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Just starting to listen -- and it's already great.

Thank you!

Note that this is only a rough draft, so there will be some things that I will try to correct in the future or do better. So I will happily take any criticism

....utterly super.
You are extraordinary!

You give everything extra bite -- which Schumann really needs, doesn't he.....

Inner voices, syncopations -- all with pizzazz.
And you nail everything.


You puttin' me on??



OK:
You are mistaken in considering it just a rough draft.

Well done! sounds pretty polished to me! Have you been working on it for a while?

You’ve inspired me to look through it and perhaps give it a go.

Absolutely outstanding. I was about to say something about maybe too much sustaining pedal in places, but now I'm not going to because I actually think the pedaling, and everything else for that matter, is just fine. Great job!

Thank you guys. I've been working on it since the start of the fall, and there are several things I would like to fix but for the most part I'm happy with the progress.

Perhaps to be redundant, I think this performance is (already) far better than you seem to be thinking.

I'll put it this way....
Granted, the amateur competitions maybe aren't the most important possible yardstick (and for all I know, you're a professional and you might be insulted by this even being said!)....but, for what it's worth, this kind of playing without a doubt would get someone to the finals in any of those and usually would win.

I actually think it would give anyone a run for their money in the professional competitions too.

achoo42 - Since you originally posted this three days ago I've been trying to find time to listen to it without interruption with the score.

Bravo on your performance. Everything is there - musically and technically - and I'm amazed that you were able to memorize the entire work, playing it straight through perfectly from beginning to end. This is quite an accomplishment. If there are a few little things you'd like to tweak, as you continue to live with the piece, go for it. But what you've achieved thus far is top notch. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Robert Schumann was a genius. He composed Kreisleriana in a mere four days in 1838 (it was later revised in 1851). While thoroughly Romanic in style, Kreisleriana may be IMO the most esoteric major piano work Schumann composed. Certainly not intended for casual listening. Some folks believe the Symphonic Etudes are more difficult, but I would disagree. The Etudes are fairly straightforward, while the writing of Kreisleriena is not. It takes a truly mature musician to find the "music" in the score.

Speaking of "competitions," I'm fortunate to know and periodically get together with the 2nd prize winner of the 2007 Cliburn Amateur Competition. He performed the entire Opus 16 in a recital here in Phoenix about three years ago, and your interpretation is just as convincing as his.

I get the impression that, even though you play at a very high level, you are not majoring in piano/music in college. And you also play the violin? I'm impressed.
What do you plan to do with your music in the future?

Carey: If the 2007 Cliburn guy is who I think it is, this repertoire would seem to be a wonderful surprise coming from him. His main repertoire in that event was what I'd consider very different.
(like, Prokofiev)

You are correct. But in the past few years he's discovered Schumann as well. He performed Kreisleriana in 2018 and I heard him play the Symphonic Etudes (including the five posthumously published variations) last month.

Thank you all for your comments. I am indeed majoring in piano, but you have correctly deduced that it is a bit of a side thing and I am on the track to law school 😢

I think Schumann's large works are some of the greatest works for piano, ans that Kreisleriana is among the greatest of Schumann's large works. I am happy that you guys feel that I am doing it justice! It is by far one of the most difficult works to try and record exactly the way one wants it to sound. Like Mozart, there are seldom places to hide.