I was just going to write that these 4 lovely Preludes were new to the site, when I found David had already posted the fourth. Ah well, always room for alternative versions I guess.


Liadov - Op.46 - Quatre Preludes - 1: Con moto, in B flat Major (1:01)
Liadov - Op.46 - Quatre Preludes - 2: Agitato, in G minor (0:54)
Liadov - Op.46 - Quatre Preludes - 3: Allegretto, in G Major (0:34)
Liadov - Op.46 - Quatre Preludes - 4: Lamentoso-Piu mosso, in E major (2:05)

Oh, this opus 46 is superior to opus 3 - which it should be, right?
The first is beautiful, and you played beautifully, too - a good advertisement for Liadov. I'm not sure that I heard any inaccuracies at all, and yet it was not played timidly, either.
The third sounds like Chopin wrote it, which is a compliment to composer and pianist.
Sorry, I just don't like the 2nd one, and don't care how you played it.
And the fourth returns us to good music and playing, and not directly derivative of Chopin.
Sorry I did not follow with score - I just happened to be on the site and saw your posts and wanted to get the comment ball rolling.
Definitely time better spent than gardening, and I'm an avid gardener myself.
Thanks.

Hi Chris,

Hmmm, I thought that opus and number looked familiar! Anyway, your playing of these preludes sounded very good. One thing I found with Liadov is that a piece might be short, even a one-pager, but it can still be tricky in places too. You played them all with confidence. Someday I might revisit Liadov. Where there are two volumes of these preludes, there are plenty of numbers to choose from there.

David

Hi Chris,

Had a listen to your recordings of these Quatre Preludes which I haven't heard before. Don't have a score but listening back the first is to my ears turbulent (suppose it should be marked "con moto") but I think you play at speed without any flubs, which is to your credit. I'm going to disagree with Stu about no. 2. I liked it. The passing tones are a nice device and Liadov's exploits the bass register. The agitato comes across from the beginning of this short piece. It brings to mind a bunch of sailor's getting drunk at midnight on an old ship that's rocking back and forth due to a maritime storm. The third piece does bring to mind Chopin, like a prelude or smth.
The fourth piece uses one line which is nice and uncommon for most "serious" pieces." The trills are crisp and legato. One thing is at 1:17 (where the arp. bass comes in) I would have liked you to linger on the opening note (or just use rubato till the end) of this dream-like section a little longer, but I realize it probably wasn't in the score. Beyond that, I really enjoyed this set.

I haven't listened to very much Liadov; these are nice. I like that they are short!
They sound well-played -- I like no. 1 and 4 the most. Your piano sounds the best on no. 1.

Thanks all for the comments. All 4 of these have their challenges especially 2 and 3. I am still unsure how to best play no.2. All these continuously jumping octaves and chords, modulating all the time. I don't want them to sound too staccato but I must be very wary of pedal. A difficult act, on top of the technical demands. No. 3 is not a supple and smooth as I'd like it to be, but that RH part is damn difficult.

Very well played, Chris. Especially number 4 where your phrasing exhibits deep feeling for the music. Such pieces may fool someone as being easy but still the pianist has to squeeze out for a meaning in their short time frame. In this sense, really well done.

Hi Chris,
I think you have done a great job here. There is nothing to nitpick (at least for me).
I just can give special praise f.ex. to your rubati in the octaves of no. 2 and the runs in the Allegretto, which you have mastered successfully on the whole line. So, it was a good spend winter day, at least better than freezing the fingers off in the garden. Here it was snowing all the time, too, btw. (And now I´m ill and sitting at the computer.)

Thanks Pantelis and Andreas I feel that the last ounce of elegance and fluency still eludes me but these recordings an amateur can be proud of, I think.