What works are you learning?

I am working now on:

Bach prelude and Fuge E minor first book Beethoven Mondschein sonata
Bach/brahms Chaconne for left hand. Which I putt in the audition part of this website
Rachmaninov first version of his first pianoconcerto
Mozart 23th concerto

This program is for my comming concerts in USA in a week.

After america I will start:

C minor prelude and fuge first book
Schumann first movement of fantasy op.17
Schubert A major Sonata (the small one)

 

I have added the Chopin 25/1 etude to my plate (the harp one in a-flat). It was the first Chopin etude I ever played in public, and it was horrible (I was 16 or 17). I haven't re-learned all of the notes, but I can play the first page at performance tempo (actually faster than Mikuli marked it) without any tension or anything, so I think I'm going to be okay on this one.

I am also working on the Bach organ passacaglia in c minor for some reason. I think I need to go to rehab for Bach addiction...

 

Don't do that !
Anyway, you plaing organ as well now ? And the Passacaglia for starters ? That is a bit ambitious... I'd kick off with the Trio Sonatas :lol:

 

haha, I am nothing if not ambitious! I haven't started working on the pedal part yet - I recorded it on my digital (with a metronome) and have been practicing the manual parts over the recorded pedal track. Have even gotten the hang of the big pedal gap, and the timing. Tricky stuff, but quite doable. I have played around on the school organ in the middle of the night a few times, but want to have the manual parts down before I start working on playing it on multiple manuals, and with stops, and pedals. I don't even know how to work an organ but I will figure it out. :lol:

And it's the piece that makes me want to play the organ, not the other way around! We don't have an organ professor at my school any more, but one of my theory profs plays organ, and he's going to help me. He says when I'm ready to play it for general recital class, he'll pull stops for me.

 

That's the spirit
Though I consider recording the pedal part first and then filling in the manual parts cheating. Big time :lol:

I played through the Passacaglia one or two times, and while it's far from trivial, it is not terribly hard compared to some other of Bach's big organ guns. I may want to pick it up again when I'm "done" with the Clavier Ubung.

 

Not a damn thing.

I don't know why, I've just lost the desire to play piano. It's gone and it's apparently not coming back. I find the practice boring, tedious and pointless. SO much so, I've sold my piano and will be glad to never see one again.

Sorry to disappoint. Maybe I just pushed for technical perfection to the point of burnout. I've even closed my studio. I'm a CPhT, Certified pharmacy technician, now. I can't even remember why I wanted to attain such a level of skill at the piano. I look back at it and think "I had an unhealthy obsession", well the obsession is gone and so is the music, unfortunately.

I don't know what happened. One day, during practice I just "snapped", got this sense of rage, slammed down the cover and never touched the keys again. It's been a year since I've played.

I don't even listen to Classical music any more. I find it unmoving and pedantic.

As of now, I'm probably as confused as you are, but it is what it is.

I even had a brain scan to make sure I didn't have something physiologically wrong with me, all results negative.

Anyway it's been fun hanging out, but I don't fit this niche anymore. I'm too busy at work to spend much time in forums anymore, so don't be surprised if this is the last you hear from me.

 

Hey Pete...
I would have loved to welcome you back - you were always great fun on the forum.
But it seems we lost you. It is a really sad story. Quitting piano playing is one thing, however drastic, but completely denouncing classical music is even worse. If you find classical music unmoving, what can move you ?
In the words of composer Michael Torke : Who needs a psychiatrist when you can listen to the B Minor Mass ?
Yes your obsession with technical matters was always apparent, but I thought it was fuelled by a love for the music.
If that was not the case, there was indeed little point to it.

Well, um, what to say..... All best to you, and come back when you feel like it. My advise would be to take up classical music again as a listener, maybe avoiding piano music.

 

Good grief, man, that doesn't sound good. Maybe a little break would be good for you?

Thanks for letting us know. We'll be glad to hear from you anytime. Keep up that good pharmacy job!

 

Oh, my!! :shock: I do hope that a year or more off can rejuvenate your interest! I have become burned out for a period of around a week before. And you know what? I played better than ever when I opened the piano again and practiced after the rest. Who knows? A rest might do your technique all the good in the world.

