Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital 54 --- General Discussion Room

04. Peyton - Porz Goret Nice playing, and good video production.

08. KevinM - Song without words Opus 30.3 Kevin - this was one of the first “real” pieces of music I learned. I think I submitted it to a recital a couple of years ago. It was not my favorite as it seemed to have a religious flair to it, which isn’t really my style. I played it a little faster and less emotive, but then I was newer to piano then. I have to tell you, I really like your version. It’s a lot nicer than I was able to make it. Slower and way more emotive. Thanks for turning this piece of music which I didn’t particularly love into a beautiful work!

09. Sandalholme - Nocturne Op62 No1 What’s not to love about a Chopin Nocturne? Excellent performance. Love it.

14. peterws - Wistful Thinking Very cool composition. Really enjoyed it. Too short!

15. lyricmudra - Venetian Boat Song No. 1 (Songs Without Words Op. 19 No. 6) Very pretty. I didn’t know this one as well as the other Venetian Gondola Song (30.6 I believe) but it’s very nice. You did justice to the piece!

16. noobpianist90 - Two Part Invention in C Major BWV 772 Very well done. This piece seems like it takes such intense focus and concentration. Sounded excelllent. Bravo!

17. Jason Lenthe - Important Event enjoyed it, Jason, good playing.

18. Ted Jones - Improvisation Ted, you certainly have a style all your own! Sounds like you want to be a progressive jazzer. Thanks for sharing your work.

20. sinophilia - Waltz in G# minor Op. 39 no. 3 I liked it but it wasn’t as gloomy as billed. Good playing as always.

22. facdo - Invention No.13 in A minor, BWV 784 That was really good! Very fast. Liked the piece. I should put that one on my wish list!

27. Ralph L. - Someone like you (Adele) Inlike hearing some pop and rock tunes once in a while. The only change I would make is that I felt the second voice was too loud and overwhelmed the piano voice. I’d remix it a little. Good playing, keep it up!

30. thepianoplayer416 - Keyboard Suite in D Minor (HWV437) Allemande & Courante Good job, big undertaking.

32. Balezin Dmitry - Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) What a great song and how nice to hear some Rock and Roll! Keep it up, keep refining it.

37. JoBert - Adagio (KV 540) Nice job, long piece, quite an undertaking.

39. Moo - Morceaux de fantaisie, Serenade (1892 version) That was really nice, Moo. Enjoyed it. Must be great to have a Rach piece or two under your belt. Great!




52. PikaPianist - Toccata in F minor Oh wow! That’s amazing. Very impressive. I’ll never play that fast.

53. Ralphiano (real name is a secret!) - Fin des vacanses Good job, Ralph, well played. Awaiting the Clementi.

54. Piano_primo_1 - Ave Maria Based on Prelude by JS Bach That was pretty cool I have to admit! I like how you adopted the Prelude - was that your own or from sheet? Was the L hand creating the flute sound? Enjoyed it.

56. Sam S - November Fire Nice, Sam, always nice to be able to put something together quickly. I hear the Satie in there. I’m it sure about the Seasons or Einauldi though. Enjoyed it.

Few more to go. Great recital!

Thanks for listening. Any jazz influence would have to be coincidence. I have no idea what progressive jazz is and jazz in general doesn't interest me particularly. Nonetheless, the mind has a habit of absorbing anything it hears and bringing it out during improvisation, so there might be influences there which I am not consciously aware of. Interesting, thanks for pointing it out.

01. wouter79 - Melodious Studies, op.45 Nr.8 Barcarolle
I don't think I've heard all that much of Heller before. I liked this piece. I liked the melody in the bass a lot. Sounds very vaguely familiar to me.
I think I'll check out this collection of pieces. It seems like something that might be good for me to practice reading, and it sounds fun to play as well.
Thanks for sharing

02. Claudemir Medeiros - Lua Branca
Nicely done. That was very enjoyable. It had a very soothing and calming effect on me.
I could feel that the original was a song

03. Mosotti - Prelude in E minor Op.28 No.4
That was very well done. Hard to believe you've been playing only for a year and a half.
I think you absolutely nailed the dynamics. I think that's the part where many beginners struggle a bit, especially with this piece. The tempo was also well measured.
I only wish you'd have tried for a better recording angle in your video.

