Claude Debussy - Reverie - version II

[pigpag86]

I think this version is breathtaking! while the other (compare with ver II) is also breathtaking, in the negative sense :P

This is an utter improvement, and a masterful interpretation

[gaittins]

Your performance in the second version is wonderful. The tempo, dynamic control and phrasing is spot on. Thank you for sharing!

[MrsKsays]

Ah...this is how it should feel...such a beautiful piece. Thank you for sharing your talent and expertise with us.

[mdbownds]

Thank you for your comments... I'm really glad a number of people have followed the progression of the performance. I changed as I got feedback on version I.

[Rickner]

The growth and improvement between the 1st and 2nd version is remarkable. This is a great example for students to see how a piece, beautifully played by an accomplished pianist, can grow further still through greater attention to pacing. The piece now breathes and is fully alive. I simply love it!

[cApEgUrLzRoX]

beautiful. verison I was great.. but this is definatly outstanding:) im just now learning this piece for my 1st highschool competition and i hope i can sound lik you some day:D ha... im still trying to figure out how to put the left n right hands together on the first pages-- soo frustrating, buttt i no wen i get it it'l feel great :P

[TheSirius17]

playing without any mistakes. . .!! woooww. . that's awsome.. . !! The sound is so gentle. . . I really love it. .!!

[fdavisiot]

your expression of this song is so there slow sycopaded and the triples are on point the hesitations and builds are dreamy

[mdbownds]

Wow, thanks for such thoughtful comments!

[jarabaa]

Perfection. Real communication can succeed on Youtube. And here are the fruits. Your first recording is fine. But here you have incorporated people's (intelligent, constructive!) comments - and the results are ... mesmerising. It's not just "slower", you have captured all that dreamy, transcendental radiance. Of course, that's your own brilliant musicianship - but it includes the ability to accept others' comments and transmute them into gold. Which makes this truly magical and inspiring. Thanks

[buddydog1956]

Thoroughly enjoyable!

[mzPinkfie]

@fuzordragon480: what really helped me is to concentrate on a flowing movement of my elbows and accent on certain notes.. but what matters more than technique is the story behind it. i thought that in reverie (which is french and means "dream") you can find a story of love and rejection.. though it also tells about freedom and time.. thinking of memories in certain parts of it really gave me a feeling for the piece... but thats only what i did. i hope my tips helped?

[MalaikaNina]

@mzPinkfie I'm french, Rêverie means daydream. It's Rêve that means dream. It's almost the same but there is still a difference ^^.

[FuzorDragon480]

I'm halfway through this...but it doesn't sound as great as this. Tips please? That would be great. i've been looking for some technique help

[Caramellatta]

What a beautiful Debussy sound!

[myriab1]

Beautiful! I like the second one much, much better. I myself am working on this piece. It is a real challenge to get all the dynamics just right, but the end result is such a reward, as you can see by watching you play it. Great job!

[ASAngelo]

Magic! Great hand posture and touch.

A.S.

[northb100]

I've viewed both videos for the first time and the second is much, much better. It has more feeling and is less mechanical. By the way, thanks for giving those earlier critics a chance to prove themselves. Your music is excellent, keep up the good work. THANK YOU for sharing your talent with us.

[mrakoplasovozadlo]

i like this one much more.

[kwongin]

Great touch, tender and warm sound come out.

[Vantheman91]

Ok, I like how you play it. But starting at 2:58 you play the G's right? but you don't play the f and e directly below the highest G. If you know what I mean. Also you don't really bind the notes. But nevertheless much better then many other performances of this piece

Ciao

[MalaikaNina]

I looked at a lot of other videos of Reverie on youtube (by users) but yours is really the better, it's soft and foggy (lol), makes me stare into space ^^

[vapid1000]

I love Debussy and this is my favorite composition by him.  Your rendition was beautiful!

