Bon Année Everyone,

Attached is an mp3 audio submission of the Debussy - Sarabande
from Pour le Piano. It is an older audio recording (1999 or 2k).

Here is a link to a youtube Impressionist Painting Slideshow my project manager created over the performance.
youtube upload link replaced 2013.01.11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MULR_j-0DR4&feature=youtu.be

Regards,
Kaila

Debussy - Pour le Piano - II. Sarabande

Hi Kaila,
A very serene and unhurried experience. One that causes us to "stop and smell the roses" and take a momment to contemplate things. Thanks for the post and Happy New Year to you too!

Hi Eddy,

Thank you. Have a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Kaila

Hi Kaila,

I had a listen to your recorded performance of this Debussy piece. I truly like your playing. There is the same mystique and wonder that are evoked in Clair de Lune (that spell-casting musical impressionism) here. Nothing really for me to critique. I think some would say more contrast in dynamics, but I don't think a piece like this should really have flashy moments, just convey a dreamy mood, like "May Night" by Palmgren, among other examples.

Thanks for sharing this,

Riley

Hi Riley,

Thank you for listening and your points on the contrast in dynamics.
Yes, we are in agreement about the 'mood.' As Eddy said, "One that causes us to "stop and smell the roses" and take a momment to contemplate things".

Kaila

I really enjoyed this. The tone is beautiful. You play with a loose, improvisatory feel that's perfect for this side of Debussy. I actually heard a lot of dynamic range and contrast. The only thing I did not enjoy was an intermittent clicking noise in the recording and I wonder if others hear it too (if not, it could be something to do with my computer).

Hi Heather,

Thank you for listening, your reply, and for pointing out the 'intermittent clicking noise' problem in the recording.

Kaila

from my project manager -
"...
Thank you for your observation regarding the intermittent glitches in the audio file. I found the DAT from the original 1996 recording session
and will listen to hear if the problem is there. Back then, we used a Toshiba DX-900 VHS VCR for our 'digital' audio recordings.

I might have an audio processing software solution, but I would need to listen and remove each 'glitch' manually
(daunting [but doable] because these sounds are present throughout the entire recording).

We are working on the Toccata now, so I will start there. We will also weigh the practical considerations and might just leave it as is,
work with what we have.

Regards,
-Kb
..."

Hi all,

The Debussy Sarabande mp3 audition file and youtube Audio/Video Impressionist Painting Slideshow
have been replaced.

Kaila

Bonne année Kaila !

I enjoyed much the music and the pictures. Thank you !

Didier

Hi Kaila,

I am sorry to have caused you and your manager extra work... but I think the performance is well worth the extra work!
Thanks for sharing your music here.

Heather

Hi Heather,

I much appreciate your pointing out the clicking noise problem. This the value of having our Piano Society forum, and as you say,
it is well worth the extra work. Thank you for listening.

Kaila

from my project manager -
"...
I listened to our DAT archive from the original 1996 recording session. Clean recording with
no glitches. It appears the intermittent clicking noise is the result of a digital clocking error
in a DAT to Pro Tools audio transfer years ago.

Anyway, I re-transfered the the audio from the DAT archive to my Pro Tools, applied a little Eq and some ambience,
then replaced the audio for the youtube video and the Piano Society mp3.

Regards,
-Kb
..."

Hi Didier,

Thank you for listening and your reply.

Kaila

Hi Kaila,
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to reply here. I think I got confused by seeing the topic in two different forums...
Anyway, I think your playing is lovely here. But you know I'm not crazy about people submitting older recordings because they usually have lesser sound quality than what we expect nowadays. And this recording here has quite a bit of odd sounds going on. I hear some sounds in the piano's action and then also some hiss that may be the dampers lifting, but it sounds too hissy for that so I'm not sure. But like I said, your playing is so pretty and when I took off my earbuds, the sound was better so I've uploaded the recording onto the server. I'll finish putting it on the main site tomorrow.

Hi Monica,

Thank you for listening and posting my recording of the Debussy - Sarabande.

The odd sounds you're hearing are the dampers lifting, anomalies in the piano, and the room itself.
We recorded in a local college theater that had very large, resonant wooden floor. Pedal movements and other creeky sounds from the instrument were easily heard in the
space. That theater and the building have been recently demolished, to be replaced with a new facility. We're looking forward to some interesting possibilities with the
new Arts Center building.

Kaila