I recommend continuing to listen to classical music. Instead of listening to piano music, try other instruments/ensembles for a while. I've been listening to a lot of violin music lately rather than piano. And I go through periods where I only listen to popular music.

 

To PJF, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKKlhYF53w and other similar videos. It will make you smile.

Now I am beginning to work two recordings, including my own for Parma Recordings/Naxos. Both CDs are works of American living composers.
Composers such as Carter Pann, Robert Rollin, Raina Murnak, Matthew Lewis, David Lipten and others.

Also working on my schedule for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.

By the way, I love the new forums

 

David Lipten? I had this weird moment where I thought I knew somebody but for some reason did not know he was a composer. Alas, it is not the same man. But this man has a site, I see:

http://www.davidlipten.com/works.html

Interesting stuff! I can't wait for your recordings to be out, 1) so I can gain access to the music you do well to promote, and 2) so I can support you, the fine artist who so well points your talents in a direction profitably for us all.

 

Well I haven't posted on here in a little while. I'm working on stuff for my senior recital, which will be on may 23rd. the program looks like:

Scarlatti, Sonata (forget the key and k. number. my teacher just recommended it today, but I don't have a score yet)
Scarlatti, Sonata in A Major, k. 212

Mozart, Sonata in D Major, k. 311
I. Allegro con spirito
II. Andante espressione
III. Rondeau (allegro)

Prokofiev, Sonata #6 in A Major
IV. Vivace

-Intermission-

Chopin, Ballade #4 in F minor

Liszt, Ballade #2 in B minor


Not sure yet if I'll prepare something in case they want an encore. I have a feeling I wouldn't get to play it anyway. I didn't last year at my recital in the spring... Barely got to come out for a second bow at the end of the recital haha! I can't wait to start reworking that prokofiev sonata movement. It was always one of my favourites when I played it a couple years ago. Originally, I was planning on having the prokofiev 3rd sonata in it's place, but I injured my right 5th finger practicing it, was not able to practice for 2 weeks and then had the flu for a week after that, so a lot of lost time and now I'm a little scared to start working on it again right away/wouldn't have enough time to learn it now anyway (I know, I'm a psychological basketcase ).

After my recital, I'm going to start working on Scriabin's 5th sonata (my first scriabin! I'm REALLY excited... I've been getting into him a lot lately), and some other stuff I'm sure. Just don't know yet what it will be

 

I am working on Chopin 25/11. That is all. It has invaded my brain and has run off all thoughts of doing anything else.

Interestingly, it seems to be a lot harder on my LH than my RH.

 

You're alive Terez ! I was starting to wonder about you.

 

I am indeed alive. If you used Facebook at all you wouldn't have to wonder. :wink:

 

Oh yes, that's where you hang out, I forgot. Say hi to Robert

 

I don't think Robert is my friend. And I don't really 'hang out' on Facebook but I do check it every day. I got out of the habit of checking PS every day when the semester crunch invaded about a month before juries. :lol:

 

But he hangs out there a lot. Or checks it, whetever :wink:
I wonder if maybe the concept of a discussion forum is outdated, and we should move our asses over to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or some other social network.

 

Not exactly. Many websites message boards thrive with the help of these tools, but they are not good places for discussions, nor are they good places to centralize your audition room. YouTube attracts more idiots than anything else, and you can't require people to upload video when it will likely cost a good bit in sound quality even compared to mp3.

For instance, if I am in one of those periods where I'm not paying attention to PS and you update your status every time you upload something here, then you might attract me over here to comment. 'Oh, look! Chris has posted some Bach-whatever; I should go listen and see if I can find anything to nitpick about it.' Not that you care about my comments specifically; it would probably be the same for everyone you are connected to. Also, if you or anyone else were to do that via Twitter, you can set Facebook so that all Twitter updates show up in the Facebook feed.

 

I wasn't suggesting those other places are better in every way, only that many people seem to prefer them these days. I think that is part of the reason why the forum gets ever more deserted.

Ahaahaaa, good one ! Welcome back, you are on top form