Ching’s Piano Adventures
I was inspired to return to the piano 4 years ago after hearing a 93 year old lady (Patricia) play Schumann’s Arabeske. It was the first time I heard this beautiful piece for the first time and her sensitive touch despite her frail frame just floored me. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a score and start playing it. Since then I couldn’t stop playing the piano several hours a day (after 20 yrs hardly touching it) and have learnt to overcome technical challenges and play at a level I never thought possible. Such is life’s surprise, and never too late!
During Covid I set the goal of doing a Diploma exam as a way of motivating myself to play pieces I love at a decent level.
- Scarlatti sonata k 426 + k 427
- Mozart Rondo K 511
- Czerny variations on a Theme by Rode Op 33
- Verdi/Liszt Rigoletto Concert Paraphrase
- Debussy Pagodes from Estampes
- Falla - Spanish Dance no 1 from La Vida Breve
I might have bitten off more than I could chew - as half of this are quite virtuosic in some way. But after 8 months I’m getting somewhere and hope to share some of this with you.
Ching
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Leah Olson Andrea Buckland Natalie Peh Sindre Skarelven Vidhya Bashyam thanks! Perhaps one reason it's not often heard is that it was originally an orchestral piece from Falla's opera La Vida Breve. Falla then wrote the solo piano transcription of this and another equally lovely Spanish Dance No 2 from the same opera.
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Ching Lee Goh I had no idea! I'm working on his transcription of Ritual Fire Dance from his ballet El Amor Brujo. Small world
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A pair of Scarlatti Sonatas in G minor and G major. Quite a long process deciding on the articulation choices in the K426 and getting to this level of evenness(or unevenness) in the finger-twisting K427. Will have to live with this to fulfil new year resolution of recording exam pieces by end of Feb!
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Ching Lee Goh Nice playing!
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Ching Lee Goh Loved it! You weren't kidding about the finger-twisting. My goodness!
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https://youtu.be/fpdR44L5--w
First time posting a Mozart piece! Still practising to submit for the diploma exam. I’m way past my new year resolution to submit by Feb!-
Ching Lee Goh Beautiful playing! Your tempo and expression is perfect for this piece. Love Mozart in minor keys!
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Vidhya Bashyam Thank you. Yes, I prefer a slow tempo as this piece expresses sadness, pain and pathos and I run a story in my mind about an estranged couple reliving good and bad times, that ends with them going separate ways. Indeed, Indeed, I’m thinking about looking into his fantasias in D minor and C minor next.
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Ching Lee Goh Perfect story for this piece! Looking forward to your fantasias.
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