Over time, with a view to getting under the hood of Sorabji and OC I have created several short extracts. These are reperformed for this site using VSL Bosendorfer Imperal and placed on the Vienna Konzerthaus Schubertsaal stage using their recent MIR technology. I find them interesting and offer them here as a different listening perspective.
Introita - This is the whole of the introita played at quite a lick. It is interesting to hear all of the septuplet and quintuplet configurations without pedal.
Adagio - This is just the concluding 36 chords. I've tired to out do Ogden (but of course not succeeded). I get to the final chord quicker but my final chord rings on for longer and coincidentally the overall time of the excerpt is almost exactly the same. This is such a great moment (of so many).
Fuga A Quattro Soggetti - Dux Alter - I created this because it is perhaps the weakest moment in Ogden's performance and I wanted to hear what it sounded like with all the right notes in the right order without a fog of pedalling. I went a step further and recorded each voice seperately and slightly seperated them spatially (for which I beg humble forgiveness)
Toccata Seconda
Written 1933/34 four years after OC and immeditaely before two enormous works the Sonata No 5 Opus Archimagicum and the Symphonic Variations. Although in ten movements a much more compact work than those three at probably around two hours.
Movement 1 - Preludio-Toccata - I have tried to create a musical performance although I have not tried to imitate exactly a live pianist (how could I I'm a tuba player). I have taken many liberties with tempo and dynamics as I think Sorabji would expect. I have also altered some rhythmic relationships particulary with the fastest written notes which often, if played at the tempo of the surrounding material, would sound ridiculously fast and inhuman. It runs for 9'49" and is a virtuosic fantasy which seems to centre around C and F#.
Movement 2 - Preludio-Corale - This is quite a movement. broken up into several sections. The corale is first stated in moderate crotchets; then with a lilting triplet crotchet accompaniment; a short bridging passage in slow crotchets; then with flowing quavers; then another bridging passage in slow crotchets; then semiquavers leading to a lengthy conclusion which ratchets up the volume and tension to end with one of Sorabji's volcanic major chords splashed across the keyboard and then stabbed viciously with with both Bb and B major chords. There are some very beautiful moments in this movement with Sorabji at his lyrical best.
Movement 3 - Scherzo - A Fantasy/Cadenza type movement running in at 6'45 in my performance. This movement really bought home how much a performer must interpret Sorabji's idealistic notation. There is of course no tempo marking and I felt the basic pulse at around 80mm. As well as musical interpretation many of the gestures, particularly rapid gestures had to be performed at half speed or slower to make musical sense. Of course I may have got it entirely wrong. Dynamics are almost entirely my own there's possibly half a dozen actual dynamic markings. I hav en't tried to play it as a live pianist particularly as regards pedalling basically becuase I'm not a pianist and don't understand it. I've just tried to perform it as seemed musically satisfying to me.