Mozart sonata in A major (first movement only!!)

I am playing the piano in ensemble! Not quite up to concertos yet, but I'm (we're?) doing Schumann's piano quartet, which I guess is the next best thing. Remarkably, I think I'm going to be able to play it all!

I soldier on with my ABRSM syllabus for Grade 6 (my very high mark in Grade 5 was certainly a great boost), most of which has already been covered for next June and am doing a number of extra things. I'm doing some studies by Czerny and by Pozzoli (a very popular, or rather well-known Italian author who wrote many Studies at various leves) and am studying more pieces for List A (my chosen piece is Scarlatti's Allegro and I've added the Mozart Courante and may start doing Couperin's Les moulins à vent) for List A.
After completing Beethoven's Adagio for List B I'm also studying Liszt's Klavierstuck and may also continue with Glière's Prélude , which I studied some months ago but dropped after a while. I'm doing Satie's Gnossiene for List C and cannot seem to fall in love with any other pieces on that List. I'm also doing different movements of Bach's French Suites (Nos 1, 3 and 5) and plenty of technique every day (maybe too much if weighed against the work on repertoire).

Did you decide to have a go at that (the Pathetique) after the piano playday by any chance? I really love it. I'm getting so confused though, as my teacher has told me to follow all the dynamics/pedalling as per the sheet, but Radu Lupu, for example, just seems to use pedal the whole way through?

Hi Sol

No, it was purely by chance, I dug out an old Easy Piano Classics book and sat there playing them through one by one, and then I cam to Pathetique, I don't think I had ever attempted that before, but then it was a couple of years ago the last time that I had picked up the book.

It is really lovely though and on this version doesn't show any pedalling, so where should I pedal?

Hope that you enjoyed your weekend in York.

ET

If it's an arrangement then I don't think it'll be much like the one I have in my book - but it's pretty much pedal for every whole bar apart from when you have the ascending parts.

Oh and thanks, I had a great time!

I bought the new Einaudi "Nightbook" and am going through Indaco... really nice - and I can sight read it... ahhhh how good it is to be able to do that for a change!

Grade 5 less than a month away now:

Hummel- Allegro in C
Franck-Lento
Cosentino- A la memoria de Astor.

I just love them all and hope I can do them some justice.

I have just played Bach Well Tempered Klavier Book I, nos 1,2,5,6,7,10,16,and 22. But I prefer Book II as a generalisation.

I've just started playing Solfegietto by C.P.E Bach and love it. It'll take me a while to get it up to speed though.

I've also started playing a lovely jazz piece called Blues in the Night by Harold Arlen. Someone on the Pro Corda course gave it to me, and my teacher thinks it's so nice she's copied for other pupils.

I'm hoping I'll be able to play one of these at Leeds, otherwise it'll be my old standby, Burgmuller!

Hi Sol

That's brilliant you sight reading, the more you do it the easier it gets.

Hope that you had a great lesson, mine is on Thursday.

ET



They sound great Chris, I have been having a go a Beethovens Sonatina in Fmajor, it is really pretty.

ET

As a study I was once made by my teacher to play solfeggietto using left hand only !

Thanks, ET, but is it just me... some days I don't seem to be able to read anything, yet today, I'm trying out my new books OK, and my teacher had me reading through various stuff tonight without much of a problem?

Seems that I have severe off-days where I can't even read grade 1 stuff!

Don't think it is just you, I think we have bad and good days of not just sight reading but playing too. Some days I find everything goes beautiful yet another day I can't seem to get one piece right!

That's that settled then! I always tend to play better in the evening for some reason as well! Anyways, back on topic...

I tried that once. It's hard, though, especially where in the actual piece you would need two hands!

Bach Prelude and Fugue in f# minor BWV 859
Mozart Piano sonata K570
Faure Barcarolle No.1 in a minor
Ravel Sonatine

And tons of sight reading

wow justleague,

That to me sounds like a diploma level recital - is that what you're planning on doing, DipABRSM? If so, good luck....I'm doing the same diploma.

denmark

Not too much at the minute, but I have 5 concerts coming up, so I need to get a move on!


