Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital #59 --- General Discussion Room

I wanted to comment on all submissions, but unfortunately (or fortunately, actually, it is good to be busy) I am not finding the time to do it. Therefore, I made comments only in a selection of some of the performances that caught my attention. I have to say that I am biased toward classical music, but I listened to all submissions. I enjoyed listening to all of them, so thank you all for sharing your performances!

01. psyche23 - Holiday in Paris
I loved it! Such a delicate piece played with sensitivity and control. Well done!

02. Calavera - Ending Theme [from Final Fantasy X]
I am always curious to hear your recital submissions, as I am completely unfamiliar with video games and anime music and your performances are great. It was no different this time, really beautiful music and outstanding playing!

03. MarieJ - Elegy for the Arctic
An emotional piece beautifully played and with an important message that unfortunately most of us (humans) will ignore. Elegy is an appropriate title, but I wish somehow it was not too late to make significant changes to our unsustainable destructive lifestyle, and that we can still preserve most of the unique and important habitats that are still left. I try to do my part being vegan and avoiding unecessary consumtion, but I am afraid it is not enough.

04. Peter Hontaru - Waltz in F minor
I’ve seen your performance of this piece before in your channel and it was nice to hear it again in the recital. Really well played and I especially liked your use of rubato. I don’t know why this is not among Chopin’s most famous waltzes, it is such a beautiful piece.

05. KevinM - Nocturne No. 20 in C Sharp Minor Post.
Wow, that was beautiful! I love this nocturne and you definitely made justice to it. Your control of dynamics was really good and you handled the many polyrhythmic candenzas well.

09. SwissMS/Doris - Intermezzo in A Minor Op. 76 # 7
I love this piece and I really enjoyed your playing. Terrific voicing and outstanding piano sound. I never played any Brahms but I can see that his music is deceptively difficult. Well done making it sound easy.

12. Animisha - Morning Glories
Such a lovely short piece. You played it with emotion and character, it was a delight to listen.

15. pianist685 (Constantin) - Minuet in g minor, HWV 434/4
Superb performance, bravo! It is interesting to hear a romantic arrangement of a baroque piece. You are right, we should be playing more Handel. He is a great composer, many times overshadowed by Bach.

21. QuasiUnaFantasia - Waltz op. 39 no. 15
I love this collection of small waltzes and to be honest I never paid much attention to the No.15, util now. Truly outstanding performance! I especially loved your dynamic control and voicing. I had to listen twice in a row because it was so good!

22. peterws - Siciliano
Lovely! Great music, very well played and perfect piano sound. Just a real pleasure to listen. Thanks for sharing!

23. PikaPianist - Piano Sonata No. 8, II. Adagio cantabile
I’ve listened to so many interpretations of this piece, being one of my favorite sonata slow movements ever. I have to say that your performance is in a concert pianist level. Super contemplative and lyrical, the way I think this piece should be played. I especially liked how you shifted the main voice to the left hand in the theme variation right before the development section. I would love to hear you playing the entire sonata.

24. Dani Cohen (Flygbladet) - Caprice, E-major (Op 44 No 12)
I never heard of this composer but I really liked this piece and your playing. You voiced the melody within the thick arpeggiated textures beautifully. Very well played, thanks for sharing!

27. Amy H - Letting It Go
Oh, that was really beautiful. I didn’t know the piece, but I just love these kind of delicate music and your sensitive playing really brought the best of it. Absolutely delightful to listen.

28. Tim Adrianson - Where the Rivers Go
Very nice playing, really contemplative music. I can see the piece has a mourning nature, but I felt it had a more meditative quality than a sad nature. I enjoyed your performance and was surprised to check the duration of the piece after listening to the whole thing. It passed so quickly.

29. wouter79 - Prelude KV397 and Fuga Op.822
That was a very interesting combination of pieces. Never thought about Mozart’s D minor Fantasy as a prelude for a Fugue, although I heard that it was originally the composer intention. I think Czerny is a very undervalued composer, as he has so many wonderful pieces that are rarely performed. I was really nice to hear your performance and I think these two pieces fitted together real nicely.

