Showing posts with label schumann. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schumann. Show all posts

Sunday, 22 February 2015

Schumann - Sonata g minor op. 22 mvt 4 (1st recording)

Yeah, I know that I should tune my piano. Technican cancelled twice already, so I've to find a new one.

Tempo
 My main problem in the fourth movement of Schumann Sonata is tempo. I think the tempo of the beginning is maybe too slow, but fast enough to be acceptable. The issue is that I'm inconsisient - the rest fast parts of this piece are in slower tempo. To fix it I should practice starting these parts each after each (so playing a few first bars from the beginning, then from next fast part, etc). Also I'm slowing down and for this I'm planning to use metronome. I rarely use metronome, I prefer to just count, but it's so hard to count even to two in this tempo!

Dynamics
Dynamics I think is quite good, I'm very surprised that I can play these piano parts acutally in piano. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think so. I should play more with crescendos and diminuendos, maybe they help me with showing differences between both big parts of this piece (Bb major and Eb major I mean here).

Voicing
Other problem is showing voices, especially in left hand. There are four spots where I should show it without doubt - these two with hoquetus chords in right hand (E major and H major) and before broken octaves. Also I should play more with harmonies, try to hear them more.

Form
I should better understand the form of this piece. Of course I know the form of this piece, but I should hear connections between parts of it. To achieve it I'll play only melodies from each part.

Technique
I should fix my fifth finger in broken octaves, mainly in spots, where it's mixed with the third finger. I should have more energy in my thumb, to make them more melodic (and faster, more energetic). I should practice them using octave chord, to feel where to move my hand also.
Also there are some spots, where left hand doesn't play with right hand, because there are different hand rotations. I'll fix it using rhythms.

Pedalization
Maybe less pedal in parts with hoqetus chords in right hand (E major and H major) - it'll be a nice contrast. And maybe I should start the "Coda" without pedal?

Slow parts
Slow parts are the same and boring. To fix it I should think about things I can show differently in these parts. I'll try to show more left hand in the repeats of motive. Also the dynamics of each voice could be different. And the ritenutos, Schumann wrote them in strange spots, I don't understand them fully.

Articulation
Should be fixed in Coda - I should practice more using staccato.

Memory
I should pay attention to slow parts and differences between them.

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Saturday, 31 January 2015

Schumann - Sonata g minor op. 22 mvt 1 (2nd recording)

I think I should think bigger in this piece. I had some break from this before that recording, but I almost remembered the notes ;).

Mainly I should fix kind of mannier of accenting the first beat in bar. Work more on contrasts. And show more left hand, especially where there is some melody. And of course fix mistakes...




Tuesday, 16 December 2014

Schumann - Sonata g minor op. 22 (2nd recording)

Here I see some improvement. I felt comfortable in this tempo (it's about 112), but I want to play a little faster. Piano in sixteens was definitely better - I practised them in light staccato and in very slow legato almost without finger movement. The second practise method can cause lacks of articulation, so careful with that.



Issues (bar number in brackets is the corresponding number of bar in reprise):
  1. Exposition:
    • sixteens in second theme are slower (starting from bar 67 {259}) - it's cause that the coda was in the tempo if the beginning
    • sforzatos should be more sforzato (bar 1, 36{229}, 38{231})
    • don't rush octaves in bars 23 {216}
    • in the section which begins in bars 24 {217} dynamics should be different - chords in left hand and upper crochets in right hand should be forte. The rest of the notes I think that the should be mezzoforte till bar 28 {221}
    • don't slow down descending motives in 33-36 {225-228}
    • the motive in left hand in bar 36-40 {228-232} should be more aggressive
    • don't rush octaves in bars 40-43 (especially the sixteen note) - I think it's nice to build the tension here, but it should be hold.
    • I don't like staccato in bars 48 {240} and 50 {242}, I have to hear some recordings to know how it should sound. Don't rush the last eight note.
    • I don't know the melody in chords in section starting from 48 {240}, so I don't build this small culmination in 57 {249}.
    • Second theme in bar 59 {251} is to slow - ritardando is at bar 65 (but not in reprise). In bar 67 I should go back to previous tempo.
    • Left hand in 67 - 70 {259-263} is sloppy.
    • In 71-74 {263-267} there are some articulation issues.
    • 75 - 82 {267-276) is forte
  2. Development
    • Bar 118-119 is without diminuendo
    • More singing in melody in section starting from 121
    • Show more melody in left hand in section starting from 138
    • Hold on in 146-150
    • Fix bars 179-190, some memory lapses.
  3. Reprise
    • Fix 233 and 235 - there is octave B flat and in the corresponding bar there is B, it shouldn't cause this seizure
    • The descending is in forte 267
  4. Coda
    • Hold on in 302 (don't rush the last note)

Sunday, 7 December 2014

Schumann - Sonata g minor op. 22 mvt 1

Today I decided to record for the first time my Schumann Sonata. I play this piece for a month now, so it's memorized and I worked a little on a details. It's the begininng of the real work at this piece.



 Issues:
  1.  Wrong balance between left and right hand. Some of it may be because my mic is situated on the left side of the piano, but definitely it's my fault too. 
  2. There is too much noise in sixteens, not every phrase in middle voices is shown. 
  3. I can't hear the difference between piano and forte. 
  4. I don't play phrases melodically, there are articulation issues in them.
  5. There are too many mistakes. 
  6. My fifth finger in right hand is too loud in the sixteen's section before the start of development.

What is good?
  1. The pulse is almost good, the tempo changes at the end too. 
  2. I've a good clarity and good articulation in sixteens - I would like to have the same articulation, but in piano. 
  3. I think it's the right tempo for me now and I don't see any problems in playing it faster in a month (I want to achieve the Kempf's tempo).


What to do?
  1. Work on phrases more, without sixteens
  2. Practice sixteens in piano - I still don't know how to achieve that. Any ideas?
  3. Work on dynamics in phrases, build a dynamic's structure of the piece.
  4. Play in middle tempo - no fast practicing.
  5.  Fix the fifth finger issue (change of the techniques)