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It is always so exciting when the recital is about to open ... all the work that has been put in to the - who knows how many - months of practice, plus the dreaded red dot recording step ... all about to be on display ...

I'm a bit behind and have some catching up to do:

01 Mr Super-Hunky A Star Named Apple/ New Beginning
This is really a delightful opener for the recital. Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to get to know or correspond with Apple. I've heard only very nice things.

This is a very clean sound, fine playing and nice touch with this timely and lovely tribute Mr. SH. Thanks for sharing this.

02 Inlanding - Glen - Elegie
It is nice to see you back and regularly active in the piano bar, Glen. I find it hard to keep up with you all, along with the recitals, but I am always lurking and enjoying if not actively joining.

This is a gorgeous melody. This is the first I'm hearing this piece and I really like it. I think it is like another one of those pieces (I have a few of them now) that sticks in your head and then you just have to learn it. Beautifully performed, Glen.

03 dannylux / Mel - Czerny Romance in E Op.755
Already I'm finding it a challenge, not to start sounding redundant. From the moment I start listening to this, it grabs me. This is a very pretty melody. Most of the prettiest melodies I know are tragically sad, but this one is not. I'll be looking more at Czerny now. Hadn't heard of him before. Great recording and performance, Mel. Nicely done.

04 Plowboy - Prelude in E Minor Op. 28, No. 4
Now this one I am a bit more familiar with. I remember hearing my Dad play this as a child and it always made me melt. The harmonic shifts are fabulous. Often, less is more and that is what I get from this piece. But, as simple as this may look on paper, or sound, it is far from simple. If I had to choose only one classical work to learn in my lifetime, this would probably have been the one. Excellent choice in my book. This is not one to put away now, though. Rather, let it grow with you for a lifetime. Nice playing, Plowboy.

05 slpianoproject - Nocturne in C# minor Op.27 no.1
Fabulous debut performance and glad to see you here and many more to come I hope. I'm working on a ton of Chopin myself of late. This is not one I was familiar with. It's lovely. I really like it. Some very fine playing and nice recording too. Well done s1pianoproject and welcome to the forum.

06 CarlosCC – Julia
What a fun piece. Sounds to me like this would be a lot to memorize. Good on you for deciding to take this on and doing such a fabulous job with it. Sounds tremendous and some very fine playing. Hope it brings the cheer you were hoping for your wife as well. It is an uplifting melody and nice choice, I think. Well done.

07 Diana (sinophilia) - Frankie & Johnnie + Space Shuttle Blues
Glad you have braved the red dot and nice to see this fine debut performance from you, Diana. Very nicely done. As you can see, everyone is rooting for you (and each other) and looking forward to seeing you grow with us. We are all in this together it seems. For me this has motivated me to practice more. I think you are also, in the right place. You will and are getting much better advice from experts that can really help you, then any I can offer here. Tremendous job, thanks for sharing this and please keep em' coming.

08 wouter79 - Allegro non troppo in c minor, op.38 no.2
This has a lot of familiarity to another Mendelssohn piece (102 no 1) I am currently working on. There is clearly a lot to this and you are doing a nice job of allowing the melody to sing cleanly above and throughout it all. An ambitious undertaking for just 3 years on the bench. You clearly have what it takes though. Good for you, very nicely done and great recording.

09 SwissMS - Little Prelude in D Major BWV 936
I was very pleased to see this one in the line up and was looking forward to hearing it. You've done a very nice job with keeping an even tempo with this very challenging little prelude. I am a Bach fan. I can't say I love them all, but I like this one, very much. It is a tricky piece that you make sound simple. Very well done.

10 CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Sneakin' Round
This really sounds like it would be a whole lot of fun to play. You bring a very nice swing to it. It does indeed sound like some tricky business in a few spots. You've done really well with it. Good for you and nicely played.

11 Andy Platt - Invention No 4 in D Minor
When the recital first opened I was listening to the streamer from start to end (until my machine crashed) with the headphones on, without paying much attention to what, or who was next. When this one came up, it was unmistakeable well played Bach and then I saw … ah yes. Really well done, Andy. I didn't know the piece but do now, and will likely add to my Bach to do list. It is a classic Bach sound to me and very nicely played, indeed.

12 Amaruk - The Christmas song from 'An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf
Quite an undertaking for transcribing this on your own, Amaruk. Good for you. I know the feeling though, sometimes there are ones you come across that you just want to learn regardless and do your best to find the way. You found the way nicely here and with a fabulous result. A lovely piece and performance, and nice addition to your repertoire now. Well done.

