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Here's a recent recital that I thought you all might enjoy. It was a truncated version of a longer program that I've been playing this year (the second half is the whole Italian Book of Liszt's of Pilgrimage; here I just did selections). Despite some occasional hilarity and a cell phone going off in the softest possible moment in the Liszt, I thought it went well. The Janacek seemed to be the best for me, but whatevs.

Anyway:

https://youtu.be/gCRQKMsUd9k

Program:
Frescobaldi: Two Toccatas from Toccatas and Partitas, Book 2
Barber/Kinsella: "Sure On This Shining Night" and "Nocturne"
Janacek: Sonata 1.X.1905
Liszt: "Sposalizio," "Sonetto 104 del Petrarca" and "Apres une lecture du Dante"

I noticed the cell phone before I read this and was hoping you would do variations. Thanks for the concert. As always, I much enjoyed the Liszt. Sposalizio in particular, this time. I also thought the Janacek came off great.

Hi, Brendan -- thanks for the posting! Particularly for the Frescobaldi and the Janacek -- IMO, both of them sound like no one else in the composing world, and you very rarely hear either one. In the Sonata, I can sure hear premonitions of the operatic Janacek to come! Of your two Barber transcriptions, I much preferred the "Nocturne" to "Sure on This Shining Night" -- the latter song I hear as much more intimate than your conception of it. But they were both enjoyable to hear.
I wasn't much bothered by the cell phone and assorted rustling events, but I sure was with the upper register of the piano -- particularly so, considering that it was a concert. Either get a more experienced tuner, or another piano! I especially noticed it in the 1st Barber song, and the Liszt Sposalizio and Petrarch Sonnet. But in any event, thanks for sharing this; most enjoyable!

Hi Brendan,

Great program. Outside the box, yet full of top-notch music.
And hats off to you, that must have taken some endurance, an hour recital from memory with no break -- are you taking a break during the longer program??

I especially enjoyed the Frescobaldi and the Janacek. The Janacek because you played it so very beautifully. The Frescobaldi because it was the first time I've heard any Frescobaldi of any length at all on a modern piano. I appreciated it both as a nerd who just likes to hear something new, and also I thought your interpretation was so personal, as if you'd known the pieces all your life. (have you?)

I liked the Liszt.

I did not love the Barber arrangements, just too much big-loud-notey stuff without a breathing space, at least for me. However I wonder if part of that could be due to the piano. It seems to be going into big loud Yamaha land at the slightest provocation and then not giving you much variety of terrain to work with within big loud Yamaha land. I wondered if maybe, by the Petrarch sonnet or so, you had gotten more of a sense of how to work with this piano and how to move in and out of the loud area more frequently and expressively.

The moderate-volume and soft playing was quite beautiful all throughout the program.

Hi Brendan,

Lovely job, all the way around.

I particularly liked the Barber Nocturne transcription. That is one of Barber's most operatic songs, and needs all the color and range the piano can give. I thought your transcription worked very well in capturing that, while still being very idiomatic and exploiting many things the piano does well.

Bravo!

+1

Frescobaldi was especially interesting. You must be one of only a handful of pianists out there playing this fine composer's keyboard music. I loved the Janacek too. However, as with Tim, the Liszt was seriously spoiled for me by the tuning issues. I didn't want to be the first to say it, being a bit cowardly, but I think it needed saying, especially since these were really excellent performances. The instrument did not do justice to your playing on this occasion . . .