Recorded 2024.09.22, record as a milestone for myself

The Piano II is as usual some improvisation stuff, and it's clear which parts I haven't really studied yet LOL

Expo I - I still haven't decided that if I want to make it more toccata-like or singable, will probably listen to recordings and see what I like
Transition - the style is a bit weird - right now it's just running through but not yet reaching that Rach style, I have some idea in mind, but need some time to create that feel.

Expo II - I think I created that Orthodox taste when practice separately, but when putting everything together, it's gone LOL. Actually really nervous about getting all the notes correctly in place cuz first time run the whole thing by memory.
Also interestingly this takes the most time for me out of all parts in this movement to memorize and make sense of the note arrangement, especially starting from 5:04, and 4:12-4:40. After this memorization exercise, I understand more about how Rachmaninoff makes use of the voicing, melodic writing and all those counter melody...after studying, would really be in awe how much effort Rach has put in to create that romantic delineation. But 5:59-6:02 is still not making sense to me, so it's a bit of a bump. 6:21 I still don't get what these harmonies are for, but I like that dreamy and starry sound. I will sit with them for now...

Development - hahaha I actually didn't practise at all. I just read this part and memorize without really any practical. So it's more like improvisation here. Study later...
7:55 - 8:21
This part is quite Chopinistic. I think it's the most difficult passage of the whole movement because of those chromatic movement. 2nd difficult is expo II.

Cadenza - This takes less time than I anticipated. It's actually straightforward and fun to mess with :D
Post-cadenza - 13:01 Finally got time to study those aquarium stuff lol in my quick study it was all the same wind xD but actually Rach put in some pretty nice transitions. Sadly I am not able to highlight them adequately in this take. Just not familiar enough.

Little transition 14:05 - this is part is the funniest to me - tbh I just read those last few pages for only like 15 minutes sth before doing this take. Then the notes all somehow know to fall in their respective place lol. Before that I had faintly any idea what to play there hahahaha so I was quite surprised at myself that I actually really heard the music.
And to comment on this part, I feel the composition for this part was a bit superficial, or its just me not getting yet what he wanted to do. He could have repeated the expositions but probably decided that it would be too much so he tweaked it to be another little cadenza, while trying to find a way back to coda. its a good idea, but it could have been more varied in my opinion. Staying in the same key for 1.5 pages doesnt sound like him. it sounds just posh.

Postlude 15:44 - sign of brain fatigue because of stupid harmonization. But I didn't gasp at all in this learning process. I am not sure is it because the sonata 1 is already devlish difficult enough, so that I am trained in Rach's language already, and don't really feel like gasping after finishing this movement lol. Reminded me of the time when I learnt his sonata 1... it was sweating and fainting.... is it the piece got easier or my ability improved?

And same problem as usual - still rushing at times, but the situation is "improving" because there are too many notes and lines in Rach's music it's impossible to rush.
And I wonder what happens when I go full force loooool right now I am playing like I am scratching and yawning only.

I know for sure though, that when I did sonata 1 it was out of a need to release emotions, and I couldn't control my emotions; when I was working on this concerto though, I became much more able to feel and sing while maintaining rationality. It's an interesting experience.

So it's quite a big transition for me.

The real evil is at the 3rd movement...

Next is to start listening to recordings to see how much my impression to this piece deviates xD