Grieg - Lyric Pieces Books 6-7

Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 6, Op.57 - 1: Vanished days ( 5:36 )
Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 6, Op.57 - 2: Gade ( 4:01 )
Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 6, Op.57 - 3: Illusion ( 3:34 )
Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 6, Op.57 - 4: Secret ( 5:14 )
Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 6, Op.57 - 5: She dances ( 2:52 )
Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 6, Op.57 - 6: Home-sickness ( 3:50 )
Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 7, Op.62 - 1: Sylphide ( 1:43 )
Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 7, Op.62 - 2: Gratitude ( 3:56 )
Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 7. Op.62 - 3: French Serenade ( 2:30 )
Grieg - Lyric Pieces, Book 7. Op.62 - 5: Vision ( 3:16 )

(Book 7 not complete yet - need to practise some more on the remaining two items)

 

Wow so much material in such a small amount of time!

Were you always such a good/fast sight reader? I don't think I have ever met someone in person who could do that. I only heard rumors that some can!

Out of curiosity can you describe any aspects of your sight reading technique (not looking at hands etc...) Is it perhaps all those Bach chorales?

My sight reading is pretty mediocre.

 

Nice repertoire choice. I love Grieg's Lyric Pieces, although I'm only familiar with the selection that Leif Ove Andsnes has recorded. They would definitely deserve more attention from pianists.

I've listened to all of book 6 so far, which was quite nicely played, with some really beautiful moments. I particularly enjoyed the discovery of "Vanished days", which I don't think I had ever heard before.

As for constructive criticism, at times I found myself wishing you'd allowed yourself a bit more freedom, and pushed your musical intentions (which are very good and tasteful for the most part) a little bit further, if only to emphasize each piece's own and specific character.

 

Not such a small amount of time, actually. I must have played these pieces for at least 30-35 years. They had of course to be polished a bit for recording.

It's not Bach specifically. I have sight-read huge amounts of repertoire over the years, and I really don't know any better. Indeed I do not have to look at my hands that much, unless in jumpy/difficult passages (which I then have to play many times to get them memorized).

 

Thanks for the feedback Francois.

I guess everybody loves them, but they are not considered real concert repertoire by most great pianists. Andsnes, Pletnev and Gilels are some notable exceptions. I have sort of re-discovered them after a long time of neglect.

I'm working on that. Already I am more far more expressive than I used to be but I guess I will always be rather objective and will not be oozing emotion like some artists do.

 

I'm very surprised at this because I thought you're between 35-40 years old (and I don't know why) :shock: Should I call you "Mr. Breemer" or "Mr. Chris", too? :wink:

 

I don't see why age is so important. Let's please continue use first names.

 

Ok Sure, the age is not important. It is just my Asian origin that let me be worried a little bit :wink: It's in the similar context as Seiji Ozawa had never done "duzen" with Karajan :roll:
I'll listen to your Grieg later. (I'm going to fly to Korea on Monday where I can use a faster internet connection )

 

One can certainly hear that you're aquainted with these piece well over a long time. I've enjoyed these recordings a lot!
I don't know Lyric Pieces well. I have only a recording selection played by Andrej Gavrilov. But I found in your recordings the emotions and the lyricism which are very admirably treated. I think these pieces perfectly fit to your musicality
About the audio quality I cannot say anything meaningful, because I listened to these with a completely different headphone Are you back to the original position of Edirol?

 

Thanks Hye-Jin I am glad they seem to sound convincing. Even though the recording eats up some of the dynamic contrasts as always.

Yes indeed, and I will stick to it from now on. No more experiments. Also, the piano had been tuned the previous day.

 

Try listening to Håkon Austbø's complete recording on Brilliant Classics. He has easily become one of my favorite pianists, after listening to his impressive Grieg and Janacek.
Now I'm looking for his Brahms. 8)

 

Good job as usual on these. Even though Grieg LP's are not really my cup of tea (much more interesting IMO their Mendelssohn equivalent - but this can be disputed , I decided to listened to your new installment. Eventually I too will record a handful of these pieces (a few are truly inspired and brilliantly written). Among them there will be of course Alfedans ).
My favourite pianists on them are Gilels and Pletnev, do you have some?

These ones are very well played. On Vanished Days and Sylfide I have some reservations about the rhythm because you tend to play dotted quavers + semiquaver as triplets (quaver + semiquaver). Of course in the fast sections this is less important (or simply more difficult to obtain) but in particular at the beginning of the 2 pieces (respectively Andantino and Allegretto con moto) it is quite noticeable. Also the quaver + semiquaver triplet at ms.5 and alike is wrongly performed, the triplet should be quicker. In She Dances I personally would like to see more lightness and perhaps elation. In Gratitude I missed the stretto starting from ms.54.

Yes, they are tough (I studied Bekken but couldn't manage to reach a satisfying evenness in the pianissimi).

 

There are also Alkan's Recueil de Chants :wink:

 

Thanks Alf. I find the Lyric Pieces much more interesting than the Mendelssohn Lieder (but it's comparing apples and oranges really). No favourite pianists here, but I don't listen to others a great deal - shame on me. I suppose I should be listening to Andsnes here.

Good points. My teacher has repeatedly attended me to that, and it seems I have lapsed. Need to be more conscious of it once again.

Truth is that I do not feel comfortable enough with She Dances - this is one of the items I have not played as much as most others. Never really noticed that 'stretto' marking in Gratitude, it seems a bit out of place and I wonder if he meant accelerando why he did not just write that.

Yes that is one little bastard. Working hard on it, but do not expect that evenness from me either. Unfortunately I can't skip it, being a compulsive completist ....

 

Thanks for that Monica. She Dances and Sylphide are two that I have always a bit neglected compared to others, and I think they are a bit cautious (I was already glad to get them sort of error-free). They could well do with a re-recording, as could the French Serenade where I am unhappy with the scherzando 16ths.