Rachmaninoff Prelude in B minor

[lewisk1811]

Here is the link to my recording of Rachmaninoff's prelude in B minor Op.32 No.10:

It isn't that good I know, I haven't been playing it for long, but I am doing it for my diploma and conservatoire auditions soon so I am in need of some constructive feedback please

Thanks a lot everyone!

[rachfan]

Hi lewisk,

I believe you're well on the way with this piece, composed on September 6, 1910.  This music in No. 32/10 is very dark, pondering and searching.  Rachmaninoff's favorite prelude from all those he composed was this one.  Benno Moiseiwitsch, a pianist highly respected by Rachmaninoff, once had a backstage discussion of the work with Rachmaninoff.  Moiseiwitsch mentioned that he believed that the "program" for this music was The Return (of Rachmaninoff going back to his beloved Russia). Rachmaninoff affirmed to Moiseiwitsch that he had guessed correctly, but refused to speak more of it.  So this is a very deeply felt composition. For that reason, the pianist is obligated to pay special attention to its execution.  If you'll permit me, I'd like to make just a few comments.

I think your tempo for lento is fine.

The piece has to be played with full tone and grandeur... but notice the opening is marked p, so that has to be tempered accordingly.  I'm not sure if you are playing at dynamic f rather than p, or if the input level selected on your recorder was too high.  But as you practice, aim for p.  Right now it sounds loud to me.

Pedaling for clarity is always very important. As it stands you often have long pedals that cause blurrs. For example, the way to play the opening partial measure is to take the first chord with its own pedal, then lift the pedal.  The second chord is not pedaled.  The third chord is pedaled, but only to the bar line.  

On Line 4, 1st measure, 4th beat, you can pedal that triplet in one pedal as it's at p with a bit of crescendo, but by the next measure you must be at dynamic mf.  Best tactic there in the first triplet is to pedal the first note, lift the pedal for the second, and pedal the third.  Within those triplets and others, the 16th note is fast and quiet.  

Line 5 last measure, note in the bass clef the low E, F, E, and D#. Voice those notes.

Line 6 last measure, be sure to observe the voice leading from the left hand top E in the octave to the the right hand G clef D on the first beat there in the first measure and beat on page 2.

Page 2, measure two, there are octave chords there. Voice them, best with the 5th finger of the RH and the bottoms of the LH octaves using the left 5th finger there.  Keep the triplets quiet at first, as you must spend a crescendo over the next couple of measure working up to Tempo 1 which is marked ff.  If you forget to do that, you'll have nowhere to go with the cresc.  

In general pay attention to the many tenuto markings in the piece.  They often appear over half notes. Tenuto means holding onto the notes as you know.  But you''ll need to sufficiently accent it so that the tone will last as long as it needs to.  

At the Tempo 1 the notes falling on the first beat need relaxed arm weight not only to play the accents, but also to attain a rich sound.

Bottom of page 2: At the 4th beat pedal each chord separately and likewise with all the notes in the first three triplets there.  Pedal the same way for the first three beats in the following measure.  As for the last triplet in that measure, note those C#s that fall between the latter two notes of the triplets.  A convenient solution is to play them in unison with the last chords of that triplet.

Page 3, line three: Notice the double dotted chords so as to contrast their durations.

Line 4: For first measure, pedal before the LH F# octave, then before the F#, before the F# octave, and finally before the F#.  So four distinct pedals there.

Last measure of page 3 and into the first two lines of page 4:  This is a short cadenza.  Notice that it begins at f, then a dimuendo.

Page 4: The short cadenza is now p and should be played leggiero touch.  Apply the soft pedal to assist. Ideally there is no damper pedal which could wipe out the leggiero and soft dynamic.  And importantly there are neighboring and passing notes there, which means that you can build mountains of unwanted overtones there. Beware!  On the second line of page 4 the figuration changes, inviting the damper pedal to be activated again.  Notice that the 16th "small notes" form four groups there. Here you can apply the damper pedal for the first group, using a half pedal release in order to spill out the overtones; take the second group and do likewise, and same for the following two groups.

By the way, in a small note cadenza, a 16th note there, for example, does not equate to the value of a regular 16th note.  They are differentiated.

Page 4, last line: Pay attention to the LH descending octaves, and bring out their progression.

Last measure: Regarding the whole notes chord, in the RH it's most effective to voice the D in the middle of the chord.  Try it.  

Regarding pedal: Be sure to listen to every note you play and pedaling as well.  Your ears have to be the judge when it comes to pedaling.  Half and quarter pedal releases can very often serve you well.

What brand piano do you play in the video?  It looks old but well taken care of.

I hope this helps.  Best of luck in your auditions!

P.S. If you're curious about my own rendition of this prelude, you can go to Index to Audition Room above, scroll down to Rachmaninoff, then scroll down to rachfan and click on the prelude there.  It's an analog recording dating from 1989 but has pretty good sound quality.

David

[lewisk1811]

Hi David,

Thank you so much for your reply, I can't believe how kind you have been to give me all of this advice. I have been to my piano teacher today and she has helped me to sort out a few of the issues on the third page. I am going to really work one this prelude of the next few weeks so I am going to sit down and print off your notes, and highlight the score.

Thank you so so much again, you have been brilliant.

By the way, the piano is a 135 year old Schiedmayer, I have only had it for a couple of months, but I absolutely love it! It was tuned yesterday too so it sounds a lot better now.

Thank you,

Lewis

[rachfan]

Hi Lewis,

I'm glad that you found those suggestions helpful.  Be sure to listen to your pedaling.  Sometimes you do a long pedal that invites way too may overtones.  You'll find that in dense music like this, you can refine the pedaling with half and quarter releases--which will far better serve your musical intents.  Of course, the pedal effects differ by piano, and every room has its own acoustic.  So you have to take note of that in order to modify your pedaling to best advantage.  You'll find too that when you're playing another piano, by keen listening you can adjust your use of the pedal after playing only two or three measures.

David