Prelude Op.23 No.5 -- Rachmaninov

Hello all,
I'm to play this (and two other pieces which I will be posting shortly) for juries this week. If you'd like to post comments/criticisms, it is always helpful to me, and is very much appreciated!
~Brett

Rachmaninov - Op.23 no.5, Prelude in G minor, Alla Marcia

 

Thanks for the comments!

I have not added any reverb, though I certainly could try and add some.

 

A girl asked me a couple of weeks ago how I was getting away with playing Chopin and Rachmaninoff in the same semester. I asked her how she was getting away with playing Schubert and Beethoven (late Beethoven, no less) in the same semester. :lol: She apparently didn't know that Schubert died only a year after Beethoven. I see Beethoven as a transitional composer, so that's just as borderline on the contrast to me as Chopin and Rachmaninoff, who are separated by nearly half a century.

I really love this prelude (most do, I suppose), and you play it very well for the most part. But you need to clean up your transition section at the first modulation (m17), and on the repeat (though there were less mistakes on the repeat). I'm sure you know this already, though.

I think you might have a few too many pedal changes in the middle section...it seems you're changing pedal at regular intervals, but there are some places where the harmony stays the same and it just doesn't have to be changed. I think you could use a bit more legato overall in this section, and just a bit less pedal-changing might help. That's funny, cause criticism on pedal tends to run in the other direction. :lol:

I like your increase in tempo toward the end, and I can tell you've spent more time on this section than the rest of it.

 

Kudos for playing this up tempo without any significant mistakes. That is an achievement in itself. The middle section is very good. Unlike Terez I don't like the speeding up near the end. That could be effective if you had held back a bit until then, but you were already up tempo and I think this sounds like a mere effect. Good trick if you can do it though :wink:

It sounds a bit dry and lightweight, and also a bit hurried in places. My suggestion for when you have to perform, would be to worry less about being strictly up tempo, and put in more weight and sonority, enjoy the scenery, and take your time. In a climax, you can always afford to be more expansive.

 

Thank you for your opinions, guys. I've received a lot of mixed reviews on this piece in my master-classes; some say more pedal, some say less, etc..., and listening to professional recordings, there are pretty vast differences in interpretation there as well. Some things that everyone seems to be in agreement about is that it should be cleaned up a bit more in places, and I tend to rush in ways that don't "fit" the music at points.

That's awesome that you're also playing Rach and Chopin in the same semester, Terez. I kinda like the fact that the styles are a little closer together; I find it much easier to transition from say, the Chopin to the Rachmaninoff than from the Chopin to the Bach.

 

You do a very good job here too as in your other submissions. Some more clarity and applying of the typical Russian bell ringing sound would do it even better. Both Rach and Horowitz (Ashkenazy etc.) achieve this sound by doing the chords more staccato plus a careful use of the sustain pedal. Not sure if it would work for you though and a you should consult your teacher in the matter. Still, a very good job!

 

It is up on the site!