A first recording for me

Jane

@danno858 invited me over today to check out his newly rebuilt Steinway grand that just returned home recently.

What a treat!
I ran through several pieces... not playing brilliantly but just enjoying the sound and feel of this gorgeous instrument.

This is the first recording I've heard of my playing the Chopin Barcarolle. I also played it at the recital at the Tonebase piano intensive in L.A. last May. But I don't have a recording of that.

The action on his Steinway is so much more responsive than that of my Yamaha Avant Grand that I had to consciously keep from letting my fingers run totally out of control.

There were a couple of other things I played that aren't too badly botched, and I'll post later.

danno858

Jane always a pleasure Jane. You really make the piano sing! You inspired me to post a recording. I’m trying to get a decent one this weekend! It was nice to hear my piano from a different part of the room. Now I know how it sounds for someone listening in the room.

twocats

Jane I really liked how you do the "Barcarolle" boat movement phrases in the left hand! A lot of people play it in a very choppy way, but you play it how I think it should sound 🙂

Lovely playing!

Peyton

Really nice playing. And what a beautiful sound.

Jane

twocats I really liked how you do the "Barcarolle" boat movement phrases in the left hand

Thank you!
I've experimented quite a bit with that.
I sort of like playing it with a rocking motion, feeling the 4/4 rhythm.
But... Chopin has clearly written phrase marks for the left hand grouping into units of two per measure... so one needs to feel that.

So I try to combine them both somehow.

twocats

Jane I've experimented quite a bit with that.
I sort of like playing it with a rocking motion, feeling the 4/4 rhythm.

You have definitely succeeded with the right feeling, in my opinion 🙂

ShiroKuro

@Jane thank you for sharing this!! I really enjoyed both your playing and @danno858 's piano! Gorgeous on both accounts!!!

Ornstein

This is really cool recording Jane, thank you for sharing this.

The warmth and expression is notable. The phrasing of the melody at 2:24 all the way to that softening rising chord part, the smooth sixths/thirds. The high RH melody notes, after the lower grace notes (and the playing in general) really stands out for that singing quality.

I think I actually understand this piece rhythmically better from small details throughout your recording. Your left hand at 3:21 has real personality of the rhythm of the gondolla oars.

Jane

Ornstein
Thanks for your observations. It's a challenge for me to try to get the "rocking" feeling while observing the long phrases so it doesn't sound too boxy. This is the first recording of my playing it that I've heard, and there are certainly a lot of things I'd like to do more smoothly.

As for the way I play a number of the little passages of sixths... those are places where I observe some of Seymour Bernstein's comments on how Chopin's hairpins can be interpreted as agogic rather than dynamic.... so they start slightly elongated and then compress slightly moving toward the end of the phrase.

https://manducamusic.com/shop/chopin-interpreting-his-notational-symbols-seymour-bernstein/

Fennec

very very nice recording of the Barcarolle! very musically played and it transfers exactly the right atmosphere…so smooth and lovely.. wonderful!!!