35. Jerzyk19 - Nocturne Op.72 No.1 in E minor
Nice to see that I was not the only one playing this piece at this recital. I think your playing was really great and your performance had everything mine lacked: proper use of rubato, breathing between phrases and sections, and an emotional mourning character. Well done!

37. ShiroKuro - Moments
That is a beautiful piece and your playing is very well controlled and expressive. Very nice to listen, and also, great piano sound.

38. Mosotti - Scherzo from Sonata in F Major, Hob XVI.9
Nicely played! That is a fun little piece. The entire sonata is really great and I would love to hear you playing the other 2 movements as well.

40. Pathbreaker - op. 39 Waltzes 3 and 5
I just love these little waltzes and you played these two really well.

42. Greta99 - Sonata in E minor, H.XVI No.34 - 3. Vivace molto
I am always impressed by your recordings and this time it was not different. Outstanding playing, very clean and well controlled. I can not tell that you struggle with classical era pieces, it seems to be quite the opposite, as you handled this piece very well. Some people rush the tempo and end up making a mess with this piece. I liked how you chose a slightly slower tempo and was able to play with proper control and expression. Well done!

45. Hawgdriver (Leon) - Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27/1
Ohh, this piece is so beautiful. It is easy to come to tears when listening to it. Your performance was truly spectacular. I can hear that you really love the music and that you have a connection with it. It must be awesome to finally be able to play your favorite piece. I hope to get there in a few years and reach the level where I can play my favorite nocturne, which is the Op.27 No.2 (a bit cliche, but we love what we love).

46. dumka1 - Arabesque 1
This piece might be overplayed, but it is nevertheless one of my favorite pieces ever. I really enjoyed your playing. You were able to convey that dreamy and fantastic nature that the piece evokes. Well done!

51. Tyrone Slothrop - La Caroline, Wq. 117/39, H. 98
The recording is really noisy, but I enjoyed your playing and the music. You control of dynamics is really nice and I liked the dynamic contrast in your playing.

52. Qwerty53 - Sentimental Waltz, no. 6 from Valses Poeticos
Such a sad beautiful piece, played with great expression and emotion. I had to go to IMSLP to get the sheet music immediately. Really great performance, I am adding this one to my wishlist.

55. Sam S - Sonata K1
To be honest, I don’t like harpsichord at all, but I really enjoyed listening to your performance. This piece absolutely makes sense being played in one. Really well played, you made the harpsichord sound interesting to me.

Timing mostly.

There's a few places where what I intended (heard?) in my head, came out via my fingers with the same sound and timing, but in other places the spacing was a little sloppier or the dynamic not as intended. Although those mistakes didn't always stand out, which I guess are the best kind of mistakes to make

For example 0:43, 0:52, 1:20 came out close to intended, whilst 1:26 not so much. They're not anything I'd beat myself up over. Just items I'd like to improve should I return to this piece after I've gained more experience playing.

I'm finally done listening to the entire recital--I enjoyed it so much! Once again, thanks for your generous comments on my "Arabesque."

Because of time constraints, I'll only comment on a couple of pieces that I've played myself and am better familiar with:

Chopin, Nocturne in E minor--Both facdo and Jerzyk19 did a fantastic job with it. I know it's often considered "a less difficult" nocturne, but, having played it myself, I know that it poses its own challenges. I remember struggling with keeping the melody line brought out clearly, as well as with the runs, and you both did it so well. Very impressive.

Greta99--I hear you about struggling with classical sonata, I have the same issue (although you don't seem to). In fact, in the past year or so, I've learned this entire sonata, trying to face my demons, and submitted the 1st and 3rd movements to two ABF recitals. I agree about Haydn (and this movement in particular) being addictive, I just couldn't stop practicing it, trying to get the notes down, because it was so enjoyable. I absolutely love your performance, especially the subtle dynamic contrasts, the touch, and the beautiful ornaments. I went for a little higher tempo with this movement, and, as a result, I messed up some ornaments and in general didn't achieve this effect of beautiful precision that your performances always deliver.

QuasiUnaFantasia--I've played the 4-hand version of this waltz, and I remember the triplets at the end being tricky. I'm sure the 2-hand version is even trickier overall. Great job, very sensitive playing.

