Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Members Recordings - Pianist Corner Bortkiewicz, Nocturne, Op. 58, No. 5 from the Yugoslav Suite

Hi Old Man,

I agree with you 101%. Yes, I was speaking mostly about playing and recording, which I've been doing for many years. (I've been posting my recordings here at Piano World for 11 years or so.) When I was a kid, I participated in the adjudicated National Piano Playing Auditions, and for 10 years had to ready 10 to 15 memorized pieces from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic and Modern periods. So I did my stint a very long time ago on being the "well-rounded student" so far as stylistic periods are concerned. In my 40s I studied for seven years with an artist-teacher. I got to choose all the repertoire which included a little Classical music but a lot of Romantic, Impressionistic and Late Romantic works especially. He taught me a lot about the fine points of interpretation and performance. But he also taught me the most important thing: Teaching the student how to teach himself (which I've been doing ever since). So over the years I've been able to follow my own preferences in selecting repertoire, learning it, recording and sharing it. Going on 70 what could be better than that?

You raise an excellent point about listening. Although I have plenty of CDs here, usually I listen to performances here at Piano World, Piano Society, Piano Street, and YouTube. At all these sites I've contributed a lot of my recordings, but I also love to listen to other pianists play the music that most moves me. If a musical style does not interest me, I don't have the time left to waste on it quite frankly--because there are too many Late Romantic composers and pianists whom I greatly enjoy.

Like you, I do understand the perspective of youth, and I always try to encourage the younger pianists. But the day will come when they too are considered senior citizens. (And it comes along fast!) They as musicians will then have to decide how to best focus on the music they truly love during their waning years.

David

I tend to not listen to your posts because they send me to Piano Street. If you post on youtube, why not just embed that post here?

Hi Damon,

I find that the playback volume level at Piano Street is more accurate. What I have found over the years (I've been a member here for 11 years) is that when I upload a video to YouTube, its so-called "processing" results in a playback volume that is considerably louder than the actual input level when I made the recording. Awhile back one of the listeners at YouTube brought that up. I apologized, suggested he just turn the volume down at his end, and mentioned "YouTube processing". He instantly knew about the excess volume problem there. I hate it when it knocks the headphones off a listener's head, as that happened to me there too.

David

I can see that my initial comment has lead to a big discussion

David: I'm a little younger than you (going to be 56 this year), but I think I can understand what you mean. Why do I have to play entire groups of works, if there is just one among them which really catches my interest? Listening is one thing, but practising a piece every day makes no sense if there is not a very deep emotional connection. I often start practising something new just in order to find out how deep my interest and love is. And after one or two days I can clearly feel if I want to go on or not. For now this kind of selecting literature includes a big stilistic range (about from Haydn to Debussy), but who knows? Maybe in ten years I'll concentrate on a smaller range, too?

Anyway: thanks again for sharing this fascinating music, and also for all your very interesting explanations!

With best wishes

Felix

Hi Felix,

I very much agree with your assessment process in exploring a new piece. It doesn't take long to determine whether it will bring you pleasure or not. If not, more hours of practicing will not likely bring a change of mind. There's a parallel here with technique as well. When it comes to technique, we all know our own abilities and limitations. So if we decide to abandon a piece given its degree of difficulty and put it away, it should be done without any regrets.

Later in life I believe it unlikely that one would specialize only in the music of a single composer--although it has happened that a pianist has set out to learn the entire oeuvre of a composer. That's relatively rare. But insofar as focusing more on one or two stylist periods is more common. That also offers the benefit of working in different idioms of a number of composers which enables one to continue honing technique along with playing music that one truly loves.

I'm so glad you liked the Bortkiewicz nocturne. I'm happy doing my small part in helping this deserving composer to at least gain posthumously the recognition he so much deserves.

Best regards,

David

Oh, lovely! Thanks for sharing.

It definitely hits me with a big opening dose of Chopin Op. 72 No 1.

