Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital #21 --- General Discussion Room

I'm worried it's revealing to much about what's inside my head - not had to censor anything yet though...

And today I enjoyed the thirties...I just can't do the 1-59 order. Thank you musicians for your lovely playing.
#30 paquijote. I admire anyone who plays Bach...deceptive how difficult he is. Love the lively tempo. Nice.
#31 Agustina. Got you on Tuesday. Well done
#32 Undone. LOVE this one and you showed a nice touch with the intense passages and the mysterious ones. It's great on organ.
#33 LisztAddict. Beautiful melody line...your playing is very expressive.
#34 Mohan. What a lovely bittersweet feel you've incorporated into this piece. The rise in intensity in the middle was my favorite. The ending needed something more...maybe more of the fade but seemed too abrupt compared to the whole
#35 ladypayne. this piece is usually so somber. I liked your arrangement that made it happy and uplifting.
#36 MaryBee. Wow. Nice clean thirds. I enjoyed it.
#37 FarmGirl. I usually like Keveren but see what you mean by "busy". He did get carried away with the left hand accompaniment. But YOU kept up with a beautiful melody line and tempo.
#38 Andy Platt. Nice job. Mozart is so challenging and you did it well. When you bring it out the next time...consider trying to bring out the elegance and sweetness of this movement.
#39 Sideshow. Light and expressive. I LIKE your trills...you have the heart of Bach on this one.

10. CarlosCC - I Due Fiumi image that came to mind

11. Monica K. - The Meadow image that came to mind

12. John Frank - Two Waltz Medley image that came to mind

13. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Gypsy Legend image that came to mind

14. CMohr - I Should Care image that came to mind

15. Todd Vance - Waltz, in C# Minor Op. 64 #2 image that came to mind

16. Joangolfing - Sonata E Major Op.14 No.1 Allegretto image that came to mind

17. Inlanding - Glen - Medley of Three image that came to mind

18. Ken. - Monk Medley - Misterioso & Bye-ya image that came to mind

19. Mateusz 'Mati' Papiernik - Odin Sphere no Theme image that came to mind

20. True Beginner - Winter Serenade image that came to mind (loch katrin)

No, I think you are on to something!! IMO that is what the "comments" should be all about.

21. Riddler (Ed) - Dolphin Dance
Nice job on the arrangement, and well played. Good, rich, jazzy stuff.

22. MartinJB / martin - Reflections Em
That's a very nice, new-age style piece with a modern sound to it. Well played, too. Dynamics and phrasing nicely done.

23. hoffy - Minuet In G Major (BWV Anh. 114 - come on, you all know it!)
Yes we all know it, and love it ! Well played, nice and even with good ornamentation and balance between the hands.

24. LaValse - Prelude Op 11 No 4
Very nice indeed. Great dynamics and rubato, and the chords were played beautifully.

25. Jazzwee - All the Things You Are
Great to hear a jazz pianist improvising in full flight. You've obviously packed a lot of hard study into your 6 years and its really paying off. I see elsewhere on the forum that you are tackling Chopin op 10/1, which is testament to how far you have come. Good luck !

26. wj3 / Walt - Take me home country roads
Nice job on a classic song. You kept a good tempo going throughout and brought the melody out well.

27. BillM (formerly b528nf7) - Mr. President (have pity on the working man)
Nice soulful singing and bluesy piano playing. I particularly liked the instrumental break, which was a top notch bit of blues piano. I enjoyed this a lot.

28. Strings & Wood - Op. 68, No. 16 (Erster Verlust)
Very nice job on a tricky piece. The contrapuntal part where the theme comes in again repeatedly is very tricky and you handled it well. The only thing I would change is to exaggerate the sforzando chords at the end a bit more. I don't have the score with me. Maybe they aren't sforzando and I should shut up ! I enjoyed your performance anyway, this is a piece I know and love.

29. serge88 - Your Song
Very nice arrangement, well done on that. And smoothly played. An enjoyable performance all round.

