Robert Schumann • Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (in Kinderszenen Op. 15)

[vonwaldstein]

Hi everyone,

I'm a French student and amateur pianist. I'm 21 year-old.
You will find enclosed my interpretation of the first scene from childhood by Schumann.
It was recorded on the 22d of april with my Yamaha P70 and Pianoteq 2.3

Hope you will like it

[birba]

That was nice.  I hope you get to play on a real piano once in a while.  You'll find you're going to have change your technique - drastically.  And the sound is more satisfying, as well.
Are you a student who studies French or are you a French student?  Just curious, because I've just spent 3 months in France.

[vonwaldstein]

That was nice.  I hope you get to play on a real piano once in a while.  You'll find you're going to have change your technique - drastically.  And the sound is more satisfying, as well.
Are you a student who studies French or are you a French student?  Just curious, because I've just spent 3 months in France.

Thank you
Actually, I get to play on a real piano quite regularly since I own one. But it is old and a bit out of tune. This is the reason why I prefer to use my numeric piano when I'm recording.
But you are right, it is drastically different.
I am a French student who studies in France ^^
Did you spent 3 months in France for your studies, or your work? Where were you? I did an academic exchange last semester. I was in Edinburgh

[birba]

No, I waited out the winter for three months in antibes.  It was wonderful, and I really like the french.  J'ai étudié le francais dans un'école internationale.  Je prenais deux lecons par semaine. (il n'y a pa le cedille!)  Moi, je suis americain. 

[vonwaldstein]

Must have been nice Moi je vis plus au Nord, à Mâcon, je ne sais pas si tu connais.

[birba]

No.  Mais les vins de la bourgogne, oui!

[vonwaldstein]

Ah ah ! That's almost all you've got to know about it

[oxy60]

Switch on the metronome! Otherwise the piece sounds nice. You need to maintain that "two beat to the bar" feel throughout and from section to section. Try about 90bpm per quarter note. Make the retards and the holds to taste. Then return to tempo. You also need to distinguish between the triplet eighths that form the basis of the piece and the dotted eighth sixteenth pattern that goes against it. That sixteenth needs to fall after the last triplet eighth.

I don't quite understand why your Yamaha sounds like that unless you just recorded from its speakers onto your video camera microphone. I record wire to wire and then if needed put that track onto the video (double system).

I am a great fan of Schumann. A Schumann married a famous soprano who lived near me. Her accompanist was my mentor.

[birba]

I wanna know I wanna know!!!  Who was the soprano and who was her accompanist!!!

[oxy60]

I wanna know I wanna know!!!  Who was the soprano and who was her accompanist!!!

After this no more name dropping from me!

She was Ernestine Schumann Heink and at the console of the Spreckels Organ was Royal Brown on a day dedicated to her during 1935 Exposition. 50,000 were in the audience.

Royal Brown had arranged known pieces so they could be learned and played in a week for church services when he was a church organist before his senior position when I met him. He offered some of those pieces with suggestions for the services I was doing. Those arrangements saved me. At the rate of needing three new (solo) pieces a week I could use all the help I was offered. Of all the teachers I had, I learned more from him without taking a lesson than all of the others. combined.

[birba]

Whoa!  Hats off. 

[ermintkalec]

Hi!

Congrats.
I think, you should play this piece more musical. There are 2 melodies; 1st, and most important - in soprano (B, G, F sharp, E, D...), 2nd, left hand bass (G, C sharp, D, F). And than there are also middle notes (triolas). those should be played quietly. Pay attention also, than melody in soparno goes from B to G, and than there is a solution Fsharp E D...

[oxy60]

Whoa!  Hats off. 

Thank you! Actually there is more to this than dropping big names. It involves the interpretation of music from the romantic period. The soprano died before I was born but my mentor brought some practical ideas about how to approach that music.

These days it is difficult to find anyone who has experienced any part of the romantic movement. I got in on the tail end. Only now can I reflect on what it was like.

Right now I am in Palm Springs and will try to have a drink (toasting you) at a bar named after you.

Salud!

[vonwaldstein]

Hi everyone and thank you for your advice.
I am going to post an other interpretation for this. I think it is better than what I submitted to you and it's on an actual grand piano. 

Thanks again!