This prelude is the capstone of the ten Preludes Op. 33 dating from 1926. The piece is marked Patetico. In it I hear a strong Tchaikovsky influence, perhaps in the style of Swan Lake. This prelude is unlike any of the others of Bortkiewicz I have posted to date. I hope you'll like it.

Comments welcome.

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,31423.0.html

Piano: Baldwin Model L Artist Grand (6'3")

Recording: Digital using the Korg MR-1000 DSD.

Hi David,

Well, the piece certainly lives up to its marking! Nice rendering. You could even have pressed more urgency into it, and it would still sound good. But for me, No.6 still holds the prize for "ominous". Brrrr!

Hi Chris,

Thanks for listening! On "pressing more urgency", I found that this piece was more difficult than I had anticipated. The RH plays legato chords that are melodic and need to be voiced. The LH is worse--it's in continuous motion playing leaps of varying degrees. Bortkiewicz gave no tempo marking, only the mood indicator patetico. I believe that leaves some discretion to the pianist, especially in the absence of performance practices. So I opted for assuring accuracy in the playing. Of course, sometimes a faster pace for patetico, such as in Scriabin's Etude, Op. 8, No. 12 can certainly work well. But sometimes rushing the tempo can detract from the sense of patetico too. So I guess it's a delicate balance and judgment call really.

I'm glad you enjoyed this one. And yeah, the earlier Prelude Op. 33, No. 6 is definitely the sound of doom!

David, You're right, of course; Bortkiewicz gave no tempo indication, so it's up to the player to communicate Patetico with a chosen tempo. And I did look at the score. As you said, the LH jumps are a challenge. And choosing accuracy vs. a tempo with less accuracy is always the right thing to do.

Hi Chris,

Josef Hofmann made a great point on tempo. Rather than paraphrase it, I have it right here. Other pianists reading this thread will find it helpful, I'm sure.

"Tempo is so intimately related to touch and dynamics that it is in a large measure an individual matter. Consult your own feeling for what is musically right in deciding upon the speed of a piece." Josef Hofmann