Hi friends,
I´m not lost, I just was very busy the last week. But I also had some problems with my internet-connection, because my ethernet card broke down. So, now I´m using a W-LAN-stick, which is not so stabil, I always have interuptions in the internet connection with that stupid device.
I was very up to make a recording of that piece, because I was inspired by Monicas version. (I hope you don´t mind that, Monica. I just love to play the Impromptus, it´s not because I want to show you how to play it.)
I only had three hours or so to practise on it, because I had a lot of preparations for my excursion to Leipzig I will do this week from wednesday to saturday with my "Musikleistungskurs" at high school (sorry, I don´t know to translate that word into English). So, I´m glad to have a version now I´m quite satisfied with. I´m sorry to have discovered a little mistake in bar 117 on the second beat (b-major instead of b-minor). But from my view that doesn´t matter too much, because I feel quite well with my musical interpretation (which always can be improved or changed as we know).

Comments are very appreciated.


Schubert - Impromptu in E-flat Major, Op. 90, No. 2

Ok, Andreas, this is up. Sounded very nice. You certainly play it much faster than I do, but I'm working on that. Maybe sometimes your speed is causing some of the runs to not be clear, though. Still, you're version is so much better than mine - I'm taking mine off the site right after I'm done typing this. Also, please next time to remember to submit under 190 kbps.

Chris - if you see this, please take my schubert-90-2-alianello off the server. Thank you.

Pianolady wrote:


Thank you very much, Monica.



Well, that´s a point you always can discuss concerning that piece. I don´t want the runs to sound like "finger etudes" respective "scales of e-flat-major", that´s why I take some pedal here and there. It´s more the pedal which causes a bit "unclearness" here and there, but that´s my fully intention in that romantic piece and I think it´s adequate.
If you listen to Andras Schiffs version f.ex. you will notice, that his runs sometimes are clearer than mine, but if you listen to an early version by Horrowitz you will find, that it is similar to mine concerning the "effect of flush" in the runs. (Not, that I want to compare me with Horrowitz here, of course. )




Oops, I thought it was, sorry Monica. I think, I got up in the scale one step by accident while converting the wave-file to mp3.



Of course, you have to decide that, Monica, but I think, this is a bit extreme from my view. Your version also has very nice musical moments and it is note-perfect, isn´t it? In every case it was not my intention to make you to retire your version!

Isn't that a bit impulsive ? It wasn't that bad even in the first version.

Techneut wrote:


I second this at hundred percent!

Now, this amuses me. All these times you have (rightly) chided me for sacrificing accuracy to speed, and now you are doing that exact same thing. Time to get my own back

This is a very personal version, with many nice things. Maybe a little impulsive in places but ok, that is your temperament. However I find quite some weak and even wrong notes in the runs, and IIRC a couple elsewhere too. That's just not like you. I have no problem with the fast tempo as such, I think it could work, but the runs should remain smooth and silvery. Seems like 3 hours preparation, even for a piece you know backwards (which I can hear you do) is just not enough.

I think I'll go record this one too now

I do not like any of this. Please take mine off.

Maybe we should have 'Like' and 'Do no like' buttons like on YouTube ?

Ok, I'll take if off tonight, as well as your duplicate bach-marcello file.

Techneut wrote:


Now I see, you still don´t know me completely. I wouldn´t make a general rule of "sacrificing accuracy to speed", it just depends on the kind of piece from my view. And, you know, sometimes it can be very good to come back to yourself!




Thanks, Chris, I can be very fiery, that´s cool, isn´t it?!



I can´t detect any wrong notes (besides bar 117, 2nd beat, which I have mentioned above)! So, you would have to tell me exactly where they are!




O.k., o.k., may be, may be... I have to admit, when I played the piece during a piano competition being 14 years old, I played the runs much more "civilized" (and slower), but today I think, for me that´s not, what that piece wants to express. So, from a musical view (concerning my interpretation) I´m really quite satisfied with that version. May be I want to play out the upper voice a bit more in the pp-part next time. I think, that and the bars 37, 38 (also in the reprise), which could be played a bit more accurate, are the only "weak places" in my version above I can discover until know.



I´m still licking my chops to give you a nice critique, Chris! Seriously, that´s a nice idea!

Chris also wrote to Monica:


Well, that could "bring atmosphere into the barrack" as we say in German ("Stimmung in die Bude bringen"), but wouldn´t attest to differentiated respective elaborated reflections on the pieces, which should be part of a good piano-forum, isn´t it?

Pianolady wrote:


So, you don´t like my version, Monica?! ( )

I can't believe you don't hear them. Maybe this is a case of hearing what you want to hear. I'm not saying this is a bad version, it's musically convincing (though too wild for by urbane taste) but there are definitely a couple dozen notes that are questionable. Not read mistakes but little slips and omissions. It's just not up to your usual impeccable standards.


I was only joking. I had no Schubert plans for the near future though I've thought about both sets of impromptus which I know very well.

BTW - it's already, not still.


I was only joking here, too

Techneut wrote:


Ah, o.k., here we have our missunderstanding. If I read "wrong notes" I´m thinking of real wrong tones (in the sense of read errors or something like that). Is that my poor English or did you use the wrong vocable here? "Little slips"? Yes, at two or three places, I think. "Omissions"? Not really, I just took a good foot of pedal at some places during the runs (that means steps of seconds), which was my fully intention as I explained above. Indeed, I´m playing here against my usual "impeccable" respective "civilized" standards with fully intention. But, I see, you don´t like like that. Well, I could elaborate a version with less pedal and more clearness (corresponding more to my "usual standard", if you like, but I´m still reflecting, if I really want that in that case...




I´m really thinking about to do the complete set of the impromptus step by step (while continuing WTCII, of course).



I´m so glad to hear that. I still, oh sorry, already have missed that correction.



But me, I wasn´t really joking with my remark concerning that. At least there was a bit seriousness in it.

Ok, I rest my case.

I think, I have found the right translation now for that colloquial sentence (after a longer research). It means something like "all is said", isn´t it? O.k., if you think so.

Hi Andreas,

I think also that is either too fast (likely) or not enough articulated (surely at some passages). I have no doubt that you can play this piece in a more musical way. However I would be happy of being able to play it as good as you did because it is far too difficult for my fingers.
Cheers,
Didier