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Welcome to the General Discussion Room for the AB Forum Quarterly Recital #56!

Please use this room for any discussion of the pieces in Recital #56 that is taking place in the Main Recital Thread.

Discussions and replies can be posted at-will. Feel free to comment on any or all individual pieces. Some members offer comments on each submission individually; others offer general congratulations. Either approach is appropriate. Feel free to offer more specific, technical feedback if the participant had indicated that technical feedback was welcome.

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Recital #56 Response Template

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Enjoy the music!

44. Qwerty53 - Little Song Thanks for playing this - I had no idea that Bolcom wrote some music for intermediate players. Sounds like an old fashioned parlor song. Now I am going to have to go buy a copy!

Sam

I hope to have time to comment on everything, but for now I have unashamedly cherrypicked a few that leaped out at me from the list for an early listen:

48. Sam S - Piano Sonata opus 26, 3rd movement
Very atmospheric opening!
The “drums and brass band” section is quite a change, I imagine it must be quite hard to pull off musically within the piece as a whole.
You convey the military feel really effectively along with the funereal mood.

18. ShiroKuro - Monday (for Monica)
What a lovely tribute. Your playing and your words are both beautiful.
I wish you many happy years with your new piano and hope we get to hear it often here in the future.

This next cluster of pieces really called to me. What a shame about that workaday Gavotte in the middle of them

20. zsolpyW - Por Una Cabeza
I love this piece so much, it’s on my wishlist to learn, but I’m not there yet. Your version is super, giving us great contrasts of mood and effect in the different sections, and superbly executed throughout.

21. Jerzyk19 - Invierno Porteno
I love Piazzolla too. I really enjoyed your performance, it flowed really well and lovely dynamics. Gorgeous.

23. PianogrlNW - Milonga Surena
What an interesting find, I really enjoyed the piece, and your performance of it was super. Thanks for sharing this gem with us

24. PikaPianist - Albumblatt in E major Op. 59, No. 5
Lovely piece, and a masterful performance. I always look forward to your contributions.

Some comments (in no particular order):

04. BSharp(C)yclist (Dan) - Prelude in E Minor (Op. 28, No. 4) Great job! Nice and angsty.

33. AssociateX (Liz) - Rachmaninov- Prelude Op. 23 # 5 (G min) Wow! Great job with all those leaps. That was really impressive.

38. Hyena - K545 Second Movement I like your nostalgic interpretation. I think it really works and is a little different that what I'm used to. Great job!

47. Pathbreaker - Sonata Op 7, 3rd mov This sounds really wonderful! Great job.

48. Sam S - Piano Sonata opus 26, 3rd movement I'm really impressed with the use of various articulations in this performance. Great job!

I'm listening to pieces in a fairly random order. This is the second in a row I have sat out. I find recording to be stressful, and think it could be because I have recorded pieces that weren't ready in the past. As I have nothing new polished at the moment, I decided not to spend hours frustrated by the process. I applaud everyone who was able to submit. I hope to polish the one on which I'm working within the next few weeks, so hope to have something for the next recital.

01. earlofmar - Sinfonia No 8
Nicely played. Bach is growing on me. So complex yet so worth it - it must add to your skill set tremendously. I'm working on the inventions, so I'm a little behind. Keep them up! Hope the exam went well.

03. Gary001 - Trallerliedchen opus 68 no 3
Great playing, Gary, I liked it, thought it sounded bright, accurate, and very nice. The dynamics sounded ok to me, but I'm not an expert.

04. BSharp(C)yclist (Dan) - Prelude in E Minor (Op. 28, No. 4)
One of my favorites. Great playing, Dan, loved it. I would try to lighten the L hand chords a little so the melody sings on top a little more distinctly. I also add a little more rubato at times, as I feel it needs to sing, but others have critizised me for this, so maybe it's not correct, but I like it like that. Just a little. Overall cool, classic piece. Did you see The Notebook? It was featured in there as a certain type of memory in a neat way.

05. JJHLH - Mad World
Great choice....I love this song. I've played it too. Ever since Adam Lambert recorded it on American Idol, I've been a huge fan of the song. Keep it up!

10. KevinM - Songs Without Words - Lieder ohne Worte 19.2
Good playing, Kevin, nothing to be frustrated with here. You brought out the melody on top of the chords very effectively, the piece was dynamically interesting. Sounds like you're back for sure. I'm looking forward to hearing more in the future!

41. Purrblast - Little Prelude in D minor (BWV935)

Isn't that always the case? So much in Bach! Love it!

