Rachmaninov, Prelude op 32 n 12 updated

[costicina]

Your so useful comments/advices on my previous preformance pointed out rightly how it lacked ‘unity’, i.e., how I failed  to give the idea of an organic whole, respecting at the same time the inner variety of the piece. It happens so much in these 4 pages!....Of course, there are many other wrinkles to iron, and once again I’m here to ask your help to make a focussed, efficient polishing work....Thanks a lot in advance

[candlelightpiano]

Nice, Marg!  I'd never heard of this piece before, naturally. I liked the nostalgic melody in the bass with the clear waterfall effect in the treble.  After the nostalgic opening, this piece seems to bristle with tension, like pent up energy that's just trying to get out!  And then it does, like tons of water bursting from a dam gushing through!  I enjoyed it!

[costicina]

 Thank you, Choo!!! The piece is very beautiful, and would deserve a better rendering....I'll try to do it justice 

[49410enrique]

this is a very performance!  

ok i like your attention to the big 'pins' that hold together the frame work of the piece, that is you have it 1. memorized (yes!!), 2. basic dynamics and since of phrase structure , 3. nice energy!

i think you have it in you and your hands to play this to even greater effect, first i think we  widen the gap in contrast of both sound quantity (volume) and quality (touch).

that is let's overall quiet the RH quite a bit, we should be aware of the presence of the part but not have it on the 'forefront', hmm imagery really helps here, think
like this, think of those RH notes like a steady shower across the water's surface, you see the effect of it over all on the water but you're not neccessary seeing and minding every little drop in the 'big picture', think this as the 'feminine' touch, gentle soft, caress the key tops, lightly almost brushing them with relaxed only slightly bent fingers, NO TENSION

now the 'masculine' LH melody, this is a rich deep singing, think cello with a strong bowing, or a tenor vocalist, this is the star of the show!
in terms of touch, try this, grab an apple, or an orange , or tomato, etc.  hold it with you fingertips so that only the tips of the fingers are firm now, shake all the tension out of your arm, that is make it LOOSE so that if it weren't just for your finger tips you would drop the fruit! thats the relaxed feel to shoot for.

try to make us hear the beginning and end of each slur, slight emphasis ont he begining of the slur, and slight dying away of the sound as it ends (i.e. you lifting to complete the gesture).

for our visual, think of your LH melody as that 'large rain drops' they have a similar character as the smaller rain drops only bigger, more pronounced
user disabled embedding you'll have to click into yt

i hope this wasn't too abstract, but with your piece this good is thsese fine details that really bring it up a level, this is much harder for us, that is we an quickly improve a work on a `10 pt' scale from a 6-8 with relatively little work but go from 8-9, or 9- 9.3, or 9.3-9.4, it gets harder and harder this is where the magic happens, i think if you want to set it down for a whiel then revisit that is fine but like one of your paintings that is starting to take shape, now you can begin using some blends of paint for slight color variations, etc. to really make things have more depth, etc.

[costicina]

Great comment, Enrique, thank you  sooo much!!!!
I agree completely with you: as always, and in a piece like that in particular, 'God is in the detail'.
You know, since I'm no more young, my ambition is to have a handful of carefully chosen pieces that I'll never be tired of, keeping on polishing and refining them with love and care.

Your suggestions are not too abstract, they get right to the point, motivating me. Piano playing is just a hobby for me, but I'd like to play my few pieces at my best, no matter how low/insignificat  the level of this 'best' is in itself....

Thank you again, you're a true friend!!!!