13 Peyton - After All
This is a clever composition. I've not tried to do anything original since getting back in the saddle. But, as I see more and some really great creative works being presented in these recitals, I'm starting to think maybe I should give it a go. The to-do list just gets bigger. Thanks for sharing this fine composition, Peyton. Great job.

14 joangolfing - Grieg Waltz Op.12
I was not familiar with Grieg at all, but see a couple in this recital. It is fabulous getting exposure to these excellent works in this venue. I love a good Waltz and now include this one. Some really fine playing.

16 Riddler (Ed) - Reflections in D
Really terrific changes in this, Ed. I think you've done a fabulous job with the arrangement. It make me realize I need to get back to some of this type of material. My Dad was a jazz man and was huge on Ellington. Hearing pieces like this being played well, explains why. Really good … it's lovely.

That's all for now … back to some practice.

A few more thank you's to reviewers!

Peyton - I am glad my Bach was pleasing to you! Thanks

Allard - Genau! Ich spiele Bach Musik jeden Tag! Bach ist der beste Lehrer.

Riddler - quote "I thought you did especially well on the turns and the intricate left hand phrases that occur here and there" Thanks! This piece was a real challenge for me.

zft90 - Thank you very much for your detailed response. It is nice to have a review by someone who has played the piece and knows its difficulties. I agree with you that the ornamental trills would have been better on just the second time through. Less nerve racking too! Those are 4/3 trills generally white to black or black to white.

BenPiano- Thank you! This is a deceptively intricate little prelude. Glad you liked it.

SamS - Thanks for your well wishes!

CarlosCC - quote "I think this is a very solid interpretation" Thanks! That is what every Bach player wants to hear!

Greener - quote"It is a tricky piece that you make sound simple" Thanks! That was the goal. It was a challenge.

A few more comments:

20. Serge88 - Fly Me To The Moon
Niceley played, laid back rendition of a great old standard. Well done.

25. Jazztpt (Russ) - Another Song + Maya
Those are some very hip compositions, Russ, very interesting, very sophisticated. Nicely done!

31. MaryBee - Waltz in C# minor, Op.64 No.2
I too am in awe of this piece, and wish I could play it. Excellent performance, I really enjoyed it.

37. Ken. - Let's Cool One
OK!! Three cheers for keeping the unique Monk tradition alive here at the PW recitals. Bravo!

39. Mar_red - The Shadow of Your Smile & Misty - Medley.
re your question, I'd say at about 5:42, but you recovered quickly. At least you did not switch to completely different song as I do. Anyway, those are some hefty, full arrangements of great songs, played with gusto and skill. Nice trills. And nice G major 7 and Bb7 runs, too. Well done.

40. Jazzwee - Stella by Starlight
Excellent playing as usual, JW. This is one of my favorites, and yours too, I'd say, since you have recorded it many times. It seems to me that nowadays your lines are more complex and tell a story better than in the old days. Also, you are integrating those strings of sixteenth notes very smoothly. Well done!

43. lyricmudra - Melodie from the Opera 'Orfeo'
That is some superb playing of a beautiful piece of music, very well done. You have a very graceful, elegant style of playing that I really envy (I pretty much pound the notes with sledgehammer fingers). You pass back and forth between RH and LH very smoothly. Nice trills!!!

More to come.

Ed

05. slpianoproject
piece: Chopin, Nocturne in C minor Op.27 no.1
technical:
clipping: no
balance L/R: ok, RH channel is slightly louder but I don't really notice on the headphones.
noise: no, only a slight metronome like sound, is that your pedal?
bass: good for an upright
depth of field: ok
piano sound: good for an upright. I checked then the video and saw you removed the front of the upright. Seems to help! Just curious, how far is it from the back wall while you made the recording?
musical:
overall impression, like: I like these nocturnes. excellent playing and recording. I even removed my (softly clicking) clock from the room to get the silence behind the music. As someone here said, this is one of the pieces here that could be in a local concert. 7 years "in and out", no lessons, first take? Nice job! I checked the score to see what's about the piu mosso and saw that Chopin indicates a bit faster there. And yes a few wrong notes, but nothing disturbing.
Phrasing: clear (well maybe I know the phrasing since it's quite popular here and I know it already much longer). Measures also stay clear even through Chopin's long lines.
rubato, speed changes: Yes, and sound all fine. Keeps flowing nice too. Piu mosso not at speed indicated by Chopin (54) so I understand what you're saying but still nice.
Dynamics: yes a lot , very nice.
articulation: all pedaled ok. After all the force of the middle section, all calmness returns nicely. I'm often using no pedaling at all, so my ears are missing that final bit of calmness there, but that's Chopin's choice
I noticed your LH is rotating a lot in the first measures. Might be related to your soreness, I would check that with a teacher if you didn't already.

