Week 2: Fully immersed in Grieg's musical landscape
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 May 29-June 5 I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
1. Now that you have picked your piece, and have started practicing. Let us know what you are most enjoying about this immersion into Grieg's world!
2. What is most difficult?
3. OPTIONAL: post a video showing your practice (even if you might be practicing sight-reading it!)
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For your amusement, here's a rather haphazard 26-minute practice session from today, complete with me occasionally muttering about stuff. Piece still needs work. Getting it up to the marked speed, while keeping everything even, will be tough.
Also, I probably should've done some warmups at the beginning. Puck is a terrible piece to play cold.
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Marc M nice practice video! It's interesting for me to follow, as the pieces I'm learning require similar technique. I'm going to march along to the piano to get some practice in now :)
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Thurmond R Great! Thank you, Thurmond! Yes, that playful and mischievous manner was definitely something Grieg thought of with the "small trolls", so I can see why they choose that title.
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Marc M It does paint a picture of Puck from Midsummer Night's Dream for me, so I assumed that was the reference?
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Marc M Great job, Marc! It's interesting to look how you resolve difficult passages...
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Marc M thank you so much for posting a true practice video so we can observe and listen to the progress of working on a piece, especially one as tricky as this one! Sounds impressive already, though...
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Marc M great practice session! I enjoyed watching your problem solving.
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Here is my first recording of Arietta. Such a lovely little Aria…I can totally understand why Grieg came back to it at the end of these lyric pieces too.
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Vidhya Bashyam Beautiful playing, Vidhya! This melody is feels special somehow. So lovely!
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Vidhya Bashyam that's so tender and beautiful, Vidhya! Love it!
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Vidhya Bashyam very sensitive playing, Vidhya! Beautiful!
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Vidhya Bashyam Gorgeous phrasing! You really "breathe" the lyricism into the piece.
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Vidhya Bashyam This is beautiful! I love this little piece. Thank you.
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Vidhya Bashyam What a lovely melody, beautiful playing Vidhya!
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Vidhya Bashyam Nice job, you learned it very quickly! And the shadows of your hands in your video were very beautfiul to see as you were playing, they really matched the vibe of the music :)
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Vidhya Bashyam what a little gem - you do put the "lyric" into these Lyric Pieces.
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Tammy I loved the shadows also! So sorry I couldn't stay to hear YOU this morning...we had a 6.5 hour drive back to FL, so we had to leave to get back in time.
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Alexander Weymann Andrea Buckland Gail Starr Jennifer Mehta Juan Carlos Olite Natalie Peh Sindre Skarelven Thanks for listening and for your kind words. I am definitely enjoying my introduction to Grieg.
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. Now that you have picked your piece, and have started practicing. Let us know what you are most enjoying about this immersion into Grieg's world!
1. I am a newbie to Grieg and I'm enamoured with his lyricism and musical painting!
2. What is most difficult? OMG, I can NOT do octave jumps. My piece sounds like a manual transmission car if you have only driven an automatic before and don't know how to change gears.
3. OPTIONAL: post a video showing your practice (even if you might be practicing sight-reading it!). OK....Now YOU can listen to my efforts after 9 days of intermittent practicing, LOL!
LOTS more SLOW practice needed.
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Gail Starr Bravo Gail! This piece suits you so much. I definitely can hear the march of the dwarves! The middle section is so lovely too (I think of Snow White at this point).
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Gail Starr Brava, Gail! That put a smile on my face this morning. I agree with Vidhya about the middle section - it is quite lovely (I envisioned Snow White, dancing around picking flowers and talking to all the woodland animals).
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Gail Starr Great playing, Gail! This piece fits you so well! Your technic is so crisp and clear with all the fast notes. Beautiful mid-section.
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Gail Starr You really made this music come to life! I love your playing and humor, Gail!
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Gail Starr brava, Gail! I enjoyed listening to it. It's so lively and rhythmic, and you've given the middle section a nice contrasting legato.
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Gail Starr Wow Gail, that is great after only 9 days!
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Gail Starr Sounds great! Great work in 9 days!
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