Rachmaninoff Prelude Op 23 No. 6
The 2nd half of this less-familiar Rachmaninoff prelude includes some exquisite progressions.

Rachmaninoff spelled his name with 'noff' at the end when in the U.S., but CD titles are often spelled "Rachmaninov."

This was recorded on Carmen Reaves's Kawai grand in 2001.

Carmen: http://www.pbase.com/image/92509748

Prelude Op 23 No. 6 om E-flat Major

Rachmaninov Prelude Op 23 No. 6

This romantic etude contains expressive left-hand melodies that are quite poignant, heard against the right-hand's melodic material. Alexander Scriabin uses rich clusters with many falling phrases and lots of juicy suspensions.  He was only about 14 years old when he wrote this.

This was recorded on a Yamaha P80 digital piano in 2004.

Etude Op2 No1 (1887)

Scriabin Etude Op2 No1 (1887)

Amy Beach, a concert pianist at age 16, wrote "Dreaming" in 1892, and it opens with the feel of a dream pulling us.  Beach's progressions can surprise and the music sounds as if written yesterday.  Very modern, almost new-agey in feel.

Recorded  on Carmen Reaves's Kawai grand  in 2001.

Dreaming, Op. 15 No 3 (1892) from 4 Sketches, Op.15

Amy Beach - Dreaming, Op. 15 No 3 (1892)

This final movement of Robert Schumann's famous Fantasie in C is unusual in that it's not a fast movement that ends the work but a meditative and dream-like ballade with moments of elation in it. Peaceful and hopeful, it's one of my favorites.

Recorded on a Yamaha P80 digital piano in 2008

Fantasie In C, Op 17 Mvmt 3 - Langsam

Schumann Fantasie In C, Op 17 Mvmt 3 - Langsam...

This is an exploration of Chopin's much faster-than-expected  indicated tempo in two urtext editions (dotted quarter note=50), while not played that  fast - somewhere in between the usually heard slower tempo and the surprising tempo given.  I've asked several people how the tempo marking could be so fast and no one's had an answer. It's just generally ignored.

This mp3 was used as the soundtrack for the short-film 'The Recluse' screened at Cardiff's Screen Festival 2005, a homage to silent-movies, and is now at youtube in a somewhat compressed version, at http://bit.ly/chopintherecluse - uploaded by Reaction Pictures.

 The 'score' for that is of course Chopin's, though the Youtube info is for the audio-source.

This was recorded  on a Yamaha P80 digital piano. in 2004.

Nocturne 8 In D-Flat Maj, Op 27, No 2

Chopin Nocturne 8 In D-Flat Maj, Op 27, No 2  (revised)

This is recorded on my Ritmuller Baby Grand GH-160R with odd recording settings on an Edirol R09 HR  w/ Audio Technica AT822 mic,  Dec 2015.
 --- For Pianoworld forum posting, the Wav file is downloadable.
     and the  360K mp3 file is downloadable tho' streamable 
     at lower bit rate at  http://andrys.com/bach-petri-sheep.mp3 .

The score is free at IMSLP.

Sheep May Safely Graze, from Cantata 208 (for piano)

Bach-Petri: Sheep May Safely Graze, from Cantata 208 (for piano)

Composed in 1832, it was first mentioned by a Dr. Billroth in 1893.  One reason given for its apparently delayed appreciation is a what's been described as "structural ambiguity."  And, endings become beginnings.  

Recorded ~2006 on Carmen Reaves's Steinway
  to accompaniment of a cat and dog walking on the newspaper under the piano and a somewhat squeaky pedal


Intermezzo in A , Op. 118 No 2 "Andante Teneramente"

Brahms Intermezzo in A , Op. 118 No 2 "Andante Teneramente"

The source of this now famous theme is one of the  Polovtsian Dances from Alexander Borodin's opera, "Prince Igor" (1890). used in the 1953 musical "Kismit" and adapted for the popular song "Stranger in Paradise."

I decided to play it for a Memorial page for still-treasured friend Carmen ("Mimi") Reaves, in 2008.  We were both unapologetically sentimentgal types, and while the hint of strings used with the Yamaha P80 digital piano will bother purists, I hope it'll be understood by others.

I chose this piece because the opening section sounds sadder to me than I remember, with the descending minor responses (like tears) to the ascending major-key ones, but it ends with the more upbeat major key. 

 However, the underlying sadness in the opening is apropos, I felt, while it's good that it resolves later, as a very optimistic Carmen would have wanted.   Even then there is always the descending inner line below the optimistic top line, the latter one winning the day. 

Carmen's memorial page: http://www.pbase.com/image/92509748

Igor Theme (w/ a hint of strings)

Borodin - Igor Theme (w/ a hint of strings, as it was composed for orchestra) Fixed

This is one of the nocturnes published after Chopin’s death. It contains several melodic ideas that later turn up in the Concerto in f minor.  There are several “manuscript” versions of this nocturne and this rendition uses choices from 3 of these.

Recorded on the Yamaha P80 in 2004.


Nocturne 20 in c# (nocturne played  in 'The Pianist')

Chopin Nocturne 20 in c# (nocturne played  in 'The Pianist')

Alexander Siloti, born in 1863, transcribed Bach's Prelude in e minor BWV 855a as a lullaby for his daughter Kyriena. This hypnotic piece switches the left and right hand content, using a Romantic-era feel with lute-like broken bass chords against Bach’s shifted moving notes above. 

