Beethoven Moonlight Sonata mvt 3

[raph_a_el]

  Hello,
Well, here's my recording of this wonderful piece:

My piano is a bit out of tune, sorry about that...

All opinions, advice, criticism, are welcomed.

Thxs,
Cheers,
R.

[birba]

That was very good.  I liked it a lot!

[perfect_pitch]

Don't worry about the out-of-tune piano...

Probably adds to the authenticity of the piece at the time Beethoven was alive   

Well done. I listened all the way through, thinking it was very well performed. As for advice... I'd lose yourself a bit more in the Cadenza passages... really think of a frenzied-mayhem.

Other than that, I was just happy with your performance. Well done.

[raph_a_el]

Thanks birba and perfect_pitch, that others enjoy is very encouraging and rewarding.
perfect_pitch, yes, the out of tune piano somewhat adds to the authenticity, but sometimes, it hurts my ears! I'll have it tuned soon.

 Other criticism ? There has to be, this is not at concert level for sure...

Thanks,
Cheers,
R.

[pianist1976]

I also think that it's pretty good. I'm not really bothered about the piano (these are "home recordings" and we do record with what we have on hand, unfortunately it's not that easy to record in a Steinway D just tuned and with a pro recoding equipment and hire a sound engineer only for our tests ).

Anyway I think that there's room to improvement in your rendition. In my opinion the tempo of the entire movement must be kept basically always the same (except when the composer orders otherwise). I don't know if it is only a perception of mine but I think that you are delaying the tempo when the lyrical 2nd theme appears. You can try this with a metronome (must not be abused but in judicious dose can be very beneficial).

Another point that I think can be improved is the dynamic contrast in the opening arpeggios. The "piano" nuance must be, in my opinion, softer than you play and/or the "sforzando" must be louder in order to the audience perceive the contrast (I know that the piano and recording conditions are not ideal but I think that this can be anyway improved or at least be tried or improving the intention).

When the lyrical theme appears in the left hand I think that must be listened with a greater clarity. In my opinion it's many times hidden by a louder right hand accompaniment.

Hope this can help. Anyway, is just an opinion. Keep the good work  

[pianisten1989]

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like you've got several different tempi. And more dynamic differences.. I just read what Pianist1976 wrote, and I agree with her.. or him.

Other than that, I liked it

[pianist1976]

I just read what Pianist1976 wrote, and I agree with her.. or him

Yeah, my nickname doesn't reveal my gender and I forgot to specify it in my profile If someone is interested in knowing it, I just updated my forum profile

[joegargiulomusic]

Thank you for your presentation and all the hours of labor that went into it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. You play with great clarity and I like to hear all the parts cleanly. With your piano 'condition',  I think the instrument is generating multitudes of additional overtones and I especially notice that in the upper register it seems a little muddy because of that. I know it's not your playing and it may also just be my perception. There are many on this forum that are much more knowledgeable than I in this area and maybe they will respond. Is there a piano technician in the audience?
Thanks again for your beautiful performance.
Joe Gargiulo

[solstyce]

That piano doesn't sound as out of tune as it does just old. I had a piano that sounded like that for a long time, but the 102 year old piano I bought recently sounds amazing, some of the keys sound like new. I love it so much.

Oh and you are AMAZING. I want to learn this.

[raph_a_el]

Thanks for your responses. In fact, the piano is brand new (bought new in May). But at the time of this recording, it had never been tuned, except at the factory (and at the vendor's but I'm not sure about this...). Moreover, the recording conditions may not be optimal. I recorded with an H2 standing on a chair besides me, with the lid closed. Now it has just been tuned, and it sounds much better. I'll post more recordings later. I'll have it voiced soon, as well.

Back to the sonata, it's true that the lyrical sections are slower than the rest, and this is more or less intentional. In fact, I prefer those sections not too fast, they are more lyrical that way, I think. On the contrary, I like the arpeggios and other sections fast. But maybe there should be less difference between the tempi. My teacher always insisted that the tempo should always remain the same. As a result, I was often blamed for playing like a robot. I even failed the 8th year exam for that reason. Years later, I now give myself more freedom with the tempo and other things, trying to play more naturally. I guess I have to find a compromise between the two...

Cheers,
R.

[mcdiddy1]

Very impressive recording. I played that before and it sounds excellent. The only improvements i suggest has already been said by others
- Faster, moving foward lyrical (B)section
-increasing louder Sf accents
-louder left hand melody.
-softer in beginning

But overally it is very cleanly played, accurate rhythm, very much in the style of Beethoven.
Congradulations on your hard work