Week 1: Getting down to Business
Hello and welcome to the WEEK ONE 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 July 31st - August 7 I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
1. Pick a piece you want to revisit!
2. Let us know how far you got with it, what is "unfinished" and what your goal is for this challenge!
-
Before the Mazurka TWI that just took place, I scratched the surface of the first page of Rachmaninov Prelude in D-major Op 23 no 4, so that is very unfinished business!
Week 2 of Mazurka TWI I started the Op 59 no 1 (Chopin), and got threw the first section before I got under the weather.
Now I want to finish these two pieces!
-
Sindre Skarelven I think you may be right there... I was thinking the exact same thing.
Still, it'll be wonderful to hear your progress on this beautiful music. -
Gail Starr Thank you, Gail! I'm in love with op. 59 too! Your Op 59 no 2 is coming together real nicely, and have inspired me to start that one when I'm ready for a new Mazurka :)
-
Natalie Peh Yes, a good Mazurka is needed in every piano line-up! :D I'm so glad to be playing some Rachmaninov too! It's been too long since last time from one of my absolute favorites. And it's still a Rachmaninov year!
-
Alexander Weymann Thank you, Alexander! Yes, my goal for the challenge is no perfect recording, but getting it all memorized and a decent recording so I can work more deeply on the music during the fall. Looking very much forward to hear your Rachmaninov etude-tableau!!
-
Sindre Skarelven I learned SO much from Jarred today. Now, I just need to spend time to actually learn the notes. I would love to learn the entire Opus, also, like you!
-
Sindre Skarelven Looking forward to hearing you, Sindre. The Mazurka is one of my favorites.
-
Sindre Skarelven no better time to finish up the Rachmaninow than his 150th anniversary year!
-
Michelle R Thank you, Michelle! It’s one of my favorites too :)
-
Sindre Skarelven great! I love the Rachmaninov Prelude Op 23 No 4! So beautiful! When playing it, it is such an intense feeling. Like being in love with the keys of the piano. I very much look forward to hearing you play it!
-
Ursina Boehm Thank you, Ursina! Yes, I feel very happy when I'm practicing it, and can't wait to be able to play threw the whole piece and experience this intense feeling even more!
Looking forward to hear your Polonaise-Fantaisie! An amazing work!
-
Ursina Boehm Great description!
-
-
Start to work today (with the difficult middle part) and here is my starting point. I have 1 hour a day to practice. Let’s see how far I will come with it. Would like to hear you too.
-
Kerstin Thank you for sharing! Such great clarity! Really a good reminder to make sure I practice deliberately and cleanly, and don't just gloss over things in the pursuit of too fast too soon...
-
Kerstin hi Kerstin! Looking forward to your updates on this piece.
-
Kerstin that already sounds very nice - such rich tone and clear harmonies from that section!
-
-
I will try to post a progress video like Kerstin today/this weekend, but in the meantime, this is a recording of my playing the Chopin Grand Polonaise for a friend from October 2021, shortly before I abandoned it because it was clearly not going to be ready in time for that term's class recital...
I hear so many things I want to change this time around, and also am reminded that I could literally spend the entire month/challenge on the opening Tutti section
Also in the relearning process, I am realizing how many memory blind spots I have - places where I just relied on muscle memory and have no idea what the notes are
-
Judy Kuan That was lovely! You have captured the spirit of this piece. Good luck with your next steps!
-
Judy Kuan Sounds wonderful. Such piece need a lot of work. Can’t wait for the next version.
Here is the Scherzo in full 10 month ago. https://youtu.be/aE1hpUruXAE
My main problem is memory, but maybe it’s only because I have not enough time to practice and also I am not patient person.Have fun.
-
Judy Kuan great "springy" dance rhythm and wonderfully vibrating, fluttering pedal technique! Very much looking forward to seeing and hearing your update videos.
-
Kerstin Wow, how long did you work on the Scherzo prior to that video? It sounds amazing already! Re: memory, you seem to have a lot of solid pickup points and recover so quickly, which is something I really need to work on
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best -
Alexander Weymann Vidhya Bashyam Thank you, I have my work cut out for me
Looking forward to enjoying your pieces too! -
Judy Kuan Hi Judy! I have started the Scherzo end of January. But I have played a lot of pieces that time. In between I had 2 month break with it. I am a good sight reader and can play new pieces very fast. But to play it perfectly- it’s another thing. Some weeks before I did this record I had 2 online lessons with a Polish pianist and he inspired me to get it in my mind. So I worked 2-3 hours a day for 2 weeks on it and ends with the record. I am still working on Chopin Etude op10/5, Chopin Nocturnes op48/1 and op62/2 and Bach Toccata E-minor.
Which pieces you are working on?What‘s your favorite composer?
Have a nice weekend.
-
Kerstin Wow, you are a FAST learner! What wonderful & challenging pieces you are working on - all are on my wishlist.
This summer, I started working on Beethoven Op. 110 and the Berg Piano Sonata - they're less virtuosic and thus good for settling into my new piano without hurting myself, but very difficult to interpret and frankly are taking forever to learn and thus hurting my brain
I started Bach Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue in the spring and am letting it rest so I can try to memorize it better when I revisit. Hopefully restarting the first movement of Brahms Op. 78 (the first violin sonata) with my friend - had to drop it a couple of years ago because I just wasn't ready, but I think I am now. I play for fun, but sometimes I forget so it's good of you to remind me! Chopin is by far my favorite, but that may be because I'm not ready to play much Liszt yet... How about your favorite composer?
-
Judy Kuan Wow, that’s a heavy program. My favorite composer is Chopin, since the last Chopin Competition 2021. I was listening 6h a day. That was great. And my really favorite piece is Sonata 3, but that’s would be a project for a whole year- maybe more. I like Beethoven (last year I have played Moonlight Sonata and Pathetic, but I also like op 109) and Bach
(I am German
). Rachmaninow. And Liszt is heavy. I tryed Rhapsody 2 last year. It needs to much practicing. End of last year there was an similar challenge and I started with Chopin Ballade 4 . Than I stopped. This piece is great and needs a lot of time. So I like to play shorter piece, which I can play from the score and here and there I learn something like this Scherzo. And these challanges are great to push a little bit forward. Are you a music student? How long you are playing piano? You have a teacher?Lets have fun. Practiced 1 hour totay.
-
Kerstin We have so many similar aspirational pieces! Yes, to all your questions... I played pretty much my entire childhood and stopped when I went to college. Took a long break and restarted about 5 years ago and have been taking classes at Juilliard's Evening/Extension school as well as private lessons from one of the instructors of the program. How about you?
I think I need to set a time limit on how much I work on the Polonaise as well...my teacher's eyebrows would be skyhigh if he knew I was picking it back up along with trying to learn the Berg and the Beethoven
-