[QueenlandProductions]

You're still syncopating the rhythm at the beginning! There are only three notes that are triplets. E-C-E

[donkey7127]

@QueenlandProductions yeh he is, just realised lol. I have the opposite problem , i cant syncopate the triplets and i have a recital in 3 weeks :( any tips anyone?

[WBored808]

I was wondering, do you use the soft pedal?

[mdbownds]

As I recall, I didn't use the soft pedal much at all.

[WBored808]

Oh, I can't tell. It's either your sound for the video is soft or you play really soft

[maggieforever33]

Beautiful! This piece brings back wonderful memories for me. Thanks for posting!

[savestheray182]

nice job. im not bashing or anything but just want to point out the wrong note at 0:45 because you made the same mistake in the other recording where the F you played should've been a G (in the treble clef)

[grd9rcm]

Good job - lovely piece. Try listening to Sarah Hagen's version; she masters the slurred notes that most miss. You can find it in iTunes - Glass House Dancing by Sarah Hagen. Lovely!

[mdbownds]

Horrors, NO. The same Steinway B as in version I

[Suckyea]

your piano is electric,isn`t it?

[deadheadchemist]

Beautiful. Your performance has inspired me to dig out this breathtaking piece and start practising. Thank you =)

[isayhi72]

Yes, I do agree. This version is better than your first, and you certainly do have the touch for this piece. I have to agree with connokeys, your rubato in some parts were a little extravagant. Also, having played this piece, I feel like you're not taking some of the really beautiful opportunities in the music. Your technique is excellent, but I'm not sure if you completely tell the story.

[NoGee06]

You seem to skip a couple of notes and you don't always sustain the ones the piece tells you to. You're also not nearly playing the legato as indicated in the sheets. It does sound nice, I have to admit, but it seems you've made this piece 'easier' for yourself than it actually is..

[mukeshcuster]

nice but you seem to be changing the notes a lot. there were many more triplets in this than the real piece

[alletunfreaK]

wow! this is my favourtie version of this piece here at youtube, really!

very softly, not too much "drama"

.. i like it, though i`m playing it in a little bit different way...

greets from germany

[pearlmv0514]

That was a very touching rendition. You've captured the whole emotion of the music. Great rendition!

[EdmondDantesLeComte]

You play Absolutely wonderful. I agree, that you "caress" the keys, much as debussy did. Also, truly better slow than fast. Though, I love hearing different interpretations so much. I did like your fast version. Though, debussy is, and will always be in my eyes, one of the best slow, emotional composers of piano music.

Keep up the good work, I'll continue to listen to your heartfelt renditions. ;)

[connokeys]

One or two rubatos were, perhaps, a bit over the top, but this piece demands ritenuto phrasing so, generally, I think your interpretation is pretty much spot on. Also, I MUCH prefer this "gentler" approach (the piece is a "reverie," after all). One reviewer wrote, "I love to watch your hands caress the keys tenderly and sensually..." It was said by one of his pupils that Debussy actually did, in fact, "caress" the keys, in much the same manner as he stroked his cat.

[buffdady007]

Both Were Great.

Music Sheet?

[OriginalMoonbeam]

I am not a pianist--a violinist, but I do play this piece. I think you play beautifully. Debussy can be tricky--even for a conductor. I hear a lot of "jewel box" quality that overcomes some of the dissonance--not that it isn't very pretty and that may be exactly what you are going for. Even though I know little about the piano I can sure tell you play well..a favorite piece of mine for sure!

[carri6522]

This is a beautiful rendition. I prefer this one to the other.

If you have a chance, listen to my daughter playing a Debussy seldom played piece...

[LynnetLennMnemeni]

Great job, it's beautiful. I'm learning this piece currently (now perfecting third and fourth pages) I might be playing a different arrangement, (perhaps one of us has urtext or not?) but many of the articulations are off and it seems as though you change tempo. You are also emoting a lot, tone it down man! Overall, a very poetic interpretation.

