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I wasn't able to comment on the last two recitals due to Life Getting In The Way Issues, so I'm glad to have the time for this one. First batch:

01. SMA55 – Consolation No. 3: When I think of Liszt, I tend to think of fast and furious, but this piece is sooooo dreamy and beautiful. You do a great job of keeping the tempo unhurried and drawing the melody out with emotion. And your piano sounds awesome!

02. MeganR – Sonatina in C Major Op 36 No 1L This piece is so lilting and jaunty that it sounds like it ought to be easy, but I know better than that! You pull off all the separate voices nicely and keep the tempo steady, and that’s hard to do with a five-plus minute long piece!

03. Marie – The Crane Dance: Oh, you so *get* Einaudi. Playing a delicate piece like this with just the right expressiveness is a lot harder than the sheet music looks (which is why I haven’t dared to tackle this one yet, ha!). Your version captures the essence of the piece perfectly.

04. Ralph L. – Auld Lang Syne: I liked your addition of strings/chorus... it looked fun to play, and it was definitely fun to listen to! I also really liked your video-within-a-video setup on YouTube.

05. Whizbang – Gladiolus Rag: I don’t think I have heard this Joplin rag before, but I liked it a lot... it has an eminently hummable melody, and your playing of it was light and carefree, just the way a rag should be, even during those fast octave runs.

06. blackjack1777 – Fur Elise: I agree with you: This piece has sad overtones of loss and longing. Many people play the first theme but don’t bother tackling the rest, but the other sections are, in my opinion, crucial for a full appreciation of this classic. Nicely done!

07. earlofmar – Invention No. 3: I admire you for your willingness to invest the “hard work and persistence” to tackle Bach. This piece required constant precision and attention and nonstop action, and you pulled it off masterfully.

08. wouter79 – Italian Song, Op. 39 No. 15: The oom-pah-pah pattern in the left hand immediately brought me back to my accordion years, and I mean that in a pleasant way. This is a fun little piece, and I enjoyed your rendition.

09. Pianist685 – Etude Op. 45, No. 15 “Warrior’s Song” : I’ve been playing a couple of pieces lately that involve big chords–not my usual M.O.–so I have a new appreciation for the challenges that you had to confront in mastering this piece. You play all those chords cleanly and powerfully, and the end result is impressive.

10. SwissMS – Love Song: What a haunting melody! I wasn’t familiar with this work, but I love it! And you play it so gently and sweetly.

Some picks to get going.

01 SMA55 Consolation No. 3

A wonderful start, really enjoyed this, something I'd love to learn in future, What a wonderful tone out of the Steingraeber, great recording/sound, a wonderful instrument and playing.

02 MeganR Sonatina in C Major Op 36 No 1

Nicely played and sounds secure, as you say, better have it solidly under the fingers in movement 1 than trying the higher speed and stumble. Nice switching in dynamics from the first to second movement too, and so well done for doing all three on the trot. Congrats.

03 MarieJ The Crane dance

Ooh what a delicate delight Marie, makes me want to pull out the Einudi book later. Never tried this one, my Einaudi has not been touched in a while apart from a couple I maintain and play now and again. blushThere are some lovely touches here true to Einaudi style, how it should be played IMO .. delightful.

07 earlofmar Invention No 3

First of all, Congrats on your exam. I am rather growing font of the inventions to listen to, not to play, beyond me, so well done, I enjoyed listening.

08 wouter79 Italian song, Op. 39, No. 15

I just started this one a few days ago funnily enough , enjoying it very much and been analysing it a bit how to approach it. Nice performance if a little hot in the dynamics and attack of notes in the melody line at times lacking a bit of smoothness here and there, but that may just be preference .. but ... always listen to your teacher ... not me. Perhaps the recording may not be helping, but I don't think it is that, since the tone is there when you end it beautifully in the last few bars and wind down.

09 Pianist685 (Constantin) Etude Op. 45 No. 15, "Warrior's Song"

Powerful stuff and wonderful chords, what more to say, In a nutshell, I very much enjoyed it. Great stuff.

