Medtner op. 20

[furtwaengler]

EDIT: FLAC and 320 kbps versions of the previously uploaded Liszt and this Medtner can be found here: https://www.mediafire.com/#7nmftkdeabv1v

I love Medtner; I love Medtner; I love Medtner; Oh, I *LOVE* Medtner!

And these two piece are probably his most often performed. Andhow absolutely owns these as I'm sure you have heard either in here, or on youtube. Nevertheless, I must take a breath and share this. (Goodness, I cannot sleep I'm spending time listening to my own recordings...a dangerous night!)

One reason I have to share these at this point is because of the comments I've already made regarding the Yamaha C7 and the Liszt Sonata recording - You must not get the wrong impression: I am convinced sounds so varied and unique have hardly come out of this piano, or many other pianos. This piano is capable of captivating with an endless variety of tones when the moment is right. I owe this particular evenness (incredible evenness) to a student named Garen and his father. Garen is a trombone player and really and excellent musician, and the live performance you hear of Medtner's two pieces is from his Senior recital, November 12, 2011, in which in addition to collaborative duties I was giving his chops a break. I completely bombed the run through at the dress rehearsal the day before, which made me quite weary of how the performance was going to go. I went upstairs afterwards and hammered away at it, trying desperately to get it in order. Meanwhile, downstairs in the auditorium, Garen and his father were tuning and tweaking the C7. I did not even realize this until I returned downstairs to make recordings for study. At the first note I couldn't believe it...the piano was so smooth and so even that I could not even hear what I was playing. It was a bizarre, otherworldly evenness. For this purpose I must include the "not live" take with the live (In fact...good thing I returned downstairs...this thing need some breaking in!). Have you heard a piano sound like that?

Also, the difference between live and not live performance results always fascinate me in my own performances, and in those of others. It must be the psychology of giving.

Tell me what you think!

Dave (loves Medtner).

[furtwaengler]

BAH...ONE...MORE....TIME!!!!

[rachfan]

Hi Dave,

Bravo!!!  Both performances are marvelous!  Absolutely spendid!  The "Allegro con espressione" is a lush, unabashed romantic piece (not all that common for Medtner).  And "La Campanella" is an extraordinary bravura piece with many demanding intricacies.  I believe that your performance of both are excellent and you communicate them very well to the listener which is what is most important in any performance. Once in awhile I believe there could have been a bit more clarity in the layering of the music along with a more precise pedaling.  However, having played Medtner's very thick textures myself, I know how very difficult that can be to achieve, especially in the heat of the battle!  So my hat is off to you!  I hadn't seen you much at Piano Street lately, so now I know why--you've been busy practicing!

Regarding the C7, overall I liked its sound.  These pianos with their 7'6" length are meant to be placed mostly in smaller auditoriums and recital rooms.  In the past I've tried some of their smaller models like the C5 but didn't much care for them.  The bass seemed woody, the tenor was plain vanilla, and the treble was bright bordering on shrieking. I thought I was playing three different pianos with one keyboard!  One thing I really like about Yamaha though is the evenness of the touch throughout the entire scale.  Given that the C7 is at the top of the C line, Yamaha probably uses a superior scale design and likely prepares the C7s more thoroughly than the lower number models prior to delivery.  The only criticism I would make about the piano is that the upper registers are so bright that they often overshadow the bass which should normally be more powerful at loud dynamics.  Sometimes the bass can't hold its own here despite your efforts to bring it out.  

Thanks for sharing these recordings!  They were very exciting, and I'll be listening to them several times, I'm sure.

David

[furtwaengler]

David, Thanks very much for listening and sharing your insight on the C7. This is a small auditorium and a bright piano. There has been a problem in the bass A-flat for as long as I've known this piano, and lately the sostenuto has been somehow carrying a few extra bass notes effecting the resonance (it is a real sostenuto though).

I think the live performance has much more clarity in the layers then either of the dry runs. Part of this is because I was playing much faster than I should have been. In general La Campanella presents some challenges for pedaling. Medtner calls for much pedaling throughout the score, but the articulation suggests less pedaling. And then I think...oh, big Russian, clanging bells...and I see what he's getting at. Resonance then plays an important role. My focus became more on the immensity of the sound and harmonic tension vertically then the passage of the voices linearly (Though I certainly didn't want to discount this).

I should play these again soon, me thinks...and a slower. 

[rachfan]

Hi Dave,

I am hoping others here will listen to these two important Medtner pieces.  If they don't, they're missing out terribly!  You might want to edit your title field to Op. 20, "Allegro con espressione" and "La Campanella" to eliminate the mystery factor.  True, some might mistake La Campanella for Liszt's piece, but that's OK.  After they listen to Medtner's, they might like his even better!! I know I do.  You put a lot of work into these pieces as is immediately evident in your wonderful playing!

David

[furtwaengler]

Thanks for the encouragement, David.

[andhow04]

thanks for your nice words regarding my op.20!  i feel bad because i so rarely comment on others recordings; i've meant to occasionally and either never got around to it or sometimes just didn't know what to say, whether i liked the recording more or less. anyways i'll try and be more social in that regard.

i listened to the live recording, and i think it's great - the op.20 no.1 had the right amount of flexibility and it really told the story. i was a bit less convinced maybe 12 bars from the end, and thought the timing was a bit off from then on; i get the sense that it winds down in a more straight line because of the bit in the left hand that repeats a;ternating octaves and single notes. before that, when you have the leaps with the crescendo right before the forte pesante bit with the main theme coming back one last time, i think it needs more time and a bigger crescendo, to give ane ffect like a fugue with a climactic subject.

the op.20 no.2 tempo was great, and i was afraid that you would speed up but you didn't.  even in my playing i tend to speed up even a little bit when the right hand first comes in, and that's a bad habit. congratulations!

[fnork]

Very solid performances of these two masterpieces, enjoyed it very much! Good attention to detail, and also harmonic and textural shifts. Keep up the good work!

[scottmcc]

I didn't listen to all the takes.  But I definitely enjoyed the ones I did hear! As a piece I prefer the allegro con espressione but you certainly did a great job with both.  I'm glad that medtner has been getting some air time here lately.

[emill]

hello Dave ...

Could not help but be drawn to listen to this Medtner piece because of your profuse " i love Medtner" expressions and did not regret it.... this piece is GUSHING with romance!!!! just beautiful.
And you play with a lot of romance too!   THANKS.

Yes the Yamaha C7 seems to be a marked improvement over their previous series. Enzo is so impressed with it too.  He was able to play in a brand new piano recently and was profuse with praise for it ..... he says it was so easy to produce what he wanted the piece to sound or something to that effect.

best wishes,

stephen

[goldentone]

I enjoyed this so much, Dave.  You play the Allegro con Espressione wonderfully in the grand manner.  Don't leave us for long again.

[starstruck5]

Wonderful playing. I can't get too excited by Medtner -too many notes! I think you do a fine job in relating the passionate nature of his music though.