Rachmaninoff Prelude in G minor, Opus 23, No. 5

Rachmaninoff Prelude in G minor, Opus 23, No. 5. I thought I'd post something other than Liszt for a change

All best wishes to everyone!

Alexander


Rachmaninov - Prelude in G minor, Op. 23 No. 5

 

I'm working on some more Rachmaninoff- the cello Sonata, to be exact. What a monster of a piece. It's a piano sonata in itself! Thanks for the nice words about my recording.

 

Wow, nobody else has any comments about this recording since I posted it Friday night?

 

Because I was out of town over the weekend. And when it comes to Rachmaninov, I cannot comment too much because he is out of my league. Therefore, this sounded good to me.

 

I am surprised to read that you think Rachmaninoff is "out of your league." How do you mean?

 

You can definitely tell that you are in your element with Rachmaninoff, Alexander. This prelude is one of my favorites, and I enjoyed the fire out of it, and then some! I particularly liked the tasteful rubato and polished spacing; some pianists' takes on this piece strike me as a bit raw and staccato, but not yours. It's very smooth and elegant. Like Monica pointed out, the inner melody in the middle part was just beautiful. The even repeated chords and effortless octave passages speak of an impressive technique.

Thank you for the lovely recording, and keep them coming!

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention the piano. A gorgeous-sounding instrument!

 

What do I mean? I mean that I cannot play the simplest compositions by Rachmaninov. So my knowledge of his music is quite limited. Hence: out of my league.

 

Alexander,

Simply wonderful! I really like this prelude and your legato in the left hand of the poco meno mosso section was exquisite as was the slow development back to the original tempo -- never a sense that it was rushed so that the return to that original tempo seems to build naturally.

Ed

 

Hi Alexander,

Bravo! A performance of this Gm prelude does not get any better than this! I've played this prelude too, so know all of its challenges. Your rendition is very artistic and magisterial, with crystalline clarity throughout. Your playing of every note is very thoughtful, and I love your lyrical voicing of the inner lines in the middle section. Also, you play the piece with a compelling sense of "sweep" from beginning to end. Simply excellent.

David

 

Thanks to everyone for your really kind comments. As I'm sure everyone can guess, this was professionally recorded and played on a very nice nine-foot Hamburg Steinway in the natural acoustics of a concert hall without any mastering or reverb added. It's a pretty awesome combination, sound-wise. I just had to push the keys down at the right time.

I recorded this back in 2000, so my interpretation of this piece now differs quite a bit from how I played it back then.

Then, I tended to play very carefully and controlled, and in my opinion, without much spontaneity. Now that I think about it, I still do, but I can see how my interpretations could be improved by a little bit less "carefulness." As Alexei Sultanov (Lord rest his soul) once told me, one must play as if one is just about to lose control, but all the while staying in perfect control. Tough to accomplish. By the way, if you can get a hold of any of his recordings, they are something to be inspired by.

To juufa, I don't think that Rachmaninoff is out of anyone's league. Just because one doesn't feel one can play the pieces by this great composer doesn't mean that one can't appreciate the beauty of the music itself just by listening. Do you enjoy listening to his music? What are you favorite pieces of his?

 

oooooo .... so sexy!!! I can't handle it .... lovely middle section and that inner voice, sublime! I like hearing you say you're less controlled now. I can't imagine how great this is when you're a little less careful.

>>inserting personal anecdote here>> last week I was listening to your youtube Gargoyles again (wonderful i might add) and my oldest wanders up and says, "you play that one dad" ... was listening to the sexy 3rd mvt ... anyway, I'm still learning it but smiled and said, "yeah, but he plays it much better than I do" ... he screws up his face a bit, then comments, "well, maybe if you didn't hit so many wrong notes!" :lol: :lol:

anyway, do you play the 3rd prelude from this opus? i think it's the sexiest of the lot

 

Sexy? Hmmm...

No, I haven't played the third one yet, but it sure is another great one. By the way, I must say that I've never considered the middle part, or any other part of this piece for that matter, "sexy." I must be missing something! What exactly is "sexiness" in piano music, in your opinions?

 

hehe ... nothing else, just hehe :lol:

And alex, by now you should know that I find most music sexy! hehe

 

yeah, you will! :lol:

geez, I'm a bit sophmoric today ... I'd apologize, but I wouldn't really mean it! :roll:

 

I appreciate his muisc especially his vocal works and early piano compositions (check out his nocturnes).

But I can comment with more purpose if I am familiar with the composition having played them before.