10 SwissMS Qing Ge (Love Song)

What a delight. I never heard of it before, but I enjoyed every note of it. Made for the Bosendorfer, wonderful sounds you have here.

11 Jerzyk19 What A Wonderful World

This is great stuff for 14 months, congrats. Dare I say I've never been a big fan of the roland new pianos LX/HP series tone when I hear them played, often a bit harsh in tone, with that in mind, the added compliment I would give is that you bring a very nice warm tone out of it, that I have not heard ... Great stuff.

12 Peyton Higgison Music For Meadows

It's another musical delight Peyton, I always enjoy your renditions that are always in good taste to my liking, there is a lovely flow to this .. Wonderful.

21 Keselo, Morning prayer (Gurlitt)

When I saw the title, but not the composer I was expecting the Tchaikovsky morning prayer, which I recall well since I did it for the last recital, but never heard this one before, a very pretty piece indeed, very nice touches and very well expressed as a prayer. Great stuff.

With that in mind as may as well do this one

28 fishandchips, Morning prayer ( Tchaikovsky)

only one year ?, what can I say, I attempted it at the previous recital after 3 years, you are a quick learner ... very well done indeed. Interesting how we play it all a bit differently, you bring yet anohter nice interpratation of it here.

47 Ralphiano La Poupee (The Doll)

Always look forward to my fellow self teachers, I know how hard a journey it is, and can share in that.

Well done for pulling it off at speed, which it needs to give it that playful feeling ( IMO), sort of reminds me a quite a bit of the new doll ( Tchaikovsky) which you may like to try too. Very enjoyable indeed. Thanks for sharing you background story and reason for playing it.

32. Sam S - Prelude and Fugue in c minor from book 1 of the WTC

Bach always sounds SO GOOD on a period instrument like a harpsichord. Great performance.

23. sinophilia - River City Blues

Bartender, another whiskey please. Make it a double.

20 briangmoore Monday

One of my Einudi favourites, I liked your rendition at lot, the slightly out of tune character of the upright actually brings a charm to it also. Enjoy your Einaudi, it can get quite addictive to play.

23 Sinophilia River City Blues

Nice ralaxing bit of blues and a perfect marriage for the upright sound.



Quite right ! Nailed it.

24 chopinoholic (Paul de Koning) ballade no.1 opus 23 g minor

Lovely, stuff that is way above me, so I'll leave the technical feedback to those in the know, though I am quite familiar with it by now having heard it many times by many pianist. I really enjoyed it, the demanding sections sounded great too, excellent for something you consider ... WIP.

11. Jerzyk19 – What a Wonderful World: I really liked this arrangement; it suits the spirit of the song well. You play it nicely and with confidence.

12. Peyton – Music for Meadows: I enjoy all your compositions, but this one is particularly beautiful, in my opinion, in part because of its slow and bittersweet nature. Love the video, too! So peaceful and mesmerizing....

14. Riddler – I Hear a Rhapsody: What a nice, dreamy jazz tune. Perfect for a leisurely late afternoon cocktail in a swanky club. I like how cleanly you play all those chords; that’s always a challenge for me.

15. casinitaly – Danny Boy: Your arrangement suits the poignant nature of this melody well, as does the slow and deliberate pace. And one take?!

16. zsolpyW – Winds of Change: I have long admired all of Vika’s arrangements but never would attempt to try one myself... her stuff is *wicked* hard! So my hat’s off to you– you do a terrific job of playing this. My jaw dropped when the section with all the deep bass notes and big chords came in at about 1:45.

17. sandalholme – Andante con moto from Piano Sonata No. 30 : Oh, all those trills and ornamentations would give me fits. But you play them with confidence and delicacy. I also admired your control over the dynamics. Nicely done!

18. Lotus in Blue – Sonatina in G: 1. Moderato: I love your interpretation of this piece as reminiscent of the thrilling moments of early love before you know it’s reciprocated: There’s a joy there, but under control. Very well played, and congratulations on your AB Forum Recital debut!

