VIDEO: Rachmaninoff Etude Op. 39 No. 6 in a minor

[aaronpetit]

Hi all. I am trying to decide if this recording is good enough for a competition preliminary screening or if I should re do it. I would appreciate any feed back. Be critical. It's a Manhattan contest with an important jury.

(Rachmaninoff)

I would submit this, a lyrical work by Szymanowski and my transcription of the Stravinsky Rite of Spring for solo piano as a 40 minute prelim tape. (All of which are on youtube if you are interested.) Thank you. The requirements are 20-40 mins and 2 works of contrasting style.

-Aaron
www.aaronpetitpiano.com

[beethovenfan01]

Whoa this was at Portland Piano Company? I've played on that piano several times!

BTW, I really like it! The only thing I would say is that it's very dry and your touch is rather tense-sounding, like all your muscles are tight (and mine would be too if I was performing that piece!). Also, I don't like the sound of that Fazioli--and I never have, not to mention it was just plain too big for the room it was in. But I really like your playing, you have all your notes in order, which for that piece is a huge feat.

Perhaps you should re-record it on a nicer-sounding piano? Other than that, I think it's pretty good.

[aaronpetit]

What this at Portland Piano Company???

yes! Do you live in/ know the area?

[beethovenfan01]

I live in Beaverton. I'm applying to the U of O school of music, and I'm actually auditioning there in about a week in a half (and I'm headed down to Eugene tomorrow to have a lesson with Dr. Dossin).

[georgey]

Stravinsky: Wow!!  You are getting pretty much all of the sound here!  Coincidentally, I was just listening a couple of days ago to the 2 piano version for the 1st time as transcribed by Stravinsky himself, played by Ashkenazy and Gavrilov.  I'm wondering how much time you spent looking at the Stravinsky transcription and how much you looked at the original orchestration in making your transcription.

[clouseau]

Congrats! That was a pretty...jaw-dropping performance.

If you really think you can make a better version then go for it but in no case sacrifice spontaneity because you convey the character of this piece really good.

[aaronpetit]

I live in Beaverton. I'm applying to the U of O school of music, and I'm actually auditioning there in about a week in a half (and I'm headed down to Eugene tomorrow to have a lesson with Dr. Dossin).

Awesome! My studio is in Beaverton. I nearly applied to U of O 4 years ago. Dr. Dossin is very good. My Friend Nick Poelwijk just finished his undergrad there with Dossin. Now we are both studying at the University of Miami. (With Professor Kenner and Rodriguez)

Anyway thanks for the suggestion. I agree that Fazioli was good in somethings, but it was too big for the room.

Best of luck with auditions.

[aaronpetit]

Stravinsky: Wow!!  You are getting pretty much all of the sound here!  Coincidentally, I was just listening a couple of days ago to the 2 piano version for the 1st time as transcribed by Stravinsky himself, played by Ashkenazy and Gavrilov.  I'm wondering how much time you spent looking at the Stravinsky transcription and how much you looked at the original orchestration in making your transcription.

Thank you so much. I actually only heard the 2 piano a couple time sea never got the score. I went entirely off of the orchestral full score. (it's marked up with 5 different colors of pen marks and hi lighter on every page. It was a nightmare process and I chipped away at bits and pieces over about 1.5 years. And then it took about 6 months to actually practice and perform/ memorize.

I took a few ideas from my teacher of the time (Mark Westcott) and from the pre existing version by sam raphling. But I would say 80 is my ideas from the orchestra. Thanks for the support!

[aaronpetit]

Congrats! That was a pretty...jaw-dropping performance.

If you really think you can make a better version then go for it but in no case sacrifice spontaneity because you convey the character of this piece really good.

Thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

[beethovenfan01]

Awesome! My studio is in Beaverton. I nearly applied to U of O 4 years ago. Dr. Dossin is very good. My Friend Nick Poelwijk just finished his undergrad there with Dossin. Now we are both studying at the University of Miami. (With Professor Kenner and Rodriguez)

Anyway thanks for the suggestion. I agree that Fazioli was good in somethings, but it was too big for the room.

Best of luck with auditions.

Same to you! I really love Rachmaninoff, and you convey the frantic urgency of that piece so amazingly well! I'm almost 18, but I don't think I'll be playing that effectively so soon!

[pianoville]

Great interpretation of this very difficuly piece. I think your interpretation is quite unique, and you do things I have never heard before. Most of it works quite well! I don't know this piece very well, but I agree with beethovenfan01 on all his points, especially that piano which I think is too light, a problem I usually have with Fazioli. Also, in the middle section, I think you could make the long accelerando a bit more exciting. This is one of the places where I think going out of your comfort zone is good, make it as crazy as possible! Then in the end, I would not do a ritardando, and I wouldn't do what you did with the last chord, I would actually do the opposite instead, I would play it piano or even pianissimo and with a light staccato so that the audience gets the feeling that the music disappears. Great job though, and I think it is good enough, but of course what is the most important is that you are happy with it!

[aaronpetit]

Great interpretation of this very difficuly piece.... etc

Thank you so much for your well balanced comment. I appreciate you taking the time to be so thoughtful. I totally agree about the middle section. And yea I have the same problem with Fazioli. I rarely think they are all that they are cracked out to be.

It's funny you should mention the last chord dying away. I used to do it that way and I actually like it a lot. Then I heard Rach's own recording of it and he holds it almost a full measure with pedal at FF. I thought it was surprising cause nothing in the score indicates that, but I have grown to like it both ways.

Again thank you for the advice.

[pianoville]

It's funny you should mention the last chord dying away. I used to do it that way and I actually like it a lot. Then I heard Rach's own recording of it and he holds it almost a full measure with pedal at FF. I thought it was surprising cause nothing in the score indicates that, but I have grown to like it both ways.

I had no idea about that, and honestly I am pretty surprised, because he litteraly did the exact opposite of what the score says. It's always interesting to see how composers play their own pieces, because it is almost never what you expect.

BTW, I really liked your transcription of Rite of spring. Is there any way to get the sheet music?

[aaronpetit]

BTW, I really liked your transcription of Rite of spring. Is there any way to get the sheet music?

Agreed. Composers tend to keep things fresh and change them up all the time.

About the rite, thank you. I am actually trying to publish it right now. It should be available by the end of summer. I could have put it on my site independentally but I have waited for copyrights etc. I have an "in" with one of the top sheet music publishers to produce a study edition.