Bach Prelude and Fugue in F minor (book 2)
Rachmaninov Prelude in G minor
Brahms Rhapsody in G minor (keep coming back to this one)
Gershwin I got Rhythm

Looking at that list, it's lacking something classical to early romantic like Mozart or Beethoven, so if anyone has any ideas on a good piece/sonata to learn, I'm open to suggestions!

Satie's Gnossiene #1 this morning

Had my lesson, and we're also going to start looking at Rachmaninov's Prelude in Bb major. The music looks horendous, does anyone have any idea what standard it is, I didn't ask?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-GGw1VztXY

Take a listen, i've fallen in love with it!

Hows it going?

I am working on some things for Sol's next piano day.

It's slow progress

Look forward to hearing you Barry. I am working on stuff ready for then too. I have been working on Beethovens Sonatina in F Major and really loving it. Especially the Rondo, although I am a bit slow at the moment.

The real worry I have with solo piano playing is my 'technique' has been designed to accompany people, very sketchily, missing out fistfuls of notes. I can't get away with that in a solo...

You will be fine! Don't forget we will be very laid back on the day.

Off to bed now. Nite nite.

ET

I'll be so laid back I'll be almost horizontal!

Goodnight ET

I can get through it all now I just had to get my head around not having bar lines. I might play it on the 5th

That would be good.

The lack of bar lines does mess with my head. Katyjay is trying to convince me that no bar lines = good. She has her work cut out.

My main complaint is that if I have to look at my hands for a jump, it's much easier to get lost..

Also, Satie's bizarre performance directions have me a bit confused....

Any in particular?

Pretty much all of them!

"Sur la langue" most of all. I mean, I know what it means but as to applying these odd directions musically...

I think it's great that I was inspired to learn it by hearing it at the playday (thanks DC!)! I can see there being a tendency for this to happen quite a lot!

Fair enough! Might be interesting to ask someone here with good knowledge of French music of the era, the name that immediately comes to my mind there is andante_in_c.



If someone is tempted to play anything I play at a piano playday, I'll be very, very surprised!

I'll send you a scan of that piece I mentioned tomorrow. You will easily manage it

Cool, thanks Sol : I'll have a good look at that

Maybe we can find a way to speed the progress a little next week?

Oh ya This is sorta my program, but still not sure if i wanna do it yet, stress!!!

I get the feeling you have ideas

I've mentioned before, I'm playing the Raindrop Prelude at the moment, but can anyone recommend a suitable speed for it. My opinion is that the major section wants to go at a steady speed, but the minor bit sounds better a bit quicker. Unfortunately the major part just sounds rushed at this speed, and the minor part sounds boring at the slower speed. Any suggestions?

Check your email! It'll be quite funny if you can play that one...

*goes to check email*



I shall add it to my pile

I'll invent the ideas when I see and hear what you've managed already.

OK...I should think you'll come up with plenty of thoughts

Barry, have you tried that piece I sent you yet? Methinks it might make people want to go to the pub if you play it!

I don't think my teacher would be too happy if I did that - how did you do the two hands bit, fsharpminor?


I think I may give Beethoven a bit of a rest after the Fuer Elise fiasco. My teacher still isn't happy with it, so I've put it on one side again. She thinks I may have the Blues in the Night piece ready for Leeds, though.

Not yet : but I will get there!

Are you bringing it at weekend?

In all probability, yes, but it will still be totally unlooked at. I'm on a serious clarinet practising run at the moment, for fairly obvious reasons!

That's ok... might be able to find some 'shortcuts'

Shortcuts are good Hope you can find lots and lots and lots of them!

Thanks to the Royal Fail losing what I'd ordered, I had to wait a while for the edition of Chopin's Op.72 No.1 that I wanted to come through.

I gave up on the downloaded version I had because it just seemed impossible to figure out, but now the edition I ordered has arrived, it seems a lot easier as there are finger markings all over the place! Page 1 + 2 look ok... 3 onwards looks like it'll be brain damage material and I'll end up giving up again..