More Tchaikovsky

Recently I re-recorded Tchaikovsky's The Seasons Op.37b as well as the Album for the Youth Op.39.
I'm not posting all the links here, I recommend the YT video's which are packed with beautiful images, and you can also select individual tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocuPaDIX1YM (The Seasons)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKox3R-vaQA (Album for the Youth).

 

For now I've listened only June from Seasons and Sweet dreams from Album for Youth

June: For me you mark too much every beat. It divide a phrase. All other aspects are very good, besides this one. In reprise you don't do it as much, so maybe it was a warm up problem (or feeling mood)?

Sweet dreams: all is good, but it could be more "dreamy". I think it's quite hard task on piano you have, because it seems to have rather sharp sound.

 

Thanks verqueue. In the Barcarolle I can hear a lot of inconsistent dynamics (accented/too strong notes in strange places) and in hindsight it is not as good as I thought it was - which is then probably true for the entire set (in fact it is most always so...). I don't really hear what you describe though about the first beats.
Yes, the Sweet Dreams is maybe a bit too bright-eyed.

 

I'm listening to the Album for the Young now. It's the first time I've heard it; there are some nice pieces in there.

I think the tone always sounds better and more convincing when you use the pedal in this set, though this is so often the case in general of course. The Sick Doll and the Doll's Burial convey the character of the pieces well and they're nicely shaped melodically. I also like the Little Horseman, though I've always like pieces that trip along! Perhaps you could use the soft pedal in places to get more of a pp sound where required.

 

Thanks Mark I am still trying to kick the habit of using indiscriminate pedal, and it seems to work as I am now sometimes too sparse with it. Yes I should be using the una corda more. The problem is that it tends to make unpredictable noises inside the grand when pressing and/or releasing the pedal. I should ask my technician about a remedy for that.