Chopin Scherzo No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 31

[erick86]

Hey community! 

Check out my performance of the Chopin Scherzo No. 2 here:

https://piano2016.strutta.com/entry/9972259

It has been entered it into a competition which is ongoing right now in Canada.  PLEASE VOTE if you enjoyed it!  I would appreciate it so much.  (Votes can be cast from ANY country)

Also I would be very eager to receive your feedback from the piece, as I have my exam in 9 days, and I can still integrate suggestions.

 

[erick86]

Looking for feedback!  I would be humbly honoured to receive your critique. 

Many thanks,

Eric

[chopinlover01]

Initial thoughts:
Everything seems to be one dynamic, though that may be due to the mic. There's a little bit of variance here and there, but not enough to make it interesting to my ears..
In the beginning, there's not much time between the loud chords and things and the sotto voce runs.
Some technical sloppiness here and there; you'll want to clean that up immediately. Any technical imperfection in this piece sticks out like a sore thumb, and makes you sound like you're struggling. Remember, Chopin should sound effortless; hence why so many amateurs (which you are not) are sucked into his music without a true idea of the difficulties!
Love your shading in the beginning of the trio.
The leggiero bits could use some work, though. Again, you want it to sound effortless.
All in all, not bad. But you could do a little more to make it stand out as over-the-top greatness!
Cheers, friend!

[distantfieldrelative]

Try to play the first few rolling notes like a quiet and questioning whisper. And the chords like thunderous answers to the question. The #f octaves in the base could be a bit more sudden, like you snatch something out of the air.

I must congratulate you on the trio. I have listened to many recordings of this scherzo and many for some strange reason choose to play this fortissimo and grave until they get to the right hand arpeggios where they play faster than they could ever manage. The result is disastrous of course but you have enough sense not to fall into that trap.

This is definitely an above average recording.

Bravo

[jimroof]

I have a few suggestions.  I have never performed this piece but I know it well from my own reading of it and plan to revisit it soon.

Measure 265, 285 (especially 285), 366, 387 and 391... The C# is the melody.  If not careful, the E and F# that are above it will speak as the melody.  This is somewhat forgivable in some of these measures, but 285, 387 and 391 leave zero doubt that the C# is the melody and, by extension of the thematic material, I apply it to every instance.

This is further supported by the completion of the phrase starting in the third measure of every time this them appears.  It is a beautiful line that needs to be preserved.

In other areas, speaking less specifically, I would personally be willing to pull the tempo back 8-10% in order to have the time and control to be more expressive.  I played the C# minor Scherzo (you can find it in the audition thread here) and you can better tell where I am coming from, though my rendition of it was not as mature as it would be today, almost 39 years after that recording was made.

Take your time.  If you use this for an audition, I would be willing to bet you will score more points for artistic understanding and expression than you would for velocity.  And, if I am WRONG on that notion, you are probably auditioning for the wrong school...

You have put in a lot of work on this and it does show.  It just needs some polish and some time for it to mature, IMHO.  I am full of ideas on this piece and if you have any willingness to discuss them, feel free to invite me to get more involved.  I absolutely love this work and it is very close to my musical heart.

[erick86]

Thank you all VERY much for your thoughtful critiques.  I really appreciate it!

I definitely agree with what you all had to say, and am working hard to incorporate those ideas into the piece.  Even if it shines through only a little bit in my exam on Monday, I'm sure it will help. 

Cheers!