Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54 (Solo version)

Recorded in B&W Piano Studio, May 15, 2023.

The main challenges are to imagine the whole orchestra for 30 straight minutes, taking care of my own playing, then getting used to the piano (certain keys have an interesting(...) touch) and compressing the breadth of this piece in ~150 sq.ft in one go, and... and very very huuuuuuungry after a day of work at office. lol

1st movement
the intro theme took me quite a while to grasp the phrasing - the ornaments, the diminished 4th, and the way chords are played.
1st expo - mainly to do with not rushing, and taking full advantage of the nature of the 5-plets, resembling the strings.
transition - take good care of the layers, the 3rds and 6ths.
2nd expo - taking a tempo that is not too rush but fast enough for the left hand to flow and the right hand being singable. There are also a few layers to that simple melody. (E-F-F#-G-Ab, G---D-C-G)
development -
1. 04:36 a loving conversation like die Widmung
2. 05:35 like shocking news. i especially like my last chords
3. 06:13 florestan time. unsettling, the intervals got me a while to truly feel it - a simple rising and falling scale but composed in an ingenious way.
cadenza - made it improvisatory. 12'31 seems to be the best statement i have ever made...
14:13 is my favourite part - those 3 single As in the bass. lol

1st movt problems:
2nd expo - the solo theme wasn't sung fully enough
the broken chords were generally not legato and even enough. i attribute 30% to not getting used to the piano
12:56 always wanted to draw out that rising sequence, but not quite successful. lol
ending


2nd movement
difficulty is taking a balance between slow and elegantly playful. like an interplay between two lovebirds. the B natural (e.g. 15:02) in my view is very special. I have always wanted to make it more withdrawn, but quite difficult~ also you won't want to make it so slow to lose the momentum. There are also many small moments where you can put in lots of expressions, and any missing expression will make the long line very awkward (e.g. 16:50 - not sure why for a few times I couldn't get the G# going).
17:17 is the most dramatic chord
17:38 - the Ic chord is very long and worth spending some time to get the sound right.

3rd movement - the rejoice
theme - rhythmic, warm yet affectionate.
transition - it's fun doing the cresc and decresc~
20:30 there was not enough taste here - the octave was leaped too straight.
21:14 this whole section had a really simple scheme - but difficult to make it look simple.
development - it was more like a waltz (e.g. 23:06)
coda - needs really much focus because it's packed with even more technical stuff.... there is even an anti-climax (28:17), then pumping again to another climax, but once you find the places for resting it would be easier.