F. Adebiyi - Piano Sonata No.3 in G# minor

F. Adebiyi - Piano Sonata No.3 in G# minor

https://youtu.be/pZyRqg9jTA8

All feedback welcome.

You're obviously a very skilled pianist - no argument there!  Although the intensity lets up a bit in a few places I have a hard time hearing the music amongst this collection of chords, arpeggios and scalar runs.  Virtuosity should be an outgrowth of the music imo, not the other way around.  I recommend that as the basis for your virtuosic showmanship you first present to the listener a simple theme and then later embellish it with virtuosic figurations to really drive home that contrast between simplicity and complexity that grows out of it.  Also, I don't know if it's the fault of the recording, but I feel like in many places your dynamics between the arpeggiations and the melody are imbalanced and I end up hearing everything at the same dynamic when I think the melody should have been brought out.  Also, because of how intensely you play throughout your piece and the types of figurations you use it makes it sound like your piece is ending for a really long time.  There were many moments where I thought your piece was coming to a close but it ended up going on and on and it started feeling overly bombastic, breathless and overblown imo.  That's just how I hear it though.  Overall I think you have a lot of great pianistic ideas that would be a 1000 times more effective in a more musical context.  Thanks for sharing!

I agree with PeterthePapercomPoser on many points. You're an amazingly talented pianist and so in a great position to write great pianistic pieces. Your skills put me to shame sincerely. I think that Peter's advice to start with basic themes - what you want to say - and then build the virtuosity around these themes as you develop them is sound. Don't let your skill as a performer get  in the way of what  you're trying to say as a composer. As I said you're in a great position to do this because you know instinctively what "works" on the piano. Most of all though, keep going. I've subscribed to your YouTube account and I think the Ode to Adagietto is what I'm thinking of. The listener knows where they're "going" and the rhapsodic build works better. I really look forward to hearing more of your music and I'll check out your other works.