I've been working on mine, but I admit it's been difficult since I became pregnant earlier this year! I'm to the point where I feel comfortable with the piece and it sounds pretty darned good. All that's left is recording it. I need to find a suitable piano that is in tune first!

Carolyn, congratulations! May the God bless you, your family and your child! And, of course, I can't wait to hear your Nocturne!

How are your recordings progressing, folks? I still have three or four measures that need serious ironing and bringing up to speed. The piece is much more tricky than I thought due to rhythms involved. I am sure that even after recording and submitting it will still need much work and I won't be able to say I mastered it for quite more time.

Mateusz

I know it's probably somewhere in this thread but... who do we send the mp3's to? e-mail?

I'm making good progress on 27/1. I did a test recording, but can't really record it until the piano gets tuned (next Friday!).

Mine's as ready as it'll ever be.I'm just waiting for detailed instructions on the posting procedure.

Hi everyone, please send your recordings to me. My email address is:
maryrosedouglasukATyahoo.co.uk

I'd really appreciate getting them a bit before the 17th so I can get them up and running on the day.

Well done to all you clever people - can't wait to hear your playing!

Mary-Rose, I just sent off my two to you. Please let me know if you don't get them (you know how e-mails can be...)

Many thanks,

Peyton

Yippee! I just sent in my recording of the nocturne Op.48 no.1!

I've got a cut that may be usable for this recital, 37/2.

How is everyone doing?

Two measures! I say, two measures! And it will be ready... DANG.

I got a take yesterday that is usable, so I have one in the bag. I'm hoping that this will take the pressure off, and I'll be able to come up with something better.

Ted

A pretty thought Ted, would that it were true.

Do you know my poem I posted a while back? Perhaps others will benefit from my posting it again:

The Red Dot

Once upon a midnight dreary - feeling vexed and feeling weary -
laboring over chords lugubrious and dire -
Suddenly a glow came stealing - to my eyes a feeble feeling -
like the dying embers of a dank and noisome fire
"What demonic spirit seeks me? What foul fiend of hell bespeaks me?
While I record upon my vain inglorious lyre -
Tis a house light - and nothing more."

Yet within my brain a vision - yet so still and so insistent -
as if a bowl of laudanum quaffed I not moments before -
Gives to me now all unseeking - and it seems is fairly shrieking -
the unholy knowledge I forswore:
"Music - O so soft and O so soothing! - O so winning and so moving -
cannot go along without a flaw -
You must fail - not once - but - forevermore!"

Red infernal light from Hades! Let me be and go, I pray thee -
Let me forget and play as once before!
Once anon I touched so softly - how like water bubbles frothy!
All is lost - alas! - my song is but a chore!
For the Red Dot ever grieves me! Never, never will it leave me
From this cursed spell its weaves and casts its glow upon the floor
Quote the Red Dot "Delete and try once more!"

Mine are in the bag and sent off. I listen to them now and think.."I should have played the left hand softer".. or "I should have kept trying until I got that run better" but... I did the best I could and they would just never have been "perfect". But man am I glad that's done!

Ugh -- I should have started working on this much sooner. But I didn't, so it will have to be what it is.

It will never be perfect. I've wrestled with the same demon internally. Perfection is something to which we as pianists, even avocational ones, are intrinsically inclined. This is especially true if we listen to recordings from professionals who devote their careers to its attainment. You can end up beating yourself, abusing yourself, in the attainment of that fleeting ideal which, like a butterfly, is ever present in your mind but never quite attainable. What I'm saying is, don't make the good the enemy of the perfect. This goes for all of us.

"Don't make the good the enemy of the perfect."

Gerg, I like that!

Oh, my recording is far from perfect. The left hand is mostly too loud. I miss a jump badly in the Doppio movimento section. If I had to go with it, however, I would still be proud of it. One thing that has helped me was buying a 2 gigabyte SD card. This allows me to record for more than three hours at better than CD quality. Now, I just turn the Zoom on, start practicing sections, and when I feel ready I give it a go. Eliminating the 'stop and delete' cycle had a tremendous effect on my psychological well-being when I was recording.

Ted

Schubertarian: Spoken like a pro!

Schubertian, your poem is dazzling. Poe would surely have understood our sufferings!

I just re-edited my 48/2-- doesn't change what I actually played, but I was able to make a nasty splice much better. That's as good as it's going to get. Whew.