04. Peyton - Porz Goret
I liked it a lot. Lot of good things going on there. The music goes very well with the scenery.
One thing I did note was that the accompaniment could have been softer in some places. Especially when the music becomes a bit dissonant and the right hand becomes silent. For example, the part around 2:13. Of course, I could be completely wrong and the sheet music may indicate the opposite, but this is how I might have liked to interpret it

05. MarieJ - Limbo
This is a new Einaudi piece for me. I liked it
I totally get what you say about these Recitals and self-learning. Feels almost like you're describing me

06. Jerzyk19 - Pamietam Twoje Oczy
Wow! That was very well done. The performance sounds like it has been polished to perfection. I can hardly believe you've been playing only for 2 years!
There were some very interesting (and challenging?) rhythms that were very enjoyable to listen to. The video was also very well edited.
Very well done!

07. akc42 Alan Chander - BWV 974 Adagio
Nice! I'm somewhat familiar with this piece. I've studied it a bit, even though I haven't tried playing it yet.
I think you played it quite well overall. I do have a couple of suggestions. I think it's a bit louder than it should be in some places. I prefer this piece to be more subdued.
I'd suggest listening to the original, the Oboe concerto. If you listen to it, you'll see that it's quite a subdued piece, and although the Oboe stands clearly above the accompaniment, it doesn't overpower. It's more introspective.
I also think the trills could be shaped a bit better, but this isn't too important.
With only a couple of years since re-starting, I think this is a fantastic achievement. Well done!

08. KevinM - Song without words Opus 30.3
That was very well done! Smooth playing with good dynamics. I liked it a lot.
It always surprises me how well people tend to play such a short while after re-starting their piano journey.
The only thing I would improve upon would be the arpeggios in the intro. I think they would sound better played a bit more softly.

09. Sandalholme - Nocturne Op62 No1
That was fantastic! I must have listened to this recording many times.
This is one of the harder Nocturnes, isn't it? Those scale and arpeggio runs sound very challenging. The trill section in the middle was very well done. Sounds very hard to pull off convincingly.
I might have liked the left hand part to be a bit louder in some places though. There are a lot of interesting things going on there. Of course, that's just my interpretive point of view.
The Steingraeber sound compliments this piece very nicely as well. Thanks for sharing

10. Thomas - Maple Leaf Rag
That video made me smile Nicely played overall.
I'm not very familiar with Joplin and ragtime, but I have heard this piece, and The Entertainer, played quite a few times here.
I think you've got all the notes. A few rhythmic hiccups is all that is left to work on, I think. Perhaps slowing down and practicing will help ironing out the few remaining issues.

Thank you

Thank you
Yes, it is a good confidence boost to be able to bring it back quickly. And if I can do it, anyone can

Thank you
It's something that I used to dream about as well, until I was finally able to do it. Reading is the weakest link for me. I've been trying very hard to overcome this barrier.

Thank you
The interplay of the voices, as you put it, was the hardest part about this performing this piece. It was just as challenging to decide on how to interpret it.
The ornaments... well... I stole most of them from Glenn Gould's recording

Thank you

Thank you
This is my first time getting the recording on the first take. Usually it's above 30 attempts I think it helped that the piece is relatively short.

Thank you.
Yes it does take a bit of focus to play it. I think most Bach is like that. I imagine it gets a lot harder for longer pieces with more voices, like Fugues. I'm looking forward to the challenge

I believe I can't truly imagine what it must feel like, being estranged from your father, yet having to be the one who takes care that he is as comfortable as possible, while being treated as a traitor by him for it. I am sorry that you and he find yourselves in that situation. I do imagine though, that deep down inside it must please him that your have taken up the piano again. It certainly pleased my father that I did.

It is striking how alike we are in these respects; I also quit piano playing lessons and got a guitar (which I'm sure my father viewed the same way your father viewed your guitar), but back then I never learned the second movement of the Moonlight, only the first.

26. Snejana - "A Walk in the Forest" - Medley of three pieces by composers from three different eras that follow one imaginative story. Scherzo by Dmitri Kabalevsky; Peaceful Calm by Rick Robertson; Walking Piece by Igor Stravinsky. An interesting concept and story. The pieces you chose perfectly showcased your delicate touch.

27. Ralph L. - Someone like you (Adele) It’s not easy to coordinate playing along with a backing track, so well done! Having said that, to me the piano track sounded distorted (perhaps that was intentional?) and tended to overwhelm a promising performance.

28. snowfox - A minor waltz Wow - 10 months at the piano and you can play this with such style? Just brilliant. Congratulations!

29. Ganddalf - Mallorca (Barcarolle) Op.202 Ganddalf, that was absolutely beautiful What a treat!

30. thepianoplayer416 - Keyboard Suite in D Minor (HWV437) Allemande & Courante Nice work on your C3; I enjoyed your performance.