19. bSharpCyclist – Sonatina in F Major – Op 168 No. 1: Unless your Clementi is at rock star levels, I think you should play this one for your RCM 4 exam–you played it perfectly and with confidence, and I really enjoyed the triumphant ending.

20. briangmoore – Monday: I’m envious of you and the others who can play this beautiful Einaudi piece... I’ve started it once or twice and always found it discouragingly hard, most notably the fast and tricky polyrhythms starting around 2:54. You managed that part (and the rest of the piece) well. I can understand why it inspired you.

02. MeganR - Sonatina in C Major Op 36 No 1
Very nice playing, Megan! I really enjoyed your performance of this sonatina. By the way, I visited your homepage—I had no idea you were such a wonderful photographer. Beautiful pictures! What an eye you have!

03. MarieJ - The Crane Dance
While I can’t pretend to be a fan of Einaudi and his minimalist approach to music, I can hear the skill and sensitivity in your playing. At the risk of heresy, I would even say that in your playing, I can hear an imprisoned maximalist dying to get out! 😁 Nice work, Marie.

05. Whizbang (Chris) - Gladiolus Rag
Very impressive! You’ve definitely got the ragtime thing down. And it was nice to hear this piece played at the more leisurely pace that you did.

06. blackjack1777 - "Fur Elise" Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor (WoO 59, Bia 515)
I think you did a relatively smoothly job on a piece that is not so easy. Good work!

07. earlofmar - Invention No 3
Excellent performance! As you yourself know, Bach requires a lot of hard work to master. I found out the hard way that if you’re going to play it from memory for a recital or exam, you’d better know it backwards and forwards—and upside down.

15 CASINITALY (Cheryl) Danny Boy / Londonderry Air

It was a pleasure to listen to. Since I don't know how you changed it or added to the arrangement, but it blends in seamlessly, and congrats in one take, you beat me to it , mine took two, something I didn't mention but not something I pay much attention to when writing up the notes these days. Gone are the days of doing it 5 to 10 takes, because if it takes that long that tells me I am not ready anyway.

38 PikaPianist Melody in Ab Major

This is indeed a nice gem, never heard of the composer either. Great playing as usual from you. It was a pleasure listening.

49 UnderConstruction Debussy - Arabesque 1

Great stuff, considering the circumstances and all to squeeze this one in for us to hear in minutes. Congrats on your new instrument, the Feurich sounds great, good choice.

Thank you sinophilia. Your comment is a breath of fresh air, I was getting so frustrated with this invention that I couldn't make it sound the way I wanted. It helps to hear something encouraging for a change :-)

I have now changed the figuring for RH ornament in measure 48. I used 3 and 4 for the recital, it felt really awkward and now switched to 2 and 3, I think it sounds way better.

1 SMA55 Shepherd Abrams

Lovely rendition of a lovely tune. I picture a warm fire amongst close family in a long bygone age where some common sense still existed . . .smoking rooms prevailed and you could be deliciously self opinionated . . .every day!

2 MeganR

Loved these Sonatinas. Fun and tuneful for all ages and abilities. Well done; splendid and controlled, the last particularly rocked. The piano sounds deep and wonderful.

3 Marie J

A particularly good Einaudi, so fluently played. Your Pianoteq sounds just great.

4 Ralph L

Fun with different sounds! I'm all for it. Handling this stuff effectively is an art in itself. Great variation and super ending. Very good job, Ralph!

5 Whizzbang

You play these so gently with such passion; the result can only be excellent. A pleasure to listen to.

6 Blackjack 1777

Must admit to not liking this as a kid. You do a great job on this popular piece!

7 Earlofmar

Gotta do some Bach meself someday . . . .This was a decent, short exposition conjuring up pictures of times long gone . . .when they burned witches and non witches alike, and great cruelty ensued amongst the even greater music of the period. Interesting times; I enjoyed that.