[agp8794]

i hate the fact tha debussy used alot of triplets with eight notes in some of his pieces. like arabesque no.1 its hard for me to put them together without screwing it up :/ good job though! (:

[cciemail]

I think the tempo was right in the first version. This version is too slow in my opinion, and some parts of the melody do not flow evenly. And I think the section starting at 2:12 is too staccato. But overall it's very good and well-practiced.

[pkla5601]

great job!! The 2nd version seems much more intimate and sensitive than the first posting. Melody line is clear throughout, and the harmonies are clear without overpowering the melody.

At 0:38 and 0:41 it seems you're thinking about the rubatos too much, but everywhere else it seems very natural. At 2:10 and 2:21, I'd use pedal on both repeats, not just the 2nd.

But those are minor things -- overall a very moving and interesting performance-- congrats! I'm going to have to learn this piece.

[Reinier150192]

much & much Better.!!

[grim99]

Your piano and your playing sound absolutely beautiful.

[alicephrontistery]

MDBOWNDS, I can tell you have passion for piano; it shows! I love to watch your hands caress the keys tenderly and sensually. The piece sweeps me away to another level. Claude Debussy is my favorite composer and you play Reverie with deep "French Kisses."

[lovelesskatie]

Does anyone know about what ABRSM grade this piece is?

[chowken312]

I think around 7-8

[lovelesskatie]

Does anyone know about what ABRSM grade this piece is?

[dreamereveuse]

Grade 7

[Eddtheguy]

Massive improvement from last time, you see its added nearly 2 minutes to the piece from the last version, my tip for you is to find the right paces at the correct moments in the piece, where the dynamics change and it would be perfect but a very good job, love your playing and your piano. Keep it up

Edd

[alicephrontistery]

Thumbs up on your comment, EDDTHEGUY!

[Bidibulle25]

Well, for me the best interpretation of Debussy is by François-Joel Thiollier (Piano Works Volume I). Not the best pianist nor the best piano, but he's playing in the right spirit.

[bmr123bmr123]

The finest interpretation of this song was done by Zoltan Kocsis in his mid 1990's interpretation of Debussy's classics on an album called Images. You have played the song very well. I play this song often, but cannot fully play it properly. I am working on it.

BMR

[froggyfrog145367]

how long did this take you to learn?

[mdbownds]

Because I sightread easily, the notes were learned in less than an hour when I was young. The interpretation is what changes over time.

[FireFoxBandit]

T-t-t-that's scary...-i suck at SR- less then an hour?! o.o

[buddydog1956]

@mdbownds How true, especially the older one becomes! Bravo performance, this 2nd Performance is a much improved version! Thanks for posting!

[jaymusic143]

Beautiful! Much better than the last one. This piano has spectacular tone. A minor error at about 1:22 or so, but the feeling and passion here is overall wonderful.

[jsillman]

I think there are too many liberties taken with the tempo, especially with the triplets being added where there are not triplets written, unless you have an edited score. Too often the flow of pieces are lost with too many liberties taken in tempo and rhythm under the guise that this will make them more intense or dramatic.

It's an admirable skill to invoke an emotional response without having to overdo the rubato.

[alvarito45]

Esta segunda versión, me parece que responde más a lo exigido por Debussy. Los rubatos un poco excesivos, pero suena más a "Impresionismo" que la rápida. Bravo!

[RhemasJoy]

I agree. I was going to say the same thing, it's 9am, I'm searching for a moving piece for my character to play in a fanfic, I come to this and one minute in my eyes are tearing. Magnificent!

[carol00175]

This is just perfect, thank you so much. How can anyone be critical, what do they know! You did this piece justice! Just listen, this brings tears to my eyes, you have reached my soul with your music.

[OopleMyFruit]

Your rubato sounds really technical. It sounds like you're thinking, "Okay, now I have to pause here, and here..." when the piece should naturally flow through your arms without thinking about it.

[swisscheesepotatochi]

lolz...is this song supposed to be soft?

[lanvie]

I really like it slow. I don't know why, it feels more dramatic, like it was intended to be played that way. Thank you for posting. I am in love with this song.

