Usually I lurk around the composition forum but since I just got a new (somewhat cheap recorder) I thought it well to contribute back to the site a bit. Vladimir Rebikov is a figure mainly known for a particular valse popular as an encore piece, but rather surprisingly he was also responsible for being the first to come up with some avant garde techniques such as tone clusters and pieces wholly based on the whole-tone scale (even before Debussy). The problem is that he never broke outside the Tchaikovsky mould and thus fell into the familiar syndrome of being too avant garde for the conservatives and too conservative for the avant garde, and thus died as a forgotten figure.

In the Twilight Op.23, however, is one of his many sets of salon pieces in the tradition of Tchaikovsky. These are simple pieces, but definitely enjoyable and unique. Comments on the playing and especially the audio quality would be nice. Hopefully I can get the entire set up soon.

In the Twilight:

Rebikov - Lamentation, Op. 23, No. 1 (2:15)
Rebikov - Chant d'hiver, Op.23, No. 2 (1:05)
Rebikov - Persuasion, Op. 23, No. 3 (0:42)
Rebikov - Esperance, Op. 23, No. 4 (0:47)
Rebikov - Souvenir, Op. 23, No.5 (1:02)
Rebikov - Priere, Op. 23, No. 6 (1:35)
Rebikov - Regret, Op. 23, No. 7 (1:04)
Rebikov - Il était une fois..., Op. 23, No. 8 (1:35)
Rebikov - Solitude, Op.23, No. 9 (1:41)

I found these pieces very interesting. Simple, maybe, but sometimes simple can be tricky. I think you keep an honest attitude towards them which makes them quite enjoyable to listen to.

By the way, the popular valse you refer to, is Valse Mélancolique?

Hello Jonathan and welcome to the Audition Room.
I've heard of Rebikov before but I don't think I have ever played any of this music. These are nice little pieces here and I think you played them well and with good sensitivity. The sound quality is okay; perhaps your mics are little too far away but it's acceptable for the site. I'd like to add these recordings to the site, which means adding you as an artist/member if you are interested. If so, please provide your bio and photo. Also, next time you submit recordings, please use your last name on the file name, not your first name. One more thing - is there a name for this set?

Hello Jonathan,

I have heard of Rebikov (I mention him in mthe biography of Henrique Oswald I wrote for the site.) He was the director of the Moscow Conservatoire for a time and was a friend of the Brazilian's, both having met on a train in Italy (if I do not err) and each of them wrote a piece apiece ( ) dedicated to each other.

I have listened to your recordings, not with earphones, but with loudspeakers (to computer ones). You seem to have the same problems as I do with the recording apparatus and that you get hiss, which you have to filter out, or so it seems, as the result, very clear otherwise, seems to distort the soundwaves. I hear any sustained note as if it FlUuuUuUtTeErrEd, fi you get what I mean.

They are very short pieces, but not at all devoid of charm, finishing almost before one really gets into them! They establish a mood rather than give any clear musical statement, as they are too brief to give any definitive idea of form. Let us call it "intimate music"!

Hi Jonathan,

I haven't heard of Rebikov, he writes an interesting (if IMO underdeveloped) set of piano music.

I like your use of pedal and your phrasing. I wonder if you are recording your piano from far away? To me, something about the acoustics of the room sound slightly distant, but the piano is in tune and I'm not really bothered by the quality.

Look forward to the rest of the set. And do remember for next time to add http://pianosociety.com to the album slot for the files ID3 Tags.

Riley

Thanks for the comments everyone.

@richard/wiser_guy: Yeah, I agree that these are very 'intimate pieces'; how he ends some pieces on a 'floating cadence' to achieve this tentativeness is very interesting. As for the recording quality, yeah, the hiss is faint but there. I'm not sure what the Zoom H1 can do, or whether there are plugins that help with this, but I'll try fixing it some time. And yes, the valse is the valse melancholic.

As for Henrique Oswald, that seems pretty interesting! Biological sketches of Rebikov seem pretty rare, so that's cool.

@pianolady: Thanks, will keep it in mind. The set is called In The Twilight, Op. 23. Should I attach the bio in .txt or something?

Was it your intent to become one of our artist/members by submitting these recordings? You've not really clarified that. And do you have any more recordings to submit or maybe some works in progress?

Yes it was. And yeah, I have the rest of the set as well as other pieces to record soon.

Ok, then you may submit your bio and photo here, or email everything to me. I will then proceed to make your page at my earliest convenience. Riley will process your recordings once you have corrected the file name/tags and then place the links here in this thread.

Alright, here's the bio. It's rather unassuming, however, compared to that of most on the site. >_> Attached is the photo too. I have changed the tags as well.

Bio:

Jonathan Yeo was born in Singapore, 1991, and currently lives in Singapore. As with many other children from middle-class families, he started taking classical piano lessons at the age of five, and improvising easy-listening music at nine (though this went unappreciated by his family). Somewhere during his mid-teens, however, he proceeded to grow bored of the piano and the music, deigning to scrape by every lesson without constant practice, improving his sight-reading but stalling his progress on the piano.

It was not until he joined the Piano Ensemble of his college that he developed a passion for classical music, having been exposed to and inspired by both the unique sounds of Scriabin and the intricate counterpoint of Bach. Not only did this lead him to take the piano more seriously, it also led him to pursue musical composition. He has played in annual school concerts, performing some of his compositions in the process.

When not studying engineering as a major in the National University of Singapore (NUS), Jonathan spends his free time composing, playing video games, and making up for lost practice.

OMG, Jonathan...no offense, but that photo is awful! Your hand on your face looks sort of weird, and this image as a thumbnail will probably make you look distorted. Can you find a better photo?

Hi Jonathan,

That's cool you are an engineering major but have a passion for music. I originally thought you were a music major.

I agree with Monica, the mug you submitted is less than flattering. If you could find another that would be great. If we were to only accept passport photos, I doubt this would pass inspection

I replaced your attachments with links. Check to ensure they play ok.

Riley

Urgh, alright I changed it. Most photos of me are unflattering anyways! it's hard to find one that looks good. And yeah, they work fine; thanks a lot, Riley. And yeah, I certainly did want to take a major in music, but Singapore is all about academic qualifications and I'm afraid I came in too late to meet them. Perhaps later in life, I hope.

EDIT: However, Chant d'hiver should be No.2, not Op.2

That's a much better photo! I'll start work on creating your page tomorrow. We'll also correct the title of no. 2.

ok, I fixed it.