I'm continuing my survey of the preludes of Sergei Bortkiewicz and am pleased to post here a link to my latest recording, the Prelude Op. 40, No. 2 in Bm. I hope you enjoy hearing it.

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,31712.0.html

RachFan,

I think this is one of your best Bortkiewicz performances! Very emotional. I was drawn in immediately. You have great singing lines, wonderful contrasts in dynamics, and phrasing with pauses in all the right places. All this adds up to a very intimate interpretation.

Over at PianoStreet you mentioned that you heard echoes of Bach in the coda. I must admit that I do not hear this. However, I was struck by the motific similarities between this Prelude and Bortkiewicz's Prelude Op. 33 No. 6. They share the "falling fifth" motif (and both use the dotted eighth-note rhythm, too).

And this is also one of your best recordings with respect to your Baldwin's sound. Did you have it tuned recently?

Chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks so much for your compliment on my playing of this piece. I'm most appreciative!

The Bach elements I was referring to there were the counterpoint and the repetitive bass pedal points on low B. I could have also mentioned the "question and answer" sequences between the hands, all Bach techniques. It's an interesting construction Bortkiewicz has there. On the falling fifths-- ah yes! I always call that the "sigh motif". It's very effective in romantic music.

In the Late Romantic repertoire, I always aim for that "intimate interpretation" that you refer to. I like to form an imagery to fit the ultra-romantic music, and then play with intent to realize the score through that imagery, which also accounts for the high emotional content. In a video Arthur Rubinstein said "Actually, when I play, I make love. It is the same thing." I think he captured the idea much more succinctly than my wordy description here.

The Baldwin was last tuned on September 9th. So it's holding up well so far.

Thanks for listening!

hey david,

thanks for that wonderful prelude, i enjoyed it greatly, it reminds me of his le poet etude one of the op.15 ones, also thanks for the heads up i always love listning to one of your fantastic recordings!

Zac

so do i.

i listen and weep. I too, had trouble hearing the Bach element. Thanks for explaining ... i did catch it the second time.

Hi Zac,

I know you're a fan of Bortkiewicz, so was happy to give you the "heads up" on the new recording. And thanks for the compliment on my playing!

David

Hi apple*

I'm glad you were so moved by this piece. It is very beautiful. Yes, the Bach elements are subtle, but present. If you had the score there, it would be even more apparent to you visually. Thanks for listening.