[operation1enduring1b]

that was so much better ... that is debussey

[buddydog56]

I agree, Operation1enduring1b,.....

this version is a major improvement from his 1st version..... He obviously 'slowed' the tempo....however, he could of put more emphasis in certain measures...nicely done though...

[Laenschaen]

I prefer this version...it´s absolutely beautiful.

[getmessed]

splendid performance, thank your for sharin this with the youtube community :]

[thisismara]

absolutely beautiful. :)

[katerina5k]

Magnificent. Thanks for sharing your performance!

[blynkwth]

I personally play it slower, but I enjoy listening to someone play it completely differently than I'm used to.

[LaTuaCantante0894]

i like version one better if i do say so m'self

[Lukecash12]

Can i eat your piano, come home and have it surgically removed, then play it for a month, eat it again, go to the emergency room with you and have it removed and sent to your home? Very clear sound with such wonderful bass.

[alicephrontistery]

My dear LUKECASH12, as delicious as his piano sounds and as tastfully played his music is...you can't just EAT it...you're going to have to DEVOUR IT! aggummphh!!

[Lukecash12]

Beautiful. I just cry at debussy. You definitely play at the correct tempo.

[BigIronOnHipMan]

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Ran the ever popular saw through the last Century. Well, it has been gradually reduced to an anachronism by the Movies, TV and now YOUTBE and mdbownds. What still rings true however is that to give a World class performance as such countless hours must be spent in alas ~ PRACTICE. SPLENDID POST!

[RossShaddick]

Yep, this second recording certainly works better - well done

[Silaswork]

Congratulations!!

You really know play Debussy!

This is a great piece...

Do you play some piece of Suite Bergamasque?

3rd movement(Clair de Lune) or 4°movement (Passpied)?

[Sk8rboy759]

hey so where's version I?

[caligirl9221]

Thanks! I was needing help with the rhythm.

[Polygor]

Very enjoyable!

[OchiteYuki]

Absolutely, undoubtebly beautiful.

[sahana929]

this is absolutely beautiful, congratulations on an excellent piece.

claude debussy = true genius.

thanks for sharing your amazing talent with the rest of us.

[capetond]

I think this version is better than the other one......the other one is too fast i think

this is perfect

congratulations

[waldork386]

this is perfect, i love it.

[MaximLazarus]

J'aime...

[merreee]

Hi, I was trying out this piece on my piano just now, and was wondering how it'd sound like in its entirety.

I like your version because it is gentle and quiet, but I feel that you could take more time at some slow places. Where the left hand has the melody (C Bflat-A G, A-Bflat C Eflat..), I felt you could make the right hand softer, so that the melody would be brought out.

heh I'm just starting to explore Debussy, now playing la plus que lente. I agree slow is good for this type of pieces :)

[mdbownds]

I think that this is about the same level of difficulty as clair de lune...

[spartan1081990]

sorry I dint see this second part, perfect tempo indeed, is this easier than clair de lune? cuz I just recently learned that one.

[alycooper13]

this is much better than the other version-perfect tempo!

[dianarubino]

Very well done! I'm trying to learn this piece, and you're an inspiration.

[enthsulther]

yes, slow is much better! So many players play Debussy or Satie WAY to fast, i really don't understand it.

But nice job. Watch your timing on the end, when the intro returns, it should have more preciseness in my opinion.

hails for a fellow Debussy lover

[ayezissou]

this one is WAYYY better !!

well dunnn :]

x

[KrisPianist93]

it's too slow...anyway, bravo ..great..

Apologise my English: i'm rude at it...(italian)

[Slightning10]

i like how i was able to drift off with the melody of the song... Bravo!

[Kressara]

after watching the two videos and comparing, i like this one better. it's more dreamy. better than the first version.

[atticus900]

I've been surfing random performances of reverie on youtube...and this is my favourite so far. I like how you are patient and gentle without being emotionless.

