Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Unsung Heroes III Recital, 8/20/12: Sign-up!

Alkan is NEVER well-enough represented, hehe. You should go ahead and prepare that piece.

Well, if that's true, I may have some last-minute Alkan to add. I've been playing the nocturne op. 57, no. 1 a lot recently, and also the c minor prelude. My standards are so low that I may be able to delude myself into thinking they are in acceptable shape by 20 August.

I've almost got all of 35/5 full speed... Should I try that??

FSO - We would be delighted to include your Alkan submission! Please don't feel that we hold everyone to such high standards. We are all amateurs here, just attempting to do our best in the time allotted. I'm as equally reluctant to share my own recording, being that there's an entire page (the climax, no less) yet to be learned, and I'm travelling next week, with no piano in sight! At the moment, the best solution seems to be that I play that one page at half tempo and just call it the "Adagio" section.

OSK and wr - Yes! Please submit your Alkan pieces too.

Thanks for organizing this, Heidi and Gerg! Taking a deep breath, I will try to offer:

John Ireland -- Daydream, Meridian, Summer Evening
William Alwyn -- Fantasy-Waltzes 3 & 4

Is there any preferred format that I'm supposed to submit my recordings in when it is time?

Yes, Dachshund. Recordings need to be in mp3 format. There are several applications which will convert a recording from wav to mp3, including Audactity, which you can download for free.

Please let us know if you need help with that.

My recordings are all on WAV right now -- I will definitely need your assistance. Thanks!

Go to the Audacity website and download it . Then install it on your computer. Then open it and open one of your WAV files in it (it'll ask you whether you want to open a copy or the original - choose copy, to be safe). Then, once your WAV file is opened, click on "File" and then on "Export", and choose MP3 from the list. There are some options you can tweak at this point, but the defaults should be fine. Save the file. And that's all there is to it.

wr, thanks for responding to Tim. I just returned from a lovely vacation and haven't checked the site for a few days.

Tim, I'm jealous that you already have your recordings done. I'm still learning my piece, and haven't touched a piano in a week! Let us know if you need any further assistance. We are still aiming for an August 1st target date to begin accepting submissions.

We accept sign-ups up until the last minute, so if anyone else still wants to participate, please let us know. The more, the merrier!

Thanks,
Heidi

heidi and wr -- thanks for the general directives. I installed Audacity on my computer, and, coincidentally enough, my daughter just now converted my selected TASCAM files to mp3 format this afternoon. It's a good thing I had her expertise to draw upon -- she mentioned that Audacity was not all THAT easy to work with; and, fully cognizant of the almost laughable depths of my computer illiteracy, simply did the entire job once she got the hang of it. In that same vein, please spell out the steps needed to send the mp3 files to PianoWorld -- it doesn't need to include "Turn the Computer On", but virtually everything else!

LOL Tim! When in doubt, ask your daughter! My own 10 year old knows more about technology than I do. I assure you that if I can work with Audacity, you can too.

Submitting a recording for the ecital is as simple as adding an attachment to an email. You just select and click. We'll let you know when the hosting site is ready for submissions, and we'll get you all set up.

Your daughter is right, and I apologize for making it sound simpler than it really is. When testing how it worked, I didn't follow through all of the steps and so didn't see the extra stuff that needed to happen. My bad...

Hi heidiv and gerg,

I hope everything is going well for you both.

For Recital III, I'd like to submit this one: Medtner, "Prologue" from Eight Mood Pieces, Op. 1, No. 1.

If possible I'd also like to submit Scriabin, Prelude Op. 37, No. 1 in B flat from his middle period. While Scriabin is a well-known composer, I believe that this piece is not nearly as well known as his Chopinesque Op. 11 Preludes. I'm sure some would be hearing it for the first time.

Let me know what you think. And heidiv, I'm delighted that you're playing Catoire!

Regards,
David

Hi David,

So nice to hear from you! We'd be thrilled to have you join us. Medtner and Scriabin are both fine choices for this recital. While known to most players, both composers are not often played, and therefore mostly unknown to the general public. Besides, I have a certain fondness for the late Romantic Russians myself.

