Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Members Recordings - Pianist Corner Godowsky - Triakontameron, #6

It's interesting. Your other Godowsky stays pretty faithful to the score, yet this one is much more subjective in its interpretation of the rhythms and shaping of the lines. Can you say what prompted you to take a more liberal approach to this piece?

John

Hi Polyphonist, your playing of this was beautiful and exquisite! I could quite enjoyably listen to you for the whole duration of a full length recital, probably without a single moment of disappointment.

Here, I guess I simply have to respectfully differ from the crowd. I've read through this piece and other pieces of the Triakontameron and I have to admit that most of what I've read seems trite at best, and not worth the time.

That said, I sort of question whether this piece is a bit too weak to be totally convincing, but there are a few things that I think can help.

In the fourth measure Godowsky goes through the trouble of putting in stems to show the falling line which I think he's quite literally showing to be a part of the main theme. It sounds more like bit of a counter-punctual type idea when you play it.

In measure eleven, I think the change to such andissonant chord from the second to third beat is something to be considered, at the very least, if you haven't.

One thing that I think should be noted is that if we consider the line in measure four as melody, then the same can be said for the line(s) in measures fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen which, when consider with the poco rall. and piu rall., seem to suggest that one should stretch the C, Bb, A line to the point that the 2-3 eights at the beginning of measure sixteen sound like quarters, and then the line can be compressed as you do. This can also be related to the idea in measures thirty, thirty-one and thirty-two, and even, fleetingly, thirty-six so I think it's rather important.

There is also the matter of the indication for no pedal during the last four measures. You ignore this, but I think your missing out on a rather nice moment of Godowsky style humor by doing so. He writes the fingering in a way that allows for one to easily achieve a easy secure portato articulation white sustaining the melody and I think that's what he's going for. It seems like a very Godowskian idea that sorta recalls moments in the third and fourth movements of the piano sonata, don't your think?


You might want to consider really punching out the C in measure 18 for variety's sake, but I don't think this it's particularly important.

Edit: I just realized that at the beginning of measure 19 there is a a Gb that you seem to omit. You can have a rather nice line if you bring out the C, F and Gb with in the upward gesture.

What a pity it is that Godowsky is known for his Chopin arrangements rather than stuff like this.

Hate to say it but that sounded quite amateurish. I could easily do better.

The Wind is right.

Joel will you prostrate yourself to your master like an obedient one.

That's more or less what I was implying in my earlier post but I didn't want to come across as antagonistic. There is much wrong with that performance. I put it down to arrogance and contempt for the audience rather than incompetence; counting on general unfamiliarity with the work of a composer famous for writing very difficult stuff.

I have to agree, also, with MikeN. These pieces, while often pretty, are quite insubstantial. Richard Strauss produced much more satisfying examples of this genre.

John

I am not involved in this argument.