Thread: What are you playing at the moment?

Originally Posted by Agatha

Always wanted to ask, what if you don't like what you need to play? Do you play it anyway?

A couple of months ago, I went to a concert, where Arabella Steinbacher should have plaid violin concerto by Dvorak. She was sick and another lady came and performed the concerto. Somehow her performance left impression that it was hard work for her and not enjoyment. Maybe it was just the piece?

How do you handle this situation? Do you find a way to love it? Or just play it for money?

I am not a musician, just love classical music and forgive me if my question sounds stupid to you.

I'm not a professional musician, I'll just say that right from the start; I'm in high school right now.

If I'm not very fond of the music, I do just play it anyway because there isn't a whole lot else to do about it and there are others who do love it. And sometimes I do grow to like a piece of music by being inside of it and recreating it rather than just hearing it.

I definitely try to avoid the psychology of "playing because they told me to;" I always try to find a personal reason, even if it's simply playing for the audience who likes it. And sometimes it doesn't really work very well.

Mozart's Symphonia concertante - solo violin part.

It's a tad (ok completely) beyond me, but got some lovely bits in it.

Originally Posted by World Violist

I always try to find a personal reason, even if it's simply playing for the audience who likes it.

Thanks for the reply! It is so nice to hear that you care about those who listen

I'm practicing Silvius Leopold Weiss' L'Infidele suite, on my lute.

MEDIEVAL ENGLISH MUSIC - Masters of the 14th & 15th Centuries - The Hilliard Ensemble

Given up on the Mozart. I'm just not good enough to get it how I want it.

Back to the Spring Sonata for me

Snare Drum (though on a timbal not a snare though sounds nearly the same) Radetzky march. Just after 2 weeks of hardcore practicing I learned how to do a good and fast drum roll researching techniques so Im having fun.

i would say hi fi

orchestra -

current: barber second essay

I just came back from the first orchestra rehearsal for a new programme:

Schubert's Overture "Fierrabras", looks okay-ish
Richard Strauss, "Four Last Songs". We've played the #3 and #4 today, and they are not too difficult. Intonation, looooooong bows and playing quiet enough will be the only tricky things, but it's managable.
Reger's "Variations on a theme by Mozart". Looks really, really evil. We'll play it for the first time next week. Huh.

Oh, and the second new programme:
Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf". It has a few difficult places, but it's mostly a nice thing.

I had the two "Peter and the Wolf" concerts on Sunday. Funny. It was easier than I expected.

I'm a senior in high school-

Piano:
Chopin: Ballade in G Minor
Beethoven: Piano Sonata #4
Bach: WTC G major, Book 1

Cello:
Haydn- C Major Cello Concerto
Bach- 2nd Cello Suite

String Quartet
Dvorak- American Quartet
Schubert- Death and the Maiden
Beethoven- 13th string quartet


And orchestra seasons just finished, but for my last concerts I played:

Tchaikovksy- Serenade for Strings (final movt)
Beethoven- Symphony No. 5
Handel- Water Music
Cartwithen- Bishops Rock
Reynolds (me)- Fantasia for Orchestra
Saint-Saens- Violin Concerto No. 3 (first movt)
Saint-Saens- Danse Bachannale

That's impressive Nix! How many WTK pieces do you know? I'm on my second.

I'm currently learning the Pathetique Sonata with Op.2 No.1 in the pipeline.

Not too many- C major, E minor and Bb Flat major (all from Book 1).

With Beethoven, I'm making it my goal to learn all of the sonatas before the end of my life. Pathetique was actually the first one I learned all of the movements to- then I backtracked, starting from the beginning and am currently on 4.

Liszt- Sonata in B minor

Janacek- The Madonna of Frydek

Mussorgsky- St. John's Night on Bald Mountain (1867; edited by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1886) transcribed for solo piano by Konstantin Chernov (1865-1937).

Alan Hovhaness - Guitar concerto #1

Man I am REALLY becoming absorbed in Hovhaness' music, lately.
He has very quickly become one of my favorite modern composers.