Liszt, Consolation No. 3

[chuck75]

New member here. This is from when I was physically able to perform, and is from a taped performance in 1961. Forgive the rather poor quality. If I remember correctly, the piano was a Chickering baby (or maybe a medium) grand, and the tape recorder was a Bell reel-to-reel. I don't recall the exact recording setup since a friend took care of that.
Of all my personal tapes, only this one survived, and was transcribed to MP3 format for me.
Thanks for the listen.

[robpina]

I enjoyed your recording. You played with a lot of emotion and with very good phrasing imo.

[birba]

I was mesmerized by this.  Something about that clicking undertone (which accelerated when you accelerated the cadenza!) with a most beautiful sounding piano.  It was almost like a piano roll - one steady -VERY steady tempo from beginning to end, except when you hit the cadenza and you shot off like wildfire at a constant speed.  I'm just wondering.  Did you study this with a teacher?  Or did you learn it on your own?  And were you playing from memory or reading the music.  because it was full of mistakes - but mistakes that only someone who knows the piece could hear.  Mis-readings maybe is the more correct word.  Your tone, like I said , was beautiful.  (I use the past tense because I get the impression you don't play anymore).
I know what it was!  It was like listening to a silent film with the sound of the projector in the background, and the accompanying music of the pianist!  I have to say I liked the whole impression!

[megadodd]

It was a bit to mechanical for my subjective taste~ nonetheless well played.
I would argue that it would be alot more pleasing to listen to if it was a tad more dynamic changes, when you go from pp to p and then to mf. I don't really know if I noticed a difference on the marked places in the score ( of my version ).
There was some wrong notes, though I have never cared that much, if it sounds great, it's great.
And I know I said it was too mechanical for me, but I enjoyed listening to it.
I don't think it would matter but, that clicking sound made it, a very pieceful moment.
I imagined just as birba said, the projector in the back of my room- and holy frack that's exactly how it sounds!

[starstruck5]

Even though the music sounded a bit typed out in places - there is something very moving about this performance -given the context in which you have posted it.  It is sad that you are not physically able to perform anymore.

That tape recorder is like a time machine. Awesome.

[chuck75]

Thanks all for your kind comments. To respond to some questions: I did not study the Liszt Consolation with a teacher, just did it on my own. If I recall correctly, it was played mostly from memory, though I had the printed copy at the piano. (I remember that the friend who did the recording also turned the pages for me).
I'm certainly not surprised about the mistakes -- I doubt that a quest for perfection or absolute accuracy were ever my strong points.
The playing probably was somewhat mechanical -- I recall an instructor once telling me that I must have had a built-in metronome.
I cannot account for the "clicking sound" which I assumed had been part of the tape recording process somehow.
Thanks again all for listening and for your reponses.

[birba]

Not MISTAKES!!!!!!!!  Don't take me for being someone who counts mistakes.  Mis-readings.  In fact, you played note-perfect!  You mis-read the notes and ties because there was no teacher guiding you.  And it's true!  You sound like you have a metronome inside of you.  I really did enjoy this consolation, believe me!