Elene

Shubertian, that was beautifully and perfectly said!

After a long, torturous process, I now have 3 useable takes to choose from- each flawed in its own unique way. There's a missed note here, an incomplete trill or mordent there, a messed-up run, a note that just wouldn't sound, despite actually striking the key.... oh, how to choose? Which to choose?

But as Elene said: that's as good as it's going to get. (Exhales sigh of relief)

I have a very modest request that will make Frycek's, Mary-Rose's and my jobs easier.

As you know, we don't use an automatic submission mechanism for these Chopin events, nor will we for the foreseeable future. Such mechanisms work well for the ABF and other recitals, but I believe each recording in these events deserves special human attention at the time of submission, with one-on-one interaction with any of you should any changes to the files be necessary prior to publication. It's old-fashioned I will admit, but I think fitting given the nature of the material and the quality we all, though we fall short, inevitably strive for.

With that as background, I would like to make the following request, namely that following filenames be used for each piece to facilitate a smooth procedure:

0901_peyton.mp3
0902_yuri.mp3
0903_timmyab.mp3
1501_horowitzian.mp3
1502_tedstanion.mp3
1503_smjl.mp3
2701_pianoagain.mp3
2702_chardonnay.mp3
3201_schubertarian.mp3
3202_lisztaddict.mp3
3701_chopinet.mp3
3702_gerg.mp3
4801_jazzyprof.mp3
4802_elene.mp3
5501_phlebas.mp3
5502_sottovoce.mp3
6201_carolyn227.mp3
6202_chopin952.mp3
7201_peyton.mp3

Please let me know immediately if there are any inaccuracies or omissions!

In summary: Opus number (two digits), set index number (two digits), underscore, your screen name in all lowercase a-z,0-9, no symbols.

If you don't, or (for example) must submit a .wav file instead of MP3, there's no need to fret as we can do conversions and name changes on our end. We just want to minimize unnecessary work.

Many thanks to all of you for what we anticipate will be a fitting, hopefully a tasteful tribute to the 160th anniversary of the greatest piano composer's death.

Gerg - I will happily follow your request, but what about posthumous ones? How should I name my "nocturne in c minor", known as No. 21 Op. Posth?

Greg,
I'm not quite sure I understand: is this a change that we would make at our end? In other words, would I simply re-name my file before submitting it to Mary-Rose, or is that something that would be done on the other end (by MR, Frycek, etc.)? It's certainly no problem- I just want to make sure I understand correctly!

Hi Mati, I was wondering about the posthumous ones in the recital! Am very glad you pointed out my error.

posth_mati.mp3.

If you were playing two or more, posth1_mati.mp3, posth2_mati.mp3.

Do we have the C# minor posthumous as well?

Chardonnay, it's just the filename you would use to save the file. It's just that setting up the website is a complex process, and it's easier if the performer just does this because it's only one thing for them to do, vs. 21 extra little tasks (21 name changes) for us to do. If you've already recorded it, as I believe is the case with you, just rename the file before you send it. I'll be glad to help you privately with this.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks, Greg, no problem, I can do it!

gerg, of course we do:

20. C# minor (op. posth., 1830; Lento con gran espression) - pianoluvr
21. C minor (op. posth., 1837) - Mati

That said, mine will be posth2_mati.mp3, and pianoluvr's will be posth1_pianoluvr.mp3

M.

My deepest apologies to Mati and pianoluvr I don't know how I missed these two final gems - they are both on Frycek's earlier list.

0901_peyton.mp3
0902_yuri.mp3
0903_timmyab.mp3
1501_horowitzian.mp3
1502_tedstanion.mp3
1503_smjl.mp3
2701_pianoagain.mp3
2702_chardonnay.mp3
3201_schubertarian.mp3
3202_lisztaddict.mp3
3701_chopinet.mp3
3702_gerg.mp3
4801_jazzyprof.mp3
4802_elene.mp3
5501_phlebas.mp3
5502_sottovoce.mp3
6201_carolyn227.mp3
6202_chopin952.mp3
7201_peyton.mp3
posth1_pianoluvr.mp3
posth2_mati.mp3

Thank you everyone!

It should be 3202_akonow.mp3.

Duly noted and changed.

We're going to miss you this time around.