48- Sam. That piano sounds pretty good to me. Pretty awesome playing. You have really come a long way since you started here.

47. pathbreaker- Looks like I'm starting off my listening with some really well played Beethoven. Absolutely beautiful recording too. Deserves a "wow"!

46. Edmond- Yea I love this waltz too. There is so much emotion there (like most Chopin). Just a beautiful piece. You do an admirable job. Well done!

45. Dave. Nicely done. For most of it you move along very smoothly. An enjoyable listen.

44. Qwerty- A very interesting modern piece. And you are right...really sweet. Well played.

03. Gary001 - Trallerliedchen opus 68 no 3 (to do)

Great piece! I the way you do the left hand too, bringing out the melody in the middle. I have this piece somewhere as well, I never knew there was a lot of counterpoint in it!

07. JoBert - Abschied (from Waldszenen, Opus 82)

Wow, very beautiful piece! I didn't know it yet. Very dream like nostalgic playing. Makes me quite calm. You play it with a lot of color, layers of different sounds clearly heard!

10. KevinM - Songs Without Words - Lieder ohne Worte 19.2

Very well played. I think it's at performance level already! Sounds like you've paid attention to a lot of subtle details.

13. Jason Lenthe - The Entertainer

Quite the orginal way of playing. I've never heard it being played this way either! Starts a bit slow, which seems like an introduction. Then suddenly you introduce some energy which suddenly lifts the piece up in excitement! I especially love how expressive the higher notes are too. A fitting way to play something called The Entertainer!

22. barbaram - Gavotte in G Minor BWV 822

Very nice find! I haven't heard this piece yet. I love baroque too. It has quite the sad feeling! Well played.

First 12 ...
01. earlofmar - Sinfonia No 8 (to do) This piece is quite challenging with all of the contrary movements. You did this well and was a good recording . Thanks.

02. SMA55 (Shepherd) - Impromptu in A Flat Minor Op 90 No 4 (to do) I 'm not familiar with this piece so I can't hear the errors you speak /write of, but the touch is fine and exact. The notes are clear as the running passages. Really Impressive .

03. Gary001 - Trallerliedchen opus 68 no 3 Actually sounded pretty even in touch , so the phrasing aspect is a little in need , meaning I oculdnt hear much phrasing by volume or tempo.But otherwise really good playing.

04. BSharp(C)yclist (Dan) - Prelude in E Minor (Op. 28, No. 4) Surprisingly well done recording from a cell phone! and yet too an acoustic, well done.

05. JJHLH - Mad World Nice touch and very gentle mediaitve flow to the piece.

06. Ted Jones - Improvisation - concluding 6 minutes of 60 Cool moving and bass deep improv. Unchained but moving....alot of wind chime like feel to this .. like a "good kind of storm " if there is such a kind, maybe a windy night full of change..

07. JoBert - Abschied (from Waldszenen, Opus 82) Beautiful subtle moving and gentle piece. Well played.

08. Peyton - Metamorphosis 4 Nice embellished repeating motif and a heck of a piano . The motif leads to feeling of suspense.. Nice video effects . Enjoyed the listen .

09. ralph L. - wish upon a star A sad tune that lends a glimpse of hope and well played . Nice recording!

10. KevinM - Songs Without Words - Lieder ohne Worte 19.2 You played excellently , but just seems to be a hard piece to phrase. Enjoyed thel isten!

11. Claudemir Medeiros - River Flows in You What a great recording and clarity of piano sound.... You played this excellently. Reminds me of an Einaudi piece. The ending was just moving and superbly impressive!

12. peterws - Jus' Wonderin' Fast moving tune and the beat is visceral. Sounds slightly familiar though. Anyway good recording and upbeat melody. HOW'D YOU GET THE VIDEO IN THE POST? lol WHAT CODE DID YOU USE?

A lovely way to start my Friday morning -- great to hear new players make their Recital debuts!

37. Lazarus - Morning Prayer (Op 31, No 1) What a beautiful piece this is, and a wonderful contribution to your first recital. Well done!

38. Hyena - K545 Second Movement You play with sensitivity that brings out the melancholy that you hear in the piece, and I hear it too.

39. Mateusz 'Mati' Papiernik - Keyboard Sonata in D minor, K. 213 (L. 108) Beautiful piece, well played, lovely sound from your piano: a beautiful recording. I didn’t realize that I like Scarlatti, but now I do!

40. Suni - Les plaintes d'une poupee ( Doll's complaint) Well played! Yes it does become easier with practice, but already you have made a good start!