8 Wouter 79

I like Tchaik.'s work for piano. This was short, and sounded sweet on your nice piano.

9 Pianist685

Sounds very dramatic . . . foreboding, violent, nice! Bring it on if yer 'ard enough . . . . .

10 SwissMS

As usual, a lovely sound from you. Unusual and inventive; you must love doin' these novel pieces. We love hearing this one . . .

Love these recitals. There are always surprises! 'Bye for now, gotta go.

Thank you SwissMS. Once thing I noticed about trills, which I thought was weird, was my edition has E and #F for the long RH trill but a lot of people on youtube play E and F natural.

30 h8dk97 Bach Invention no 4

I think Sinophilia put it very well, I think the recording isn't too bad, I mean there is enough there to get a sense of tone, and you re not overdoing it like I feel with how many play Bach in terms of articulation, but no doubt opinions will vary, and I am a no expert. I think your touch/approach towards Bach is nice, and like Sinophilia, I fall into that Dinnerstein camp as the preferred way to hear these personally. I had a few goes at no 1 on and off, since it is one of my books, so I have a sense how hard some of them are, so for two years ... amazing, and the long trills .. very tough I imagine to get them to come out just right, you are well on your way. Great Job.

32 Sam S Prelude and Fugue in c minor from book 1 of the WTC

What a pleasure to have a bit of refreshing bit of harpsichord in between. Not much more to say, splendid. !

21. Keselo – Morning Prayer: I wasn’t familiar with either this composer or the piece, but it’s lovely. So soft and sad. These slow quiet pieces are actually a lot harder to play than they look, because the littlest hesitations or skipped notes etc. are immediately obvious. I didn’t hear any of those (or the wrong note you claim is in there, but I don’t believe you! ). You do a great job of playing this piece with emotion and effective dynamics.

22. Roger Ransom – Ebb Tide: You had me at the opening beautiful run of this quiet jazzy piece, and it just kept getting better. I’m impressed you were able to improvise this lovely and complex arrangement from a lead sheet.

23. sinophilia – River City Blues: That stride bass looked fun to play on your video. I love the nice easy feel you gave the piece with the swing rhythm.

24. chopinoholic – Ballade no. 1 op. 23: This is a highly impressive performance of a very demanding piece. It sounds considerably more polished than a “work in progress” to me!

25. piano2138 – Chorale Be Content: You do a good job of keeping the separate voices of this piece distinct. Nicely played! My only complaint is that it was so short.

26. Newbert – All the way: I’m glad you didn’t miss this recital, Newbert. I always enjoy listening to your jazzy pieces. This one has me thinking of cool lemonade on a porch swing on a warm summer evening.

27. pines9876 – Snowy Sky: Congratulations on your AB Forum Recital debut! And to start off with the challenge of first having to transcribe a piece is very impressive! I wasn’t familiar with this composer, but I can see why this piece intrigued you. It’s catchy, but with faintly sad undertones.

28. fishandchips – Morning Prayer: You do a good job of playing all those chords distinctly. I like your gradual crescendo that starts about the 0:50 mark. I wish the piece were longer!

29. Ganddalf - Impromptu Op.90 no.4: Oh, I love how those cascading downward runs just flow off your fingertips. You play this long and difficult piece magnificently. The transition to the dark and dreamy part at about 2:30 was particularly effective.

30. h8dk97 - Invention# 4: Trills kick my butt every time. Fortunately Einaudi doesn’t use much of them. You do an admirable job on yours, especially the ones that last a measure or more. Nicely played!

Thank you :-) I never heard Dinnerstein before, just had a listen now and must say it's not my cup of tea, matter of taste of course. A. Schiff is my favourite for Bach inventions.

yes, I love his way of doing it too, but then there are some that "poke" away a bit too harshly for my liking.