Well jazz pianists have the freedom to meander. You might want to listen to Vijay Iher - he’s a jazz pianist I caught live at The Wigmore. Excellent improviser. Can be found on iTunes and other platforms, and on YouTube.

Thanks for that, never heard of Iher. I listened to a couple of examples and they are indeed very jazz oriented, rather akin to parts of Jarrett's solo concerts, of which I have several recordings. I shall listen to a few more in the morning, it is always interesting to hear a new piano personality.

Sorry typo or autocorrect. Vijay Iyer is the proper spelling.

51. Sam.- Pretty interesting. I can hear some Satie but I'm not sure about the Einaudi.

41. Mr. SH- As usual, you piqued my curiosity. One never knows what you will come up with! I think with this one you are now ready for the holiday Inn Ballroom. I can just see all the spellbound diners hugging and crying. but, seriously... Entertaining and very well played!

21. Monica- Very enjoyable. Very quite, thoughtful and poignant. Kind of different for Einaudi.

To those that commented on my June-Seasons/Tchaikovsky piece, many many thanks, I am honestly surprised it is being received well because after I uploaded the MP3 to the recital portal, I thought of deleting it and not participating. I felt it was not my best performance, I made a ton of mistakes and it is discouraging listening to measures that I thought were perfected and because of "red dot" recording syndrome, I botched those sections. I am hopeful many of you havent listened to the Ashkenazy version of the piece which is perfection to my ears and what I strived to come close to....I cant listen to my own recordings or anything on my YT channel because I just cringe..lol

As for the other entries, I am blown away by how clean everyone plays. It is impressive, I think I need to invest in a good digital piano because my Steinway and recording equipment also leaves much to be desired. I listened to everyone's entry when driving in the car (via Bluetooth) so I apologize for not being able to specifically offer detailed feedback (if I were at the computer listening, I would just type my feedback as I listen but not this time).

For now, these are the ones I felt I could offer some comments on.. I may update later as I listen a 2nd time to the entries:

01. wouter79 - Melodious Studies, op.45 Nr.8 Barcarolle (to do)
Absolutely beautiful!


06. Jerzyk19 - Pamietam Twoje Oczy

Hearing this makes me want to print the sheet music and play it. What a gorgeous melody!

09. Sandalholme - Nocturne Op62 No1
Wow, beautfully played. Only a few sections where it felt "note-y" but nothing that really detracted from the overall spirit of the piece.

10. Thomas - Maple Leaf Rag
The tempo is manageable for you in this piece, it is a technically challenging work to play this well and you didn't miss any beats! Very impressed! I loved the cleanly executed runs.


12. cmb13 - Craig - Autumn Song - October

I am blown away by how accomplished and professional this sounds! Excellent execution of the melancholy nature of the piece, very expressive and great tone!
I loved it,

17. Jason Lenthe - Important Event
It was refreshing to hear this at this tempo, usually the professional recordings race through this piece at a faster clip. It is nice to hear every articulated note clearly.

20. sinophilia - Waltz in G# minor Op. 39 no. 3

Cute short piece. I felt like it would continue but then it stopped..look forward to hearing more in future recitals!

22. facdo - Invention No.13 in A minor, BWV 784 (to do)
You play this so cleanly and evenly, love the articulation. I will have to listen to this again, I play this piece but always have some hesitations in certain spots.

28. snowfox - A minor waltz (to do)
Well played, I love playing this waltz also. I find there is a lot of room for expression in that middle section where its easy to linger for just a half second longer on that top note to give it color.

33. QuasiUnaFantasia - Moonlight sonata, 2nd movement (to do)

I also play this one, and thought you did a phenomenal job on this! The tempo, dynamics, all of it were spot on.

44. dumka1 - "April" (Snowdrop) from "The Seasons" (to do)
I only know this piece from the Ashkenazy Seasons CD and this recording sounds pretty darn close to perfection, very well played!

48. Serge88 - Sonata "Pathetique" no.8 op.13 2nd mvt (to do)
Beautiful! You captured the essence of the expression in this one. I will have to listen to it again,

Last bunch

42. schinl - Prelude Op.23 No.4 Really beautiful, nothing like a Rachmaninov prelude. Something to aspire to.

43. jotur/Cathy Turner - Victory March Cathy, that’s very cool to have had a real composer in the family. This piece must have had special meaning for you for that reason. It sounded fun....I personally heard the trombones as well!

45. Qwerty53 - Still Blue That was great, Qwerty, enjoyed it and glad you were able to find something to play at a manageable level that you can hold on to. I get in over my head sometimes too .... it’s frustrating.