And an additional comment for Sam, even though I've never played this Scarlatti sonata: I love your harpsichord submissions and am a little jealous you actually own (or have access to) a harpsichord. Yes, it's probably hard to go back and forth between the two instruments, as you've said, but it must be so fun! Thanks for this submission and for organizing the recital.

Thanks everyone for your kind words about my harpsichord performance. Here's the story about this instrument:

Several years ago I was in Philadelphia and stopped in at a fairly well know piano store to look and play. I saw this harpsichord there - it was unplayable, missing parts, and in poor condition. But I did nothing. The next year, I went back to Philly, stopped in at the same store, and there was this same harpsichord, still unplayable, shoved back in a corner. So I made them a low ball offer and got it. They wrapped it in bubble wrap, loaded it in the back of my truck, and I drove it back to Georgia. It's 7 feet long, one foot longer than the bed of my truck. Luckily it didn't rain!

I spent a few months getting it into playable condition. It had a lot of problems, including swelling keyboard lead. I ended up restringing it and replacing a lot of parts. I also had to build a new music desk, which was missing.

It's a 1969 Morley, made in London - I don't know how it got to the US. It has 2 manuals and 3 sets of strings. I had to store it in the garage for awhile because of lack of room, and just got it back out. Playing it is a love/hate relationship. When it works, and is in tune, it is fun to play. I have to tune it often and do minor adjustments/repairs. I always try to keep one piece in the works that I can play on it.

Playing it is odd - just forget about soft and loud. A firm touch, with strong fingers seems to work for me, but I am no expert. If I forget and try to play softer, notes don't sound, or pluck late. No surprise - the keyboard music of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti and so forth work well.

Sam

21. QuasiUnaFantasia - Waltz op. 39 no. 15 How beautiful. Lovely, expressive playing.

22. peterws - Siciliano I love this Bach piece. Whatever you did with mixing the Pianoteq instruments, it worked - the sound was great! Oh - and the performance was spot-on, too!

23. PikaPianist - Piano Sonata No. 8, II. Adagio cantabile One of my Beethoven favourites. I liked the way you brought out the tenor and bass voices; in all, just superb.

24. Dani Cohen (Flygbladet) - Caprice, E-major (Op 44 No 12) The first time I’ve heard this - what a captivating composition. I think the tempo was just right - nice work!

25. thepianoplayer416 - Blue Skies The minor chords offer a hint: hope? Optimism? A refreshing addition to the submission mix - well done!

26. facdo - Nocturne in E minor, Op.72 No.1 Despite your misgivings you presented a really satisfying rendition. Your hard work paid off!

27. Amy H - Letting It Go Peter Bence frightened me off with his incredibly fast performances. But that was different, and delightful. Thank you Amy!

Wow, this is quite a story! Did you just figure out how to fix it yourself or did you have some expert help?

11. jazzyprof - Lift Every Voice and Sing Nice rich sound, with a tempting invitation to sing along! Well done.

12. Animisha - Morning Glories Light and delicate; that was a sweet piece, sweetly played.

13. Serge88 - As Time Goes By A very entertaining performance of that famous old standard. I enjoyed it!

14. Jason Lenthe - La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin Wonderful Debussy, another of my favourite pieces. Assured but sensitive playing made it very special.

15. pianist685 (Constantin) - Minuet in g minor, HWV 434/4 An evocative piece. You created a gentle, dreamy atmosphere with your sympathetic touch. Loved it.

This story makes it all the more impressive. Well done, Sam! I don't think I would have the patience or skill to do that.

Hi all! Thanks to everybody for a terrific E-cital -- piano music in all sorts of genres, presented with commitment!

More specifically, I wanted to thank everyone who responded to my question regarding "Where the Rivers Go" -- I found the music to be intensely sad; what was your reaction to the music?

Some background: I was introduced to the music of Tobias Picker in the late 1980s by Helicon Publishing, who issued a collection of piano pieces by several young American composers. Picker was represented with his "Old and Lost Rivers", which he subsequently orchestrated and which later "caught on" in the orchestra worl, programmed as an especially beautiful contemporary piece. Later on, in the mid 1990s, he made his mark in the opera world with "Emmeline", again notable for his especially haunting score. I didn't know this until very recently (yesterday, to be exact), but the music in the first scene of "Emmeline" is the orchestrated version of "Where the Rivers Go", over which the narrative is sung by several important characters, including Emmeline, to introduce the plot line. And since the story line is quite a tragic one, the music serves to set an appropriate atmosphere -- which IMO it did, spectacularly so.