ATallGuy- It's good but I need it to be a bit louder (I'm pretty deaf in one ear and don't have headphones for my computer.) So I think I'm missing some of your playing. I would like to hear more of the melody. I can tell this much however... for only playing about a year, that's pretty fantastic.

Carlos- You have really only been working on this for three weeks? That makes me very jeolous. You have a really nice command. Not my favorite Debussy but you made it enjoyable to listen to.

Sam S- Gold star for me!!! I listened all the way through. I also really enjoyed following the music on youtube. I'm really glad you do it that way. Great playing.

ZRTF90- Richard, have I said you are becoming one of my favorite pianists to listen to on the recitals? This is just fantastic. I love the trills and that ending is just too good. Bravo.

Well I'm not sure if it's worth my time but the opportunity to insult you is too good to pass up.
Seriously though it's very good for three years being such a tough piece and all that.
I'm not in the slightest bit fundamentalist when it comes to following the score so I would probably pedal every half bar on this.Maybe drop it on the second quaver and lift it just before the end of the forth to give a slight gap between bass figures.I think it's especially helpful for tying the second and third notes of the bass figure together.Without it you'll tend to get a bit of a jolt there which may account for some of the nervousness you mentioned.
The most important thing here is to subdue the accompaniment.The syncopated parts should be so subdued that exactly what's going on is mostly hidden by the singing melody anyway.This is a difficult skill to learn but probably one of the most important things to bring the piano to life.Practice on very simple pieces and, for the purposes of getting a feel for it, play around with very exaggerated differences between different hands and fingers of the same hand.
I wouldn't drop the tempo any.The melody will start to lose coherence if you do.

Yes, I would pedal every chord change for the most part, which is every beat, disregarding the eighth rests in the bass line. I would probably try to use less than full pedal too. It moves along at a pretty fast tempo, which makes the pedal even less noticeable. I think that's totally in keeping with the style of the period. If you want to get really confused, look at measure 24. Same melody, same chords, but why does he change to quarter notes in the bass? Because it's forte instead of mf? Or does he want a different feel there? I think maybe he means for the beginning acc. to be lighter in character and quieter, then more robust at m 24.

Bottom line, I would use pedal, otherwise it will sound too dry and not the correct style for that period. But ultimately, the decision is yours...

Sam

A few more comments.

44. Sam S - Arabeske Op. 18
Sam, I am astounded that you have mastered such a long and difficult piece! It is quite beautiful and easy to listen to. I bet you are ready for a break now! Well done.

46. Kenjazz - My Romance
Very, very well done. Loved the intro. Very professional and musical throughout, I enjoyed every minute of it. Good recording, too.

49. GrouchoMarx - Prelude Op. 32 No. 12
That was a breathtaking performance, Groucho. What a complex piece!!! I'm in awe!! And like you, I absolutely love the Rachmaninoff preludes. Well done, indeed!

50. BillM - Georgia On My Mind
Yeah, I love that old song too, Bill. Great job as usual, you have really mastered this genre.

51. Pavel.K - Nocturne 21 in C minor posth.
Pavel, that sounds like an extraordinarily difficult piece for a person with only one year of experiene, but you did a very credible job. I too love the Chopin Nocturns. Well done.

Ed

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and comment! To answer a couple of questions about Elegie: Yes, the music is available on the internet. As for capturing the audio/video I used a Zoom connected directly to the computer.

06. CarlosCC - Julia This piece dedicated to your wife is spectacular. It's great she feels at home with it. A wonderful connection.

07. Diana (sinophilia) - Frankie & Johnnie + Space Shuttle Blues A fantastic boogie line you've got going there! You were really swinging and getting some good hand independence going. I really enjoyed your playing.

08. wouter79 - Allegro non troppo in c minor, op.38 no.2 Very nicely played is your Mendelssohn!

09. SwissMS - Little Prelude in D Major BWV 936 Thank you for celebrating your recently regenerated dexterity and strength with such a fine Bach interpretation. You bring out the voices really well. Loved it!

10. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Sneakin' Round What fun to watch and hear! I was tapping my foot the entire time. If it could have been a bit longer! Each recital, you bring something new and improved from the previous year - it's so great to see you improve.

