Debussy - La file aux cheveux de lin

This is the famous 8:th prelude of the first Book of Debussy. I know we already have three up on the site but I could not resist it.

It does not only have the wonderful, almost Russian, clock-alike sound or the beautiful triols which catch the climax just perfect and release the tension but also from a pure pianistic technical view.

I assume I am one of the few who actually believe that Debussy played the bar 14 legato without using the pedal and the same in the repeating bars 32-33. It is possible but you really need to work on it to make it perfect and unfortunately, I miss a bit in this recording. But it is really tricky and one must switch fingers on keys 3-4 times in both hands and not synchronized. Took some time to get that figured out . I also chose to not apply pedal in bar 1-2 and in 8-9. Enough talk, here it is.

Debussy - La file aux cheveux de lin, Prelude no.8 from Boook 1

 

very nice, Robert!

I can almost see the delicate tow-headed toddler carrumping around under the piano. Very enjoyable. Of course, when I play this piece I go for the older teenage hottie version of the blond girl! I first learned this piece whilst I was trying to convince Jenifer to dump the zero, and jump the hero. :lol: We were 14 - 15 years old at the time. Imagine my shock when I found out the piece wasn't about a hot teenage blond, but a toddler!

wow, a bit off-topic there. Anyway, I think your interpretation is more 'a la Debussy' than how I play it ... personal connotations aside. Well done.

 

I really wish I had a better knowledge of this piece, so that I could give you indepth critiques and comments... but unfortunatly... I know nothing about it :cry:

However, it sounded very well played, and it was a very nice interpretation.

I wish I could say more but... I don't know what to say other than I liked it, good job, and keep it up!

 

In addition to Monica's comments, which are all spot-on, you play some strange notes in the 4-voice section, specifically bars 25 and 26. And I wondered about the portamento playing of the slurred 16ths in the 'Un peu anime' section. And of course these arpeggios where you decide to strike the top note first (or top and bottom note) and then fill in the rest. I've heared that in other recordings too. Where does this habit come from ?

But it's a good performance, no mistake about it. Just a bit sloppily read. Your bad luck we are a bunch of nitpickers here :lol:

 

You mean the first octave and to the next Bb? That is picky if something. Perhaps with a 32:th or so.

The RH Eb is perfectly audioble. I play LH chords as one and with RH the top Eb with thumb and Db as a chord and only arpeggiate the Ab, Cb, Db. Got the idea from my piano teacher to do so but I am sure it is not common and one need to reach it too. More important, I tie the bass Gb to the next bar by keeping it down and cleaning the bar by releasing the pedal just before next LH chord.

It is there. Not as loud as one could wish but for sure it is there.

Could be. Anyone who knows what "Un peu animé" means. That's what my score says there.

Correct. Made a mistake there. I played it the same way as in bar 23. Never noticed the difference.

I assume you mean 24 and 26? Yes I know. I play the first chord a dotted 8:th and then take use a liberal philosophy regarding the next 16:th as a too fast procedure spoils the calm feeling about it. But I know it is wrong. Just never found a way of doing it without killing the pp.

My score says nothing about a break here. It says "Cédéz" which I did not know before but it means slow down. Not pause. I compared with the other two recordings we host (McCarty and Muller) and they do not break here either. Are you sure?

It is not in my score but I check another score (yes we have scores back on the site again but I have only got from Albeniz to Scarlatti so far) and that says Ab and it makes more sense and the other recordings also plays Bb.

 

I know. Missed some there.

Don't know but my teacher, when we briefly went through the score, specifically instructed me to do so. He has been studying in Paris with...I never remember the name but it is a famous pianist who now is dead. These French names...name a French pianist who died in the 90:th in an age of about 95. I think he made his last performance in th age of 92. Been doing quite some recordings. Of course the complete Ravel and Debussy.

Yes but it you read my reply to Monica, I disagree to at least half of them :twisted:. But I must fix the other. And this forum is much cheaper than my piano teacher :wink:.

 

Maybe Vlado Perlemuter (died in 2002 at 97+1)?

 

Vlado Perlemuter

Whose recording of the Chopin Ballades still remain amongst my favourites.

-Michael B.

 

I'm too lazy to go look at the score to see where the pause in question is, but if you see something that looks like

// or "

floating above a barline in Debussy, the misconception is often that there should be a break in sound between those 2 bars. Those marks are meant to indicate a change in tempo, starting at that specific barline, but not a pause or break in the sound.

 

Debussy

Though I've heard this piece quite a few times, I've never played it myself so I can't critique it. It sounded quite good to me. I enjoyed reading Monica and Chris' comments, but your playing sounded much better to me than their comments seem to infer. :lol: I haven't even scratched the surface of the great repertoire for piano, but this site is helping me with a little picking at the surface.

 

"Un peu anime" literally means "a bit animated", and a less chauvinistic (i.e. non-French) composer would have written "poco animato".

So, seems like this way of playing arpeggios is a French thing. So be it... but I would not do it like this even if my teacher insisted. :twisted:

There is nothing wrong with this recording except for one or two imperfections and some things others would have done differently. Not a reason to feel that you "must fix it", but these things need to be mentioned otherwise Audition Room would be boring :wink:

 

Interesting the sound, more dry than usual. It make the piece more compact, solid.
Well played and pleasyrable to hear but.... what is this story of the noddler?
Here there is a wonderful young blond girl, there are no questions.
Coleman and Debussy can tell everything they will....

All best,
Sandro

 

YES! That's the one! Thank you!

Björn Månsson (my current teacher) studied which Perlemuter during his conservatory time in Paris. Unfortunately, my own time with Björn is limited but I try to book a 1:30 hour time one every month but in reality, we meet about 6 times a year. He goes easy on me as he knows my limitations in time and ambitions. But I hope on a long time relationship where I get more time for studying the piano in the future.