Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker Suite Op. 71a (piano 4 hands)

[cbreemer]

An intensive recording weekend with my friend and piano partner David Dekker produced this version of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. And it's not even Christmas yet ! In fact this was the first dry and sunny weekend in a long time, and we chose to sit indoors all the time. I hope it was worth it

The arrangement is by Russian pianist/composer Eduard Langer. Here and there we had to make some small concessions to Langer's sometimes impractical (and sometimes unplayable) writing. I am playing Secondo in all pieces.

The first half:
1: Miniature Overture
2: March
3: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
4: Russian Dance (Trepak)

[cbreemer]

And the second half:
5: Arabian Dance
6: Chinese Dance
7: Dance of the Reed Flutes
8: Waltz of the Flowers

[gvans]

Bravo! Listened to the entire thing, wonderful playing, sensitive, articulate, and great ensemble. Congratulations. Your pedaling is excellent, too, not easy to remember to pedal for the primo trills, etc., all of which you covered. Outstanding effort!
Glenn

[cbreemer]

Nice to see a comment at last. You're being too kind as it were.... There is a lot to be desired here in terms of accuracy. Four-hand repertoire should really be practiced together over a longer time. Artistically I think these are convincing though. And not bad for a single come-together-and-record session (well we took two days over it).

[birba]

I liked the march and the chinese dance best of all.  The recording sound was sort of strange.  But it was very well played.  You both sound a bit stilted and nervous.  I hate recording.  The opening cadenza in the waltz of the flowers has to be much much freer.  Play it lightly like a harp, with lots of crescendos and diminuendos.
In the ouverture, the bottom part has to be LOTS lighter.  LOTS.
The trepak, a bit faster. 
But all in all, it was very well performed.

[cbreemer]

Thanks Birba. I mostly agree with your observations, though I am not sure how exactly we sound nervous and stilted ? A bit uncomfortable maybe - like in these arpeggios, which are played simultaneously by both players, very close together and in awkward positions.

What did you find strange about the recorded sound ? The input setting was a bit too, causing slight clipping in the fortissimi. Is that what you meant ?

[birba]

At times it sounded like a digital piano.

[cbreemer]

Ha, that is the funniest thing I heard for a while. If there's one instrument that does NOT sound like a digital piano it is my old and quirky but characterful Gaveau grand. The treble is not so nice and warm as the bass though, and can sometimes sound just a bit t(h)inny.