46. Handyman (John) - Phantom of the Opera What Ana maxing story. I began to read the book once or twice but never got into it and didn’t know the basis of the story. Maybe I’ll retry it. I also was considering reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame after the recent fire.

Regardless, you played the piece, which of course is easily recognizable, well and powerfully. Reading the background makes it all the more meaningful. Thanks!!!

47. oneilt130 - Sonatina Op 36 No 2nd Movement I like this a lot better than that darned 1st movement! (At least to play). Great job, good balance.

48. Serge88 - Sonata "Pathetique" no.8 op.13 2nd mvt Wow - every time I hear this I think that I’d love to learn it one day. It’s so melodious and tranquil at the same time. That transition in Bar 17 is so nice (thanks for posting the sheet at times).Then the transition later on in 37 becomes so powerful. It reminds me of The Raindrop Prelude with its repeating notes, although not quite as stormy. You play this very well, nice and calmly and in control. Loved it!

49. Purrblast - Gigue in C Major (Sarabande con Partite in C Major, BWV 990, Var 16) (to do) That was really good! 14 months? Wow, you must be working hard and learning efficiently. You looked well controlled and smooth on the video. Commendable.

50. zsolpyW - Unforgiven Wow - amazing!!! I was never a fan of Metallica, thinking of them as a caricature - until I heard The Black Album in the early 90’s. After that it got frequent rotation! They really are superb musicians and composers. You did great on that piece. Gotta love VK. Great arrangement. You did it justice. So powerful. Maybe I’ll hit that one day. Seems a little hard for me now.

51. lvojnovic - Regen (Little rain) Nice, fun, quick little ditty - good playing.

That concludes my listening for this recital. Despite the variation I levels, they were really all of high quality. Loved this one!

Thanks, Liz! Appreciate it!

I feel your pain about the sound quality. I think my setup does little justice to the sound of the piano. I have a Blue Yeti mic, but it just doesn’t seem to capture the sound well enough.

Consider a pair of instrument mics designed for piano and appropriate stands and mounts, like this pair here.

Thank you to everyone who listened and commented. Really appreciate it!!! I hope I didn’t botch the cut and pastes!!

Ah more $$! Lol. Are they USB or do they require a mixing board? I was trying to k.i.s!

Mixers are cheaper than the pair of instrument mics themselves. I have two of these particular ones myself for my piano setup. They work great. However, you don't need two. One of these can hand both mics in a match pair of instrument mics.

BTW, if you look at professional piano recording setups on Youtube, you'll see many use a very similar pair of instrument mics, miking a grand.

Thanks for this.

I struggled with this piece, like I think I do with everything I learn, there is always something that is tricky.

I was playing it faster, and I couldn't keep it under control and I got it as good as I think I could play it and put it away and my teacher was happy for me to do that. I came back to it about 6 weeks later. Quickly fixed the new mistakes from being out of practise, but I did not listen to other interpretations and I felt a lot freer to play it at my own tempo how I wanted and this is the result. Practising can sometimes take the soul out of a piece. Repeatedly playing the weak bits, slowly, quickly and speeds in-between, listening to how it should be played. Sometimes I think you need a break from that.

Thank you. This was the first piece I completed successful. Elegie I think was too hard when I tried to learn it so am planing to finish it later this year. I'm playing another one Melody op 3 which is easier.

Apologise to my recording. I was very ill and had hiccups throughout but wanted to submit for the recital anyway. :p

Well done on the pieces. I tend to comment only on the pieces I've played.

08. KevinM - Song without words Opus 30.3

Well done. I hope you are inspired to learn some more pieces in the series. Its a fantastic series.

10. Thomas - Maple Leaf Rag

I enjoyed the video. I have no idea how to you did it as I'm not very technological but it looked good. Its interesting that we have piano roll recordings of Joplin playing and I found its very interesting he plays Maple Leaf Rag with a swing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAtL7n_-rc

15. lyricmudra - Venetian Boat Song No. 1 (Songs Without Words Op. 19 No. 6)

A fantastic interpretation. You managed to project the melody and keep the piece flowing. Very nice. Well done.

28. snowfox - A minor waltz

The tone sounds quite nice. Its a difficult piece for only 10 months. Good luck.

48. Serge88 - Sonata "Pathetique" no.8 op.13 2nd mvt

I think its a tricky piece to project the melody line. I was taught to legato the melody as far as possible. I think the fingerings suggested in your sheet allow you to legato the top line. Just my suggestion. Good luck.

49. Purrblast - Gigue in C Major (Sarabande con Partite in C Major, BWV 990, Var 16)

Nicely played