Now, This makes for an interesting change I rather enjoyed hearing the other night, but it suits that instrument too ... I think Modern pianos sound so different these days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFKbmBPaeus

Dissclaimer: don't try this at home unless you want to get injured or you are a Lisitsa

And my last batch. Thanks again, all, for another wonderful recital. Thanks also to those of you who watched and commented (or will comment) on my recording--I appreciate it greatly!


31. AZ_Astro - Pastorale from the Petit Trianon Suite: What a fun little jaunty piece! So catchy. I can’t believe you got this up to recording speed starting from scratch in only three weeks!

32. Sam S - Prelude and Fugue in c minor from book 1 of the WTC: You have two things to feel very proud about: Restoring your absolutely gorgeous harpsichord to all its glory, and then being able to play some extremely difficult (and FAST!) Bach on it. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard that must have been in terms of getting used to the different touch and reversed key colors. Bravo!

33. Alexander Borro - In Church Op. 39 No. 24: You do a great job of conveying the somber, almost brooding mood of this piece. Very contemplative and well played.

34. JoBert - Bagatelle (Opus 119, No. 1): This piece *sounded* very challenging to me, with its combination of slow, legato sections mixed in with the delicate more staccato sections. You play it with great confidence and skill.

35. mel_lem/Melanie - Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 779: You play this with such joy that I imagine you smiling broadly at the piano as you recorded it. Even more, you make it sound like Bach is *easy*, and I know darn well that it’s not!

36. Moo - Songs without words op 30 no 1: Nice performance of a long and challenging piece! I liked the relaxed, singing quality you gave it.

37. SandTiger - Avenue D: There are few things more convincing or gratifying than revisiting a piece to show how much progress one has made in piano. Your playing here sounds so confident and controlled–an impressive composition!

38. PikaPianist - Melody in Ab Major: It’s a shame this “obscure” piece is so obscure; it’s absolutely beautiful, and you play it beautifully. And I must make a shout-out to the quality of your YouTube video–the camera angle, lighting, and sound is outstanding.

39. lvojnovic - Prelude 1913: Am I correct that this is your first submission to the AB Forum recitals? Congratulations! I wasn’t familiar with this work by Ravel; it sounds remarkably modern to my ears. Nicely played; I especially liked your dynamics at the end of the piece.

40. Michiyo-Fir (Jade) - 12 Variations on Ah! Vous dirai-je Maman K.265: Some of these variations sound wicked hard, yet you played them all smoothly and with confidence. I can tell you had a lot of fun working on them.

41. peterws - Novelette 1 in C: What a pretty piece... the first minute and a half or so is very romantic, almost contemporary sounding, but then it shifts into more a baroque feel. You play it with a light, delicate touch, even if you don’t have a “young lady’s flexible fingers.”

42. Schin L - Nocturne op.9 no.2: Yeah, you learn a lot by recording and listening to yourself, don’t you? (I usually discover that my tempo is frighteningly uneven... ). It’s clear to me, though, that you quickly regained your abilities after coming back from a long absence at piano. Your trills are light and perfect.

43. joangolfing - March BVW Anhang 122: Well, I think playing Bach is super hard enough, but trying to play Bach without looking at the keys?!?!? You should win some bravery award just for that. Well done!

44. Richard (zrtf90) - Asturias (Leyenda): I wasn’t familiar with this piece but was immediately captivated by the quiet urgency and progressive intensity of your playing. I can see how it would make a great classical guitar solo, but it is a powerful piece on piano as well.

45. Kalos Piano - The Clear Stream: I can’t imagine what it took to get playing this piece up to tempo... it sounds highly challenging! You play all those arpeggios smoothly and distinctly despite the ridiculous tempo. Excellent job!

46. Fouyaut - Fugue op. 35 no.2: Congratulations on your AB Forum Recital debut! I didn’t hear the “big flaws” you mention, though I *do* hear the resemblance to Bach. Your playing sounded relaxed and enthusiastic to me; I’m glad you persisted working on the piece on your own after your teacher refused to help you further. (I digress here with a sort of angry rant: If your teacher is unwilling to work with you on a piece you really love and moves you to tears, just because she got "bored," then maybe she’s not the right teacher for you. )

47. Ralphiano (Ralph) - La Poupee (The Doll): I can’t begin to imagine how frustrating the past year must have been for you in coping with your injuries and their effect on your playing. But on the basis of this recording it sounds like you are back to where you had been before the crash, if not beyond. Your playing is very even, which suggests you have been successful indeed in your achieving playing without tension.

