The 1st Mazurka Marathon is supposed to go live March 1, 2008 (Chopin's 198th birthday). The 2nd is scheduled for 10/17/08 (Chopin's death day) and the 3rd for March 1, 2009. Please check in and let us know how you're doing, what you're doing. Shuffling selections to a later recital is OK just so we eventually have them all covered. Posting instructions will be posted later (probably much later) as soon as MaryRose and I get our act together.

BTW I suggested that Mazurka Marathon name as a joke. It stuck and if you can come up with a better one please suggest it.
Thanks,
Joe

Here's The List as of 3/1/08.


[No number after the person's name indicates the mazurka is chosen for the 1st "Recital" on March 1, 2008. A number (2) and/or (3) indicates that mazurka has been chosen for the second and third recital. October 17, 2008 and March 1, 2009 (respectively).]

Backup performers: Theowne, Yuri


6/1- PianoAgain Submitted
6/2 - Cornflake (2)
6/3 - Balakirev (MIA??)
6/4 - Piano Again (2)

7/1 - Cruiser (2)
7/2 - Schubertian submitted
7/3 - Frycek (2)
7/4 - Mistaya (3)
7/5 - Piano&Violin (2)


17/1 - Rustyfingers (3)
17/2 - Rustyfingers (backup Yuri)
17/3 - Rustyfingers (2)
17/4 - Peyton submitted

24/1 - Secondo (2)
24/2 - Theowne submitted
24/3 - Pianolina submitted
24/4 - Schubertian (2)


30/1 - Schubertian Submitted
30/2 - Gabtytu (3)
30/3 - Schubertian (2)
30/4 - Schubertian (3)

33/1 - Piano&Violin (3)
33/2 - Playadom (2)
33/3 - Chardonnay submitted
33/4 - Piano&Violin (2)


41/1 - Ragnhild (E minor) submitted
41/2 - Balakirev (B Major) (2)
41/3 - Ragnhild (Ab Major) (2)
41/4 - Ragnhild (C# minor) (3)

50/1 - Schubertian (3)
50/2 - Frycek (3)
50/3 - Playadom (2)

56/1 - Schubertian (3)
56/2 - Schubertian (3)
56/3 - Secondo (3)

63/1 - Secondo (2 or 3)
63/2 - Mistaya (2)
63/3 - Frycek (2)

67/1- Secondo (2)
67/2 - Nancy333 Submitted
67/3 - Peyton (2)
67/4 - Cornflake Submitted


68/1- Balakirev (3)
68/2 - Mistaya (2)
68/3 - Sleepingcats (2)
68/4 - Bassio (2)

I'm still working on 17/2. Just started memorizing. No where near up to tempo...

I'm still in with 33.3- not ready, though! My teacher is going to be helping me with it from here on, so it should improve between now and then.

"Mazurka Marathon" is a perfect name!

Whoops! I forgot to start my piece!

I'll have it by March, if I can find time.

You can always move it to the second or third recital. Your audition pieces are more important.

Oooops, I have not really forgotten, but not practiced either....

It's still a month, I'll do my best

R

I'm not part of this marathon. But I can play 67/4 and I'm making fast progress on 6/2. It's ironic that one person is working on the same two mazurkas I am! Secondo, if you read this, just know that you have a back up if you get overwhelmed! Enjoy learning these beautiful pieces. =)

I'm closing in on 30/1 and looking forward to the Mazurka Marathon - nothing wrong with that name -

I'm good to go with the 17/4 but barely touched the 7/1. Hopefully I'll have it ready for the next.

Thanks for posting this--I hadn't started yet, but fortunately I have an easy one. It's very beautiful, and I'm really enjoying working on it.

Nancy

I haven't yet started 33/1 and it's fine that it's scheduled for 1 March 2009. I have started on 33/4 and had planned to have that ready by 1 March 2008 but will not be comfortable to present it then. There've been quite a few other pieces my teachers wanted as a priority, and it being my first and a very long mazurka ...

