A little Chopin nocturne anyone?

[noambenhamou]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD5t1IYvRws&hd=1

Happy to hear comments and suggestions.

[awesom_o]

Lovely work, Noam! A fine first contribution to the pianostreet audition room!

You play with good taste, although Chopin would have preferred even more nuance with even less sentimentality. You don't drag the tempo though, you keep it moving forward, and he would have certainly approved of that!

For me, the climax was a bit disappointing. I didn't hear many of notes in the RH arpeggio at 3:13, and the RH tone quality was poor in the octaves immediately afterward. Your wrist comes way up high, breaking the structure of the playing mechanism and creating a harsh, percussive sound.

That was my only major criticism of what was otherwise a very fine performance!

Bravo, and thank you for this wonderful contribution! I look forward to hearing much, much more from you and your beautiful new Hamburg D!!

[noambenhamou]

Thank you awesome_o.
I can't argue with you hahaha. The climax was weak. And yes the arpeggio is my favorite part and too "notey" because i'm using my fingers too much.

I love good feedback. When I play this at my first ever recital in January, I won't make THAT mistake.

I'll be sure to introduce about a dozen other ones though out of nervousness.
I have stage fright like you wouldn't believe. Never played in public before!

[awesom_o]

Oh you're always more than welcome to argue with me    ..... but keep in mind that for 8 months straight I played all 24 Chopin Etudes every morning before breakfast as my warm up!  

I have no desire to 'win' arguments. I only wish to help people reach the highest possible levels of interpretive excellence!

[noambenhamou]

And I will be looking forward to more advice.
I think next is fantasie impromptu. I know it's overplayed but I'm really struggling with it musically (and technically as well).

Usually I have a very good idea of my own individual interpretation of what I'm playing. And usually it differs than all the "famous pianists" recording. It's not different just for the sake of difference (can't stand that!), it's different because that's how the music speaks to me.

With this impromptu, I got nothing new to bring to the table! I may attempt to record it tonight but I have to spend at least a couple of hours working on some technique.

[awesom_o]

And I will be looking forward to more advice.
I think next is fantasie impromptu. I know it's overplayed but I'm really struggling with it musically (and technically as well).

Usually I have a very good idea of my own individual interpretation of what I'm playing. And usually it differs than all the "famous pianists" recording. It's not different just for the sake of difference (can't stand that!), it's different because that's how the music speaks to me.

With this impromptu, I got nothing new to bring to the table! I may attempt to record it tonight but I have to spend at least a couple of hours working on some technique.

Fantastic! Individuality is a rare commodity these days! Wait till you hear what I bring to the table in the Fantasie-Impromptu! I'll give you a little hint: listen to Alexei Sultanov!

The Four Impromptus are my next Chopin recording project. I'm just taking a little brake and doing lots of chamber music and cello practice since completing my recording of the 24 Etudes.

 

[noambenhamou]

Well thanks alot awesome o!

You managed to completely deflate me with this recording of the impromptu. The chromatic downward I'm having difficult time enough, this guy does it in double 3rds! Jesus!  Never heard of this guy! Love the interpretation!

I can't believe you can do all 24 etudes.  You're kind of a stud! That is alot of commitment! Are you a professional pianist? Is this going to be a real recording or a home recording?

I am working on op10 no1 which may take a while. I find it by far the most challenging.
I have op 25 no1 pretty much nailed and no 2 op 25 (the rhythm is a real mind twist!) and ocean etude.

I will record op25 no1 soon. I would love to hear what you have to say. I have alot of creative ideas on this one and a very strong sense of what I think is "Right" hahaha

[awesom_o]

I usually do the double thirds a bit cleaner than Sultanov... he scuffs a few wrong notes if you listen very carefully. They aren't very difficult if you have enough technique. That was a live performance by memory in front of a huge audience, however... so such minor imperfections can be excused. He was one of my favourite pianists. He tragically died at a very young age. Not much older than you, in fact. 

I'm actually studying to become a professional cellist at the moment, although it will be a few years before I'm ready for the concert stage. I had an 8 year hiatus from the cello, in order to really concentrate on my study of the keyboard. I've only returned to the cello quite recently. I'm also in love with singing and the baroque recorder, and I compose and improvise as much as I can on top of it all.

