VIDEO: Medtner - Forgotten Melodies Op.38 No.8 - Alla Reminiscenza

[hodi]

yes, i know the left hand is too loud at some places, i am working on it
this is my first video after more than a year and a half without recording at all. my studies kept me busy so i didn't have much time to play the piano
but i had a vacation for 3 months so i have managed to study and record this piece

[mike_lang]

So beautiful, I had to listen to it twice!  Congratulations on a very nice performance :-)

I would only make two general comments.

First, there could be a little more directionality within phrases (at least at the beginning, they seem to be of somewhat regular length, in spite of the unusual polyrhythmia).  This could be as simple as a little bit of recession at the end of phrases before the beginning of a new one.  That having been said, there were moments of tension masterfully produced that had me on the edge of my seat, in the best sense.  Perhaps other phrases could set this in relief by being delineated a little bit more?

Second, I would also like some of the unexpected harmonies to be relished a little bit more (e.g., :42).

Overall, very very nice!  Thank you for bringing this treasure to the audition room.

Sincerely,
Mike

[pianoplayjl]

Well done! managing  to learn a piece in 3 months is excellent in my opinion. Appropriately named, it is indeed forgotten by pianists and neglected in the standard repertoire. Beautiful dynamics too! This piece has certainly made me think about medtner's music and make me listen more to his music. Thankyou for sharing!

[rachfan]

Hi hodi,

I think you played this piece very nicely indeed.  Thanks for sharing it with us!

David

[kellyc]

Hi: A very nice piece. I am always perplexed as to how specific I should be when commenting on pieces where I don't really know the skill level of the pianist.  So Ill just mention to small things that I thought you could work on just a little. First and it only happens at one spot.  The trill at the 40 second spot needs a little more control and to be a hair lighter.  Second, in the left hand you have a typical um pa pa going on, but there are times when after the base notes are played both of the chords are exactly the same. But , there are times when there not. The last chord on the third beat slides to a different harmony. You need to differentiate between where both chords on the second and third beat are the same and when they change. Make sure that harmonic slide stands out just a tad more than it does.  Over all you played this well enough to perk my interest and want to actually take a look at the score more closely. THanks for posting and doing an overall nice job.

kelly

[scottmcc]

this is very nicely done overall, and you've managed to make a very difficult bit of music sound far easier to play than it is.  the interpretation is significantly different than that of the recording I have (Hamelin), which makes it a little difficult to offer specific criticism because clearly you play it differently than him, but not necessarily wrongly by any means.  it's one of those situations where my only concept of the piece is according to that other recording, and so hearing it differently it just doesn't sound quite right, even though it's a valid interpretation in its own right.  hopefully this makes sense, and don't take this as me saying I don't like it.

one thing I didn't like though: camera shake.  a tripod will neatly take care of this.

[hodi]

Thank you all for your detailed and helpful comments!

[Derek]

I'm not very familiar with this composer so I don't think I can provide any additional constructive observations, but I really enjoyed the performance. Between you, rachfan, and others I'm going to have to start listening to more forgotten russian composers... =D

One comment though---I think how loud the left hand is is a matter of taste. I've always liked to hear it louder than most people like to hear it. Maybe it was due to hearing left-hand oriented music most of my youth (boogie woogie).