Stephen Stouder Plays Chopin Polonaise in A Flat Major

[Bobert16000]

Excellent performance. I would put this right up there with Rubinstein's performance of this piece. Good job!! You have the touch of a natural pianist.

[wildejag]

@Bobert16000 Thank you very much. It is one of my very favorite pieces.

[EmiliaGilels]

Wow

[et7waage1]

This is so beautiful!

[sylsof]

I love this piece of Chopin, Very nice playing ....

[estorninofilms]

I love "polonaise" it's my favorite music, bravo !!

[pcma1970]

My dear was wonderful you were perfect. I am very pleased to hear you! You are a true poet of the piano, you extract color and light of music, something rare. Congratulations!!

[xelabar81]

Great job! There are a lot of good comments to you already. The way I feel when I play the piano is that there is "dry" practice to get your mind and body aligned, then there's a "wet" performance, expressive with greater contrast between phrases and dynamics. I think of it as, "I hurt/happied myself practicing this for so long. Now I'm going to hurt/happy the person listening." It's difficult to combine rigid logic with emotion. Please keep playing.

[wildejag]

Thanks, that's one of the most interesting comments. I think it deserves some consideration. I was just telling someone that I really like the comments because I like the people making them. This has been a hurt/happy kind of affair. You are hitting the nail on the head. Great!

[Lukecash12]

Wonderful. Very noble, and drawn out. Maybe 5-6 beats a minute too slow, though.

You kind of took the same approach all throughout, and so it didn't define the different sections of the piece all that well.

Once again, a stern, respectable interpretation.

[Pischnaholic]

PART FOUR:

In the lyrical section (after the octaves and before the final statement of the main theme) emphasize the lovely dissonances and chromatic countermelodies in the tenor voice. Play more softly here (misterioso!) and bring the dynamics WAY down towards the end. Make a grand ritardando but never stop the momentum.

A slight agogic accent when you re-state the main theme for the last time is in order.

Your coda by the way is super-good.

[Pischnaholic]

PART ONE:

Hello, WJ. This is sturdy, very solid playing. You do all the most difficult parts well. It's obvious you keep your head during the stress of performance.

You could benefit from breathing more and exaggerating the spacing between phrases. As it is, phrases sound a little crowded together as though you were a bit anxious to move on before you'd quite finished the phrase you are playing.

Start the scales very rapidly, then let them relax and spread out as you reach the top.

[wildejag]

Thank you Pischna! That is exactly what I have been working on for the last year. You are very insightful, and I really appreciate your comment. You must be a first rank pianist, and I like the fact you are so positive, and follow us struggling artists, amateurs as we are. Or is Opera you forte? Funny, I was just looking for you when you made this comment. Thank you sir.

[Pischnaholic]

PART TWO:

Thank YOU, WJ. I hope this criticism is welcome? We can ALWAYS improve, can't we?

A statelier tempo is needed over all. This is passionate but also ARISTOCRATIC. The left hand octaves should start MUCH more softly. Emphasize the RH, and save energy for the climaxes. Crescendo means piano. Start softly and build gradually. This will save your strength and make your performance sound more powerful.

Playing a bit slowly with more expressive detail sounds faster, believe it or not.

[Pischnaholic]

PART THREE:

Dont be afraid of the moving chords in the RH. Synchronize those chords EXACTLY with the LH. Start them more softly with a new impulse, treat them as an upbeat, let the top line sing, relax the RH thumb, and TAKE YOUR TIME. Practice slowly and expressively with metronome moving up one notch at a time.

Your overall piano sound is excellent, but it needs more dynamic variation.

I was not an extraordinary pianist, just an also-ran, but I had great teachers.

[boblorl2002]

i'm looking for your new =]

[boblorl2002]

poorly done !!! Because i can't see this performance is about "HERO'...it just like reomantic style... please figure out this song's history and see why Chopin write this song at that time...and you can do more batter !

[wildejag]

Everybody's got an opinion;) You are welcome to yours. Perhaps you will like my next video more. I will be posting the Chopin First Ballad shortly. Please stay tuned if you like this type of music. I will also be competing in the Cliburn You Tube Contest in September.

[endovius]

hermoso !

[Brunildilla]

Very, very well, with great musicality and beautiful sound, great, great time, with great character, very elegant, what I like most is the quality of your sound, nice touch, despite some mistakes, wonderful performace!!!

[wildejag]

Thank you. I appreciate that very much! You are part of the most wonderful audience on earth.

[jvLin]

I'm not sure how well this song is played. I've listened to rafal's so many times that sometimes everything else sounds bad. Of course, this could just be your interpretation..

[wildejag]

May I suggest you listen to this one as many times as you have listened to his, then see what you think ;) He is a professional and in a major competition that he won. I also love his interpretation. However, if he quit smoking, he would be even better.