30. paquijote - Invention No. 7 in E minor - J.S. Bach
Two-part inventions after two years of playing ? I'm impressed. A more than respectable performance too, up to a nice tempo and with nice ornametation. I am just getting around to these pieces now, after a few false starts over the years. The demands they make on your hand independence are pretty extreme.

31. Augustina - Somewhere Out There from an American Tail
Yes, I heard the plane. I have to say that I really like the audible page turns ! They allow us to marvel at your reading skills, which are obviously considerable. Seems like the editors put the turns in some really awkward places on this one though... Anyway, a nice piece, and played with style, well done.

32. Undone - Toccata in D minor
Dramatic stuff. You got more into your stride as you got further into the piece I think. Nice job.

33. LisztAddict - Prelude in b minor
I hadn't heard this before but I recognized the prelude from the WTC it is taken from. I generally like Bach transcriptions and re-workings for the piano (especially Busoni and Liszt). It's a very beautiful piece of music and I enjoyed your performance. The rolled chords in the left hand are really nice.

34. Mohan Karthik - So far away
Great composition, and well played. Amazing for 11 months experience. I enjoyed it immensely. Also great to see a contribution from the sub-continent - this is a truly worldwide event.

35. ladypayne - Nearer My God to Thee
This was great - I love the way you built up the intensity and then hauled it back in for the ending. Stirring stuff. A shame you cut the recording off and didn't let the last note ring a bit longer !

36. MaryBee - Sheep May Safely Graze
That's a tricky sounding arrangement, with lots of parts and lots of tricky playing in thirds. You did a nice job with it and played it very musically.

37. FarmGirl - A Christmas Overture
This piece was a massive underaking. I'm sure you'll feel better about it when you dust it down next Christmas ! There's a lot of material in there, you could chop it up into several individual arrangements and it would still work. Nice job, a real accomplishment.

38. Andy Platt - Mozart Sonata in C (K545) Movement 2 - Andante
I love this movement, I play it myself but have never really got it to the point where I can play through the whole thing without tripping up somewhere. It should be heard more often, all we ever hear of K545 is the first movement ! You played it very nicely, bravo.

39. Sideshow/Edwin - Prelude - BWV935
Top-notch Bach. A really nice light, even touch, and the ornaments are superb. Great balance between the voices, and played up to a really nice tempo.

40. GlassLove (Christine) - Song of India (arranged)
Nice work - that arrangement seems rhythmically tricky, so well done. You captured the 'song-like' quality of the right-hand part.

41. jotur/Cathy Turner - Amazing Grace
Nice lush arrangement, and well played. Stirring stuff, I would say.

42. PhilzPiano - Prelude in E minor Op. 28 No. 4
Nicely played. I think most people do pedal this all the way through, changing the pedal with the chords, but it sounds fine without. You sailed through the tricky bit about 3/4 of the way through where it all kicks off - and that's a sticking point for many.

43. Yamaha G-3 & P-80 / Mike WHite - Milonga del angel
Very nice tango. Have you heard of a young pianist called Gabriella Montero ? If you like this you would love her playing. Worth checking her out. She plays Piazolla but also has a great line in improvised tango. She also plays the classical repertoire.

44. MegumiNoda - Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2
I love the Brahms intermezzos, but the density of notes on the page puts them out of my reach at the moment. I really enjoyed your performance of this one, though.

45. Wisebuff - In Church Op 39 No 24
Nice piece, and nicely played. Nice resonant piano sound. I'm hearing a lot of Tchaikovsky's op 39 on this forum, and what I've heard so far is very nice. I must get hold of it myself !

46. ShiroKuro - Sunburst
That sounds a tricky piece, which you've executed very cleanly. A very enjoyable performance.

47. spidaman - A moment lost
Great job on working this one out without the sheets ! Sounds great.