But then it goes its own way and I'm glad I listened and now I know a new composer. That makes two in as many weeks, and both were, strangely, Ukrainian! (Kosenko was the other.)

I participated n the NPPA only once, when I was 14. Still have the "report card" with the judge's comments. It was a very positive experience overall - and I regret that I didn't continue to participate. T'was definitely a good decision on your part to study with the artist teacher. I stopped taking lessons at age 29 - but at that point was equipped with the skills needed to teach myself - which has been a tremendous asset over the years.
At age 67 I can definitely relate. Very selective now about what I attempt to learn...and trying very hard to get as much recorded as possible while I still can.

Thanks for sharing your performance of this wonderful Nocturne David !!

Hi TwoSnowflakes,

I've been waiting to see when someone would recall Chopin 72/1 ha-ha! Well, who better than Chopin to inspire us? But as you say, once the piece moves along, it takes on its own character.

I briefly looked into Kosenko's music several months ago and thought there was potential there. Probably at some point I should revisit his scores.

David

Hi Carey,

I really enjoyed my 10 years with the National Piano Playing Auditions. It required not only playing all the musical styles well, but also created yearly goals, structure and self-discipline for the pianist. At the end the rewards were the diploma in artistic piano playing, the Paderewski Gold Medal, and a scholarship from the National Guild of Piano Teachers. Oh, and my mug shot in the 1964 Yearbook and Directory. For an 18 year old that was wonderful recognition. Simultaneously in that 10th year I entered a competition in Boston adjudicated by New England Conservatory piano professors, and played in the finalists' recital there. Right after that I played my senior recital.

Following all that, my career was in business administration, but piano has always been my favorite hobby. The former was my vocation and the latter my avocation.

The National Piano Playing Auditions still exist and would greatly benefit any young person studying piano. Sadly, I'm told that today there is so much pressure placed on kids for academics and extra curricular activities, that most study piano for only a brief time if at all, as they don't have enough time to practice and advance.

I agree with you. My first teacher of 10 years taught me all the fundamentals of practicing, technique and performing. She also took me to many piano recitals given by touring artists. The artist-teacher of 7 years focused more on expanding repertoire and the fine points of interpretation and performance. For a great many years I've been my own teacher as I commune with the great composers. I enjoy every minute of it!

I think the way you summed up your current goals is very similar to my approach now.

Thanks for chatting about all this.

David

I can't claim to have independently discovered them, because I learned about them from a post here, but it was the Kosenko Etudes in the Style of Old Dances that got me.

Especially the 7. Gavotte, which probably is the piece that got the most play this week in my car.

Interesting. I didn't like the Gavotte too much. I preferred some of the others.

Hi TwoSnowflakes,

If you've listened to Kosenko's 7. Gavotte a lot, it could mean that it inspires you, which in turn might indicate that you could learn and play it yourself. If that should happen, please record and post it here. You'd be raising awareness of that music, thus serving the composer very well.

David

Bumping a worthier post.

Hi Damon,

A double thank you again!

It saddens me every time I think of Bortkiewicz's Yugoslav Suite locked away in an archive since 1940! It's astounding to think that it has never been printed or circulated to sheet music stores, and of course never played for that matter. One theory is that in 1940 modern styles of piano music were still evolving. For example, the piano as a percussive, rather than lyrical instrument, figured more into the new styles. So maybe Rahter Publishing deemed these works of Bortkiewicz, in their late romantic splendor, to be too old fashioned and contrary to modernism.

David

It was worth a trip to Piano Street! Thracozag (Koji Atwood) has posted a handful of interesting Borkiewicz here as well.

Hi Damon,

The best feature at Piano Street in Audition Room is the Index to Audition Room found at the top left of Page 1 over the listing of recordings. The Index is alphabetical by composer, with the pianists under any composer also in alphabetic order my name being rachfan). Using the Index, you can find everything far more easily than having to search through many pages. You may have already used it, but others have not noticed it yet.

David

Bumping another Bortkiewicz recording and creating sort "Bortkiewicz summit"