Nightowl Well played and the lyrics made me smile. I enjoyed the first verse but was less keen on the imagery conjured up by the second verse - it really made me cringe, but no doubt it would make children laugh. Thanks for an entertaining performance.

My original version had a lot more blood! I think the lyrics were something like "his finger fit with ease / and blood splattered the keys" It looks like I made the right choice!

Sophia WOW!!!! For a moment I thought I had entered the movie Toy Story - I love, LOVE, LOVE that theme. Your singing has improved SO MUCH, wow, a HUGE leap from the previous recital. And the piano complemented it so nicely... I could listen to that type of music for hours! Love the lyrics too, did I mention it should be used in a movie? 😛 And who can help but smile back when a performance ends with such a happy smile... loved it from start to finish!

Aw thank you! I want to smile more, but I'm afraid of ruining my mouth shape that I've been working so hard at. It's like I have cotton balls in my mouth. Hopefully soon I'll figure out how to sing and have human expressions at the same time!

PS check out Trout Fishing in America. It sounds like it's up your alley. Here are a couple more bangers:
My Hair Had a Party Last Night
The Window
Sam's Last Boogie

Nightowl Thanks P1, I think you're right, I do tend to linger too long on some pieces. I can play the piece a little faster, but when I do that the mistakes happen. I feel that playing it so slowly makes it sound a bit dirge-like and in truth it's a bit painful to listen to - something I should not really inflict on people! My recital is way below the standard of all the other submissions, but that is understandable as most of them have been playing much longer than me - some of them have played for decades! Everyone is very kind though, so it's a positive experience for me.

It might make you happy to hear that everyone cringes listening to themselves. I certainly do. I hear all the silly mistakes I wish I hadn't made unless I force myself to be less critical. The good news is if you keep doing it, the mistakes seem less harsh, and you can start enjoying what you produce. Also, your recordings become like a diary, and you can listen to old recordings and hear how much progress you've made over time. Also, my enjoyment of listening to these kinds of recitals is very different from my enjoyment of hearing a professional. I am not super interested in immaculate, perfectly recorded pieces. I like hearing people who have made progress through struggle.

twocats you made me laugh out loud with your special lyrics! But seriously, I'm so impressed that you improvised all that AND sang along.

Thank you! I had finally gotten a handle on improvising, but singing is really putting my brain on overdrive, so I'm glad you recognize my struggle!

          twocats Thank you so much. That means a lot, coming from one as accomplished as yourself.
          There are a few mistakes, as I was setting up my phone to wirelessly send video to my computer, and the stand was too close to my right elbow, but I knew the next take would probably get worse, so quit while I was ahead.😄

          Spring is just around the corner, here in Australia, and you brought it early with your wonderful performance. I so enjoyed listening to it, while envying your piano and piano space. Bravo!👏

              navindra Congratulations on your public performance and many thanks for enabling this most succesful first recital. Lovely playing from everybody.

                  Rob Thank you so much. That means a lot, coming from one as accomplished as yourself.

                  Thank you! However, I have very little ability to play by ear and even less to compose music, and can basically only play piano if sheet music is in front of my face 🙂

                  Your piece was truly lovely from beginning to end. If you (or someone else) ever writes out the score, please let me know as I'd love to play it!

                  • Rob likes this.

                    Nightowl Thank you Nightowl, you are too kind.
                    I enjoyed your Plaisir D'Amour. Considering the relatively short time you have been playing, plus the added pressure of the dreaded 'Red Dot', your performance was excellent.
                    I will be following your progress with interest.

                        12. BicBic — Prelude in B flat minor - No.16 from Op.34
                        Wow, for such a short piece there is SO MUCH going on here! You have put on a master class for a variety of techniques: legato in one hand, staccato in the other; big jumps; hands playing right on top of each other; crossed hands; octaves; repeated notes; tasteful pedaling. You make it look easy! Very well done!