11. Andy Platt - Invention No 4 in D Minor This is a wonderful pace for this Invention and you articulate the voices quite nicely. This is an excellent interpretation.

12. Amaruk - The Christmas song from 'An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf' What fine skill it is to transcribe and play a tune with which you identified so quickly and strongly! It must be so enjoyable to accompany your son as he sings along. Great work!

Some more...

21. Teodor - Donnie Darko - The Artifact and the Living I liked the dark and brooding sound of this piece. The melody matched your pianos sound perfectly. I also like the dramatic chord changes in this tune. Nicely done.

22. (Was)TrueBeginner - Us I really enjoyed your original composition. It had a subtle sadness throughout it like a fond memory of times gone by. Keep up your excellent composing and playing of these original pieces. You don't need to follow a set of instructions!

23. MusicaMusique - Keresem Az Utam Very nice ear technique in playing this by ear. I like your even time and rhythm in this piece. My suggestion would be to replace repetitive notes with a slight variation of that note as to not have to play any single note 3-4 times in a row. I am currently working on this myself.

24. MrPozor - Un poco adagio I enjoyed listening to this performance. You sound great and I'm hearing all kinds of correct techniques, tempo and even dynamics. Continue doing what you're doing as for only 9 mos you sound much more advanced.

25. Jazztpt (Russ) - Another Song + Maya This is beautiful music Russ that I could listen to for a long time. It never gets fatiguing but rather just the opposite. I heard a few cool runs too. Very nice.

26. Sand Tiger - Shadow Of course you get extra points for an original composition. I heard an Irish flair in this piece that matched the pace of the tune nicely. Keep at it.

27. PhilzPiano - Prelude no. 1 in C major Wow, what a beautiful piece. One of my favorite melodies of the recital. The fingering pace sounds difficult to keep up with but it sounds like your keeping up with it nicely. Daren - Quanta Qualia[/b] (to do)

28. Daren- Quanta Qualia This is an expressive piece in which you conveyed the delicate mood perfectly. You put a lot of emotion into this piece as it shows. An excellent and very gentle performance.

29. timmyab - Allemande from French Suite no 4 I liked the first slower version as I thought it would be smoother and more flowing than the faster one. Until I heard the faster one! Now I changed my mind. The 'sweet spot' of this particular piece (with YOU playing it) is the faster paced one as it seems smoother and more flowing than the slower one. I enjoyed them both however. Impressive performance.

30. Peterws - Regrets. I have a Few . . Wow, this was a beautiful composition Peter. I normally don't like added instruments as it can take away from the piano but this was just too nice of a melody and composition to change in any way. You could sell music like this. I'd buy it.

Thanks to all that have participated in this recital, from the pianists to the listeners to the tech people behind the scenes, and everyone else. It is always a highlight of my year (that comes around 4 times a year) to be a part of this. Sometimes I don't have access to my laptop to do and give thorough feedback nor do I have the vocabulary to do justice reporting on every recital submission.

So thanks to all that listened to my entry, and in particular gave feedback. I totally agree there is something rather annoying about the electric piano sound used for the piece. I think what I'll do is just re-perform and re-record it on an acoustic.

I always thoroughly enjoy listening to every recital piece, usually more than once, and in all cases there is always one or two entries that are so splendid that I end up parking them permanently on my Android to listen to in the years to come. And better than that I discover one or two pieces in each recital that I end up adding to my 5' 10" stack of sheet music to learn before death, or in the next life, or in the life after that.

This go around I absolutely adored Daren's Quanta Qualia and Dannylux's Czerny Romance in E Op.755. Also very personally enjoyable to me and very well done were Glen's Elegie, Mr. Super Hunkman's New Beginning, SLpianoproject's Nocturne in C# minor Op.27 no.1, Riddler's Reflection's in D, Monica's Just Because I Love You.

Cheers!
Steve

OMG, I'm... I'm crushed... I'm going to quit...
Did I play so badly that I could transform an Einaudi piece in a Debussy piece...? Or did I invented a new style, like Debunaudi or Einaussy???
I'm speechless.

Thanks for clearing that up

Sorry Carlos, didn't mean to crush you. My fault for not putting down numbers. That was for Carlos88 who played Sarabande by Debussy.

I hadn't planned on listening this morning before practice but did just listen to your Einaudi. It's very lovely. A really sweet melody.

some more comments

16. Riddler (Ed) - Reflections in D Nice playing. You have good control and produce a lovely tone in this recording. Your playing is even and a pleasure to listen to.