I still want to have one of the pieces ready for 1 March 2008 - 7/5. It's quite a shorty, and I have it memorized and can play it through. Will present it to my teacher on Thursday to get first comments and guidelines, and I am quite confident that I'll manage it by the end of February.

I am so disappointed that I will not be able to participate in the Mazurka marathon,as my back and leg have been acting up again, making it hard for me to sit at the piano for any length of time.

The problem started some months ago, then the pain disappeared for several months, only to come back again. First I was told that I had a pulled leg tendon, another doctor said it was a pulled or torn leg muscle, and the third doctor said it was a problem with my back, and that the pain was radiating down to the leg.

Hopefully someone else will be able to play the Mazurkas I signed up for.

This is a real disappointment. The good news is that at least this week the pain has eased up, and I hope to get back to the piano again. ButI don't want to rush it, and have been limiting my practice to about 1/2 hour at a time. Gaby Tu

Hope you feel better soon. That sounds miserable.

I'm pulling out after having worked on the wrong Mazurka! I've been learning 7.1 instead of 67.3 :rolleyes: Don't know how I got confused, except for the fact that they're both in my 'Introduction to chopin' book!

7.1 is already spoken for, by Peyton and Yuri (my backup) is welcome to take over 67.3 if he/she wants to

cruiser: Maybe somebody else can come up with a suggestion for you. I can't think of what you could do.

I need some advice as I'm flying without a teacher. On 17/2, the Urtext edition has no pedal markings in the second statement of the theme (last page). Recordings I have heard use pedal just as at the begining. Is it understood that the pedal markings are omitted because the pedalling should be the same?

Also, (and I apologize if this has been discussed elsewhere) what recordings of the Mazurkas do people recommend? I have 17/1-4 by Leif Ove Andsnes. He seems to take the tempo on 17/2 slower than marked in my edition (which would be fine with me!)

Any suggestions are more than welcome. I have the 2nd page memorized, which is good, because much of the first page is the same. Yay!

Frycek - are there still orphan Mazurkas? I'll adopt 7/2, 24/4, 50/1 if no one else wants them.

Rustyfingers - did you know that Chopin had a pet chimp? Its true! He got it when he worked for a while for the circus in Poland. Anyway, Chopin was always too lazy to put in his own pedal markings - "I've got better things to do" he would yawn to 'George' Sand. And so, desperate, his publishers trained the chimp - whose name was Bon Bon - to enter pedal markings when Frederic wasnt looking. Unfortunately the chimp only knew to put the marking in where the harmony was NOT changing - and he never repeated marking where a human could do it himself - or herself. And that's why you can pretty much pedal in whatever way makes the music expressive without forfeiting clarity of voices and line.

You got 'em. For which recital(s)?

Let me look them over and I'll let you you know tomorrow Sunday

Hi Cornflake:

If you want to do these two pieces 67/4 and 6/2, because you are working on them, I can take 24/1 and 67/1 instead. Let me know. No problem. I don't have a piano until late Feb, so I could do 24/1 in the fall and 67/1 in March 2009.

:D
Cool, it's what I usually do anyway. EDIT: I mean do what I want, not necessisarily end up with clairty of voices and line... :rolleyes:

Mine should be ready.

I'm hoping to be ready - haven't had as much practice time the last couple of months.

March 1, 2008 : 30/1 and 7/2
Oct 27 2008 : 30/3 and 24/4
March 1, 2009: 30/4 and 50/1

gabytu,
take good care of yourself, do hope you'll be better soon!

I have an exam in the next 2 weeks .. no way I can finish the mazurka on March 1st .. give me a chance to postpone to October please.

Apologies.

OK

bump

Frycek,
Is there a new "official" list of who will submit what on March 1? Just curious.

Check the list at the head of the thread. I've been updating it. It's current as of today.