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Avo Raud: Danse Estonienne (1948)

Discussion in 'Submission Room' started by troglodyte, Apr 22, 2013.

  1. troglodyte

    troglodyte Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    This is Off the Beaten Track, in fact it may be where No Man Went Before. If you can find another recording of this I would be very intrigued.

    Avo Raud courted my mother in her late teens. She was a reasonably accomplished amateur pianist, and on her 20th birthday she received the gift of his manuscript of three Miniatures. I remember seeing it when I was young. Mum didn't say much about it and I never heard her play it, and at that time I was neither interested in her pre-marital affairs nor in questionable handwritten music, and soon forgot about it. She died 15 years ago and the manuscript was buried in piles of paper, only to surface recently.

    Google has not much to say about Raud. It seems he was somewhat known for his piano playing and among the elite of Swedish chess players, and practised medicine in Stockholm. He must have been born around 1925 and died not 60 years old.

    Of the three miniatures the first, "danse monotone", is aptly named, and the third, "danse d'espagne", has thick chords very hard to read. Here I present the second and most fun piece, "danse estonienne".

    Joachim

    Raud - Danse Estonienne
     
    troglodyte, Apr 22, 2013
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  2. pianolady

    pianolady Monica Hart, Administrator Staff Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    What an interesting story! I liked the piece too and think you played it nicely. Did the glissandos hurt? Thank you, Joachim, I'll try to put this up tonight or tomorrow.
     
    pianolady, Apr 22, 2013
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  3. techneut

    techneut Active Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    Whoa, you certainly can't get further off the beaten track than this ;-)
    Judging by the name, I'd guess the composer was Estonian himself. Is that the case ? The idiom reminds me of that of Tubin, a composer I respect but fail to warm to. Like this piece, his music seems a bit grim and in-your-face, without much in the way of melodic charm. I'm not sure whether I like this piece or not. The outer sections sound arid and dour to me but the middle section is effective and exciting. Very convincingly played despite some minor signs of strain - it sounds hard on the fingers.
     
    techneut, Apr 22, 2013
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  4. musicrecovery

    musicrecovery Member Piano Society Artist

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    Hi Joachim,

    What an engaging interpretation. The piece seems a bit like Bartok. You play it with a
    nice crispness with lots of expression and wonderful variations in timing and tapering of phrases.
    While the piece is built on repetitions, you make all of them interesting.

    What a nice story to go along with it.

    Thank you for sharing,

    Kaila
     
    musicrecovery, Apr 23, 2013
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  5. pianolady

    pianolady Monica Hart, Administrator Staff Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    Ok, this is up now. It's in the 'various composer' page.
     
    pianolady, Apr 23, 2013
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  6. pianoman342

    pianoman342 Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    Joachim,

    I had a listen to this piece. It is very intriguing and the story to go with it, most exquisite. :)
     
    pianoman342, Apr 24, 2013
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  7. troglodyte

    troglodyte Member Piano Society Artist Trusted Member

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    Thanks all!

    Glissandos are OK on my piano, it has a very light and precise action. I would indeed guess Raud is Estonian but don't know for sure.

    Joachim
     
    troglodyte, Apr 28, 2013
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  8. StuKautsch

    StuKautsch Member Piano Society Artist

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    Joachim,
    Just another 'thank you' for both the wonderful recording and even more wonderful story.
     
    StuKautsch, Apr 28, 2013
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