48. Laura aka ten left thumbs - Moonlight Sonata, Op 27 no 2, 1st movement
Loved this. I actually quite like it at this slightly faster tempo, and I've heard it done like this before. Nice phrasing, with slight hesitations adding to the effect. Also great balance, with the big crunchy chords in the left hand making beautiful soft landings.

I think that's everyone. I've heard a lot of nice stuff in this recital, and as always found some music that I want to look up, and composers I want to learn more about. Thanks to all involved, and thanks to all those who have been kind enough to listen to and pass comment on my contribution !

13. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Gypsy Legend - Cheryl, nicely done and expressive - good first effort I don't know why but this piece reminds me just a little of the beautiful song "Sunrise, Sunset" from "Fiddler on the Roof". Keep up the good, dedicated work - your enthusiasm will reap big dividends shortly.

14. CMohr - I Should Care - CMohr, I should care that you played this wonderful old standard so very well and so thoughtfully - I love these classic tunes from that era and your's is a very introspective interpretation - the intro was perfect and so was the ending. Nice job!

15. Todd Vance - Waltz, in C# Minor Op. 64 #2 - Todd, one of my favorites from The Master - a slower tempo than I'm used to hearing this at, but still highly enjoyable - some day I may try to tackle this gem myself - very good effort!

16. Joangolfing - Sonata E Major Op.14 No.1 Allegretto - Joan, overall a good job - this is long and many of us would struggle with it - I'm not sure you got it up to allegretto speed but whatever one is comfortable with...

17. Inlanding - Glen - Medley of Three - Glen, very nicely done - enjoyed that alot - your YT chanel is attractive and full of good stuff

18. Ken. - Monk Medley - Misterioso & Bye-ya - Ken, interesting mix - good job - used to listen to a lot of Monk years ago.


More to follow...

JF

I thought I would listen to some more songs this morning to get me started for the day:)

Monica-The Meadow This piece was played so beautifully! nicely done.

John Frank- Two Waltz Medley : Waltz in B Minor & Waltz in D Major
I am unfamiliar with this piece- you played it so well:)

Casinitaly- Gypsy Legend You've only been playing for 13 months? great job:)

Cmohr-I should care
Another piece I am unfamiliar with- This was very relaxing to listen to first thing in the morning. I enjoyed it a lot!

Mateusz 'Mati' Papiernik- Odin Sphere no Theme
I like most music by Hitoshi Sakimoto I am unfamiliar with this song though. You played it so well

True Beginner- Winter Serenade
Awesome! This was so pretty!


For those that have commented on my piece so far thank you for the kind words. I always get a little bit more encouragement to practice more after the recitals:)

Casinitaly If there was a strange background noise it was probably from my camera. I just need to get a new one soon:)

TX-Dennis "You need the Super Hunky patented giant piece of cardboard to which you tape the photocopied sheets - no page turning needed. He posted a pic once. It looks like crap, but it works."

I'm not sure how to quote but Thats a great idea! I'll have to try it sometime!

Next set:

21. Riddler (Ed) - Dolphin Dance
Great arrangement! I like a lot of Herbie Hancock's stuff, but was not familiar with this one. Most enjoyable.

22. MartinJB / martin - Reflections Em
A big congratulations of your first ABF recital and conquest of the Red Dot! You play with wonderful feeling and dynamics for one who's been at it for less than a year.

23. hoffy - Minuet In G Major (BWV Anh. 114 - come on, you all know it!)
Very well done! I have played this one myself and always had trouble getting the ornamentation to sound correct. All of you new ABF recital participants are putting the rest of us to shame.

24. LaValse - Prelude Op 11 No 4
I'm not really familiar with Scriabin, but enjoyed your recording of this work. If you say you found it tricky, I'll take your word for it, but it sure sounded like you had it down solid.

25. Jazzwee - All the Things You Are
Great improvisation! It reminded me of some swingle singing numbers I did many years ago and it gave me "happy feet" while listening to it.

