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Enjoyable performance! I liked your interpretation of the movement a lot. I'm still working on it myself and I have a lot to learn from the way you did it.
Hi, Heather -- A really enjoyable performance, with an emphasis on "joy". I very much liked your "strong fingers" in this performance, and also your clear decision-making process throughout this performance -- it's loaded with POV, something that is IMO an underrated aspect of presentation . It serves to remind us that, even in this early work, Beethoven shows that he had a very good sense of humor, which is more fully exemplified in his later mid-period works (Piano Sonata 31- 3 particularly comes to mind). Thanks for sharing this!
What sort of event was this? It comes across as a relatively intimate setting.
I also love how joyful you made it! The piece has some lovely humor in it and you communicated it all. You seemed to relish all the little timing decision in there, and the grinning was infectious!
Lovely piece, lovely playing! [TwoSnowflakes thanks you with a curtsy, reverence-style]
Thanks for the kind comments (and the curtsy, hee hee)
I think there is a huge emotional range in this sonata, from the utterly dark Largo to this. Glad that the humor came through. I love the chance to get into character with something!
The event was a performance of a piano group in Seattle that ranges from recent adult starters to professionals. I have been in Seattle for most of August and enjoyed the chance to link up with them. It's a friendly and enthusiastic group and the playing is at quite a high level. This was at the Royal Room which is a bar/restaurant in southeast Seattle. The piano is a Steinway B. The piano itself is a bit bright, and I am pretty sure the only mic was the one attached to the video camera, so a lot of the piano's resonance was lost to the noise of a room packed full of people eating. I was especially impressed with the pianist who carried on beautifully in the middle of Balakirev/Glinka "Skylark" whilst a glass was loudly dropped.
Tim, what do you mean by POV?
Last edited by hreichgott; 08/30/1405:35 PM.
Heather Reichgott, piano
Working on: Mel (Mélanie) Bonis - Sevillana, La cathédrale blessée William Grant Still - Three Visions
Hi, Heather -- by POV, I simply meant short for "point of view" -- meaning that I could tell that you had given detailed consideration about how each section and critical phrases within each section should "move". I do object to willful and ostentatious eccentricity in the projection of ideas, but in general I think it's a definite plus if the performer is both visually and aurally engaged with the material he or she is presenting -- as others here have commented, for example. I've never been keen on dutiful, neutral projections, no matter how note-perfect or faithful-to-the-printed-directives they are.
The sound in the video comes off differently than it did at The Royal Room. (Well, to me anyway. Lots of background noise there, so maybe I just didn't notice the piano's tone from where I was sitting.) I thought it sounded great. Heather, I loved your performance, and was so excited to see Beethoven on the program. You were having fun with it, and it was such a great way to start off the night. I was inspired by all of the performances, and am trying to motivate myself to join the group AND one day get up on stage at the RR! Time will tell whether I make good on that...Thanks for sharing this!