41. Purrblast - Little Prelude in D minor (BWV935) It was nice to read about your pleasure in working on this piece and shaping it; the dedication really shows in your playing!

42. QuasiUnaFantasia - Prelude no. 2 Oh I love the first notes of this piece. The rest of it too, but especially how it starts… Love the way you play it. Thanks for bringing us some Gershwin!

43. lvojnovic - Variations on a theme of Paganini The composer is new to me; it is cool to hear what she or he does with this familiar theme. I enjoyed your performance!

44. Qwerty53 – Little Song (Hmm I think Bolcom deserves a better recording than I offered… suggestions, anyone?)

45. stumbler / Dave - Scarlatti Sonata in EMaj K531 More rippling Scarlatti! You bring out the joy and exuberance in the music.

46. EdmondRhapsody - Waltz in A minor Love this piece and the confidence with which you play it. And I envy your facility with the trills and the turn! Maybe soften the left hand a bit?

47. Pathbreaker - Sonata Op 7, 3rd mov This has both the majesty and the sometimes surprising sweetness I love about Ludwig. I look forward to hearing more Beethoven from you as the world approaches his 250th birthday!

48. Sam S - Piano Sonata opus 26, 3rd movement What a great way to end this recital; your venerable piano serves you well. I thank you not only for putting the recital together for us, and playing Beethoven with such assurance, but also for explaining the origin of the phrase “ruffles and flourishes”!

I finished my second cup of coffee while listening to both of these Beethoven offerings again. Such inspiring playing in an adult "beginners" forum!

It's a "Rainy Night in Georgia" (well, afternoon, but you get the idea), so I am listening to this excellent recital.

01. earlofmar - Sinfonia No 8 Nice dynamics (in the middle) - it's always nice when you can find a place to do that in Bach, which I think is rare. And a very thoughtful ritardando at the end. I think you've got the style and did an excellent job - ready to move on!?

02. SMA55 (Shepherd) - Impromptu in A Flat Minor Op 90 No 4 This is excellent on so many levels - the arpeggios and broken chords, the voicing, the dynamics. Very impressive!

03. Gary001 - Trallerliedchen opus 68 no 3 Welcome back - stay away from that guitar! This was excellent - it's not that easy. You voiced it well and brought out the melody.

04. BSharp(C)yclist (Dan) - Prelude in E Minor (Op. 28, No. 4) Loved it! Nice signing melody and the repeated chords were a good level.

06. Ted Jones - Improvisation - concluding 6 minutes of 60 Keep them coming Ted! You are one of a kind, and I love hearing from you in the recitals - it's like therapy!

07. JoBert - Abschied (from Waldszenen, Opus 82) Well done - loved the smooth polyrhythm. 2 against 3?

08. Peyton - Metamorphosis 4 Loved the video! Doesn't bother me that the sync was off sometimes. Not a big fan of Glass, but this was well done, and it looked like you really enjoy playing it.

10. KevinM - Songs Without Words - Lieder ohne Worte 19.2 I love these - Mendelssohn doesn't get enough respect. Well done!

12. peterws - Jus' Wonderin' Excellent Peter - keep 'em coming!

13. Jason Lenthe - The Entertainer Those are some interesting tempo changes, but why not! Very accurate playing too - I could never do that. Loved it!

15. Greta99 - Feuille d'Automne Looking at the title, I thought this was going to be the old jazz classic Autumn Leaves. Nice surprise! Very well done...

17. Chrispy - The Watchmen Opus 12 Nr. 3 Whenever I hear this I think of the opening of Shakespeare's Hamlet, with the watchmen and the ghost of Hamlet's father. Great job!

18. ShiroKuro - Monday (for Monica) Your new piano sounds great. Thanks for remembering Monica and her love of Einaudi.

19. Sandalholme - La lugubre gondole II I played a funeral march, you played a funeral barge! I am not a Liszt fan, or a Wagner fan, but this was well played!

22. barbaram - Gavotte in G Minor BWV 822 Well done! Loved your articulation.

More to come later!

Sam

My jet lagged start to listening. I was hoping to get more done. But too tired.

01. earlofmar - Sinfonia No 8

Bach looks like serious stuff, sounds like serious stuff, and makes you pull your hair out like serious things do. To get to play the sinfonia this well I think you must be bald. Well done for handling the complexity.

02. SMA55 (Shepherd) - Impromptu in A Flat Minor Op 90 No 4

I've not noticed the mistakes, I really enjoyed the feel you gave to the piece.