17. Monica K. - Just Because I Love You You performed this peace to a very high standard. Nice dynamic range, especially the very quiet section at the end.

18. ladypayne - Improv in G minor Very enjoyable improvisation. Did you record this in one go with no preparation, playing just the first thing that came to mind or had you played around with the melody beforehand? Either way hats off for a nice recording. Only minor negative I can think of is the piano sound.

19. Jake S - Fur Elise Nice performance. Even more impressive for someone who's been playing for just one year. Even if there's a few slowdowns at some of the harder parts you can be very proud of your achievement. There's a good amount of dynamic range and your digital piano sounds lovely. Well done.

20. Serge88 - Fly Me To The Moon Even though I'm not a big fan of accompanimented music it works quite well in your performance. Nothing wrong with your playing and you actually create a nice atmosphere.

21. Teodor - Donnie Darko - The Artifact and the Living I remember seeing this movie and even though I can't recall this particular music from it, it does bring back memories from watching it. It does sound simple, did you sight read it?

22. (Was)TrueBeginner - Us I'm always impressed when someone has the courage to submit his/her own composition. You keep a steady tempo with your left hand but the right hand could be smoother at parts. Would have liked to hear more variations in dynamics and maybe a bit more variation in general.

23. MusicaMusique - Keresem Az Utam I have no idea what I listened to, is this your transcription of some pop song that plays on MTV? Regardless I actually quite enjoyed your performance. The quality might not be the best but you get your musical ideas across well enough. Nice flow but not a whole lot of dynamics, but I blame that on the sub par recording quality.

24. MrPozor - Un poco adagio I quite like this short piece. You keep a nice steady tempo and play very well for your experience level.

25. Jazztpt (Russ) - Another Song + Maya Nice musical compositions. I like that you've put some thought into these pieces. THe fact that there's two compositions to listen to makes the listening experience very pleasant. It also helps that there's a good amount of dynamic variation too. Well done sir.

That's it for now.

Thanks, if you like his preludes you'll probably also like his etudes. Here are some of my favorites Op. 33 No. 4, Op. 39 No. 4, Op. 33 No. 2

My next batch:

11. Andy Platt - Invention No 4 in D Minor The tempo sounds good to me (other than the hesitations that you mentioned, and you do slow down a little at times), It doesn't take much effort to discover that tempo choices for the inventions, especially among the pros, are all over the place. There was an Alfred's edition that listed a range of tempos from various performers - I have it somewhere. Since Bach left no indication, it's entirely up for debate. I once had a teacher who said that every piece had an inherent tempo, that you could find that tempo by living with the piece for awhile. I would add that that tempo is also very subjective. I think you do have the "feel" of it, too. Very good job.

12. Amaruk - The Christmas song from 'An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf' That's great that you could arrange this yourself! I'm impressed.

13. Peyton - After All You just keep getting better and better Peyton. This sounds so professional. It's captivating...

14. joangolfing - Grieg Waltz Op.12 Very nicely done. Thanks for playing these Grieg pieces - I have never heard them before.

15. Greener / Jeff Green - Moments Musicaux - A flat major; Opus 94 No. 6 Excellent job. It's tough to keep this from sounding boxy and clunky, since it is so repetitive, with the same rhythm repeated over and over (and over), but you did well.

16. Riddler (Ed) - Reflections in D You've got an excellent attitude about the music! Loved it.

17. Monica K. - Just Because I Love You I love David Nevue. And I love your performance of David Nevue. And yes, the fading out at the end was cool.

18. ladypayne - Improv in G minor Wow. Doesn't sound improvised at all! Very impressive.

19. Jake S - Fur Elise The true test of Fur Elise is whether you can play the middle section, especially keeping the same tempo. Anybody can play the beginning and ending. You did great!

20. Serge88 - Fly Me To The Moon Groovy...

More to come...

Sam

Ok, I'm relieved.
I'll wait for your more detailed comment to my piece (I take special attention to your comments).

More comments:

11. Andy Platt - I think you should play as you like. I'm not an expert of Bach but, IMO, this rendition is great. Nice job!

12. Amaruk - Beautiful sound, beautiful music, beautiful arrangement. Bravo!

13. Peyton - Hey Peyton, your Debussy is great! Just kidding, of course. Now, seriously: I like the left hand base melody and I can see how much work you put on this. You have a high technical level and great control of your hands. I (still) do not have the courage to send "original" pieces for this recital. Congratulations.

