Week THREE: Birthday Week!
Hello and welcome to the WEEK THREE Main Thread for this challenge! 
Alright everyone - this is the thread where we'll all be posting our daily updates.
Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)
Twice a week between March 27- April 1, I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
Submit a Recording!
This Recording can be of yourself playing some of Rachmaninoff's music, it could be your favorite recording of him playing, or a different pianist playing his music!
We are gathering videos to put together into a collage for this weekend's Watch Party, and Birthday Celebration to honor this great Composer!
Watch Party:
April 1st at 11am Pacific time
https://app.tonebase.co/piano/live/player/pno-rachmaninoff-birthday-celebration
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I think my favorite so far is the Polichinelle, op. 3 no. 4 ("A Bunny Dreams of Conquest") I posted last week, but I did find this absolutely lovely Romance and will post it for this week. It is opus 21 no. 5 and entitled "Lilacs." Listening to it, I saw a beautiful still lake with shimmering sunlight. A family of geese comes into view, swimming gracefully at first but then the little goslings begin to play: dipping down into the water, flapping their wings, chasing each other - interrupting the stillness with their springtime antics.
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Michelle R Yes, hauntingly beautiful for sure! Here is the vocal version of Daisies:
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Here is a recording of Rachmaninov’s Vocalise transcribed for piano. Daniil Trifonov is playing his own version of this. It’s definitely a piece that’s on my list to learn at some point. https://youtu.be/cMHyxHwhFYk
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Hazel Again such beauty - thanks for posting this link.
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Hi! My name is Rajat and I’m a composition major at the UBC school of music. I’m normally a bit hesitant to upload my playing because I’m overly self critical but I’d really like to take a chance on myself and upload for this challenge! Im working on Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto and started rehearsals with second piano recently. Here is a recording of our first run through:
I’d love to get some feedback and thoughts on it. I’ll play it competition at the end of May.
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also just wanted to give a shout out to the community :)) . It’s really wholesome and supportive and I’m grateful that this pocket of the internet exists.
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Wow! Amazing playing! Good luck in your competition. Yes, I agree that the tonebase community is pretty awesome.
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Vidhya Bashyam thank you so much :))) appreciate it
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Dominic Cheli is my submission too late for the challenge? I started it around when the community challenge kicked off, but I was just a bit shy to mention it in posts
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Rajat Chowdhury Rajat Chowdhury not too late!!!!
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Rajat Chowdhury Wow. I enjoyed.
Being super critical, I would bring out the main melody more towards the beginning of the piece. it is what we are all waiting to hear. And there is too much ff for the first 8 minutes or so. It is quite tiring to listen to. It needs more contrast of tone and volume there.
By the way, I say this as a Rachmaninoff fan, not as a pianist. I can't even imagine being able to play at your level.
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Richard George Littlewood thank you for the kind feedback! Yeah I agree that many details weren’t present in the first recording. A challenge in the opening is that the second pianist actually has the main melody so it’s a bit of a balancing act with me having to potentially pull back my playing and her having or project more too. I just put a link to a better recording of the piece in this thread so hopefully that works better.
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Hi Rabat, what a truly exciting performance! That is a beautiful playing space too. Good luck with the competition.
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Thank you!!! Yeah it really is, really nice environment to play in
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Like for many other people, Rachmaninoff’s 2nd concerto is the one that first drew me to his music. I have been searching for a recording of that pianist I heard so many years ago and just found it! He played it when he won the Van Cliburn competition at 19 years old. He played with so much emotional depth for a 19 year old. I had such a crush on him for that performance. Sadly, he died of multiple strokes at the age of 35.
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Alice Lin That is so sad … what a performer and only 19 years old here.
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HiDominic Cheli ,
I did a better recording of the concerto movement with lots of improvements so it’d be nice if this version could be considered for the challenge:
I also recorded the first movement from Rachmaninoff’s second sonata:
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Rajat Chowdhury Wow! Congratulations!
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Rajat Chowdhury very nicely done! The Second Sonata is my favorite Rachmaninoff piece. So many different harmonies and colors.
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Rajat Chowdhury bravissimo!
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Rajat Chowdhury Both pieces absolutely stunning! Love your Rach 2 performance- you bring out the grandeur and beauty of it so well.
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Rajat Chowdhury Bravo, Bravo Rajat! Wonderful playing!
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https://youtu.be/EBMi48Qz0P4
No 5 from Op 16 Six Moments MusicauxIt’s just such a beautiful piece…
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Angela Fogg So beautifully and emotionally played! You brought out so many details and the tempo you chose was great! Love this piece.
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Angela Fogg very moving performance Angela and lovely smile at the end.
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Angela Fogg Wow, Angela! Such beautiful and soulful playing. I was entranced by your left-hand, so steady and reassuring while the right hand took me on a lovely journey. Thanks so much for posting!
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