Week Two: Rachmaninoff's "Strawberry on the Keyboard"
Hello and welcome to the WEEK TWO Main Thread for this challenge! 
Alright everyone - this is the thread where we'll all be posting our daily updates.
Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)
Twice a week between March 20 - March 27 I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
One of Rachmaninoff's famous statements about piano playing is that
"One must imagine a ripe strawberry sitting on the key - and you have to push through it!"
in order to create that rich sound so necessary for his music!
What does this mean?
In order to push through the strawberry, you must have a firm yet relaxed finger, but also feeling the depth of the key (not playing too "shallow"). The most important aspect however is that the speed of attack will be consistent, yet perhaps a LITTLE slower than you might normally use. This is one of the secrets to creating a round, warm sound.
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Hereâs my first video for the week- just the first page. Working my way very slowly through this this piece. Besides the usual challenges, a lot of layers and hidden notes/melodies to bring out. Will try to also work on the âstrawberry attackâ quoted above for my next post.
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Vidhya Bashyam loving it!
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Vidhya Bashyam Beautiful piece and beautiful playing, Vidhya! I didn't know it. No doubt, you create a rich "strawberry" sound.
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Vidhya Bashyam that's so beautifully played, it's sounding very luscious! Look forward to the next video!
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Vidhya Bashyam Quite lovely, Vidhya! I enjoyed the delicacy with which you played. This piece is new for me - thanks for introducing me to it.
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Vidhya Bashyam Really lovely. It reminds me of jazz and sounds quite improvisatory.
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Vidhya Bashyam very beautiful, Vidhya! Canât wait to hear more!
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Ching Lee Goh Thank you! Looking forward to your Lieblesleid!
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Juan Carlos Olite Thanks! How is the Prelude coming along? Looking forward to it.
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Natalie Peh Thanks! Evgeny Kissin is performing Rach here in May and he is playing the piece you chose for this challenge! Canât wait to hear both of you!
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Michelle R Thanks Michelle!
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Hazel Thanks Hazel. I agree with you- it does seem jazzy and improvisatory. The last page has a bunch of trills that definitely add to it too.
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Andrea Buckland Thanks Andrea!
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Vidhya Bashyam More or less... I'm trying to make a video today. By the way, my wife is telling me these days: please, play Bach! (because of the big chords in fortissimo
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Vidhya Bashyam So lucky that you get to see Evgeny Kissin play live! I remember the first time I ever heard Rachmaninoff's Op 3 no 2, it was on YouTube, performed by Evgeny Kissin- I think I forgot to breathe throughout!
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Vidhya Bashyam Wow Vidyha, it sounds great already! I can definitely hear those layers and Melodieâs coming out. Beautiful!
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Alice Lin Thanks Alice! Looking forward to hearing your Prelude!
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Vidhya Bashyam Thanks for introducing this piece to me, I wasn't super familiar with it before. It sounds quite complex, with all the chromaticism interwoven everywhere and polyrhythms â well done!
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Wow! I love how you are sculpting the gentle, playful personality of this pieces. I never knew it until you mentioned it to our group, and now I think I need to add it to my list of future things to learn, too.
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Gail Starr Thanks Gail! I have a lot of work to do but I am enjoying the learning process. Itâs very comfortable for the hands. No big stretches or finger twisting chords :) Definitely add it to your list.
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Vidhya Bashyam I've read through the lovely Valse that you recommended for me, and I'm totally pain-free. Great discovery! Thank you so much. I'll make a little video of the first few pages tomorrow at lunchtime.
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Gail Starr Yeah, so exciting!
Canât wait to hear you! Itâs been on my list to learn for a while. I am very curious about what imagery the valse gives you (Rach music always creates images and stories for me). -
Vidhya Bashyam Same here! This valse seems like it could easily be a ballet piece "en pointe"...I'm getting sort of a Tchaikovsky "Swan Lake" vibe.
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My first video for the challenge: Prelude op. 3 nÂș 2 in C sharp minor.
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Juan Carlos Olite Wow! Great playing! I love how the opening really feels like an introduction and you let the notes die away before starting the rest. Also, so much clarity in all the large chords and smooth transitions. One thing I have noticed listening to Rachmaninoffâs own recordings is how you can hear all the notes (despite the sheer density of them on the page)- your playing is the same. Almost like the music is really 3d and each note has itâs place in space. Bravo!
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