Thanks to markjpcs for hosting these for me, so that you guys don't have to go through those pages of advertisements on savefile to download the music.


Well, here they are:

Grieg: Nocturne in C Major, Op. 54 No. 4

Bach: Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C Minor, WTC I

Beethoven: Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10 No. 2 - I. Allegro


Sorry for some unexpected slips in the Beethoven and a few unsounding notes in Grieg. Otherwise, I think these are pretty good.

Enjoy!

(and comments welcome, as usual. )

Well, I like the tempo in the Bach Prelude alot better than the last one you posted

Great playing You've improved alot!

Ah, yes. You mean this recording from last May:

http://www.pianoworld.com/cdproject/uploads/files/PJ_pf2.mp3

New Bach much > old Bach. Well done.

Listening to the Beethoven now: This is good stuff!! I'm not surprised you were accosted by those professors.

OMG, i loved the bach .. the presto part wow

Do you know sam .. i was thinking of posting a recording of mine of this piece (just waiting for my piano to be tuned) and then tell you to post yours and we enter a duel (like liszt-thalberg ) and let other forum members vote for the performance they loved best and see who is the duel winner

but now .. i am having second thoughts .. i think i couldn't compete with your prelude

A job well done peej

hey, do you want to enter this duel thing, so i start practicing the piece?

I just noticed that in this recording, the timing of the Bach prelude is 1:31, and the Fugue is 1:32.

:p


Bassio - I'd love to hear your Bach. A duel is a good idea, because that would get me to practice as well! (I think right now I'm still a tad uneven, and the presto section could be faster and smoother... but that's gonna take a bit more practice.)

I have two things to say.

and

Definite signs of improvement and the beginning sounds of mastery underlie these performances. Bravo.

I loved the Beethoven.

I also loved how well the tone of your piano went with the Grieg nocturne..lol; it had a great nostalgic feel to it.

Beautiful work -- your family must be so proud!

Actually, I don't think you even needed my comments...just look at all the people coming out of the woodwork to comment. That alone should tell you something.

Sam, I just listened to your audition. I am VERY impressed. I loved the dynamics in the Bach. The prelude and fugue are my favorite warm up pieces so I play them A LOT. You've shown me how much more I can do with them. I'd love to hear more of your recordings.

Hi Sam

I don't know anything about classical music (not really my thing) at all so, I wont critique any of it.

But, I just wanted to tell you I loved that Grieg: Nocturne in C minor

You seem very talented


regards


Lee

Seems that you have a knack for Beethoven!! It was the star of the show IMO. You really did give the movement lots of personality.


Nice work!!

This recording of the Beethoven is indeed a great leap from the previous one. Good Work!

If you are still interested in nitpicking detailed complaints, consider the articulation of the first 1/16-triplet in m.1. It is well to play very it softly, but actually I think you also rush it a little bit. Compare the triplets in m. 51-52, which you articulate perfectly: this is the same melody and should be "connected" to the triplet in m.1 by playing it in the same way (though f this time). I mention this because, as it is in the very opening, it is likely to get noticed.

Overall you do a great job with this. I particularly like the pacing of the development.

The short D-major interlude is a typical Beethoven joke. A listener is fooled to think this is the recapitulation. At m.130 the spell breaks with a laconic modulation back to F. This is an incredibly sensitive passage requiring extreme concentration. I don't say you play it badly, just that it has possibilities that you do not bring out - glossing over something which actually is a bit more profound. It can be done in lots of ways and I just suggest you think over carefully how you want to do it.

Great work ! I loved the Bach! You are indeed a good Player keet it up.

Troglodyte, thanks for the suggestions. The end of the false recap is one of my favorite parts, but it's so hard to express!

What's with the piano?!
anyway, great work on beethoven (that's all I listened since I play it now, and your performance is great indeed).

Wow...sounds very nice. Great chops on Bach and Beethoven! (I haven't listened to old Griegy yet.)

Thanks for listening.

I listened to the Beethoven sonata since I played it a few years ago. Good sound and control with each hand. You might want to rethink some sections. It sounds like you are "banging" too hard in some spots-however it might just be the recording. Tempo gets held back slightly in some spots due to technical (fingering maybe?) problems. Speeds up a little in the beginning-sounds nervous-keep a steady tempo, esp. in the opening-very important to get a true secure sense of the pulse.

I really liked your dynamic control. It is obvious that you understand the music and which voice should be heard. Nice development! Keep up the good work!

2nd and 3rd mvts??

Look at what i have found on my hard disk ..

It is the first mov. of the Grieg played by ... hmmmm.. an artist called sam zerin (never heard of him)

hey sam do you know this artist?

Sam congrats .. i heard the concerto

i just want to tell you that i was very impressed by the recording .. your personality and confidence is present .. which i like in a performer

i can't comment much since i don't know the piece i only heard it once or twice before

but anyway your piano entrance is very rachmaninoffian (who is my fav. pianist - did you hear his recordings?) - therefore i like it - i wonder what will you do if you play his first concerto

and i didn't spot the memory slip

i think this is one of the important recordings of the year (next to derulux's rach2)

N.B. nice orchestra (not like derulux's ensemble .. hey derulux you hear me? :p )

And i forgot to comment on your forte .. very good .. (and horowitzian)

Is it the piano or the performer? what was the piano?

lol

No, I have no idea who that guy is, either.

But I do know that the piano he played was a Steinway.


Thanks for your comments.

Hey Paul, thanks for listening and commenting. Yes, I've been working very hard the last several months on not "banging", and I think I'm making some progress with that. I did play the 2nd and 3rd movements, but the 3rd movement wasn't quite ready to be recorded. I only played the 1st movement for the audition.

i think this is one of the important recordings of the year (next to derulux's rach2)[/b]
Thank you.


N.B. nice orchestra (not like derulux's ensemble .. hey derulux you hear me? )[/b]
*mutters something incomprehensible* :p

Great to hear your music. What is the audition for? What kind of piano was used in the recording. And, what equipment did you use to make the recording?
I liked it all but I thought the Grieg sounded most finished. You have great potential and I'm looking forward to hearing you grow! Walt

Hi Walt,

Thanks for listening. The audition was for admission to the University of Michigan School of Music, to study primarily musicology and piano. (and I was admitted)

I recorded the program at home, after the audition. The piano in this recording is a baby grand Wurlitzer (Baldwin). I had both (2) microphones set up on the left side of the piano, because I plugged them into my computer which was in another room, and the cables wouldn't reach far enough for me to put one microphone on each side of the piano. I don't remember the brand of the microphones, but I plugged them into a little box that would amplify the sound on my computer.