It was fascinating to me that not everybody heard "really sad", although many did (Amy H, KevinM, Pianist 685Marie J, hawgdriver, piano primo, and SMA55). Many others heard it more objectively, I would say, calling it contemplative, meditative, melancholy, but not tragic (Qwerty53; Sam S; Calavera; psyche23; ShiroKuro; facdo. We had one "outlier", jotur, who picked up on the atmospheric nature, but thought it evoked an upscale evening soiree (melancholy, but not sad or tragic). And finally, we had a few others (Flygbladet, peterws, selfishplayer) who didn't much like the music. But everybody related to and liked the expressive character, and that's very gratifying to me -- expression of emotion is what I aim to project, even in pre-Romantic music. Thanks for listening and commenting!

And last batch

47. Brian Moore - Minuet, French Suite 6
Thank you for sharing am entry. A recital is allways scary isn’t it?
I am sorry for your loss and hope you can keep finding comfort in the piano. Hope to see you develope even more with teaching. Might encourage me to get one too.


48. Tubbie0075 - Sonata in B minor Kp. 377 Very well played. Good ornaments. Those baroque songs goes on like a machine clockwork and the contrapoint is something else than modern supportive chords or arpeggios. I like both – but this can be ever so delightful.

49. jotur/Cathy Turner - Creole Belles A ragtime. Sure more speed would have been needed but you played it well. Never played ragtime myself. All this jumping in the left hand…

50. Ralphiano - Musette in D Major thank you for you preformance. Am glad to be part of your piano-jorney.

51. Tyrone Slothrop - La Caroline, Wq. 117/39, H. 98 that recording white noise and the piano sound made it like your in a scary movie. An old house and you hear the piano playing in the background.

52. Qwerty53 - Sentimental Waltz, no. 6 from Valses Poeticos Thank you gor your preformance. One could hear that you had thought about the phrasing and you pmayed it well.

53. winterflower - escapes/escapades This is an improvisation and it hard to comment in technics.
Its meant to be played as you intended it cause you intended it.
Maybe study some harmony- to find new exciting way to improve your improvisation skills and find new ways to steer your own songs.

54. BingoDingo - Prelude No. 22 in G Minor, Op. 87 Never heard thus one befire. Well played. Getting thr notes right is imoressive by itself. And yiu did have alot of phrasing.

55. Sam S - Sonata K1 Wonderful to hear a Harpsichord. Really cool. I couldn’t play on one. Is it difficult having two levels when playing?

16. Lanky Pianist - Sonatina in G Major 1st Movement (Moderato) Congratulations on taking the plunge and joining the Recital. You haven’t been playing long, so I was really impressed with your submission - terrific!

17. Edmond Rhapsody - Korobeiniki Wow - that was catchy! The background rhythm sound didn’t detract from a confident performance.

18. BSharp(C)yclist (Dan) - To a Wild Rose (Op. 51, No. 1) I’ve always loved this piece, and have occasionally tinkered with it. Well done, Dan - you’ve inspired me to revisit it.

19. rwsavory - Prelude in C Major - WTC 1 Another piece I love and have played from time to time. I won’t be suing you, I enjoyed it!

20. Rich D. - Preludio En La Noche (Prelude In The Night) A lovely prelude. Your touch was assured and delicate, and your Grotrian sounded superb. Simply beautiful.

I my last set of comments. This was a really great recital!!

34. JoBert - Genesis Lovely, I really enjoyed it!

35. Jerzyk19 - Nocturne Op.72 No.1 in E minor Wow, that was gorgeous. Far from “ruining” it, you really made the music work.

36. zsolpyW - Umowilem sie z nia na 9 Very well played. This is another piece/composer I’m not familiar with, but I enjoyed your performance!

38. Mosotti - Scherzo from Sonata in F Major, Hob XVI.9 that was really charming, thank you for sharing it! I’m glad your injury isn’t preventing you from playing!

