009, 06:25:27 PM
A car horn, funny.
" Nothing ends nicely, that's why it ends" - Tom Cruise -

Offline teresa_b

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 610
Re: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
Reply #3 on: November 03, 2009, 03:37:53 PM
Hi zheer, I think it's very nice!  I agree with Walter's idea of not putting rubato into the flickering accompaniment, but I totally don't agree with playing it at twice the tempo--Your overall tempo sounds fine to me.  I think you could do more with the section that has the sort of twittering crescendo passage that ends in the climactic chord, and again I agree with Walter about the end--use some pedal and allow it to fade up and away, don't punctuate the last notes at all. 

Keep up the nice work!  :)
Teresa

Offline zheer

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2794
Re: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
Reply #4 on: November 12, 2009, 09:14:15 PM
Tanx,

This prelude is open to different interpretation, this is my interpretation of this prelude at this moment, the rubato wasn't intentional, I wasn't aware of it, it just came out that way. The rest well I'm not a music analyst.

Thanx and best wishes.
" Nothing ends nicely, that's why it ends" - Tom Cruise -

Offline gyzzzmo

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2209
Re: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
Reply #5 on: November 12, 2009, 10:27:20 PM
Hi Zheer,

with some tweaks, i like your performance, even the rubato in the right hand. Ofcourse other pianists usually play the right hand very even, but i think your interpretation can be musically sound.
The tweaks though ;) :
The right hand should be much smoother played and lighter, the music is about the left hand ofcourse. And the rubato you do should be abit less suddenly (wich ofcourse i also mean with 'smoother').
Your car horn at the end could be the right length, IF you play it piano or pianissimo.

I find this interpretation of yours much better than your schubert one even if nobody plays this prelude like you do ;) , good job.

Gyzzzmo
1+1=11

Offline zheer

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2794
Re: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
Reply #6 on: November 14, 2009, 07:22:01 PM
Tanx,

We'll have to agree to dis-agree on the Schubert.
" Nothing ends nicely, that's why it ends" - Tom Cruise -

Offline zheer

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2794
Re: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
Reply #7 on: February 24, 2012, 09:42:50 PM
Hi everyone,

I was listening to my own archive of piano music, my early ones were very bad and they got prgressively worse. Of the lot this is the one which I like the most, never-the-less I've improved on it since.
The piano is KAWAI which I happen to love to play on.
 
I hope you enjoy this piece :)
" Nothing ends nicely, that's why it ends" - Tom Cruise -

Offline asuhayda

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 285
Re: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
Reply #8 on: September 10, 2012, 04:01:29 PM
Why do you start this piece with rubato?  This is not the first time I listened to a recording of this prelude on this website, only to hear it start with a strange rubato that doesn't make sense to me.  The opening figuration is a figuration, it is not a beautiful melody.  It should sound misty, fluttering, shimmering, like an enveloping fog.  When you start with a rubato, it destroys the effect totally. 

I do not completely agree with this.  Actually, I have a  couple of different editions of this piece and have heard many recordings of it.  If you listen to Vladimir Ashkenazy's interpretation, he clearly uses a rubato throughout the entire piece.

Personally, I feel that the melody and not the harmony ultimately drives the tempo of this piece.  While I would agree not to get overly carried away with it, I do not believe the OP has done this.  I think his interpretation is fairly consistent with others that I've heard over time.

One edition that I have calls for a rit. almost immediately preceeding the introduction of the LH melody at m.3, then pushes back up to a meno mosso, and then a rit. to A Tempo and accelerrando while following through to the recap of the melody on page 2.  Clearly, the flow of tempo is attempting to show a cohesiveness to the RH's flow.

I do agree about the staccato note at fine.  It's important to have an abrubt ending.  I like the analogy of the candle blowing out.  That is a very good explanation.

Overall, I like this piece and the way it is played.  Good Job!

Adam
~ if you want to know what I'm working on.. just ask me!

Offline starstruck5

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 798
Re: Rachmaninoff Prelude in G# minor
Reply #9 on: September 12, 2012, 07:08:57 PM
The opening doesn't sound like like rubato to me, but wrong note values altogether -also the dynamics in the opening two bars need to contrast much more -try using the soft pedal to begin -

Overall your playing was quite controlled and beautiful -it is just the attention to fine detail now -
When a search is in progress, something will be found.
For more information about this topic, click search below!
 

Logo light pianostreet.com - the website for classical pianists, piano teachers, students and piano music enthusiasts.

Subscribe for unlimited access

Sign up

Follow us

Piano Street Digicert