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Just started some new music:

- Bach: French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat
- Mozart: Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331 ("Alla turka")
- Ireland: Puck's Birthday

I've been playing through a book of pieces by William Byrd, and I might pick a few of those to work on in more depth, too.

And some songs to accompany my brother at his recital next month! (Donizetti, Handel, Wagner, Les Miserables...)

Currently on piano I'm pumping out some major Beethoven Sonata no. 25 action (sonatina in G).

Also Mendelssohn Venetian Boat Song, and the Little Shepard from the Children's Corner Suite for fun.

I think over summer I'll being doing the third intermezzo from op. 119 by Brahms and some Grieg lyrical piece... maybe To Spring.

Piano
-Bach: Bourree I&II from second English Suite
-Ginastera: Third movement of Danzas Argentinas
-I will be choosing a third piece tomorrow...

Organ
-Couperin: Plein Jeu from Mass for the Parishes
-Buxtehude: Nun bitten wir den heilgen Geist
-Walther: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
-Dupre: Choral Prelude-Praise the Lord Almighty
-Cabanilles: Corrente Italiana
-Rinehart: Give Me Jesus
-Videro: Exercises

Great piece. Which recording(s) do you like? I listened to a bunch a few weeks ago (specifically of the two bourrées)... Horszowski was interesting. Some parts I liked quite a lot, and other parts I thought were very sloppy.

I only have one, it was from Argerich's Live From the Concertgebouw CD.

That was the first one I heard. That's why I was listening to other recordings of the bourrées...

Even Gieseking recorded the English Suites... I was suprised to find his CD, because usually I just think of him playing Debussy and Ravel! He played these bourrées *very* fast... maybe too fast. And he skipped all the repeats.

If you ever want to hear other recordings, Schiff, Perahia, and Levin are all quite good... I actually prefer them to Gould. (Though I only listened to the bourrées and gigue, and not the rest of the suites...) Brendan would like Levin... he actually took all the repeats for the return of bourrée 1, but played an octave higher first and then as written second.

Bach F minor Prelude & Fugue WTCII. (Actually just finished it. Will probably look for another P&F at my next lesson.)

Mozart Variations on Gluck's "Unser dummer Pöbel meint". (Have it memorized just need to polish the very last variation. Will probably "retire" it, temporarily at my next lesson.}

Chopin Etudes Op. 10, #3 and Op. 25, #12.

Rachmaninoff Etude-Tableaux Op. 39, #5 (A very long term project.)

Schumann Either Papillons or "Das Abends" and Aufschwung" from Op. 12. (Anyone here have a vote on which ones to learn?)

Scriabin ????? Just ordered the preludes. My teacher wants me to pick out a few from Op. 11. (Any suggestions?)

All this is in preparation for a solo recital sometime early next year. I wanted to pick some old stuff but my teacher thinks it will be more fun to learn some new stuff.

Finishing up Bach C minor fugue from WTC I. Plan to do both g minors next.

Getting close to finishing Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody 2. I'm sampling Mazeppa.

Alkan's Allegro Barbaro(much easier than it seems).

brojek.

Hmm.. well, given that my only attempt at a piano (an electric keyboard on my bed) is now broken, I suppose I should say what I was just working on, but would like to pick back up when I can find an instrument to play.

Finishing up: Liszt's Transcendental #10 "Appassionata"
Just started: Chopin Nocturne in Cm Op somebody, No somebody else (48-1 I think?)


Side note: Anyone selling a good piano?

I'm on a Brahms kick right now. I've been working on op. 10 # 4 for a few months. Lately I've gotten involved with op. 117, # 3. It kind of captured me. Its a very beautiful, sad piece. I don't know if I can play the middle section up to speed thbough. In most recordings I've heard, it's played faster than I can manage. To me it sounds better slow anyway. Those, and a couple of Goldberg variations.

Barber Souvenirs

And that's ALL! Thank god the semester is over. I've played 5 different programs since January.

I think I'm gonna take a month off and then learn the Goldbergs or something. I'm in the mood for a big project.

Felix Blumenfeld Preludes Op.17 Nos.15 and 21.

Blumenfeld Impromptu in G flat, Op.13 No.2

Chopin Heroic Polonaise, Op.53

Cecile Chaminade Elevation Op.76 No.2

Francisco Mignone Valsa de Esquina No.8

Tomas Leon Ilusion y Desengano


Mel

Solo:
Schubert : Impromptus Op 90, Nos 1 and 2
Chopin : Concerto No 2 in F minor, Second Movement: Larghetto
Schubert/Liszt : Standchen
Mendelssohn/Liszt : Auf Flugeln des Gesanges
Debussy: Suite Bergamasque: Prelude, Clair de Lune

Chamber:
Ellenwood: Fantasy Piece for Clarinet, Viola and Piano (2003)

Regards,

Just a big drive on improvisation, recording hours and hours of it; but that's nothing new.