39. PianoPrimo - My Heart Will Go On Love Theme from Titanic well done! Also it’s cool that you’re sharing the score that you made!

40. Pathbreaker - op. 39 Waltzes 3 and 5 Very nice performance, your love of the music really comes through.

41. Gary001 - Hymn to the Sea from Titanic Good job! I don’t have any tips for mic placement, that’s something I struggle with myself.

42. Greta99 - Sonata in E minor, H.XVI No.34 - 3. Vivace molto Wow, great playing! I don’t know this piece (I don’t know a lot of Haydn, and there’s a lot in this recital, which is interesting). Anyway, your performance makes me what to hear more!

43. lvojnovic - Sonata in D major, 2. movement Well-played, another piece I didn’t know, thank you for introducing me to it!

44. Purrblast - Sostenuto (KK IVb No. 10) And a Chopin piece, one that I didn’t know but you played it really well!

45. Hawgdriver (Leon) - Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27/1 That was very pretty, good job! Also another piece that was new to me, now I want to go look at the score….

46. dumka1 - Arabesque 1 Great job with a well-known favorite! Especially since it’s your first Debussy, very nice!

47. Brian Moore - Minuet, French Suite 6 Bach is so difficult, you did a great job with it. Also, I’m sorry to hear about all the difficulties you’ve experienced, hopefully music gives you some solace.

48. Tubbie0075 - Sonata in B minor Kp. 377 Ok, I didn’t recognize this but I was not surprised to see it’s Scarlatti. You did a great job with this very intricate piece. I thought it was a really compelling piece of music and your playing brought that out.

49. jotur/Cathy Turner - Creole Belles I always enjoy hearing your playing, and this was no exception! What a cool, fun piece!

50. Ralphiano - Musette in D Major Welcome back to recital submissions, you did a great job with this one.

51. Tyrone Slothrop - La Caroline, Wq. 117/39, H. 98 Another piece that was new to me. I enjoyed your performance, well-played.

52. Qwerty53 - Sentimental Waltz, no. 6 from Valses Poeticos Great job, this is very compelling piece, I’m glad you decided to submit it because otherwise I would never have heard it. I think you captured that vividness well.

54. BingoDingo - Prelude No. 22 in G Minor, Op. 87 I don’t really know Shostakovich’s work but what a great piece! Nicely played.

55. Sam S - Sonata K1 I LOVE it!!! Especially after reading about the instrument and your work on it. Fantastic. Also, it is always neat to hear these period pieces on the period instrument. Thank you for sharing that with us. And thank you for all of your work on these recitals!!

Also, facdo thank you for the nice compliment! Glad my piano came through, I just had it tuned before recording (first time since covid started!)

06. Peyton - Chasing Bliss Not for the faint-hearted. I loved the insistent haunting foundation pattern which underpinned those sudden impossible-to-play fireworks. Great stirring sounds coming from your Young Chang grand. Wonderful!

07. selfishplayer - Keyboard Concerto No.1 in D Minor BWV 1052 1st Movement Allegro Piano Solo All 7+ minutes from memory - quite a feat! No, it’s not flawless - is anything? Ever? But you soldiered on, and certain passages, particularly the slightly slower ones, really shone; I’m glad you chose option 3.

08. Ted Jones - "The prankquean nips a paly one" The title of your submission reminds me why I never managed to get into Finnegan’s Wake: the language eludes my understanding. But your improvisation didn’t involve translation into words, it painted a shifting sequence of colourful images which I enjoyed very much.

09. SwissMS/Doris - Intermezzo in A Minor Op. 76 # 7 Beautifully played on your magnificent Bosendorfer. Congratulations, Doris!

10. Ruth CM - Moonlight Sonata 1st Mvt. (No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2) Like so many others I’ve always planned to play this ‘one day’. When I do, I hope that it sounds as good as your rendition. Your performance was lovely - well-paced, clear ringing melody, delicate touch. Your mother must be delighted!

Joyce isn't for everybody, and in any case my titles are usually arbitrary and occur to me after the event. Glad you like it, thanks for listening.

01. psyche23 - Holiday in Paris A magical little piece - thank you for bringing it to this Recital! I’m adding this to my ‘one day’ list.