                        13. Nightowl — Plaisir D'Amour
                        Thanks for your nice playing of a lovely piece! I think the piece works well at this tempo, especially with your very steady playing. Even though it’s slow it has great momentum. Well done!

                        14. bSharp — High Heels
                        Interesting piece and very well played! The rhythms are very cool with the steady eighth notes in the left hand and the syncopated right hand. Well done with the fermatas. Nice job with the double notes starting at 0:48: that looks tricky and it sounds good. The crescendo starting around 3:15 was great. Thanks for sharing this cool piece!

                        15. WieWaldi — Rainbow Connection
                        Great playing of this classic muppet song! I recognized it right away from the introduction. The tempo sounds right on, and the articulation is well done in both hands. That’s a nice arrangement and I enjoyed listening!

                        16. SalmonJack — Alia
                        Alia is already a beautiful piece! The bass line is lovely and complements the upper voice wonderfully. I like the way you keep the lower voice prominent throughout the piece in your playing. The interplay between the voices sounds great!

                        17. Calavera — Chrono Cross - Scars of Time
                        I enjoyed your expert playing of this great piece! I really like the contrast between the quiet and dramatic sections. The strong bass notes with the repeated high notes in the section that starts at 1:00 are very effective. I love the abrupt ending!

                        18. rsl12 — Always Chew Your Food
                        Wow, this is fantastic! Thanks for the very fun laugh-out-loud song! Your singing sounds really good and I love your piano improvisations. The Always Chew Your Food lyrics are funny but you really got me with the crowd sourced second verse. Awesome!

                        19. TC3 — St. James Infirmary
                        This is a cool piece, and I enjoyed your smooth, heartfelt playing. The dynamic contrasts in your playing really bring this to life. Thanks for your playing!

                        20. iternabe — The Trout
                        Nice playing of a fun piece! I especially like the articulation in your playing, with short notes and long notes, staccato and legato. The dynamics are well done. Sounds great!

                                            Rubens Congratulations to both you, and @Josephine on your collaboration and performance.
                                            That must have been an exciting project for you both!

                                              Sophia Thank you so much, Sophia.
                                              I hope you enjoy your dinner!😀

                                                rogerch Great Improvisation.
                                                I liked how you were really losing yourself in the music.
                                                Improvising is often where the best ideas come from.

                                                  keff That song is a personal favourite of mine, and you did it great justice. Thank you.

                                                    Sophia In less than eight months??
                                                    You are a machine! 😀
                                                    Well done.

                                                      Sgisela I didn't know that piece, but I was absolutely captivated by your performance.
                                                      I loved the rhythm and playful feeling that went into that.
                                                      I hope you had a nice lie down afterwards.😀

                                                        pseudonym58 I really felt as though I was sitting in a recital hall during this.
                                                        I half expected to hear applause at the end.
                                                        Bravo!👏

                                                          hebele I was seeing the opening scenes, as you were playing. Thank you.
                                                          Interestingly, I read an interview with the composer recently, where he said it was never intended to be the theme music.

                                                            MarieJ That was mesmerising. both the music, and the images of your work.
                                                            I have a feeling that I will be playing this many times over! 😀

                                                            • Rob likes this.

                                                              Sophia The title of this piece or its composer didn't sound familiar to me at all, and then when I heard your performance I realized that actually yes, I do know this song from somewhere! Thanks for unlocking a hidden section of my memories.

                                                                FYI, I'm still working my way through the list (about halfway now) and will respond when I'm all through, hopefully today or tomorrow at the latest. I also appreciate the feedback so far and will respond to those folks as well. Great recital!

                                                                Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

                                                                Sgisela That is some truly inspired editing 🤣 I wasn't looking closely at first so I thought you really did have some holiday things mounted on your piano.

                                                                  hebele Thankfully I haven't seen Downton Abbey so I wouldn't know what the tempo is 'supposed' to be. This sounded really nice to me!