Not much new of anything else except the Posnak transcriptions of Waller.

Been working on for a while and now mostly in final polishing stages:
Bach: WTC I/7 in Eb major
Mozart: Sonata in Bb K333
Chopin: Nocturne Op.9/1
Chopin: Etude Op.25/9

Just starting:
Bach: WTC I/12 in F minor
Clementi: Sonata in F# minor Op.25/5
Schubert: Impromptu Op.90/1
Chopin: Etude Op.10/4

Best wishes,
Matthew

Bach Prelude and Fugue in C# Major WTK II
Chopin Barcarolle Op 60
Beethoven Sonata in E Major 109
Prokofiev Sonata No 7
Shostakovich Piano Trio in E minor, Op 67
Faure Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor

Too much chamber music to occupy my time. ;(

Solo:

Rachmaninoff - 2nd concerto, first movement (bitch piece)
Ravel - Ondine from Gaspard de la nuit (bitch piece)
Bach - Toccata e minor
Mozart - Sonata in D major (forgot the Köchel number, but it's the 4th sonata, or 5th, he wrote), first movement
and some chopin etudes...

Chamber music:

Brahms piano trio op 8
Poulenc violin sonata
Frank Martin - ballade for trombone and piano
plus some songs by Ture Rangström and Gunnar de Frumerie.

mr. sowell, you forgot to mention your Scriabin Etude in B minor, Op 8 No 3...

i think it's time for you to stop copying MY program!!!

you know what's funny...

our chamber pieces line up together too...

i'm playing shostakovich sonata for cello & piano in D minor, Op. 40 and Faure's Dolly Suite for 4 hands... LMAO!!!

man... how strange!

I'm 8 pages in to Liszt's "Weinen, Klagen..." variations. What an amazing piece, why didn't I start this sooner?!?!

Played for a while but still doing:
Chopin 4th Ballade
Beethoven Op. 28
Bach Prelude and Fugue G Major WTC I
Barber Sonata

Picking up the pace:
Chopin etudes Op. 25
Chopin nocturne Op. 9 no. 3
Prokofieff 3rd Sonata
Haydn Sonata hob. XVI/23 in F Major

Let's see:

Last Tuesday's flute recital:
Poulenc Flute sonata
Schubert Trockne Blumen variations

Last Saturday night's violin recital:
Beethoven D major sonata
Prokofiev D major sonata
Brahms A major sonata

Last Sunday's violin recital #1:
Mozart G major sonata
Prokofiev D major sonata
Misc. trashy showpieces (Bloch, Saint-Saens, etc.)

Last Sunday's violin recital #2:
Mozart F major Sonata
Franck A major Sonata
Misc. trashy showpieces

Last night, cello recital:
Schubert Arpeggione

Studio class yesterday:
Barber Piano Concerto

Friday night violin recital:
Beethoven a minor (#4)
Schnittke #2
Franck

Solo recital next week:
Haydn Hob. 52
Vine Sonata #1
Barber Concerto


woooooooooooooooo

I just started: Beethoven Op. 78, Albeniz Iberia bk.1, Rachmaninov 2nd Concerto Complete. I hope this to be my first DMA recital sometime next year.

currently working on Brahms g minor Rhapsody. I used to perform it years back but I want to have it in my fingers again.

Also learning Grieg's Holberg suite prelude whenever the motivation is there.

I'm working my way through Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Ruckertlieder, having agreed to do a Mahler recital with a mezzosoprano, maybe in October this year.

Ginastera: #7 of 12 american preludes (polishing to performance quality)
Grieg: Wedding in Troldhaugen (finishing off)
Brahms: variations on a theme by Handel (#8 only)
Schubert: Impromptu Op.142 #4

Am trying to polish off the first three before I pack my pianos away for this summers home renovation activities. The Schubert's a bear and will have to wait for the fall/winter for completion......

This is basically my repertoire for the year. I have evaluations this Saturday and competition on Sunday.

-Bach Prelude & Fugue #14 in F sharp minor, WTC Book 2
-Chopin Etude, Op. 10 no. 10
-Beethoven Sonata op. 7 in Eb, 1st mvmt
-Schumann Abegg Variations (actually did this last year but I brought it back for competition)
-Debussy "Pagodes" from Estampes
-Brahms Rhapsody, Op. 79 no. 1
-Andriessen "Image de Moreau" Toccata (cool piece!)

