Liadoff, four Preludes, Opp. 33/1, 36/3, 39/2 and 46/4

[rachfan]

Here I’ve selected some preludes of Anatol Liadoff (1855-1914).  Liadoff was a Russian late romantic composer who had studied piano at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and composition with Rimsky-Korsakov and in 1887 joined the faculty teaching mostly composition.  The principal influence in his music was Chopin.  Liadoff was long fascinated by counterpoint, and in his polyphonic style the left hand often transcends mere accompaniment and blooms into a rich counter melody.  Consequently, I sometimes, not always, chose to treat the balancing of the hands more as a duet between voices.  (Incidentally, I found this tendency in Catoire’s music too, which is not surprising as he had studied composition with Liadoff.)
  
   Here are the ones I recorded:

Prelude (on a Russian theme), Op. 33, No. 1 marked adagio, composed in 1889 and dedicated to Nicolas Abramitschew;

Prelude, Op. 36, No. 3 marked moderato from 1895 and dedicated to Alexandra Markoff;

Prelude, Op. 39, No. 2 marked adagio, also from 1895, and dedicated to Felix Blumenfeld; and

Prelude, Op. 46, No. 4 marked lamentoso, from 1899 and dedicated to I. A. Lomazansky.

   These miniatures are very short, altogether approximately 5 minutes total listening time, so I hope you’ll want to hear and enjoy the entire group.

Comments welcome.

Piano: Baldwin Model L Artist Grand (6’3”) with lid opened on the singer stick.
Recorder: Korg MR-1000
Microphones: Earthworks TC-20 matched pair of small diaphragm omni-directional condenser mics in
A-B configuration    

[emill]

Hi David!

Yes!!! ... sounds so Chopin .... it is a soft and gentle piece which can launch one into a dreamy or romantic or even a sad mood (stretching it a little bit).  As usual you play it from your heart and with good recording too.

btw ... can you explain the A-B mic setup .... is that the separation and degree angulation and distance of the omni mics in relation to the piano?  THANKS.

emill

[rachfan]

Hi emill,

Thanks for listening and for your nice compliment on my playing.  I appreciate it!  Did you listen to only one of the preludes, or all four?  Hearing all of them is only 5 minutes.  These are true miniatures.

In the A-B method of recording, two microphones, preferably a matched pair (one serial number apart showing they were both made at the same time) are used to create a stereo recording.  Depending on room acoustics the two mics are placed out in front of the grand piano's curve at a distance of 5 feet or even farther away.  In my room I position them 8 feet in front of the piano, as my Baldwin is very powerful in the living room.  Because every music room acoustic, piano, mics, recorder, and pianist are different, the positioning decision involves extensive experimentation until the optimal distance or "sweet spot" is discovered.  Thereafter, the same positioning is always used.  The two mics for best results should be small-diaphragm condenser mics with omni-directional capsules to incorporate piano sound and room ambiance too.  Cartioid pattern mics are not as successful in enabling a rich, blended, and finished sound.  They are justified if the pianist has to contend with loud external sounds outside the dwelling. They must be on adjustable stands exactly side by side and parallel such that sound will reach both mics simultaneously.  The separation between the mics themselves is always 12 inches exactly.  For more treble the two stands can be moved to the left toward the hammer line in the piano while maintaining the 12" parallel separation.  Or if more bass is desired, they can similarly be moved to toward the right, or tail of the piano while maintaining parallel 12" separation.  As for the stands, the  typical elevation of the mics on stands would be about 4 1/2 feet high in a room with a standard 8 foot ceiling.  If the piano lid is open on the full prop, then the mics are inclined upward pointing at the top edge of the open piano lid.  The sound there is pure, whereas if the mics are pointed straight ahead at the middle of the open lid there is too much reflective sound "wash" from the lid.  If only the short "singer prop" is in use to hold up the lid, then the mics are declined downward but still aimed at the top edge of the lid.  For best results the piano should be recently tuned, the recorder should be a very good table top model, mics should collect a neutral, natural sound from the piano without adding any color to it, and mic cables, while not having to be the best, should be close to it.  The cables generally use XRL connections.  Many hand-held recorders offer one or no XRL connections, that is you must use their on-board mics, or you might be able to use one mono external mic.  Table top models offer more features and recording capacity.  A-B configuration is the best choice for classical music.  Placing mics inside the piano or very near the piano using XY configuration emphasizes the percussive element of the instrument.  That's good for jazz and pops, but not classical music.  Bottom line: Given all of that, the most important element in the recording process is always... the pianist!

I hope that explains it sufficiently.

David

[goldentone]

Hi David,

I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to these preludes!  Liadoff's writing is very pure, don't you think?  He seems quite a contrast with Catoire in that respect.  No. 2 is my favorite of the four.  They are short pieces, but wear well.  Well played.  And the trills in the fourth are splendid.  I hope you come back to Liadoff later on.

[rachfan]

Hi goldentone,

It's almost impossible not to like these pieces.  They're all miniatures, but each is a gem.  One of the things that Liadoff and Catoire share is the handling of melody.  Both will sometimes manage the polyphony such that it begins in the left hand and transfers into the right hand.  Those shifts have to be handled carefully, mostly through touch and dynamic control to keep it all seamless.  Liadoff does aim for a pure sound.  Catoire often attains that too, but can be more complex, as he probes deeper levels of musical thought and human emotions in my opinion.

Yesterday someone persuaded me to play more Liadoff, so I'm now planning to turn to four more preludes before leaving this composer for other repertoire.

Thanks for listening, and I'm glad that you enjoyed these lesser known pieces.  They exude much beauty, so I hope they'll catch on here at Piano Street.

David

[emill]

Hi again there David!

First of all THANKS for the detailed description of the types of equipment and their preferred placements. I printed it for better digestion as I plan to experiment a little during Enzo's practice at the recital hall in 2 weeks time. It is always a challenge to make the recording sound almost exactly how it sounded during the recording in the concert hall, more so if one uses regular equipment.

Thanks for listening and for your nice compliment on my playing.  I appreciate it!  Did you listen to only one of the preludes, or all four?  Hearing all of them is only 5 minutes.  These are true miniatures.  

Strange question.... hehheehehe ....  I always listen to the whole posting (even those done by SLOW) ... but please forgive me since I would not dare comment beyond how the piece and the player impresses me personally.  As you already probably know, I have no formal training with the piano.

[rachfan]

Hi emill,

Recording in a concert hall raises new issues that are different from making home recordings, especially owing to the vastly different acoustics there.  So the placement of the microphones might be quite different, including being mounted on tall booms, etc.  You might want to search the internet for tips on recording in large halls. 

Even if you're not a trained pianist, I still greatly appreciate you as a wonderful listener. 

David

[scottmcc]

oh man, I almost missed these recordings!  I always try to listen to what you post, but these almost slipped through the cracks.  anyway, I agree with everything that has been said above, and as usual I congratulate you on bringing unfamiliar music to my attention.  thanks!!!

[rachfan]

Hi Scott,

I knew you'd be along sometime , and am glad you didn't miss these preludes.  As a "heads-up" come July I should have four more posted here.  Thanks for listening!

David