26. wj3 / Walt - Take me home country roads
Nicely done Walt. Listening to your recording brought back many memories of what I was doing back when John Denver first came out with this song.

27. BillM (formerly b528nf7) - Mr. President (have pity on the working man)
I'm a big Randy Newman fan (who isn't). I'm always amazed at what some people can do in the way of "play-by-ear" and yours is a case in point. Simply terrific!

28. Strings & Wood - Op. 68, No. 16 (Erster Verlust)
Hey, Out-takes, I like the idea! You should have done it, it probably would have caught on even bigger than the food thing. But back to the matter at hand; great job on this Schumann piece.

29. serge88 - Your Song
Very nice rendition of this Elton John classic. I learned to play a simple version of this back when it was still relatively new and I was just noodling around on the piano, but I never really learned it well, let alone with the extra feeling you've added to it. I'm sure Elton would approve.

30. paquijote - Invention No. 7 in E minor - J.S. Bach
One of J.S. Bach's Inventions difficult? After not even two years of playing? Yep, you got that right, yet you did a wonderful job at it and if it was riddled with errors, you sure did a good job of slipping them by me.



Undone

WOW just WOW

Amazing stuff from everybody. Thanks so much to Monika, Coop and all who make this possible. It's great to see so many come for their 1st, we know they'll be back. I wanted to also thank everyone for their kind comments, I'll be replying to some of those once I'm done listening and commenting on the recital itself.

First batch, very busy with work etc but I am Home Office for next 1.5days so I'll be able to listen and get my comments down..

01. BenPiano - Waltz in G# Minor for Two Hands Op. 39 No. 3
Great job Ben, flows nicely, your touch is great and the piano sounds really good too.

02. wouter79 - the entertainer
You’re doing incredibly well for only 1yr under your belt. Sounded great, flowed perfectly.

03. Peyton - Angel
I’m really digging the sound of your piano – great work on this. It’s great to see so many of us branching out into Composition, truly inspiring and amazing stuff!

04. dannylux / Mel - Morgen
Sounded great, not like a P140 at all. Lovely calming tune with some great runs & arrangements – very enjoyable

05. Sam Smith - Song Without Words Opus 19 #1
Sam you’ve for sure been practicing hard on the “bringing out notes” I know what you mean and it’s great when it click. Now if I could just get my LH quieter! : )

06. cgyan (Iain) - Aria
WOW Iain, just under a year! You’re doing incredibly well indeed. Loved this tune, added to Fav on YT and will probably give it a go sometime, really loved how it flowed and you played it so very well – excellent!

07. KeemaNan - A New Ground (Z. T682)
Your DP sounds fantastic. I love the dynamics of this piece and you played it perfectly - great work!

08. Mr Super Hunky - The great gig in the sky (cover)
I think you need to swap pianos with Monica : ) I really enjoyed your impression of this work and as a Brit of course I have a soft spot for Pink Floyd. I would agree however that the sound is very intense. Your piano sounds amazing and if you are indeed normalizing the sound I would suggest turning the mic down or placing a little further away, other than that – very very good..

09. Pianosaurus Rex / Yannick - Wiener Marsch
You’re doing very well for such a short time, great control and touch, well done!

10. CarlosCC - I Due Fiumi
Another Einaudi fan and piece. You’re doing VERY well for such a short time, really captured the piece, the dynamics, his voicing pretty much perfect. Keep it up, looking forward to much more..

OK Conf calls beckon so I’ll get to the next batch in a bit..

Round 2:

10. CarolosCC: Absolutely beautiful. My whole family loves Einaudi too (our musical tastes intersect very infrequently). Your children are lucky to have such a talented family member to play for them.

11. Monica: I really LOVED this piece of music. I could listen to it all day. I didn't find it terribly eerie, however. To me it depicted an existential struggle of some sort. You played it marvelously.

12. John Frank: I love waltzes, but haven't tried to play one yet. My teacher claims the timing is very hard to get. You did a very nice job with these!!!