Chamber music:
-Schumann Piano Quintet in Eb
-Saint-Saens Clarinet Sonata in Eb

Starting soon:
-Rachmaninoff 2nd Concerto
-Schumann Fantasie in C

for the coming 4 months or so

polish chopin's scherzi I & II
learn III & IV

continue studying the Final fantasy VII for a restaurant repetoire

Grade 8 pieces . .
Prelude and Fugue no.7, A major - Shostakovich
2nd mvt. Soanta in G minor - Clementi
Nocturne in F minor - Chopin

Other pieces . .
2 Rhapsodies (opus 79) - Brahms
Etude op.10 no.1 & no.12 - Chopin
Liebestraum - Liszt
Prelude in G minor, (op.23 no.5)- Rachmaninoff

Bach - Prelude and Fugue in D Minor (Book 1)
Rachmaninoff - Piano Piece in D Minor Op. Posth.
Shchubert - Sonata D.784 1st Movement

Brahms- Rhapsodie from Op. 119
Beethoven- Sonata No. 18 in Eb Major Op. 31 No. 3
Chopin- Etude Op. 25 No. 12
Bach- Prelude and Fugue No. 6 (WTC 2)

Stamitz- Concerto in D Major for Viola

Polishing Prelude WTC1 No.10 - starting in the fugue

Still did not finish Fugue No.8 book 1

Chopin Mazurka Op.67 No.4 (No.47)

Prokofiev's 4 studies.
Schubert's G-flat impromptu
Beethoven Op. 111

I'll also try to learn 4 concerti this summer with two up to performance level. Kill me now =o(

Beethoven:Fur Elise(first page only!)
Bach; Minuet in G(simplified version)
Chopstix
Bach: Aria from Goldberg Variations(minus all the silly ornaments and trills)
Beethoven: DiabellY Variations(Not Op.120)
Boulez:Sonata No.2(first measure)
Clayderman:Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue
Brahms:PanHandel Variations
Chopin: Minute Waltz(trill only)
Kalkbrenner:Grande Fantasy and Metamorphosis on themes from 4'33"

Gosh! I am so impressed. I had no idea you were that accomplished! Wow!

Cheers!

ASB piano, i read that you play the brahms rhapsody in b minor . . . how do you play the bit at the end of section A? with the spread chords in the left hand, (the LH first crotchet beat, then the RH plays the octaves, u no the bit i mean)
god im lazy i couldjust go get the copy and look at the bars.

there we go its bars 80 81 82 and 83. what fingering for the spread LH chords, presuming you play them with your left hand, maybe you use the RH as well. anyway any suggestions would be appreciated thanks.

I'm working on Schumann's Op 13 Symphonic Etudes. They are such gems.

With summer break coming, my teacher assigned me some summer work.

Bach: Sinfonias (I had been working on these since March and got to the 3rd one and I have to finish the other 12)
Beethoven: Sonata Op. 14 No. 1
Chopin: Etude Op. 10 No. 4
Schumann: Papillions Op. 2
Mendelssohn: Etude in F Major
Field: One of the Nocturnes

He also gave me a lot of Joseffy technique exercises to work as well as more Brahms and Busoni exercises. I will be very busy with Piano this summer (which isn't a bad thing)!

Beethoven Op. 28. 1st movement 80% done.
Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess
Schubert: D 960 - 1st movement 90% done, 2nd about 60%

Starting up Prelude and Fugue on a theme of Handel by Ponce.

De Falla's complete piano transcription of his El Amor Brujo and also Albeniz's Cataluña

I've just done a concert, and have that wonderful tabula rasa feeling of having nothing I need to work on. I shall have fun tomorrow playing through my sheet music and looking for the next project.

Oh indeed. The Op 13 is the one major Schumann piano work I learned and performed publicly. Very difficult.

But what is even more difficult is the age old Posthumous variation problem. They're too beautiful to ignore, yet where to insert them? One risks doing damage to Schumann's Op 13 as he published it. Sometimes I have found the insertion of one of those variations to seriously interrupt the flow of the music. And finally, as if we don't have enough challenges with this music, the extra variations simply make the set as a whole too long. What a no-win situation.

Edit: I'm certain I'll get taken to task by those who have their own solution as to where to insert the variations. Naturally there will be as many "solutions" as there are pianists willing to take up the challenge. Still, that can be taken as overriding Schumann's published concept.