03. Gary001 - Trallerliedchen opus 68 no 3

Schumann, always a favourite of mine. You've played this really well, capturing the details of the different musical threads that Schumann likes to hide from us

04. BSharp(C)yclist (Dan) - Prelude in E Minor (Op. 28, No. 4)

I love the melancholy feel you have given this piece. Surprisingly good recording for a mobile phone and your piano sounds might fine.

05. JJHLH - Mad World

I enjoyed this. What else needs to be said.

A second group of pieces, wonderfully varied and all presented with commitment and dedication:

24. PikaPianist - Albumblatt in E major Op. 59, No. 5 Beautiful piece; I love hearing these rare gems. I enjoyed the great sound you bring from your piano.

25. thepianoplayer416 - Georgia on My Mind A very nice arrangement of a lovely familiar tune.

26. Snejana - Sailboats in the Bay I really liked this, and I think you played it well. (That person who wrote the description of your presentation was much too picky!)

27. dumka1 - "April" (Snowdrop) from "The Seasons" Sounds lovely with all those rippling runs. I feel like I am sitting in a pew a few rows back from the piano, feeling the music surround me!

28. joangolfing - Prelude Op. 28, No.6 Beautifully played Chopin; your love for this music really shines through.

29. timmyab - Kinderszenen pieces 1-4 So nice to have a suite of pieces like this. Well played. The 3d piece, Hasche-mann, really sparkles!

30. Mosotti - Theme From Love Story I love the concept of being able to “speed learn” a piece; wish I knew that secret! Great job; glad you submitted this. I always thought the music was the best part about that movie.

31. Ganddalf - Sonata g-minor Hob.XVI no.44 1st movement Ganddalf, I hope I may be excused from critique and just tell you how much I enjoyed the music!

32. Piano_primo_1 - Chopin Prelude Op 28 No. 20 in C minor Well played; you really bring out the majesty. (But I prefer it without the backing strings.)

33. AssociateX (Liz) - Rachmaninov- Prelude Op. 23 # 5 (G min) I can hear why you are obsessed with this piece! It has both percussive/harmonic drama and moments of such melodic beauty.

34. facdo - Sonatina in F Major - Op.36 No.4 Very impressive! Your hard work and polishing show off the music so well.

35. Calavera - Main theme Glad that you shared this composition with us; I’m not a gamer so I never hear these newer compositions otherwise. I like to think that the gaming industry provides lots of employment for composers!

36. MarieJ - Uno Very atmospheric, and you shaped my experience of it with your changes in dynamics and rubato.

07. JoBert - Abschied (from Waldszenen, Opus 82)
Lovely as always! Beautiful playing. Excellent!

23. PianogrlNW - Milonga Surena Very neat, haunting song. You like those Milongas! I have to listen to this one again. Really interesting. Great playing.

24. PikaPianist - Albumblatt in E major Op. 59, No. 5
Wonderful, as always. Thanks for sharing it with us.

25. thepianoplayer416 - Georgia on My Mind
Great jazz standard. Nice piece to have in your repertoire. You played it nicely.

27. dumka1 - "April" (Snowdrop) from "The Seasons"
Very nice playing. Great dyanmics. Love it! Tchaikovsky is so expressive. I can't wait to hit more from this collection.

47. Pathbreaker - Sonata Op 7, 3rd mov Sounded very nice. Liked it.

48. Sam S - Piano Sonata opus 26, 3rd movement
Sam, I had not heard that piece before. Very intresting and sounds very complex. I am sure you are going to do great on your recital.

24. PikaPianist - Albumblatt in E major Op. 59, No. 5

I follow your YouTube channel, so had already heard it! Great playing like always, you always find a lot of hidden gems.


31. Ganddalf - Sonata g-minor Hob.XVI no.44 1st movement

Great that you took a break from romantic piano music! Your Haydn makes me smile. I certainly don't hear the inaccurate playing you're talking about! Great playing! Personally I find Haydn a lot harder than Mozart, since there's a lot of ornaments always.

34. facdo - Sonatina in F Major - Op.36 No.4

Lovely playing! I always enjoy how much energy Clementi has. I think I enjoy the first movement the best. I hear you took care of a lot of subtle things. The left hand almost feeling like it's galloping!

41. Purrblast - Little Prelude in D minor (BWV935) (to do)

Perfect playing! Bringing out both voices melodically, great job on the dynamics too!

Thank you, Sam, for arranging this recital.

I just started out with whatever grabbed my attention in the list. So far I'm enjoying myself very much....

