Chopin Rubato - Both Hands or Melody Only? (Op28. no 4)

To me it has certain poetic moments but overall is very conservative. He makes the basic mistake of failing to make a diminuendo over the barline for each melodic sigh. He's just "producing tone" for all those melodic notes... Then the left hand repeated chords plod equally, they don't fly - they are very earthbound... So, as much as I admire Rubinstein I wouldn't say this is his best playing by any means... AFF

I had my recital on Saturday and despite my good preperation I completely freaked out as soon as the piano made its first note. I remember thinking in my head "oh my god, it's actually making sound and I am actually performing now, it is not just a practice session, this is it". It took me a while to recover and I think I slaughtered most of the first half of the chopin prelude. I didn't have a good sense of the timing at all and when I listen to it now I really don't enjoy it. I feel that my playing expresses pain, but not in the sense that Chopin meant - in the sense that the audience must be in pain waiting for it to be over On the positive side I played the first movement of Mozart's Sonata in A (K331) - theme in variations, and by that time I was less excited and I think it went much better. I would love to get some feedback - both good and bad. Unfortunately my hands and fingers are not visible in the video so you can only comment regarding the sound, but not really on the physical aspects of my technique. I think I will take another video of the chopin prelude at my home, with no performance anxiety, so that I can redeem myself.

Listen, you have nothing to be ashamed of! Beautiful tone, especially in the Mozart, and many very nice musical ideas. You created a really nice experience for the audience, and you can feel they appreciate it. I would say the opening of the prelude left a nice impression even though you were unhappy with it, and would say you mashed the culmination more than the first half... First half was a little tentative and unstructured but not BAD. Nerves are a terrible and wonderful thing. You HAVE to learn to love them. You have to learn that this horrible feeling is great, that it makes you throw caution to the winds, switch gears, and finally PLAY... So, play more in public, you will feel that change start to happen and this is wonderful. You are a communicator, never forget that - don't diminish your real gifts, no matter how humble you may find them! AFF

Listen, you have nothing to be ashamed of! Beautiful tone, especially in the Mozart, and many very nice musical ideas. AFF Thank you for your kind words. I am actually very happy about my Mozart performance and I actually like listening to it - I still need to improve some things, but overall I received very good feedback on it. I guess my problem with the Chopin is that I have played it soooo much better - but it is a very tricky piece. Its notes are so simple but yet turning them into a convincing performance is a challenge. I have to accept the fact that I am still relatively a beginner with barely 2 years of playing experience, and I can't get too picky on every tiny detail in my playing. Anyway, I will post another recording at home of my chopin for some more specific feedback. If you or other readers have time, I would love to hear some more specific feedback about my Mozart as well - which parts where good, what didn't work so well? What are the main thing I need to work on? Thanks Zack As a side note, this was the first time I have ever played on a Steinway grand and this was an amazing experience. This piano is so sensitive that it is really a different instrument from my upright. I wish I had a few days to practice on it and explore more what I could do with it to get even more beautiful tone.

Just to repeat, I feel you are a real communicator who the inner meaning of this music and has a clear idea about how to get that transmitted to the listener. Your musical gifts are way ahead of your technical abilities for the moment, but just keep playing, your body will always improve - and already your musical intention is transcending your technical limitations more than you know. In performance you will mainly feel the frustration of your limitations but WE will mainly get your communication! AFF

Hi As you did ask I'll give you some thoughts. First I think you have a beautiful singing approach and nice dynamics it all radiates real talent and musicality.And that is very very promising. I'd say the Chopin is maybe too metronomical and less rythmic in Mozart it's the opposite.You have maybe taken Horowitz words "play Chopin like Mozart and vice verse" too literally! Chopin rubati are more enjoyable when they come gradually yours are maybe a bit too much of sudden surprises. For dynamics always try to be patient don't exhaust the dynamic levels to quickly save them and be very clear exactly where the maximum should be and point that out. Chopins phrasing and dynamics are detailed in the score and when practising it's a good thing to exagerate everything and I mean really crazy exagerating. With Mozart in my taste way too much fragmented. Gould made a recording that resembles yours it's all subjective of course but Gould is Gould. It's easy to understand this tendency the music of Mozart is made up from small "algoritms". You need more fluency/continuity and a deeper study of phrasing and musical poetics that is the structure of the sonata-form. Phrasing can be at several levels you have a lot of subphrases in the phrase don't forget the main-lines. Keep on working you already give a real pleasure to you audience but there is always more to be done... Here is a good example of the old school: Best regards

Thanks for the feedback Eric. I completely agree with you regarding Chopin - I was way too excited and when I listen to it now the climax seems "forced" and doesn't come organically. Regarding Mozart, I am not sure I completely understand - perhaps you could point to a specific variation and/or phrase and give me some more details. I have listened to several recordings of this movement but not to Gould's. Horowitz and Uchida are some of my favourites. It might be that I am exaggarating a bit some rubatos which should remain more subtle. Anyway, if you could give me more specific feedback of what you think I should improve that would be really helpful. Regards, Zack

Hi zackem I just expressed a very spontaneuos reaction as I really liked your performance. Well I'll try to be more precise: This is an austrian song that Mozarts mother sang for him. When she died he wrote the a minor (I think) and shortly after this one. In the same mood of grief and sorrow. It's a simple gentle song.Beware of fancy stuff. I'd say it should be played more like the Andantino in Chopins Ballade #2 "sempre sostenuto e legatissimo".The similarity of harmonic progression is probably not a coincidence. Bar 1-4:It is one long phrase if you'd played the violin the bow would not leave the string. I think you focus too much on the staccato and that distorts the line. Think portato or even forget it. Try to keep the sound going all the time like if you play the violin. Or keep your breath for 4 bars. I think you can keep this spirit through all the variations.Be very diligent with the beat. Bar 29-30 no need for rubato the fz and staccatosigns are (I beleive) more a way of expressing syncopations- a very present and important element in Mozart.Think Jazz.Mozart without these hidden syncopations is dull. Bar 41-44 the base! it's not Stravinsky the dissonances are just a coloration haven't heard Horowitz but I can guess... Bar 45-48 Mozart is difficult because everything has to be cristal clear these bars need a clean-up. Mozart I find difficult, one is the always present syncopations and secondly the delicate balance of the sound becoming aware of every voice helps in balancing the sound. I think the Chapter "Fingers as levers" in Honing.. describes a good approach to handling the dynamic levels.Playing forte without playing forte. I'm not a teacher so take this for what it is you're doing just fine. Best regards

Thanks Eric, This is really valuable feedback. I am going to keep it in mind when I practise this piece again. I am going to leave it for a while now and learn new pieces but I will definitely go back to it in a few months with (hopefully) better technique. I am surprised to hear that it is a song of grief and sorrow. I can see that in Var III, but the rest of variations seems to me like they project grace and delicacy. You bring a good point that I do have to keep simplicity in mind too when playing this song. Part of the reason that I like to go "fancy" here is that this is the most technically challenging piece that I have ever played so I am excited about being to play it, but as time goes by I hope I can connect better to the simplicity of this movement. Where can I find more information about the history of this song? I didn't know he had written it after his mother had died or that it was based on an austrian folk song. Zack

I remember Jokut Mihailovic, Kemal's wonderful teacher, speaking about Schumann and saying that above all, in ALL Schumann, always remember there is a tinge of sadness... Could this apply to the A major Mozart Sonata as well? AFF