Scriabin Etude Op.8 No.12

[leunghb]

New at here. Any suggestion is welcome. Thanks!

[noambenhamou]

I hate this etude! I was forced to learn it at about your age and it meant nothing to me musically.
Sorry guys - I don't like Scriabin.

Anyway, my point is, that in your recording, for some reason it means something. I don't know if you are playing it as it is exactly written, but I think I actually "felt" something when you played it.

I've listened to Horowitz and other well knowns play it and I feel nothing when I hear this piece.
I compare it to a cheezy holly wood movie with no storyline, and lots and lots of meaningless explosions.

I don't want to start a war here, the point is, I actually felt some emotion when hearing you play this.
great job!

Keep posting more! next time in the correct category "auditions"...

[awesom_o]

A very solid performance with good energy and colour! Occasionally I hear rubatos which sound as though they are calculated out of technical need, rather than sound artistic judgement.

Your control over the rhythm could have more precision, especially in the RH octaves.

Listen to the maddening expressive freedom with which the composer played it:

I think you will play it even better than you currently do, if you practice the LH alone with your RH relaxed by your side, singing the melody with your voice.

Do this several times, and your interpretation will become even better than it is now.

Bravo!

[scriabinophile]

Like noambenhamou, above, I learned this in my youth. Unlike noambenhamou, however, I don't hate the piece; I still perform it from time to time.  But I do tire of hearing pianists beat it to death. 

There are many things about this performance that I like, starting with the fact that you don't pound the heck out of the piano from start to finish, and that you play the last two chords "p", as Scriabin evidently intended, based on the manuscript.

But you asked for suggestions.  Well, for starters, at the beginning I think you could "sting" the very second LH octave a little more. In the manuscript, Scriabin wrote a "fp" on the very first downbeat; I'm not hearing enough of that.

Probably my biggest suggestion would be to turn off the volume and watch yourself play. If you watch yourself carefully -- without any sound at all -- I think you will see some things that you could improve.  Concentrate in particular on your recurring head (side-to-side) and shoulder (up-down) motions, and ask yourself if those repetitive motions contribute in any way to the piece, either technically or musically. 

Again with the sound turned off, watch the LH gesture you make before you play the very first notes and ask yourself if that extra up-down mannerism contributes to the music, or if you could eliminate it.

For comparison, you might then watch someone such as Lugansky or Horowitz play (again with the volume totally turned off) and see where they make large hand, head, and shoulder movements, and ask yourself how their large gestures, when they make them, contribute to the impact of their performances.  Also, watch how those two pianists go right to the keyboard and start the piece without the extra up-down mannerism that you make.

One more suggestion: If you haven't already explored the other pieces in this set of etudes, please do. There are many wonderful pieces in Op. 8, starting with the very first etude, the one in C# Major, and they are not overplayed, as is #12.

[jeffkonkol]

I've been working this one pretty heavily for the past few months.... so I am rather close to it.

I think your control over it is excellent.   You take a rather slow tempo. (a little slower than Piers Lane, and a LOT slower than Scriabin's own recordings)   I think you make great use of that slower tempo though and it pays dividends.

I appreciate your overall shape of the complete piece.  Your dynamics are more extensive than most recordings I have heard of this.  I guess I could use a bit more of the explosion in places, and I concur that some of the rubato seems born out of technical necessity rather than interpretation.

One thing I am 'missing' (and it may just be the recording or just a side effect of your quieter approach to this piece) is the rhythmic motor of the left hand throughout the first page.  I certainly believe it is there, but at times the pulse is lost.

All in all though, I very much enjoyed this performance.

thanks for sharing it!

[leunghb]

Thank you for everybody. The comments are very helpful for my son to improve this piece.

As I don't know any music, my son will record this piece again to show the improvement.

Thanks again!!!