Pianophilia

No, I'm afraid I don't. I played the piece quite a few times this year, having learned it for the first time over Christmas and New Year. The first time was terrifying. If there any particular bits you find intractable, just ask. Slow practice did it for me - usually does! There's nothing in there that's really unplayable or which doesn't fit under the hands from my point of view, it's just the relentless hard work!

isokani wrote:No, I'm afraid I don't. I played the piece quite a few times this year, having learned it for the first time over Christmas and New Year. The first time was terrifying. If there any particular bits you find intractable, just ask. Slow practice did it for me - usually does! There's nothing in there that's really unplayable or which doesn't fit under the hands from my point of view, it's just the relentless hard work!

Thank you so much for your input! Much appreciated! Slow and careful practice is always the key... patience, patience, patience. What I love about Rachmaninoff is that his works are often just as tremendous as they are pianistic! Can I PM you with some specifics?

Yes, by all means.

isokani wrote:Sabaneyev! I have copies already... played Sonata last night in Saarbrucken, tonight in Karlsruhe, with pieces by Obukhov, Lourie, Wyschnegradsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev.

http://www.toccataclassics.com/cddetail.php?CN=TOCC0308

Wow! I've just listen some tracks, great job Jonathan!! I'm sorry that is not present the Etude Nocturne Op.15 but I'm glad to see "piano music, VOL. ONE". I will order today.

fredbucket wrote:This current conversation is a bit off-topic, so when I have some more time I'll hive it off into another thread in a more appropriate area of PP.
Basically, there is nothing we can do to stop anyone offering our free uploads for a fee on another website. Uploading scans here (whether NMS or original) releases them into the public domain......
Regards
Fred

Hello fredbucket, I would like to know if you (or someone else) can answer a question about copyright.
Recently one of my videos (where I perform on the piano my own arrangement of a copyrighted piece) was deleted by Youtube after the owner of the copyright protested. In the video I show the score while playing...that's all.
Here in Italy you don't need a permission to perform music (also if copyrighted) in public halls or on the internet. A copyright fee goes anyway to the composer and his publisher but the rights of performing belongs to the performer. And there is not even the prohibition to perform a different version of the original. So, does someone knows if there are different laws (in Spain in this case) that allow the copyright's owner to block a performance on Youtube?
Thanks
Mercuzio

Hi Mercuzio,
I am surprised at what you say about the legal situation in Italy. I can tell you that in France, copyright law is more severely enforced by the Courts. It seems strange that different countries of the European Union don't have the same practice in these matters.

Jean-Séb wrote:Hi Mercuzio,
I am surprised at what you say about the legal situation in Italy. I can tell you that in France, copyright law is more severely enforced by the Courts. It seems strange that different countries of the European Union don't have the same practice in these matters.

Hi Jean-Séb, thanks for your reply.
Do you mean that if you want to perform in a recital in Paris Prokofieff or Stravinsky or Ravel you cannot do it without a permission? In Italy we play what we want and we fill a form with the program of the recital, writing the name of the composer and the publisher. A percentage of the proceeds goes to the SIAE (Italian Society of Authors and Publishers) but the most of the proceeds belongs to the pianist. The same thing is valid if you record a CD. On Youtube should be the same. So I could understand if my videos are partially monetized by the copyright's owner, but I don't understand when they are banned. Yes, I arranged an orchestral score for piano solo just because there was not an official piano version. This is not a crime...if the copyright's owner didn't publish a good piano version is not my problem.

Yes Mercuzio, the copyright holder is entitled to control the way his music is used. He can theoritically forbid you to play in public, especially an arrangement of his music he disapproves of, although in most cases, the problem is settled as in Italy by the payment of a fee to the collecting Society of Authors. But for example, if you play for free and think that for that reason you do not have to ask for his permission, this is wrong ; there is a fee to pay to the collecting Society.

Jean-Séb wrote:Yes Mercuzio, the copyright holder is entitled to control the way his music is used. He can theoritically forbid you to play in public, especially an arrangement of his music he disapproves of, although in most cases, the problem is settled as in Italy by the payment of a fee to the collecting Society of Authors. But for example, if you play for free and think that for that reason you do not have to ask for his permission, this is wrong ; there is a fee to pay to the collecting Society.

Yes I know that you have to pay a fee anyway also if you play for free. But I'm not sure you cannot perform what you prefer without permission.

As someone who does a lot of arranging of other peoples music, I think I can help here. To my knowledge, the law regarding arrangements, across Europe and America (and probably many other places), is that if a piece is still in copyright, you may not make an arrangement without permission from the copyright holder (normally the publisher, but sometimes the composer still). I have had experience of publishers being delighted at the idea of an arrangement and allowing me to complete and perform it for no fee, right to the opposite end, where I have had flat refusals without even wanting to hear my idea... and everything in between!

In this case, it seems that although someone could have peformed the orchestral original, perhaps, by filling in the form so all the appropriate fees would be taken care of, you did not have permission to make a piano arrangement, so the video was banned. In the UK, that piano arrangement would technically be considered illegal, though nobody is likely to take you to court for it, just ask you not to perform it again. I think the same would be true in Italy.

I hope that helps. Basically, if you want to arrange something, ask. If a piano version doesn't exist, then you can't just make one.

Lee