Hello Eddy,
As I told you some weeks (or months ?) ago, I have a particular relationship with the Gavotte variée, since it is the first Rameau's piece I've played when I was a teenager, and I still have on my Durand score indications of my old teacher (who I liked very much, and who I miss, 34 years after his death...).
So I carefully listened your rendition with the score. And I think my professor (who was taught by Alfred Cortot, among others) would have liked it very much. Even I think I would be better saying "he liked it very much!", since I felt him so present while your music sounded in my lounge...
As already said by the others, the articulation is excellent, your ornaments are finely executed, with a good style and rythmic precision, but without being too stiff. Your tempi were perfect, with a little acceleration at the begining of some variations in order to reinforce the interest and attention of the listener. To conclude: if I had recorded this piece, I would like to achieve this result. I have only one slight reservation about the repetitions. You do not seem to try to do something else in each second playing of a section. With a harpsichord (especially if you have the chance to get two keyboards), you can change the sound, while it is of course impossible on piano. But you may try to do a little orchestration of your playing: for instance, the first time legato, the second more staccato; or the first time mf, and the second mp; or putting more weight on the soprano voice the first time, and emphasize the alto one at the repetition (e.g. in the third double). I know the question of how to manage the repetitions in keyboard baroque music when played at the piano is a disputed one. I am personnaly more in favor of variety, even if sometimes the choice of playing this part louder than that one may appear quite arbitrary. You are probably more of the 'rigorous side', thinking that you have to play all the score and only the score, which you do extremely well !
Now, I am looking forward to listening your Isle Joyeuse (I intend to record it in the coming weeks, but maybe I won't dare submitting it if you play it as you did with the Gavotte !). Thank you for providing a so nice musical moment...

@ troglodyte: Thank you for your kind words!
@ François: I am certain that your teacher would have commented on some of my execution or interpretation, but what you have said is very touching to me -- I'm sure many of us have beloved masters in our past (I certainly do). I am truely thrilled that you enjoyed this given your deep involvment and accomplishments in the French Baroque. I'm afraid I may have not made my case sufficiently strong regarding the changes with variations. Try to listen for the following:
Gavotte: A section, re-voiced to bring out "alto" line with the repetition.
Var 1: A section 1st time, 16th notes are staccato, 2nd time legato. B section, has every other phrase staccato during the repetition (in question/answer fashion).
Var 2: chords legato 1st time, but detached the 2nd time.
Var 3: No significant changes. Maybe I can work on some contrasting dynamics and try(?) the 16ths with legato (?).
Var 4:The alternating thirds are played for only 3 measures twice and the part on the beat is the LH, but I will explore alternating voicing of the 3rds. Since most of this variation is monophonic and there is little opportunity for changes in articulation, I suppose the best opportunities are found in alternating dynamics. I believe I made an unconvincing attempt at this.
Var 5: The level of activity in the RH (I believe) only allows for dynamic changes. I must explore the lowest limits of executable dynamics to contrast with strong ones.
Var 6: A section RH legato first and detached 2nd time. B section 1st half is transposed up one octave the 2nd time around (No one has commented on this ) and the last ornament is only executed the 2nd time.

Anyway, you've given me much to think about and my performance will only become better for it. Thanks. Oh boy, it will be interesting to see how similar or dissimilar our Debussy's will be. Bon chance!

That´s a beautiful and expressive recording. I like the sound quality very much, ideal reverb, too, for this kind of music. The tone does breath all the time. I have enjoyed this soulful recording very much!

Thank you very much Andreas!

Eddy,
I have to apologize for the following: yesterday I listened once your Rameau through the bad sound system of my laptop (while taking my breakfast). Then I moved in another room and I plugged the laptop on my hifi sound system. But I had hard time finding that the soundcard has a problem with one of the channels. Also, for some reasons, the sound got out with a kind of saturation, which was not due to your recording, but rather to a loose wire problem. Anyway, I finally listened the piece with the score then I went back to the computer, and I started writing some comments. While writing, I tried to imagine what I would have tried to do if I had to record the Gavotte. My fault was not to re-listen again your recording, what I have done this morning. If I had done so, I would have realised that you were totally aware of the interest of introducing variety from the first to the second execution of each section, and that you were successful in doing it sometimes. As for myself, it is exactly the same: I try to do things, as e.g. adopt a different attitude in a section, and sometimes my technical limitations make me forget my good resolution before the end of the section. Or it can be also my changing mind...
So, sorry to have tried to convert in my last post an already believer ! As for dynamics, I know also that our recording systems bring compression which quite often smashes our attempts, changing nice hills landscapes into flat plains...
Regards,

Chris or Monica,
Please replace my hosted file of Rameau with the attached one. I fixed two or three of the most blatant flaws in it. Thank you for your work.
Eddy

Hi Eddy,

I had a listen to your Rameau recordings. They sounded competently played and I enjoyed your execution of the ornaments and your phrasing. I have been learning about Rameau in my music history class, about his treatise on harmony he had published in 1722. I have my final exam on Wednesday so I have all of this history ready for the test time!

Enjoyed your recording,

Riley

Hi Riley,
Thanks for listening! Yes, he was a seminal and influential theorist and a great composer for harpsichord, opera and stage-works.

I hope you do well on your exam tomorrow

Eddy

Ok, I will take care of this tonight.

Eddy, I just noticed you didn't name the file correctly. It should be:

rameau-gavottesixdoubles-rio

You can see on your initial post how the title should read.

Please fix and double check that the other tags are correct too. We are trying to get EVERYBODY to make correct file names and tags because it saves us time when processing submissions.

Ok, I think I have it right.

I saw your earlier comment asking about the lack of spaces, but looks like you've got it correct now. I've re-uploaded your file.

REMINDER TO MEMBERS REGARDING FILE NAMING AND TAGS - PLEASE SEE HERE:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=5114

I've tried what you said, but still hear my original file.
Would you please replace with the attahced file? I have verified it is different than my original.

Sorry for the bother. I don't know what's going on.

I am sorry Eddy. Since you cleared your cache but the old file still plays, then I checked and discovered the problem is mostly my fault. It had to do with the e's in the title. I just re-uploaded again. Is it okay now?

Rameau - Nouvelles Suites, "Gavotte et Six Doubles"

I do thank you for your work on my post but I am still hearing the original file, and not the one I submitted two above. I tried clearing my cache again (losing all my passwords twice) but continue to hear the original and not the replacement file. Any ideas?