Haydn Hob. XVI 50

[pianoman98]

This is a possible recording I plan to submit for some competition applications. Any comments and critique are appreciated!


Edit: sorry, I did not read the rules of this forum before posting, and have changed the post now.

[pianoman53]

Before I comment, I have a question.

Haydn wrote 62 piano sonatas. How can anyone have anything different to say in this C major, when it's played constantly?


That aside, you're tensed when playing forte. It's very much down, and very fast. It's Gives a very harsh sound. So generally, you need a broader scope of sound.

[pianoman98]

I realize this piece is played a lot; however, I also like it a lot, which is why I play it. I try to not let the "overplayed" reason prevent me from picking pieces I truly like. If I did that, then I wouldn't play Chopin ballades or scherzi, or many other great pieces, either...

Thanks for your comments on the scope of my sound and the harshness of the forte. I will keep that at the front of my mind from now on as I practice.

[pianoman53]

I didn't mean you should never play overplayed pieces. However, if you apply for a competition, it might be wiser to play stuff that the jury haven't heard 400000 times

[pianoman98]

Yes, but there's a reason they're overplayed: they're really good pieces. I think it's all about finding a balance. For example, the recording I recently sent consists of the Haydn, Liszt Hungarian rhapsody 8, and Bowen toccata. 2/3 of those pieces most people have never even heard. I would never, for example, play just the Haydn and Chopin ballade 3 and send it in.

[faulty_damper]

It's a pretty good performance overall.

1. There are places where you slow down due to technical issues, like the thirds, which noticeably drags and then speeds back up after it's done.

2. The three arpeggiated chords: do you really want to arpeggiate? I know it's written as such but it was not written for a modern piano. As such, it sounds terrible arpeggiated.  Further, it's unlikely that the arpeggio marking is to be performed with modern day execution.  Historically, arpeggiating a chord was a solution to an acoustical problem that was prevalent on those early pianos.  Breaking the chord so that it wasn't executed simultaneously made the chord sound more pleasant. But again, it's unlikely that the chord was broken using modern arpeggio execution.


On the recording quality: it's pretty crappy.  It sounds very percussive and the dynamic range is too great, greater than the actual performance.