Chopin Prelude no.1 C major

[daniele1234]

Hello, everyone. Recently I have been playing through some of the chopin preludes (no19 e flat major, no22 g minor, no5 d major, no3 g major, and this one no1 c major), and I thought now would be a nice time to record some. So, attached, is a recording i made of the 1st prelude in C major. I've been experimenting with the rubato and pedal I use recently, but anyway I hope you enjoy it. Anyhow, all comments are appreciated. Thank you

(NOTE there is another recording in the reply below which I think might be a bit better, but thats for you to decide).

[daniele1234]

Also, this recording

[piulento]

I like the second one better.
But I think your rhythmic and dynamic 'center of gravity' is a bit off (though it's mostly a matter of personal taste).
You should listen to Argerich or Sokolov play it. They have really different ways of playing, but both are terrific.
Good luck!

[daniele1234]

Thanks for your comment. I will have a listen to them playing it. But surely the real greats playing this prelude are: Cortot, Rubinstein, Richter, etc. no?

[piulento]

Thanks for your comment. I will have a listen to them playing it. But surely the real greats playing this prelude are: Cortot, Rubinstein, Richter, etc. no?

I actually never really cared for cortot. Can't really explain it, something about his playing... But I'll admit that he had huge understanding of Chopin's works, from a musicological perspective.
My favorite perforemers of the preludes change constantly, but Argerich and Sokolov have always been two of my favorites, especially when it comes to the more controversial preludes (1, 14, 5 etc.)

[tuckerkao]

Version 0164 definitely sound better than 0159. The power of the chords and the bass echoes sound much more concert-like through the improvement. Also the speed-up of the melody flows more fluent during the middle section for 0164.