14. joangolfing - I think you got to play this - far from easy - waltz with a nice rhythm and timing wich, I think, it's important in this type. I wish I could listen this in your Yamaha grand. Nice work!

15. Greener / Jeff Green - Jeff, not only the open chords are very nice, but all the piece is very nice. I can fell the time and effort you did for this rendition. This piece is (was) new to me. Thanks. Very good!

16. Riddler (Ed) - Ed, I'm glade you were not able to play note-by-note the sheet music, because... your arrangement is great! You always have kept a link to the original melody that clearly shows your quality as a musician. Congratulations.

17. Monica K. - Just because I love... this piece. What a lovely melody. You're still being a reference in these recitals. Good, very good.

18. ladypayne - Wow, I've heard your other compositions in past recitals, but I think this piece is... "richer". It has more variations and larger amplitude. It shows that you are achieving a nice level of maturity. Congratulations!

19. Jake S - Jake, this is a very good rendition for only one year of experience. I loved the flow you put on this, you're very musical. My sincere congratulations.

20. Serge88 - What a great production! The piano sound is great and your rendition shows you are enjoying your playing. Nice job!

More later.

My first set of comments - I was away for the weekend so I just started listening. What a fantastic recital again!

01. Mr Super-Hunky - A Star Named Apple/ New Beginning Such a beautiful tribute; wonderfully played and extremely touching. I loved the forward motion you generated throughout the piece and subtle varations on the motifs. There is a wonderful change to the more positive "New Beginning!" A fabulous start to the recital.

02. Inlanding - Glen - Elegie Poor Massenet - everyone only knows the Thais or the Elegie! And why not - when it's played as beautifully as this. There was a great presence to the melody; it was completely engaging. But where there were a couple of voices, there was great interplay. Excellent.

03. dannylux / Mel - Czerny Romance in E Op.755 I have played more Czerny pieces than any other composer's but hearing this makes me realize that I need to move from his studies! This was delightfully played - I think you brought out the direction heading towards Romantic music - particuarly Chopin, but still keeping it grounded in a late Classical space. Anyway, it was an incredibly beautiful performance; I loved the runs in the upper octaves, I loved the accompaniment - just great.

04. Plowboy - Prelude in E Minor Op. 28, No. 4 I think your notes are spot on - this is a very hard piece to get all the pieces together on. This is a wonderful start; I think the tempo is a teeny bit too slow - that makes it harder to really shape the repeated chords which need subtle variation to not be so horizontal. But you shaped the melody beautifully and it soared where needed. The stretto section needs a little more work though to fully bring out the agitation in the piece - this needs to be an absolute peak.

05. slpianoproject - Nocturne in C# minor Op.27 no.1 This just grabbed me from the very start. There is a wonderful feel to this piece. There is heavy pedalling - some (my teacher, ha!) would say it should be a little lighter but for me it gave a great feeling of openness to the piece. I think you are way too hard on yourself for the piu mosso section - it was fantastic. There is wonderful phrasing of the melody throughout - just a great performance!!

06. CarlosCC - Julia Half of what I'll say is meaningless ... oops, not *that* Julia! I'm often at a little bit of a loss with Einaudi but not here - this is delightfully played and the long phrases are wonderfully shaped. The momentum is present, but not overwhelming and it just works very nicely.

07. Diana (sinophilia) - Frankie & Johnnie + Space Shuttle Blues I think these are very nicely played - with that little swing that they need. The phrases are well shaped and I think you are doing really excellently for 11 months. Great job!

08. wouter79 - Allegro non troppo in c minor, op.38 no.2 There is a nice legato on the melody without the pedal - perhaps a sneaky bit of half pedal would have smoothed the left hand that your notes indicate you aren't sure about. I don't know, the contrast seemed well done to me. Perhaps very slightly quieter on the left, not sure myself. But overall it was a really nice performance - I really liked the phrasing, particularly where the melodic line has slight repetitions. The dynamic range was well judged and the overall feel was great.

09. SwissMS - Little Prelude in D Major BWV 936 Why do we torture ourselves with this Bach - well, you showed us that played well it just sounds great. All Bach looks easier on the page than in practice anyway! I felt you had the handle of the counterpoint very nicely. Each hand had some phrasing which is hard to do. It's a wonderful prelude very well played!

10. CASINITALY (Cheryl) - Sneakin' Round Your performances have become so accomplished now, they are wonderful to listen to. I really liked the strong bass with the syncopation brought out well. The triplets and little jazzy elements in the right were very well executed and overall it was the feel of the entire piece that grabbed me!