Rachmaninoff-3 Etudes-Tableaux op. 39-F sharp minor, B minor, Eb minor

[awesom_o]

sup yo
No. 3 in F sharp minor:

(this one was the newest for me of the 3 I performed here-a bit shaky/sketchy here and there, a couple of bad fails)

No. 4 in B minor:

No. 5 in Eb minor:

Hope you all enjoy. Comments, criticism, advice, etc, are all welcome, thanks.

[ramseytheii]

I watched f# and b minor and enjoyed them.  I also like your look. 

F# minor is in my opinion just too loud.  If you look at the dynamics, they are much more sprightily marked than you interpret... especially at the beginning, if you play the f# chord that loud, then the forte at D major doesn't sound any different or more interesting, same thing for the forte a few bars later.  I would advise toning it down a lot and achieving a lighter, sprightlier feel.

B minor was well played though how could you possibly omit the first page repeat?  That's just wrong.  In general, I think that the rhythm should be more straightforward, with rubato reserved for the refrains, and possibly moments of climax.  This is not an etude that exudes sentiment.

Nice job!

Walter Ramsey

[awesom_o]

Walter, firstly I must thank you for your prompt reply.

I strongly agree with you regarding many aspects of the F-sharp minor etude.

I opened it with too much emphasis on the declamatory character, despite the marked mezzo forte, which left no room for the D major forte to have the effect it needed to have.

While a lighter, more sinuous sound can always be achieved in Rachmaninoff's music, I DO think that the climaxes in this are pretty significant, even though FF is only marked once in the score. I certainly agree that the climaxes will stand out more and be much more effective if the overall feel of the piece is a bit more subdued. It is difficult to get right, this one-there is tons of beautiful, lyrical material in the RH with great harmonies in the accompaniment. Doing this material justice without hampering the overall structure and flow is not something I have quite managed to achieve here yet.

I'm not sure I see eye-to-eye with you as much in regards to the B minor. While I agree that it certainly does not exude sentiment, I do think that there is a great deal of rhythmic character in the piece that I worry would be ironed-out were I to play it more straightforward rhythmically. Obviously, I do not seek to distort the rhythm here in order to create sentiment.
If an intelligent listener such as yourself who is clearly familiar with the piece perceives my treatment of the rhythm in this etude as being self-indulgent on the verge of idiosyncracy, I haven't quite succeeded.

One of my teachers also found it a bit overdone, so you are in good company.

Please listen to the Eb minor when you have the time-I look forward to hearing your feedback on it.
Thanks again!

[rachfan]

Hi awesom,

I agree with Walter's comments above.  

There are some other points I want to mention though.  First, I think you give much thought and attention to elements of late romantic music that contribute to success in performance.  You do much with voicing, voice leading, rubato, dynamic contrasts, foreground versus background, melodic versus harmonic, command of touch, expressiveness, and managing the romantic surges in your playing. Being able to carefully work toward and to recede from "the point" in a Rachmaninoff piece is key, and you do it very well.  You bring out the lush, passionate and opulent sound of Rachmaninoff too.  Your playing also discretely allows some of your own individuality to imbue your interpretations.  This last point differentiates your playing from the plain vanilla renditions which are all too common and prevalent these days.  Continue to do that!

I enjoyed listening to your performance.

David

[tds]

i watched the e flat minor. fantastic!! thanks for sharing, buddy

[johnlewisgrant]

I have Richter for the first two, sort of benchmark for me, and your account although different is equally convincing musically.  

BTW, is that a D you're playing?   The tone and tuning in the partly reverberent space is very cool.

JG

[awesom_o]

JG,
That is high praise indeed.... mentioning me in the same sentence as Richter. Perhaps you are too kind 

Yes, that is a Hamburg D, less than five years old, in a 350 seat auditorium. Most of my videos involve D's, although the Rachmaninoff Sonata was done on a CFIIIS.

Thank you for the encouraging words! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) there is always so much more progress to be made. The better you get, the more work you realize you have to do.


I have quite a big recital coming up soon-hopefully I will get a round of new videos up.

I will be playing these 3 Rachmaninoff Etudes plus two more (D minor from op. 33 and D minor from op. 39-for me two of Rachmaninoff's MOST beautiful works), plus Beethoven op. 31/3.
The second half will consist of randomly Schubert op. 142/4 and Chopin 12 Etudes op. 10

Thanks again for the extreme praise. I'm not worthy. If you're in England at all, you should check out this upcoming recital. It's in Bath, on May 22nd, for the Bath Recital Artists' Trust. Given the magnitude of the programme, I absolutely cannot guarantee the absence of fakerudyness, but I will do my best to make sure it is a flavourful explosion nonetheless.

[johnlewisgrant]

Bath... a beautiful town, and one that I have visited a number of times, including on one occasion (in my troubled youth) when |I was fortunate to gain entrance to and swim in the baths, now closed to the public, which is probably a good thing. 

Yes, the comparison to Richter is high praise; but the fact is that few pianists can really bring this music to life.  So the comparison is apt and and completely deserved.

John Lewis Grant