So how about this: why not take a clue from Brahms: do the Op 13 as Book 1, then a "Book 2" with the theme followed by the extra variations. I don't think anyone has tried that!

chopinmad --
I don't have the score in front of me but I'm pretty sure I know which part you're referring to... It's the hardest part of the piece! My fingers are: 5-3-2-1 for the first rolled chord, 5-4-2-1 for the rest. I do 24-35 for each of the little third things after each chord. This part is really tricky. I found the best way to practice it is, left hand alone, rolling each chord and playing the two eighth notes (I think they're eighths) after in time, then taking time to prepare for the next rolled chord. After a few times, gradually speed it up. Good luck!

ye that was the part i meant and yes it is tricky!
thanks for the fingering, i had been playing some of the rolled chords something like this, 5-2-1-2, (i dont have the largetst hands)i brought my index finger over again, and i wasnt sure if that was playable at the required speed like that.
anyway ill stick to your fingering, it seems wiser. thanks.

Well, I've been playing for nearly 1 year (more like 9 months) so can't compete with your veeeery nice repertoires, hope to do so in a few years' time.

Anyway, I'm working on Clementi Sonatina Op.36 No.2 in G Major. Of course the usual Czerny and Hanon stuff. And Duvernoy. This Wednesday we're starting the "Die Erste Bach" and Kabalevsky.

Recently Completed
-Mozart:Sonata in c minor
-Chopin:23 Preludes (4 selections)
-Rachmaninoff:Prelude in G major Opus32 No.5

Learning/almost done
- Bach:Partita No.2 in c minor
- Haydn:Sonata in E-flat major HVI/45
- Mendelssohn:Rondo Cappriccioso
- Rachmaninoff:Prelude in c-minor Opus 32 No.12
- Prokofietv: Visions Fugatives (4 selections)
- Chopin: Etude in G-flat major Op.10 No 5
- Chopin: Etude in F major Op.10 No.8

Starting soon
- Beethoven:Sonata in C+ Op.2.no.3

Ravel - Jeux d'Eau
Bach - Prelude and Fugue in D Book I
Chopin - Etude Op.10 No.4

deleted

Add to this Rachmaninoff Preludes Op. 23 Nos. 4 and 5, and am about to bring back Rach 3 first movement.

2 Piano:
Shostakovich Concertino
Arensky Waltz

Next week, I will do my piano exam for this semester and I'm practicing that repertoire now, which is:

Rachmaninoff - 2nd concerto, first movement
Bach - Toccata in e minor

Chambemusicwise, I have an upcoming concert on thursday with Poulencs violin sonata, so I'm working on that piece too - the piano part is more tricky than it sounds. But I played it on concert last week too, so it is in the fingers.

And I just started looking at Ravels Valses nobles et sentimentales - a great work, and much more playable than Gaspard which I was working on recently...

I am working on Bach's two-part inventions. I have decided to learn all of them. I have learned #1. And right now I am putting HT on 4 and memorizing 7. And I am about 3/4 of the way through a Beethoven bagettles, op.119 no.3.

There coming along pretty well.

Mike

Mhh, from the looks of it, No one seems to be working on Tchaikovsky.

Well, I am working on the Nutcracker Suite op. 71a for Piano! I am learning the Dance of the Candy Fairy right now.

Is it wrong to pick random songs of the Suite? lol

You know, when i hear songs from the nutcracker, i don't think of the Ballet The Nutcracker, I think of Home Alone 1 and 2! lol yeah.

Chopin: Op. 10, #3 (Polishing)& #5 (Just starting) Op. 25, No. 12 (Long-term project)

Schumann: "Das Abends" and Aufschwung" from Fantasiestucke

Scriabin: Preludes, Op. 11, Nos. 5,6,7,10 & 14.

Rachmaninoff: Etude-Tableaux, Op. 39, #5 (Another long-term project)

Rachmaninoff - Preludes Op 32 #5 & #12
Ravel - Tombeau de Coup (minus the Tocatta)
Mompou - 3 pieces from Suburbis
Ginestera - Argentinean Dances #1 & #2
Kapustin - Sonatina (Op 100)
Chopin - Etude op10 #2

I have a couple of projects that I have started and restarted so here's what I'm working on right now.

On the piano:
Mozart's Piano Sonatas:
K.332 last movement
K.333 last movement

Mendelssohn:
Fantasy in F-sharp Minor part 1, finishing it off now and hopefully I can start on part II soon (The best has yet to come).

Chopin Etudes:
Op. 10 No. 9 in F-minor
Op. 10 No. 12 in C-minor

Schumann:
Arabesk

On the clavichord:
Haydn early piano sonatas, Fantasy in C, and Variations on an Aria in F-minor
Bach WTC Book 1. Fuge from PF No. 1

I hope to record the Haydn and Bach at some point as they sound really great on the instrument.

John