[mdbownds]

thank you for your kind comment!

[inuuti]

beautiful.

[adityasuresh]

this sounds more emotional, and it is definitely better than the previous one

[agnusdei87]

you need to check the music, bwecause youve got alot of false notes... and i think you should sing a lot more the main line, and the rythm sometimes is unmeasured. and about the sustain pedal, you can get a lot more of that tool, i mean Debussy is great with that. Good luck.

[ryanjk1988]

I liked this version better. Sounds more sensual than the other version, and I like that. Definitely more raw emotion. Great job.

[reesespiecez]

just watched your other vid that said to compare it to this one, and the whole time when I was watching it I was thinking it should've been a bit slower. well, that's how I always interpreted at least. now that i've seen this one, GREAT job!

[44atpiano]

Thaks for your video. your playing is very natural.I've been learning piano for about two years now. do you think I should attempt this piece now or would I get frustrated(Like sometimes I try pieces too high for me)

[mdbownds]

Hard for me to say... perhaps try it but be ready to back off if you start to get frustrated.

[44atpiano]

Thanks. backing off is a constructive option, I think. Meanwhile You keep posting good stuff please

[blackgamma12]

Too early, but try if you would like. Ive been playing for 9 years, and this piece required technique. Good luck =).

[paulaparvularia]

I just... loved it!!

you're awesome!!

I can't say too much because I don't know that much about piano (I just started playing this year) but I can tell you that I really enjoyed every part of it.

bravo!! ;D

[Marcuys]

liked this version much more. very good. working om this piece to.

[ma1achite]

Awesome! How long have you been playing?

[mdbownds]

I started playing when I was about 7 years old. Have not had a piano lesson since I was 14.

[isteveisquared]

I want to say that after comparing the two, that I enjoyed version II more. My apologies again for the criticism.

... wait a sec... this one's too slow!

ha. kidding.

[alicephrontistery]

ISTEVEISQUARED, your comment was cute and funny!

[Fuliginosus]

Perfection.

[aawpiano2007]

thanks for posting! it's a great help as I started learning this one! I enjoy watching your video!

[HailToTheThief9]

I think this is better :) And I'm normally a person who prefers very technical playing. So bravo! You've opened my mind greatly with this beautiful peace.

[ChiChithePygo]

Gorgeous rendition! I agree, it works better with this tempo.

That piano has an extraordinary tone---I'm envious!

[alonsotoro]

intelligent version, congratulations, go ahead!

[potatohead4]

I think they're both wonderful...although the slower version is probably how it was intended to play, I think your other interpretation of the piece is beautiful as well.

[TommyWestbrook]

That was quite lovely. Sounded like a daydream. Very warm and sensitive and, yes better in many ways than the first video. Merci! If you ever have the chance to hear the recordings of the late Walter Gieseking, it will be a revelation to you of what Claude Debussy should sound like. Thanks again for your excellent efforts. I love this piece.

[leetjelovemusic]

I think you're absolutely right.

I also love this piece, and I feel it as you described it.

Like a daydream.

[Gruuvin]

yesss!!!!

[tbirdc]

On the triplets at the key change to C, did you leave out the held notes under the triplets? I think you should leave those in... it's melody. Otherwise, very nice, and I think it sounds like you played with feelings...

[b4bs2000]

I like this one better. It's beautiful, job well done! Slowing it down does a great deal to improve on this lovely melody.

[meerjuul]

I have anlso studied on this piece of music resently. I think that version 2 is far better, use our fealings. Debussy was an inpressionist, so don´t play it as if there are no inpressions and fealings. Fealings are very important in music!!!! Good luck

[firas6]

dont think like a bach invention in ur head

time is not a solid factor here so dont play like clockwork. listen to a good recording of this and play what you hear not see.

goodstart.

goodluck.

[b4bs2000]

I like it better this time you played it slowed down some. Just the way I like it. Beautiful!