02. Calavera - Ending Theme [from Final Fantasy X] I’m totally unfamiliar with this music, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story captured in your polished rendition.

03. MarieJ - Elegy for the Arctic (Me.) Einaudi. Enough said. Sorry, Sam.

04. Peter Hontaru - Waltz in F minor Loved the waltz - and your performance. Good luck in your G6 exam!

05. KevinM - Nocturne No. 20 in C Sharp Minor Post. Kevin that was beautiful, so measured but full of light, shade, and sparkling runs. You have every reason to be pleased! A fabulous piece to round off my listening.

I always look forward to your feedback MarieJ. No matter that I know that you do everything you can to find the positive you somehow still manage to make each one personal and I always feel like your comment about mine is special. That is a rare and lovely skill you have.

41. Gary001 - Hymn to the Sea from Titanic Not heard this arrangement before but I certainly enjoyed your playing. Well done!

42. Greta99 - Sonata in E minor, H.XVI No.34 - 3. Vivace molto I feel the same about the challenges of the classical sonata! But you made this sound like it was great fun to play. Well articulated.

43. lvojnovic - Sonata in D major, 2. movement Very measured and controlled. I am looking forward to hearing what you do with the 3rd movement.

44. Purrblast - Sostenuto (KK IVb No. 10) Really liked your interpretation of this piece as a slow waltz. Very expressive playing too - thought you brought that out really well.

45. Hawgdriver (Leon) - Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27/1 I followed your performance with the score to hand and I am so impressed with what I heard. Clearly this piece means a lot to you and that certainly comes through in your playing.

46. dumka1 - Arabesque 1 It can a challenge to get this piece flowing (a struggle I personally have) but I thought you handled pretty it well. Good job with the polyrhythms too!

47. Brian Moore - Minuet, French Suite 6 Brian, I am so glad you took part in this recital. Well done on your performance and I look forward to hearing your progress in the future.

48. Tubbie0075 - Sonata in B minor Kp. 377 I thought your articulation was fine! Very fluent playing, and great job with the ornaments and trills. Must be great to come back a piece almost 30 years later and improve from the first time around.

49. jotur/Cathy Turner - Creole Belles Yes, I totally agree with you about ragtime! In fact when I first heard this it recalled 'Bethena' by Scott Joplin, do you know it? This was a lovely performance, you did a great job!

50. Ralphiano - Musette in D Major I think this is by Bach? Anyway, I enjoyed listening to this. Thank you.

Thank you all for the kind comments on my Chopin Etude. It is a challenging piece. I havent had a chance to listen to everyone's recordings, so can't comment as I've been absolutely swamped at work with little time to relax..but the few I was able to listen to were really great! There was a comment upthread about my LH on the piece, I was told to do that by another teacher since it reduces the chance of hitting wrong notes since my lateral movement from pinky to thumb will be reduced if I am playing closer to the keyboard. The RH is doing more of the melody so its raised higher only due to dynamics (certain notes will be louder than others). The LH just has to provide the even beat so moving my hand side to side is easier when I have my hand flatter on the keys..

I very much enjoyed the 2 Chopin E minor Nocturnes- one was slightly more polished sounding than the other but I wont get into technical details as most of it seems to have been already covered in earlier posts. The harpsichord Scarlatti was a nice touch!! I will post again with specific piece comments time permitting.

My final set of comments:

51. Tyrone Slothrop - La Caroline, Wq. 117/39, H. 98 Very steady, secure rendition. You get an extra round of applause for the additional info!

52. Qwerty53 - Sentimental Waltz, no. 6 from Valses Poeticos This piece was well named. I thought you performed it with great sensitivity. Enjoyed it very much and will give this a try myself.

53. winterflower - escapes/escapades Interesting and varied and I admire anyone who does this. There were occasions where I forgot I was listening to an improvisation.

54. BingoDingo - Prelude No. 22 in G Minor, Op. 87 Not familiar with this music but it's an interesting choice for a beginner and given you've only been playing for 6 weeks I thought you did really well. Very impressed.

55. Sam S - Sonata K1 What a fine way to round off this recital. Love the sound from your harpsichord as well. Bravo!