Here are a few more recordings from my recent recital. If they are deemed worthy of the site I would be honored to have them posted, but I would definitely like to hear some response to my playing.

The Debussy is a prelude that you can have a lot of fun with and I don't think it gets performed at all. The de Falla is the "other" famous ballet transcription along with Ritual Fire Dance. Unfortunately I don't know the other two movements that go with this one, from the Three-Corned Hat. I hesistate to include the Bach, only because of the memory lapse at the climax of the fugue. I lost some concetration and entered the tenor at the wrong level and it took me a little while to get back "on" again!

I'd love to hear criticisms, and comments!

Recital at the Lorne Watson Recital Hall, January 19th, 2007
Debussy - Prelude Book 2 Nr 6 - General Lavine -eccentric
Falla - Danse du meunier
Bach - WTC book 2 - Prelude&Fugue in D major

Great to have this Falla dance, and a good performance. Although I'd like it a bit more macho and strutting, the crescendi more menacing, the dynamics more extreme. It all sounds a little timid (perhaps it's partly the acoustic), and the power of the ending should probably be achieved by weight rather than increasing speed. A nice touch to play the reprise in a sort of hazy legato hush. Quite effective, though it loses the strumming guitar effect.

The other dance in the Tres Picos that is regularly played is the 'Danse des Voisins' (Dance of the Neighbours). Also a lovely piece, and a very effective and grateful transcription (Falla was a real master in that). You'r enot going to record that one then ? There's more great bits and pieces in the ballet but these are the only two that are not connected to other movements and can be played stand-alone witjout changes.

I've never cared much for General Lavine - whatever humour Debussy has is usually lost on me and I love him more if he doesn't try to be funny. So, for others to offer more detailed comments. But you play it well and it sounds as if you really enjoyed it. The last 11 bars ('Animez') seem a little sloppy and rushed compared to the rest.

This Bach P+F is a strange pair, the exuberant and overlong prelude with its short and subdued fugue. IMO the Prelude could have been a bit faster (perhaps omitting the repeats as well) and the fugue a bit slower, that would restore the balance a bit. Some tiny slips in the prelude, but very good for a live recording (so easy to make these stupid slips that you never make at home...) The fugue sounded a bit tentative, more authotity and weight is needed here (easier at a slower tempo). Shame about the confusion at the end. This is like playing with someone, getting out of sync, and trying for a while to catch up with the partner. You handled that well, kept on playing po-faced and dealt with it. That's the spirit, and all's well that ends well.

All in all then, a quality recital. Shall we put everything up, or just the Falla and Debussy ? The Bach is imperfect, but there are worse fumbles to be found on the site (especially among my recordings )

Jeffrey, you have a beautiful keytouch. Also, you are very good performer - that is just another quality instead doing a home recording. And all that played from memory, a great achievement too.

I don't think that a stronger exxageration is required in the Falla and Debussy.

Your Bach P&F is great too! You don't just play the notes, you give them a meaning, in the prelude and in the fugue. That little thing in the fugue I would not have noticed if you would not have mentioned it. But you phrase it so very good, one can follow what you mean. It is in my opinion among the best Bach WTC interpretations here on the site, so it should go up too - please!

Really good live performances and that takes a bit more to create. You cannot stop the recording device and restart the session upon mistakes. But sometimes I wonder if not the preparation before a recital and the tension of playing in front of an audience makes you try quite a bit harder and also prepar better. Anyway, I do not have much to niggle about but for perhaps the obvious mistakes in the Bach prelude so I think they can go right up the site as they are.

Again thanks for the feedback!

There are a few more pieces from this recital: Brahms rhapsody in g minor (op. 79/2) but the recording engineers messed up the recording, it cuts in after a few bars for nine seconds, then the rest of the piece is on the next track; also Debussy's Sunken Cathedral, but I see there's a bunch of recordings on this site already and plus my teacher did not like my performance, as well as a Canadian piece, Etude de Sonorite no. 2 by Francois Morel, which is still under copyright so could not be posted...

Might as well put up the Bach as well as the other two, I was quite happy all in all with it and as with MindenBlues, a lot of people thatI talked to didn't notice the problems at the end.

Performance situations do wreck havoc on our brains sometimes. I opened the recital with the Bach and in a performance about a month before this recording I started the prelude, and when the opening motive came back in the 4th measure or whatever it is, I totally couldn't remember where it came back, so I tried it in 3 different octaves (I think) before it sounded right and I could continue! In this case with the fugue it was just something silly where my thumb didn't go to the right place to bring in the tenor voice and that through both hands off.

I would prefer to hear live recital recordings and performances from anyone only because it is a true measure of one's ability. Not because I want to see if they can measure up under pressure, but live is the most natural way the music comes out and in front of an audience because I do believe music is meant to be shared!

Something different definitely happens. Not exactly a recital, but my recording of Medtner's Sonata-Reminiscenza on this site was made while playing for my mother, who hadn't heard me play in person in a while. Even with all the background noises and the crappy piano, having someone there to play for made the result much, much better than it otherwise would've been. I don't have any recitals scheduled so that's the best I can do for now.

Yes, I am in the process of putting them up.

Can I ask everybody though, when submittng live recordings, to cut off applause at the beginning if at all possible ? Applause at the end can stay.

I finaly rememberd I still had to put these up.. thought I'd done it already
All done now !