13. Cheryl: You are obviously not superstitious, having the 13th submission . As you know, I think that this piece is really beautiful and hope to play it myself soon. You did a fantastic job. I also really like the sound of your acoustic piano. Excellent new piano debut. Thanks for entertaining me with this lovely piece.

14: CMohr: Smooth, smooth, smooth....like silk. Extremely impressive work, and I loved the ending.

15: Todd Vance: Very nicely done. One of my favorite Chopin Waltzes.

16. Joangolfing: Very beautifully played. I really enjoyed your selection of music too.

17. Inlanding: You never fail to please and impress!! I always look forward to your contributions. You are one talented person!!!! Fantastic job.

18. Ken: I really like Monk. You did a great job with this.

19. Mati: This is a beautiful piece of music and you played it very smoothly. It was a joy to listen to.

20. Truebeginner: Wow, I hope that I can play like this in two more years. Really sublime. I watched the snow melting as I listened to your piece. Apparently, it works as a goodbye to Winter piece too. But, who am I kidding, I live in Michigan. We won't see spring for two more months.

21: Riddler: I love this piece and you played it very well. Excellent job.

22. MartinJB: This is just gorgeous. A very touching piece played beautifully.

23. Hoffy: Love your ornamentation. Very nicely played.

24. LaValse: I am not as familiar with Scriabin as I should be. I had never heard this piece, but it is very pretty. You played with a lot of expression/emotion. Beautiful.

25. Jazzee: So fun! I was tapping my foot and bobbing my head through the whole piece. Just fantastic.

26. Walt: Very nicely done!! It reminded me of my dad (a great Denver fan). I once saw a documentary on John Denver, he was a really lovely soul. I really enjoyed listening. Thank you.

27. BillM: Very nicely played. Your voice fits this song very nicely. I enjoyed listening.

28. Strings and Wood: I LOVE THIS PIECE OF MUSIC. It is one of my husband's favorites too. I am trying to get the notes under my fingers before he returns from Greece. I will repeatedly listen to your version for inspiration. Thank you. You did a beautiful job.

29. Serge88: This was really enjoyable to listen to. You play very smoothly. Excellent.

30. Paquijote: Wow, very nicely done. Such a challenging piece played remarkably well given you have been at this for fewer than 2 years.

31. Augustina: I have always loved this song. Beautifully played. I really enjoyed it.

32. Undone: This is so impressive. You have made absolutely remarkable progress in just three years.

33. LisztAddict: Gorgeous piece of music played beautifully. A true joy to listen to.

34. Monhan: Thank you for this absolutely beautiful piece of music. You are a VERY talented person. I can definitely hear the Einaudi influence.

35. LadyPayne: Very beautifully played. I really enjoyed it and you did an excellent job arranging it.

36. MaryBee: I love this piece of music. As always, you played it beautifully. I truly lost myself while listening to your playing.

37. Farmgirl: This was very fun to hear. I have to admit, I don't like Christmas music nearly as much as most people seem to, I tire of it long before we make it to Christmas day. You know this has to be impressive and beautifully played if I can enjoy it in February. I laughed at your "huffing and puffing" comment because this really is a musical marathon....or an analogue for the Christmas season itself. Excellent job.

Thanks for your comments, jazzwee (your critique is spot on. It matches one of my teacher's. I often don't even notice it, I'll have to sensitize my ears) and CarlosCC.

A few more comments from me:

50. Bunneh - Barcarolle, No. 6 from Troisieme Recueil de Chants, op. 65. Haunting piece, which actually sounds a bit new-agey to me. Very well played, too, but you asked for merciless critique, so I'll try to deliver. But I don't know a thing about Alkan, so please take it with a grain of salt: From just looking at the IMSLP score it seems to me that you could interpret some details more courageously, like looking for an appropriate change of sound where it says "con grazvt" (whatever that means, I probably didn't read it correctly, but I'm guessing it has something to do with "gracility"), and observing the shortening of the two high notes immediately after that passage, bringing out the accented bass melody close to the ending, doing a little more of smorzando in the last line. Stuff like that.