It's a real recording, albeit without a label. Done on a Steinway D with a professional engineer and $20k microphones, however, so that's about as real as it gets.

I've been working on the Etudes since I was about 12, and I'm now 24, so I've had a fair bit of time to learn them all and "perfect" them. 

I know 100% what you mean about the mind-twist in 25/2! VERY few people get the rhythm 'right'. I'm really looking forward to hearing your recordings. I think you have a real gift for Chopin! From the very first few measures of the Nocturne, your playing captivated me! That's the only reason I felt disappointed by the climax.... all things considered, it was still good, but it didn't quite live up to the extremely high standards set by the rest of your performance.

Like you said over on PW, I think it's best for most people to play piano as a hobby. There aren't many career opportunities, and my love of teaching has now surpassed my love of performing. I'm hoping the cello will change that for me. I make about 1k a month from teaching piano... not sure if that qualifies me as a 'professional pianist' or not... but I have a performance degree.

I'm so glad you have joined pianostreet! I hope you spend more time here than over on PW. 

[noambenhamou]

so lets hear those 24 etudes! I'm so sick at tired of listening to the "big names" although my standards are very high as well as yours it seems. I don't critique because I know my place.

Is it just me or are concert pianists (the big shots) really lazy musically these days?

Op25 no2 I need to work on some more. I can get the rhythm right but sometimes it transitions to the old non written rhythm all by itself and the comes back. Have yet to play it from start to finish in the appropriate 3rd's in the right hand. It comes and goes throughout the piece haha I'm sure you experienced this phenomenon when you started playing it 12 years ago haha.

The Brahms you mentioned was ok and thanks for the encouragement. Rhythmically it was an airline disaster hahaha!!! I will do a real live video recording when me and that piece are real friends. Right now we are a bit at odds. Gotta pick the right time. It's like a relationship - you have ups and downs hahah no?

In regards to pianostreet vs pianoworld. There is alot more people on PW, but the quality is not good. Alot of attitude and not very constructive.
A year ago I posted a thread about not liking my NY D I selected at the factory, and having a few questions about hamburg versions. I posted in both. Here I got limited but very clear advice. At PW half the people said I was making the whole story up just in order to bash on steinways. That was hurtful!

If I played the cello, I would be constantly recording piano accompaniment and playing the cello over the top of it and compiling it into a complete piece. Bet you already do this - would love to hear!
 

[awesom_o]

so lets hear those 24 etudes! I'm so sick at tired of listening to the "big names" although my standards are very high as well as yours it seems. I don't critique because I know my place.

Is it just me or are concert pianists (the big shots) really lazy musically these days?



If I played the cello, I would be constantly recording piano accompaniment and playing the cello over the top of it and compiling it into a complete piece. Bet you already do this - would love to hear!
 

Luckily I have a girlfriend who is also a monster pianist, so I don't have to play my own accompaniment parts. My brother's girlfriend is a professional cellist though, so I might as well learn them all anyway in order to play them with her!

You are right that many big-name pianists are musically lazy. The business is all about the show, all about the performance, rather than really being about the music itself. That's why I got out of being a 'concert pianist'. I'd rather be a really fine collaborative pianist! My girlfriend and I do a TON of four hands/two piano stuff!

I've posted at least 12 of the 24 here in the audition room. All as .mp3 files instead of CD-quality .wav, of course... but you can certainly get a taste of my creative vision! It's very, very different from any of the big-name renditions that I've heard.

[awesom_o]

I know exactly what you mean about PW vs PS.

I still read PW almost every day... although I don't post. I find everyone there really likes to argue pointlessly. It can be quite amusing to read!  

People often post poor home recordings which get high praise from everyone despite really being quite shabby. I don't think many of the regular posters there are very skilled pianists, given the low-quality of artistic advice and the low standards which seem to prevail in the member's recordings forum.

I'm glad you got your model D sorted out! I love the pianos, not the corporation!

The D I recorded the Etudes on is a NY D with German Abel hammers... in some ways it's a 'best of both worlds transatlantic Steinway'

[noambenhamou]

I love the pianos, not the corporation!

The D I recorded the Etudes on is a NY D with German Abel hammers... in some ways it's a 'best of both worlds transatlantic Steinway'

Don't get me started!!!!

[lisztmusicfan]

Great sounding performance Noam, you are very lucky to get to play on such a nice piano!