Debussy, Arabesque No.1

[oliversadie]

I haven't logged on for few days, so I was quite surprised to see a recording of Debussy's Arabesque so near the top of the threads - a co-incidence I assure you!

I wish I had the crisp recording equipment that Becky has, it's such a clean performance cleanly recorded (nice work Becky!). I am using a modestly priced Sony stereo mic taped in position over the strings.

Anyway, to the recording below. About a year ago I spent a few weeks learning this, then left it. Returned to it tonight and the below is the best take. Plenty of note mistakes, I'm aware of them all - feel free to point them out individually if you really must, but as an enthusiastic amateur pianist with a boring day job I don't get to practise as much as I did growing up :-/ so I play more for the listening enjoyment of it than the technical perfection of it.

I love this piece, I love hearing it and I love playing it. I hope you like my (somewhat flawed) delivery and interpretation.

(Reason for edit: Switched subject to Composer, Piece)

[roger_1948]

Very Nice:  I got such a good feeling listening to this.  And dont compare yourself.  Really. We all know Becky is a little tecnique machine. but maybe , you have something that She still needs to acquire.  An adult emotional understanding of the music.  I know i felt you reach out to me when I heard this.  And who gives a darn if its perfect. Its art, not science.  In fact now that im done writing , I think Ill go listen again. 

Please , Post more.

Roger

[oliversadie]

Thank you Roger! That was a very quick response, you must be a big listener on the forum! Thanks for the nice comments too, I'm glad you felt it.

This was my first non-improv post and I see the level of performance from the other contributors is astonishingly good, will enjoy spending some time going through this "Audtion Room".

[ongaku_oniko]

OMG SO MANY MISTAKES IT HURTS MY EARS


nah, just kidding.

Don't worry, it's not bad at all! I am trying to learn this piece now too, and the 3/2 is a pain in the butt.

I like your interpretation. I know you are an amateur with a job, and not much time, but if you wanted to perfect this piece slowly overtime, a few things that I can see is
1. a faster tempo would be nice. I personally think quarter note = 102-108 is a good range.
2. Some parts the left hand can be slightly less loud. Just slighty.
Otherwise, it's really good! much better than me.

[scottmcc]

yes, there are a few sour notes here and there, and the tempo is a little slower than I would prefer, but I think you should be commended on a fine overall performance of a deceptively challenging piece of music.  as roger alluded to, I think you "get it" in terms of the musical feeling of this piece beyond just the mechanics.  keep at it!

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

That was beautiful!  I prefer it faster, but I still liked your interpretation. It sounds smooth I felt like it really conveyed the mood. I learned this piece about a year ago too, and although I enjoyed it, it was frustrating I just could not "get it" emotionally. Listening to you play inspires me to relearn this...

Edit: This is my 5th time listening =D

[oliversadie]

ongaku_oniko,
scottmcc,
thinkgreenlovepiano,

Thank you so much for your useful feedback! The consistent opinion seems to be to speed it up a notch - thanks ongaku for suggesting a specific range for this.

scottmcc, I think sour notes are the easiest thing to address first, and I'm now resolved to get at least that right (how many more iterations can it take? Not that many!)

thinkgreen - repeated plays are the sincerest form of flattery, thank you for listening!

[ch101]

Hi Oliver.
Nice job. One thing I like about this piece is the flow, and I think that maybe you were a little frigid or tense. Remember this is Debussy. And do not worry about the little mistakes. Those can be fixed, and aside from the overall feeling your technique seems perfect for this.

[becky8898]

Hey you know what. I didnt look close when you posted this and thought it was me.  DAH.

Nice job - I think you like this music  - and maybe understand it better than I do.  Notes arent everything.  All the stuff which other people told you about that needs doing, will come in time.  In fact im going to play thief and still some of the way you played this and try to use it myself. 

Post more - it would be great to listen to you. 

Cheers, Becky

[oliversadie]

Becky, ch101, thanks so much for the very encouraging and useful feedback!