 As a fantasy on Bach's prelude, it‘was apparently meant to be performed with a full repeat, with the melody emphasized in the left hand and with the right hand material less prominent on the repeat -- but this track doesn’t have a repeat, since I didn't want to do the often wooden-sounding first statement and did leave it as a lullaby.

Recorded on the Yamaha P80 in 2005.

Prelude_in_b (lullaby)

Bach-Siloti_Prelude_in_b (lullaby)

This symphonic intermezzo in the opera Thais, composed by Jules Massenet, was originally written for violin and orchestra.

I first heard this played in a piano arrangement when pianist Rebecca Bogart played it for the Memorial and Celebration of Life for our truly wonderful friend Carmen Reaves, in 2008.

  I thought it was beautiful and it felt apropos, so i got the sheet music for piano.  

 This was recorded on the Yamaha P80 digital piano, using a hint of strings, since it was written for that.  Both Carmen and I shared a strong tendency toward sentimentality although that isn't  popular in many circles today.

Carmen's memorial page: http://www.pbase.com/image/92509748


Meditation from Thais (w/ a hint of strings)

Massenet - Meditation from Thais (w/ a hint of strings - written for violin and orchestra

This slow movement is so well known that we can forget how beautiful it is.

Some will remember viewing the film in which Neeson’s ‘Beethoven’ is shown with ear to piano due to declining ability to hear the beauty he heard in his mind.

Recorded on Carmen Reaves's Kawai, 2001



Beethoven "Moonlight" Sonata no. 14 (mvmt 1) Adagio Sostenuto, Op.27 No.2

This ruminative piece, by Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera, is said to have in mind a wanderer who pauses for awhile on a hillside to watch a rural woman doing her daily chores outside. 

Recorded on Carmen Reaves's Kawai grand in 2006.

Danza De La Moza Donosa

Alberto Ginastera:  Danza De La Moza Donosa

Rick Robertson Romance in D flat
This wistful, flowing, neo-romantic piece was composed by Rick Robertson.  On the staff of a music school in Georgia, he composes pieces for his students and runs the classical 88son78s yahoogroup.

The sheet music is available from pno4tay@yahoo.com 


Romance In Db

Rick Robertson: Romance In Db (composed for his intermediate students)

The quality of the sound that continues between the chords in this piece is part of the work's attraction.

Played on Carmen Reaves's Kawai grand, in 2001.


Chopin: Prelude No. 20 In C Minor

Played on an old, reliable spinet, Rachmaninov's Prelude in D starts slowly and builds as two upper melodies vie in triplets against a bass written in 3/4 time.   Since spinets don't have a  large dynamic range though,  the upper melody couldn't be made much softer, but maybe the tension between the two upper melodies can be heard more when the 2nd melody is less secondary than usual :-),  differentiating through phrasing.

Played in 2001 on my 1961 Baldwin Acrosonic Spinet, thanks to Mike  Basten.  

Prelude Op. 23 No. 4 In D (1903)

Rachmaninoff Prelude Op. 23 No. 4 In D (1903) played on an Acrosonic Spinet

I tried this transcription by Alan Richardson while testing or trying out the "play-to-mp3-on-SD-Card" feature of the Kawai MP10 keyboard. That was a mistake as the compression is heavy and the results somewhat fuzzy and distorted -- the larger WAV file option is tons better, but I no longer have the keyboard. At any rate, this gives an idea of that useful feature.
  The Rachmaninoff Vocalise transcription is beautiful, and I'm working on ironing out the stiffness in playing the opening pages when I do this on an acoustic piano.
  The uploaded mp3 was done at 256kbps so downloading it will get you sound that's a bit clearer.

Vocalise (piano) Op.34 No.14

Rachmaninoff-Richardson Vocalise (piano) Op.34 No.14 (test)

Rick Robertson - Questions (Version 2)
This flowing, neo-romantic piece was composed by Rick Robertson.  On the staff of a music school in Georgia, he composes pieces for his students and runs the classical 88son78s yahoogroup.
  This piece was dedicated by him to colleague Jennifer Roberts.

The sheet music is available from pno4tay@yahoo.com .

Played on an MP11 - May revise later for better sound settings

Rick Robertson - Questions Version 2

This most-recent upload is a less-known work by Sergei Rachmaninoff from his  Morceaux de fantaisie, Op.3, which also includes the beautiful Elegie in Eb minor, which will be included here later, and the more well known Prelude in C# minor.

Although it's a slow take at 4 minutes 39 minutes, I saw later on Youtube that Sviatoslav Richter played it (live), taking 6 minutes and 8 seconds !  You can hear and see that at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSx5CZ7k4IY

This is played on a Kawai MP11, and the 360K mp3 version is downloadable.

A Piano for Quieter Times

Melodie in E Major

Rachmaninoff Melodie in E

These are mp3 or wav files of favorite + also less-known classical  piano pieces, played on various acoustic pianos and, sometimes, a Yamaha P80.  Soundcloud's track-controls are at the  BOTTOM of the screen.  For more information on any track, click on the Title of the actual track listing (this doesn't work on Playlists at the top).

Especially enjoy playing chamber music (SF bay area).


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