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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. 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 Sounds great, Gail! You play with such energy and delicacy, the contrast between the two sections are so expressive. Excellent playing!
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Juan Carlos Olite You are so kind! I still have a great deal of work to do.
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Gail Starr Whoa! Super impressive, Gail! And it’s so fast. Love the how your LH is very assertive; it really enhances the atmosphere of the piece and also heightens the propulsive drive.
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Gail Starr amazing! Great rhythmic energy throughout it all, and those nasty left hand octave leaps certainly are played with chutzpah. I remember well how impressed I was when my dad played this piece for me when I was little and thought it would be the coolest thing ever to one day be able to play it. Now I'm reminded why I felt that way!
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Alexander Weymann Chutzpah beats real technique in my book any day!
My dad played violin, piano and electric bass so we always had lots of fun music in our house. (In fact, he used to say that my "real" sport was piano competitions, not cross country.)
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Tammy Assertive to just show how many wrong notes I can play with grace and aplomb, LOL!
(I know I need a ton of slow practice on those jumps...just didn't have the time to do it this week.) -
Jennifer Mehta Thank you so much, Jennifer. Now, I need a few days of nice, SLOW practice, LOL!
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Sam Smith I'll hopefully nail it after another 9...but I only have 3 before I head off to the fun Georgia chamber music retreat I do at Berry College with all my buddies from the local community orchestras in the Atlanta area. You might like to join us next summer! It's ALL sightreading, though...do you like that?
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Sindre Skarelven I LOVED LOVED LOVED your gorgeous Grieg this morning, Sindre. You are a true professional!!!!
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Gail Starr Hi Gail, that might be too much pressure for me! But my wife will be there - look for Laurie playing clarinet - her entire woodwind quintet will be there!
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Gail Starr Thanks again!!!
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Gail Starr bravo, Gail!!!
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Sam Smith I know Laurie! Maybe we can do the Beethoven trio with clarinet or something else fun. What chamber music does she like?
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Jarkko Janhunen Thank you so much! I still have a LOT of work to do on this piece, but I've been busy getting ready for a chamber music weekend instead. Do you like to play chamber music?
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Gail Starr yes I certainly do. I try go to this festival every year, as I know Peter Friis Johansson (who is one of the funders of this festival).
https://fairplaychambermusic.com/en/home/
(However, I haven't played chamber music myself)
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Jarkko Janhunen This looks like SO much fun! My niece will be at home in Stockholm for vacation in July, and I am sure she'd love to come to some of the concerts. Maybe I'll come next year!
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The journey threw Book V of lyrical pieces (Op 54) continues with two of the more popular pieces. Trolltog/March of the Dwarfs and Notturno. Hope you enjoy!
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Sindre Skarelven Wow Sindre! That was amazing. The March was so vibrant and full of color and what a beautiful/dreamy Notturno. As I said before, you have such a strong connection to these pieces. I want to play more Grieg after hearing your interpretations.
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Sindre Skarelven Wonderful!
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Sindre Skarelven very impressive! The technical precision and the rhythmic energy of the "Trolltog" were fabulous, but even more stunning was the singing sound and the long, lyrical arc you created in the "Notturno" - a really fine performance. How on earth do you learn all these pieces in such a short amount of time? :-)
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Sindre Skarelven Wowwww!!! Sindre, this is amazing. I think my eyes widened quite a bit in the first 5 seconds, it was so fast! And what a contrast too, between the fast and furious trolls and the serene, dreamlike Nocturne. I think you have a special affinity for these Romantic era pieces. I’m really enjoying these multiple op. 54 posts.
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Sindre Skarelven absolutely brilliant interpretations of both pieces! The March of the Trolls, with a zippy lively tempo, played with flourish and then the Notturno, with expressively and beautifully shaped phrases. Bravo, Sindre! It's so inspiring watching these videos!
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Sindre Skarelven WOW! Absolutely incredible playing, Sindre. I couldn't help but smile at the beginning of Trolltog - and the middle section brought tears to my eyes. Notturno was just lovely. I got caught up in the ebb and flow you created with your phrasing and voicing. I could listen to you playing these pieces over and over again. Thank you for sharing your gift with us!
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Vidhya Bashyam Sam Smith Alexander Weymann Tammy Natalie Peh Michelle R Thank you so much for your kind comments everyone!! That really put a smile on my face :)
To answer your question, Alexander, it comes from quickly understanding the smaller units in the music, and just adding them together. And then seeing the bigger picture. Lot's to say about that! -
Sindre Skarelven Wow! Beautiful! Such different pieces, and both played with great skill, and sensitivity. Thank you!
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