[jodiealberrrr1]

no offense but this is a total mess, i feel ill listening to it. let it flow a bit more in the 3rd version please!!!

[zzzxtreme]

hi i suck at piano. so my opinion is only constructive. there need to be less sustain. that's the beauty of reverie. that "sudden" loss of sustain.

[graceoverall]

you're absolutely right. As with most classical music, especially that from the Romantic Period. This type of music should be played with much emotion as if it's telling us a story. You have mechanical talent but lack passion.

[Kennychan222]

It's over 9000!!

[Vegex2272]

I like the slow down.  I agree that it is very improved from the 1st one.

[aslkbv1534]

on the section where you repeat the first section, the upper part that is added on should be played with the right hand and the left hand should take the notes that the right hand misses

[Kirbolio]

I watched the other one and commented on it as well but to be honest, although you play it nicely, I don't find it moving whatsoever.

[frice007]

i think this is debussy's reverie not your first version.

i also play it in this way: is very beautiful and a great pleasure. ok the II, bye

[irkman123]

wow on flow and feeling i give u an A+  nice work

[wogandmush]

I'm gonna learn this after La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin. Beautiful

[mikepenny01]

I was thoroughly impressed with this take. You really became the piece this time, I thought. Your other performance of his Reverie had a lot of expression and interesting aspects too, no matter what kind of criticism you incurred! Thank you!

[nowaygilbert]

hi! i really really like your playing. i'm 16 and i have my very own steinway grand. watching this has inspired me to play reverie on it. :) thanks! oh and i dont know how old you are, but i shed a tear while watching because you reminded me of how my late grandpa looked when he played (and yes, just your arms and hands oddly enough!)

mair

[buddydog1956]

A dramatic improvement from the 1st rendition. I enjoyed this immensely! thank you for posting!

[sok018]

Beautiful job. Very expressive.

[modem09]

whats the brand of your piano? sorry for my english

[mdbownds]

It is a Steinway model B, about 7 years old.

[aaaadrian84]

Ah - and although the D-F bits at 2:12 read as staccato, I don't think they should be played like this. I think it ruins the tension. They should definitely not be legato, but should be an accented, slurred group of notes, not the sharp staccato you are doing. My opinion. :)

[laklaka]

I don't agree with adrian. I think these staccatos are already played quite legato, at least to my taste. Excellent job overall, I wish I could play it like this.

[aaaadrian84]

Yes - there are a couple of errors in the 0:45-0:48 passage. The rest of the song is EXCELLENT though... much improved. Can't fault it from the Eb/1:33 section. Very nicely done, big improvement on the other performance.

[xslash215777]

very nice sound. i think on the g octave triplets you press f during the 1st 2 triplets and e during the 2nd triplets of each measure. but very nice.

[Poppunator]

c'ets dingue ! c'est français à l'origine cette chanson et pourtant on dirai qu'il n'y a que des anglophone qui connaissent !!!

En tout cas très jolie interprétation...

[IcyPluto]

Very much improved! Although first part was a bit too soft. Try a lttle louder.

[aslkbv1534]

yeah sounds better than the first one, but in the first set of triplets, it sounds like you're lagging behind with the left hand... im not sure if you meant to this on porpouse, because it could fit with the style and atmosphere that the song is supposed to create. Anyway, amazing job!

[damageinc24]

huge improvement

[joanilo21]

Esta version ya es otra cosa, mucho mejor que la primera.Felicitaciones!

[quolc]

mwah.. i've listened to your play for the 5th time now, still amazed about the sound of your piano, it's the finest and most clear sounding piano i've ever heard.

[feelingwarmandhappy]

wow..it's such a joy to hear you play

[mib1996]

much better than the first one

[daddelmassa]

wao!! that´s great. It has more flow and it isn´t as stiff as the first version. Great!!

I´ve been playing this playing this for several weeks now it´s so beautiful.

[qbano932]

This second version is great!. Slower, more fluid, and the sound seems deeper, purer than your first posting. And that piano is simply beautiful.