[jvLin]

Well, without having to listen multiple times, there are already some sloppy parts. For example, 1:03 sounds sloppy. I can't identify all the notes, as I can in Rafal's performance. He has talent, but it doesn't sound as clean as Rafal's.

[lahijalahija]

Muy bien, pero un poquito más de práctica para sanar esos pequeños fallos.

[wildejag]

Si, mas práctica ...mas y mas. Gracias. Quiero perfection. Para yo no tengo la vez. Tengo que estudiar nueva musica.

[gatorbomb99]

Hey Steve... Very good job....

[Menezesss]

Bravooo!!!!! Good work, keep working to make it perfect!!

[Chopin1986]

A good performance... somehow I miss the Chopin's touch and it's Polonaise, so it's a dance music...some parts are too heavy.

But still a good performance. It's a difficult piece after all but you must not confess this fact when you play.

[Chakiejan]

Good performance overall, but in all honesty there is something missing here. It seems a bit plodding. The stacattos on some of the octaves are far too heavy and lack that "snap", for lack of a better word. Also the middle section seems a tad too slow and again, plodding.

Otherwise a very clean performance on a piece that is very difficult to pull off cleanly. It's just that there is something missing. That entertaining "spark" that makes a great pianist. Too robotic, a little too ho-hum....

[donoses]

Divino, Bravooo!!!!!!!

[laconciensia1111]

hum! practice makes perfetion!

[MugsMcClain]

Wow, thank you for sending this to me. It was a real pleasant, unexpected surprise. This is my favorite piano piece ever and you play it with true skill and passion. Bravo.

[dabiribd]

You're a great inspiration

Thank you for sharing your music

[iluvS2music]

Hey, you are wonderful, but you are so not moved by the music. You look like a robot. Don't be so awkward to move around and love the music. Everything else is great, I'd say.

[Pianoloverok]

This excellent!!!!!!!!

[wildejag]

Keep up the good work! You are the master.

[blin1971]

Wow. That's wonderful. I was just telling my husband I want to learn how to play the piano last Monday. Two days later I meet someone who plays wonderfully!

[brendalouwagie]

Excellent music! You are very talented Steve.

[wildejag]

Thank you Brenda. If I become more involved in music as a result of this, I want you and everyone else to know that I really appreciate your enthusiasm. It's all about the audience. There are comments that I will remember forever. Thank you.

Stephen

[lotsapretty]

outstanding performance, he makes it look easy.

JR

[wildejag]

Well thanks JR.  I'm glad you're rooting for me. Come on Texans! Thanks for all of the VIEWS and VOTES!!! We have until 2:00 Thursday to get in the Guest Book. Click wildejag to go to my CHANNEL and read my COMMENT for directions.

Stephen

[jawapa31]

Great Job Steve! I am amazed. Liz

[wildejag]

Thank you very much Liz. I want you to know how much it means to hear from another one of my North Texas friends. I would also like to thank all of you for your emails. You know if I won, I would have to play in Fort Worth in 2011 at Bass Hall. Even if that doesn't happen, it's been wonderful. Thank you.

[luisguilhermeolbertz]

Excellent! very well done, with emotion... i think that yours is better than much of "piano stars"

five stars

[wildejag]

Thank you Luis. That is a very meaningful comment. I'm not sure I have a ghost of a chance. But with support from around the world, we still have 4 days to go. My channel has instructions on how to vote now.

Best Wishes,

Stephen

[abbsimon]

Amazing! My 4-year old sings to it! :-D

[wildejag]

That's what I was going for. Thanks for listening.

Steve

[trockaz]

very confident and polished!  congrats!!

[wildejag]

I thank you very much!

[pereguzz]

This is a wonderful performance of a very difficult piece, far more difficult than many in the competition. Within the competition, this performance competes against 3 others of the same piece. It is the best overall performance with sensitive articulation, great ornamentation and continuity,and totally exciting and convincing. The guitar strums at the key change, in tempo, are some of the best I've ever heard. This is a fine interpretation worthy of everyone's consideration.

[wildejag]

Julio Esteban taught me that. Thank you. Gracias!

[msheidirose]

C'est Magnifique!

[wildejag]

Heidirose, what a beautiful name. And I love your comment. One of my favorite composers is Maurice Ravel. Now that I know you can speak French, I must ask you to help me with interpretation.

Stephen

[jasheldo]

Excellent work! It's great to work with such an outstanding artist such as yourself!

[tammywhipple]

Outstanding!

[wildejag]

Thanks Tammy! You are too kind. Have a blessed day!

Stephen

[MES1943]

This shows great maturity and confidence which comes through in the steady tempo underlying this performance. Congratulations.

[sckdesign]

Nicely done!