You (and Marc-Andre Hamelin) inspired me to tackle some Catoire. While it falls very nicely under the hands (once you figure out how to distribute the notes), I'm finding the patterns difficult to learn because it doesn't fit the prototype of, say, a typical Mozart or Chopin work. I'm out of my comfort zone!

I am looking forward to hearing your pieces, as ever.

Best regards,
Heidi

Hi heidiv,

Thanks, I'll plan then to enter those two pieces.

Yes, Catoire's patterns can be quite difficult at times and present tall challenges. But I'll tell you this: As you know I studied his music for quite awhile. In the end, I believe that he taught me how to play the piano. So don't be discouraged--when the going gets tough, Catoire will guide you to the solutions.

Best regards,
David

Heidi, please add to my list:

Viktor Kosenko, Consolation, Op.9 No.1

Thanks very much.


Mel

PARTICIPANTS
Orange Soda King -- Sonate de Concert, III. (Alkan); Andante Romantique in C# Major, Op. 13, No. 2 (Alkan)
mingusmonk -- Poems of the Sea (Bloch)
currawong -- Margaret Sutherland
Cinnamonbear -- Consolation (Steve Chandler)
Jolteon -- Heller
wr -- Twelve Esquisses (Koechlin)
heidiv -- Rêverie, Op. 10, No. 4 (Catoire); selections from Six Fantasy Pieces, Op. 17 (Dora Pejačević)
dannylux -- Otto Nicolai, Etude in D flat "Gruss an Liszt" Op. 40, No. 3; York Bowen, Reverie d'Amour, Op. 20, No. 2; Sergei Bortkiewicz, Lyrica Nova, Op. 59, No. 3; Viktor Kosenko, Consolation, Op. 9, No. 1
Tim Adrianson -- Roy Harris, American Ballads; Morton Gould, Guaracha; William Flanagan, Sonata; Paul Bowles, El Bejuco and El Indio; Irving Fine Variations, from Music for Piano; Gail Kubik, Sonatina; Vincent Persichetti, Sonata No. 5; Norman dello Joio, Salute to Scarlatti, No. 1, 2, and 4; Leo Smit, Rondele
LadyChen -- Strangeness of Heart by Harry Somers
bachelis -- Sonatine by Jean-Michel Damase; Toccatina Op. 36 by Nikolai Kapustin
jackbirdy412 -- Sonata K13/L486 by Scarlatti; El Pelele from Goyescas Book II by Granados
musica71 -- Respighi, Siciliana and Galiarda from Ancient Airs and Dances; Rodrigo, Two Spanish Dances, Rustica and Serrana
debrucey -- Peter Sculthorpe, Night Pieces
RachFan -- Medtner, "Prologue" from Eight Mood Pieces, Op. 1, No. 1; Scriabin, Prelude, Op. 37, No. 1

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Good evening or good morning, depending on your locale!

To say I'm thrilled with this list is an understatement. What a wonderfully eclectic program we have. I'm looking forward to hearing each and every piece.

We are on track to accept submissions starting (gulp) next Wednesday, August 1st. I'll start a new thread titled "Unsung Heroes 8/20/12: Call for Submissions" and you can follow directions from there. If you run into difficulty submitting your recording, no need to worry...we'll have 2 1/2 weeks to help you figure it out!

Regards,
Heidi

Alright, um...since *you're* being brave and putting your name up for the Catoire, I'll submit myself to saying you can put me in for Alkan esquisses 21 and 45; Morituri Te Salutant and Les Diabolitins respectively...you're a sod

Hi FSO, and welcome! We'd love to include you on the program. I'm sure Orange Soda King will be especially pleased by the inclusion of additional Alkan pieces.

As to whether I'm being brave or whether I'm being foolish remains to be seen. There's a fine line between the two!

Now, I'll have to ask you to translate the expression "you're a sod" because English is my second language. My first language is American.