03. Gary001 - Trallerliedchen opus 68 no 3
What a jolly little piece, really nice.

05. JJHLH - Mad World
Nice melody. After only 8 months? Well done. Didn't know the title, but recognized the tune once you played it. Thanks

09. ralph L. - wish upon a star
That is a beautiful song. In this part of the world we don't get to hear much Chinese music, and that's a shame.

10. KevinM - Songs Without Words - Lieder ohne Worte 19.2
I picked this one out, because I'm familiar with it (to listen to). This one is hard, so I was impressed

13. Jason Lenthe - The Entertainer
That was fun! I love Joplin. Really liked the way you played it

14. ThomasPiano - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
What a happy bouncy version that was Did you decorate around the piano just for this recording?

20. zsolpyW - Por Una Cabeza
My absolute favourite Tango! I really want to learn this (in a distant future). You play it so well, thank you for that.

30. Mosotti - Theme From Love Story
Hated the movie, but love the theme. Amazing that you can play this already.

37. Lazarus - Morning Prayer (Op 31, No 1)
I thought you did really well. I had a hard time hearing it though, and had my speakers way up. Maybe recording volume can be adjusted in whatever software you're using?

40. Suni - Les plaintes d'une poupee ( Doll's complaint)
Very nice, I enjoyed it. If you start a habit of recording yourself all the time, you won't worry about it anymore.

41. Purrblast - Little Prelude in D minor (BWV935)
I am becoming an ever greater fan of Bach, and this was lovely to listen to.

42. QuasiUnaFantasia - Prelude no. 2
WIP or not, it was a great listen. I'd never even heard of preludes from Gershwin. The music just kept jogging memories of other pieces. What is it I keep hearing? An American in Paris? Thank you for playing this, I've GOT to look for this sheet music.

43. lvojnovic - Variations on a theme of Paganini
Wow. This is way above my level of course, but to my ears it sounded like 6 months well spent

44. Qwerty53 - Little Song
What a gift indeed! Lovely playing. Sounds like they are nice to play. One of these should be in the 'rare gems' recital maybe?

More to come....

1. earlofmar- Bach, short and sweet. Nicely played.

2. SMA55- I love this piece. Not an easy work and you did a great job with it. I really enjoyed listening.

12. peterws - Jus' Wonderin'

I always look forward to your recordings Peter. Don't sell yourself short as few players can invent this sort of thing, at least not quite as fluently as you do. The spirit of this one is rather like that of an optimistic Jarrett, unfettered by serious pondering. The piano voice is entirely your own though, and thank goodness for it.

02. SMA55 (Shepherd) - Impromptu in A Flat Minor Op 90 No 4

As with the previous impromptu, I find your Schubert playing gorgeous, not least because you allow the phrasing to breathe and you do not rush anything. There is, of course, Schubert's incomparable lyricism, but there is also, it seems to me, a very dark element in all his music. His power of tragedy often lies in the contrast between the ebullience of the former and the despondency of the latter, and I fail to hear it in many renditions. I have sat through conservatory experts playing this sort of stuff at private parties and I feel I want to give them a good slug of brandy to get them going, but you, if I am not mistaken, understand the underlying implication. These comments come from one who is almost completely untutored, so bear with me.

13. Jason Lenthe - The Entertainer Just awesome playing... super piano too, nice layout of the piano room.

14. ThomasPiano - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Liked this uplifting version from a piano.

15. Greta99 - Feuille d'Automne Classy well played good sounding music.

16. Riddler (Ed) - A Time for Love NIce flowing meandering sound , good recording enjoyed the listen!.

17. Chrispy - The Watchmen Opus 12 Nr. 3 Nice sound, well played, yet I couldn't tell where some of the musical phrases ended. But that could me. And maybe some more use of the pedal to make it smoother. But again that could be me. I think it was very well done though.

18. ShiroKuro - Monday (for Monica) NIce tribute to monica and well played, emotive and somber playing with your touch...

19. Sandalholme - La lugubre gondole II I like this kind of piece but one almost needs the situation in their life to evoke a strong feeling from it , maybe of disconnect ? Sort of Sadie-ish. Anyway, well done from my minimal experience in listening .

20. zsolpyW - Por Una Cabeza Beautiful dynamics, touch and by the way , posture at the piano ... Really impressive playing . Enjoyed the listen.

21. Jerzyk19 - Invierno Porteno Impressive playing, good solid touch .. Enjoyed the listening .

22. barbaram - Gavotte in G Minor BWV 822 Well played, nice recording and even touch .