Grieg - Solveig's Cradle Song

No, Rainer: it is the editing and I hear it too. The souind editor removes the hiss between the notes, leaving it on the notes themselves. At times I think it best not to remove the hiss.

They were willing to sell it to me, considering the first year of rent as part payment and not chargins transport. That is how much they wanted to see the back of it. Why did I take it? because in the flat where I lived before it was the only one that could negotiate the stairs, as bringing in through the terrace would have required major egineering works.

I just hope they do not decide to give it to me, rather than forking out (I paid for its removal when I rented it) to take it. I raher think that the transport cost is higher than its value.

 

This one is up.

 

Really? I thought the piano sound had made that impossible, Thank you, then!

 

Its IMO only the first couple of bars that are really bad. Otherwise it's an acceptable recording. It helps that it is a piece we did not have before.

 

I will see if I can use one of the music school's grand pianos, though their best one is off-limits for now. The only problem is... It is a music school with little boys learning the violin, Russian tenors being coached (funny that one should have come in the very day I was introducing a Russian soprano to the director!) and a doorbell that can be heard over a fff! No recording will survive that!

 

You'll have to book for the night then ! And hope nobody rings ;-)

 

Hi Richard,
I'm trying to catch up here - sorry for the late post.
I had to listen to this on lower volume than usual because of sleeping children in the house (ironic because it's a cradle song) and thought it was fine. (There's something slightly funky at the beginning but that's already been noted.)

I can see why you don't like the piano, though. This is probably a really stupid suggestion, but have you tried playing an entire piece una corda? The sound will be different - who knows, maybe better?? Of course, finding repertoire for which that's appropriate is challenging, but there are pieces in which it's used heavily.

 

Hello Richard,

You did a very good job with the echoing of the phrases at a softer dynaic level. It was highly effective.
The character of the piece throughout was solid.

Thanks for sharing.
Kaila Rochelle

 

Thank you, Stewart. Funny about sleeping children. Yesterday my daughter wanted to take a nap half-way through the ballet she was watching (composer Valerij Gavrilin (1939-1999). Asked if she would like me to play the piano for her she said, "Yes!" so I practised one of my later pieces, by a certain living composer (I am not giving my secrets away! and it was not Ismagilov, either!) and she was aleep in 2 minutes - and your children wake up with 19th century cradle songs! :shock:

Technically I cannot play "una corda", because I must be the only member who does not have a grand (or 1/4) piano and, as you know, on uprights all the action does is bring the hammers closer to the strings.

 

Thank you, Kaila. It took practice that, as I did not want to use the soft pedal, as it changes the quality of the sound.

 

Richard, I had a discussion with Monica abut this one's sound quality, and feel like I've been rash to put this up. As Monica noted, if someone dips into PS randomly and finds this, the first couple of bars could make them run away or at least get a wrong impression of the standard quality here.
Can't you record this on a decent piano, or maybe get this thing tuned ?

 

I suppose so, but it will take some time. Meanwhile I take it you will be removing it.

 

Well hmmm... I'd feel a bit rotten about removing it. Maybe we can just cut off the first few bars ? :mrgreen:

 

That is no problem. If you remember I myself expressed surprise at your including it, so you do not need to fell overripe or whatever it is. Monica once removed the Arietta and she is still alive, though with tendonitis (though she did make up some excuse not to meet me in person! ). Or you can use these supermodern editing programmes: you cut out the first four bars, get the next four, put them an octave higher and there we are! :!:

 

Which I had probably put up there to start with. Guess who's the boss around here

So, I'm afraid we'll scratch the Solvejg for now. Rest assured it is not your playing this time.
Actually, did you never consider a digital ? Not that I like them much but they might sound better than your upright.

 

I cannot say the idea of digital fills me with any enthusiasm. I once had something similar and I passed it on. Somehow I feEL better not playing than using something electronic.

 

I sympathize with that. Even though a digital would save so much money on tuning, and remove the anxiety about sour notes, I don't think I would want to play on one.