http://www.box.net/shared/kaz69g4ulk
Let me know if you have any trouble accessing it.
That said, I have lately been listening to the recording, and have concluded that it would be best to listen to other interpretations of the piece. Mine is... unpolished. The Maestro himself, for example, has two recordings that I know of, one from his I Giorni release (natch) and another from the La Scala double CD concert.
In addition, periodic Aw2pp visitor and Pianoworld ABF Recital Maven Professor K has graciously allowed me to post a link to her recording of I Giorni.
www.uky.edu/~harris/giorni3.mp3
There are a couple reasons why her recording is preferable. First, obviously, she is a much better piano player than I am. Secondly, her piano is a wonderful Mason & Hamlin, and sounds fantastic. Most importantly, (and Monica, correct me if I am wrong here) this is her favorite piece from her favorite composer. Her heart is really in it. For me, it was a real strain to get this recording completed before the recital deadline, and I think it shows. Fact is, the piece was really beyond me at that time, and though I might could* improve on it now, I'm probably still a year away from doing it any real justice.
* - "Might could" is a down-south verb tense suggesting extreme conditionality. Y'all come back now, ya hear?
I have started work on Le Onde, which I intend to play in June at my piano teacher's annual recital. Afterwards, I may take a second look at I Giorni and see. Having recently revisted I Due Fiumi, I can confidently say I now see value in dusting off old pieces. IDF sounds much better today than it did last summer.
So take a gander at these, and let me know if they help. For a real treat, I will see if I can find a version from Kawaigirl. The only problem with her versions are that she makes them sound so easy, you end up asking yourself, "Now, why can't I play that?"
- Aw2pp,
5 comments:
Hi there,
Denis Daly here. Hope you are well. I asked a question of you regarding IDF sometime last year. I am also on the Einaudi forum. I check your blog regularly and find it interesting especially as you play lots of Einaudi. You are progressing very well. I probably am at a similar level. I actually have a recording of Melodia Africana 1:
http://www.box.net/shared/0dxbu7258x
I would be interested in your thoughts. It is my very first effort and it does contain quite a few errors.
Anyway, my primary reason for this message is to ask you for your thoughts on Le Onde. I attempted that last year and had to give it up. I found that my version was totally unlike Einaudi's( not too surprising ). Specifically the techique to make the full beat notes sing while barely touching the half beat notes on the right hand( as in bars 5,6,7 etc ). How are you managing this? I will be very interested to see how you progress with this piece. I might revisit this piece also as I would really love to do it justice.
Good luck with it.
Best regards,
Denis
Well done, Denis! Yes, I remember you asking about IDF. How did that go for you? Were you able to learn it to your satisfaction.
Well done on Melodia I. I tinkered with it a little last year, but just couldn't get those sixteeths smooth. So I am in no position to give you any improvement suggestions, as you took the piece farther than I was able to.
I'll have a follow-up post on Le Onde. Don't know if I mentioned it, but I am targeting to have it public-performance-ready for a recital in June, like I did last year with IDF. I think we're up to the task this time.
Thank you so much for your kind comments, AWTPP. :-) I'm glad you liked my version. I (naturally) hear all sorts of flaws in it, most notably uneven tempo. Oops. I do agree with you that it's gratifying to go back and revisit pieces. I love it when passages that would give me hissy fits a year ago fall under my fingers without protest now.
I wouldn't call "I giorni" my favorite Einaudi piece, but it's up there in my top 5 or 10. (It's a crowded field.) And, yes, I am lucky to have a terrific piano that makes me sound better than I really am. ;-)
Denis, you didn't ask me, but I'll butt in and tell you that your question taps into what I found to be the single most challenging aspect of Le Onde, and it's something I never felt I comfortably mastered. One thing I tried that helped a little was to go through and play those sections in an exaggerated manner a few times, e.g., playing it more syncopated and applying the minimum required pressure with your thumb to barely make a noise. Good luck with it!
Thank you both for your comments. I like your suggestion Monika K! I will certainly try that. I seem to be following AW2PP as I have just started I Giorni. It began yesterday with my first leson of 2010. So good so far. A good plan now I feel would be to continue with I Giorni and in parallel also attemp Monik K's aadvice for the difficult bit of Le Onde. I'll keep you posted. Are you happy for me to post her AW2PP?
Denis
Sure thing, Denis!
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