Debussy Clair de lune

Hi All,
I just recorded Debussy Clair de lune and thought I'd share. I hope you like it and feel free to comment.
Cheers,
O

You have some rhythm/timing problems in the opening section of this piece. Sometimes your two eighth-notes to the beat are as short as your triplet eighth-notes. Sometimes your triplet eighth-notes are as long as the two eight-notes to the beat.

Occasionally your held notes (dotted quarters and dotted halves) are held for too long; I keep waiting for the next note or chord to come in on the beat, and it doesn't always.

While this piece is to be played with considerable rubato, you first need to make the distinction between these groups of notations; otherwise, the piece loses any sense of rhythm or forward direction. I would suggest that you practice this with the metronome until you clearly feel and can maintain a sense of forward motion even while employing judicious rubato.

I've not yet listened to this hooked up to my better speakers, only through those on my laptop. When I get time I'll listen more closely for balance and voicing.

In the meantime, I feel that you should work out those timing issues, perhaps with a metronome.

Regards,

I agree with Bruce on his rhythmic suggestions on the first page or two. While some rubato may be possible, I think you should mostly follow the indicated rhythms. Or it should be obvious that any deviation is a choice rather than an inaccurate reading. My only other suggestion would be to play the accompaniment in the middle section more softly compared to the melody assuming that the recording represents how it actually sounds and is not just due to the microphone placement or recording equipment.

You seemed to have learned the technical aspects of the piece very well and have put a lot of careful thought into your playing. Bravo!

@BruceD: Thanks for pointing out the rhythmic inaccuracies to me. It looks like I tend to mess up the rhythm when applying some rubato If you look at my Brahms Intermezzo Op. 118 no. 2 (http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthrea...tml#Post1889952) it seems that I did the same mistake.
I actually have no problems playing it with a metronome, all the notes are in the right place and at the right time. But when I try to shape the lines and get the flow, my use of rubato seems to throw it off balance, which of course I am unaware of. Most of the time I’m just too lazy and feel it uninteresting to come back to play with a metronome again when I have already got the shape and flow I wanted. Perhaps I should do this more often to iron out the timing problems.
Anyway, do let me know what you think about the balance and voicing when you have the time, thanks.

@pianoloverus: Thanks very much for taking the time to listen and comment, really appreciate it. About the middle section, it’s all the factors you mentioned. The recording set-up did have a part to play in making the bass sound louder, but it is mainly me to blame. It would certainly sound much cleaner when the left-hand accompaniment is played softer. I always feel that my playing is not clean enough in whatever piece I play.