48. Piano_Primo - Chopin Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1 in B flat minor.Shortened Version, 2. Bach Choral BWV 514: I’m no expert, but I like the Nocturne at the slower tempo you played it in. I have to ask, though, when I watched your video your piano wobbled a fair amount on the stand–doesn’t that make it harder to play?

49. UnderConstruction - Debussy - Arabesque 1: I love the flowing, gentle nature of this piece. Very impressive performance! Glad you got it submitted in time for the recital. And your piano sounds great.

Starting from the bottom up...

49. Under Construction - Debussy - Arabesque I - Last minute or not, this is so lovely. I love those quiet pianissmi that you played. Intimate and dreamy. I am a huge Debussy fan and you did not disappoint.

48. Piano_Primo - Chopin - Nocturne No. 9 in Bb Major, Bach - Chorale BWV 514 - Such a contrast between the Chopin and the Bach, from unfettered emotion to an almost plangent hint of melancholy in the Bach. Wonderfully expressive playing in both pieces.

47. Ralphiano - Alexandre Transman - La Poupee - Well done! I like the way you captured the tension in this piece. I hope you continue to heal from your injury and look forward to more music from you!

46. Fouyaut - Fugue op. 35 no.2 - Mendelssohn - Romanticism paired with Baroque style, wow! My niece came in while I was listening and she and said, "Beautiful!" (Which is an apt description.) I loved your sensitive playing; it's very clear you love the piece.

45. Kalos Piano - The Clear Stream - Burgmuller - Bubbly and beautiful. I can "see" the shimmer of light on the stream while I listen to you play. Accurate and clear phrasing. Crisp. I really enjoyed this.

Thank you for the recommendation! I'll check it out.

41. peterws- This is quite lovely! And the recording is excellent. Well done.

33.- Alexander Borro- Well, that's a perfect title. It certainly puts one into a reverent, serene mood.. Beautifully played.

18. Lotus in blue- I've always loved this piece. It's just so joyful and fun. You really keep it moving. Got my foot a tapping. Well played.

15. Casinitaly- This is always such a sad tune for me. I had an old friend of my Mothers that would always sing this at parties and I cant help but think of him when I hear it. You put a lot of feeling into this. Nicely done.

10. SwissMS- What an interesting mysterious piece. Your Bosendorfer gives it an extra mystical feeling. I really enjoyed listening.

01. SMA55 (Shepherd Abrams) - Consolation No. 3
Beautiful performance, of a beautiful piece, on a beautiful piano! The left-hand work was very impressive - I wish I had that kind of control! Well done.

04. Ralph L. - Auld Lang Syne (piano+keyboard)
Ralph, okay let us drink to the New Year already! You are quite an arranger, not to mention videographer. Excellent production. I enjoyed listening and watching. Well done.

05. Whizbang (Chris) - Gladiolus Rag
Outstanding! You've got that Joplin syncopation down pat. You play with a light touch that I envy. (I pound!) Youre approach is perfect for this piece. I don't remember hearing this one before but I really enjoyed it. Great work.

06. blackjack1777 - "Fur Elise" Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor (WoO 59, Bia 515)
A very demanding piece, if for no other reason than that we have all heard it many times and would recognize any bloopers. Well done, I enjoyed it, especially the dramatic parts.

09. Pianist685 (Constantin) - Etude Op. 45 No. 15, "Warrior's Song"
Rachmaninoff on steroids! Wow, I love those chords. So dramatic. Aptly named, by the way. Played very musically in spite of the immense high-decibel chords. The Galaxy Vantage D sounds great, too.