I did this back in December '09 when I was first starting all of this recording fun. It's played on "The Mighty Lester," 36" spinet, back when it was tuned in ET (not EBVT III ). Carey encouraged me to share this one, and a few others, which I will post after I apply what I've learned the last few weeks about settings in CuBase.

Schubert Moment Musical Op.94 No.3 in F minor

I hope you like it.

--Andy

Thumbs up, Andy! Nicely done.

Thank you, Chris. Much appreciated!

Very nice, Andy!

Here a few suggestions:

1. a little faster
2. I think the grace notes are a little too loud(the very first B flat, for example)
3. a touch of rubato needed

Some performances to listen to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53BcBmvoOOY&feature=related

Godowsky/Kissin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CrTOZNIIBE

Excellent playing, cinnamon!

But I'll pick on you a little bit. The grace notes in measure 3 should be played at the same speed as those in measure 6. In measure 3, you play them too fast that they are kind of lost. Some places you play them slow enough that I can hear them.

Beautiful job!

For the sake of having a variety of opinions, I'll disagree with pianoloverus regarding both tempo and rubato. I think what you did with both was completely appropriate for this odd, mysterious, gnome-like gem.

I agree that the grace notes are a little jarring. And at a few places, like the turn to major at the end, softer colors might be called for. Very nice overall.


-Jason

Thanks, everyone, really!

I will take your comments and resources to heart when I pull this one out again! When I recorded it, I was fairly suprised I could play it at all! I had dusted it off after years of neglect, having touched it as a piano student in high school, and it was a joy to get reacquainted with it!

Thanks for listening!

and of course we like to hear you play the piece again with your piano tuned to EBVT III.

Oh, God!!! Now I have to play it again!!! With all the improvements!

Thanks A LOT, LisztAddict!

Pianoloverus,
Thank you for the YouTube links. I am listening to the first one, now, and what I hear---

are five pianist, all PLAYING with the piece!

Beet,

Now that I've listened to PLVRS's suggestions, I see what you mean about colors in the maj sect. Just so y'all know, this is the first time I've heard recordings of this piece!

Hmmm. Looks like a new assignment!...

O.K. PL,

I think I get it! Especially after listening to the Kissin/Godowsky. Are you asking me to riff on Schubert, now?

The many youtube performances of this Moment Musical are "all over the place." Some are atrocious - and others (such as the following IMO) are sublime...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Ak7Tk9B3s

When I first heard Andy's recording of the Moment Musical I was struck by the simplicity and freshness of his approach to the piece. Andy admits (above) that he'd never heard any recordings of it prior to this evening - thus what we hear in his performance is his own unique interpretation of the score. I also love the sound of the "mighty" Lester 36 inch spinet. It reminds me of how the Moment Musical might have sounded in a 19th century drawing room - played on a Square Piano.

Yes!!! you have to play it again

Play it, put it off for a short time, play it again. I found that I play any piece better by doing that.

Does riff off mean improvise? Not sure what you meant in an earlier post about the 5 pianists playing with the piece in a different post. You thought they were over interpreting it?

I just included the Godowsky arrangement because I think it is interesting and amusing. I know someone who first heard this piece in the Godowsky arrangement(not knowing it was an arrangement) and was then quite shocked when he heard the original.

Hey, PL! What I meant about the five pianists PLAYING with the piece is that their inflections are so, so different! Same piece, much different feel to each one! They each say something a little differently... And it seemed to me that the performance that each of them arrived at was the result of much playing around with the piece--trying this, trying that--until arriving at the "Ah!" moment, when one forms the thought, "Here is how I mean to say it!" And so, no... Not "over interpreting it" at all! Far from it. More like singing it with their own God-given voice!

I like the way your YouTube resources here provide a "compare and contrast" exercise. The first clip of the five pianists caused me to compare the differences in interpretation. I was then jolted out of "compare mode" with the Godowski contrast, which left "interpretation" in the dust in favor of creating something new. Also, the feelings each of the first five pianists evoked with their performances, as different as they were, were in similar ballparks. The feelings evoked by Kissin's rendition of the Godowski arrangement were much, much, much different!

My "riff" joke was intended to hearken back to our "Beethoven Improved" discussion. Godowski did some major riffing to arrive at his arrangment! Maybe "riffing" is the wrong word. He had to play around with it to get it there, for sure! It was quite nice to listen to, and I thank you for broadening my horizons, there! Perhaps it should be called, "Godowski Moment Musical, based on a melody line by Schubert."

Thanks, carey!

A couple of things struck me after watching this vid.

First, look at the action on that piano!!! Look at how lightly he can tap the keys and have the piano respond with tone! Someday, I'd like an action like that! The action on The Mighty Lester is pretty nice--fairly light and fast, in fact, for a spinet... but still, it requires a certain amount of cajoling to play. In other words, I have to serve the piano to try to get my ideas across. The piano does not serve me as this Steinway featured here, obviously serves The Mighty Horowitz! Maybe with Haddie!...

Second, I get the distinct impression that he is making many decisions "of the moment." Meaning, he knows the piece, for sure, and here is how he plays this part this time, and here is how he plays that part, this time, etc. And it is truly a lovely rendition! Thanks for sharing it!

Plus, it was neat to compare the Horowitz rendition in PL's post with the one you posted! Very cool!

Bump!!!

I forgot I had posted this, and so, happy belated Schubert's birthday! (I think Schubert does not get enough credit, or at least enough air-time!)

This is one of the first home recordings I did when I discovered that I could actually record myself at the piano (November 2009), splice together takes (this has the best parts of two takes, if memory serves), and put my piano in a performance hall of sound (thank you CuBase!).

Walter Mitty lives!!!

--Andy

It was fun to hear this again Andy !!!

Ah - the wonders of splicing and CuBase !!!

Yes, I am a Glenn Gould wannabe!

Actually, up to the time of this recording, I had been splice editing the recorded works of others under a producer's direction for about five years. That sounds very grandiose, but it was actually a private library project. When that project was finished and I was finally freed up to do other things, it occured to me that I could do the same thing with my own music. It was a true head-slap moment. I am not the brightest bulb in the box. It must have been the hand of God on the rheostat. Wow! That sounds grandiose, too. I think I will go practice piano, now. Bye.

I must have missed this the first time around. It's really good Andy! You make me want to play this beautiful gem right alongside the Godowsky transcription. I think that would be a really interesting concert feature. Perhaps a section of a concert with back-to-back originals & Godowskified versions of this and a couple Chopin Etudes...

Andy~
You know this is one of my favorites of yours for many reasons. Thanks again for bringing it out!

Glen