10. CarlosCC - I Due Fiumi Your tempo and dynamic fluctuations keep the piece interesting without ever feeling forced. Well done!

13. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Gypsy Legend Congrats to your new piano and the nice recording you got of it with this charming piece. Your playing develops very well!

06. cgyan (Iain) - Aria The reverberating sound fitted the piece well. Very pleasant listening, hard to imagine that the same composer likes to go the "abstract art" route as well.

21. Riddler (Ed) - Dolphin Dance image that came to mind
22. MartinJB / martin - Reflections Em image that came to mind
23. hoffy - Minuet In G Major image that came to mind (sorry!)
25. Jazzwee - All the Things You Are image that came to mind
26. wj3 / Walt - Take me home country roads image that came to mind
27. BillM (formerly b528nf7) - Mr. President image that came to mind
28. Strings & Wood - Op. 68, No. 16 (Erster Verlust) image that came to mind (weave)
29. serge88 - Your Song image that came to mind
30. paquijote - Invention No. 7 in E minor - J.S. Bach image that came to mind

Me too!

LaValse, this is great! It's got to be much harder doing this than writing a sentence or two of comments for each piece. But I'm loving it!

Wow. Impressive how you did this. Such commitment. And in my case, so musically descriptive.

31. Augustina - Somewhere Out There image that came to mind
32. Undone - Toccata in D minor image that came to mind
33. LisztAddict - Prelude in b minor image that came to mind
34. Mohan Karthik - So far away image that came to mind
35. ladypayne - Nearer My God to Thee image that came to mind
36. MaryBee - Sheep May Safely Graze image that came to mind
37. FarmGirl - A Christmas Overture image that came to mind
38. Andy Platt - Mozart Sonata in C (K545) Movement 2 - Andante image that came to mind
39. Sideshow/Edwin - Prelude - BWV935 image that came to mind
40. GlassLove (Christine) - Song of India image that came to mind

@jazzwee - the recursion was strong... Re: my audio quality - I created the audio from the vid (which wasn't brilliant itself because I had the mic away from the piano and by a window!) and I think it was the extraction that buggered it - ffmpeg plugin for Audacity - I didn't listen to it at volume....

I am enchanted with LaValse's feedback. Now I want to open one window with the images and listen again! But wait! I still have about 15 pieces to listen to!

Most of your pics don't match my images, but I find them nonetheless fascinating and very entertaining.

I LOVED my wild horses! (oddly enough , the Gino Vanelli song...Wild Horses... is one of my favourites!)

I hope to wrap up my listening tonight! On one hand I can't wait to hear the rest, and on the other, I don't want it to be over. At least I can re-play (not like at one of those "live recitals" where you just get to hear it once!

07. KeemaNan - A New Ground (Z. T682)

This was a delight to listen to. You carried the bass well with the left hand. I do not know the "Baroque" period very well, but enjoyed listening to this. Very nicely done.

08. Mr Super Hunky - The great gig in the sky (cover)

Amazed once again at how you are able to k-plunk these type of productions. I must admit I have never listened to this and wondered what it would be like as a piano solo... it works for me, I like it.

Hawgdriver, Andy, Glen, BillM, Peyton, Dennis, Jazzwee, JF - Thnak you so much for your comments - you guys make it sound like I'm much better than I am. Cheryl, Mohan, TLT, undone, KeemaNan, Shiro, MartinJB, Mr.SuperH, wouter, Ladypayne, Farmgirl, Carlos, Augustina, Glasslove, (holy-moly! I don't think I've ever had so many comments!) tons of thanks to you all. I'm touched, really.
And..
Your comments, LaValse, are the most innovative! I've been smiling all morning! But, where the heck did you find that picture of me?!