Amusing...
So, Monday night my friends and I decided to make a night out of the election and watch as the results came in. The three of us got into some pretty serious debating, as well as making humour out of some of the TV commentaries. Unfortunately, being politically aware/passionate has its costs:
/sigh... we weren't even being loud, just talking over eachother
Anyways, today I got a surprise care package from my aunt and uncle in Burlington. You know your god-parents are liberal when they send you two flasks of polar ice vodka. They also included a few other essential goodies (skittles, popcorn, chocolates, all that good stuff). It really made my day :-)
My piano quartet had its first 'official' coaching on our chamber piece today (Wilberg's Carmen Fantasy for 2 pianos, 8 hands commissioned by American Piano Quartet). It was also the first time we played in a true duo piano stage setup...Basically this involves facing both pianos towards eachother, and literally removing the lid on the secondo piano while the primo piano lid is up full. My god, the difference in sound was intense. The piece is essentially an orchestral transcription-made-arrangement, and our coach is Dr. Cheramy, the flute prof, obviously a seasoned orchestral player. It's really exciting to have this non-pianist ear working for us, who while is not dealing with technical issues, is giving us a freer perspective of how to colour the sound of the piano to imitate the piece's orchestral origins. For instance, in the first movement, I have all these embellished scales that have the same decorative function as a piccolo, so my goal is to use a more brittle/crisp articulation to create a more transparent texture. I'm really excited about this project, as the only recording ever made was of the actual American Piano Quartet, and the recording, while very dynamic and, well percussive, is also overly pianistic. We're going to go for a more colourful interpretation, using recordings of the actual opera as references.
Oh, and I got 90 on my theory test, only because I interpreted a briefly recurring rhythmic motive as NOT being sequential, as there was very little melodic similarity in the three times it occured, and didn't nearly compare to the obvious tonal sequence that followed. According to Ms. Hestekin, this is a modified sequence. W/E. I did get the rest of the test perfect, form diagrams/bass reductions and all :D. I was proud of myself yesterday though, I had my lesson, then an hour-and-a-half practice session, then a three hour session that evening. All I have to do is that--just more consistently.
Anyways, I should go look over my history notes while res is still quiet (how I love Wednesday afternoons)
/sigh... we weren't even being loud, just talking over eachother
Anyways, today I got a surprise care package from my aunt and uncle in Burlington. You know your god-parents are liberal when they send you two flasks of polar ice vodka. They also included a few other essential goodies (skittles, popcorn, chocolates, all that good stuff). It really made my day :-)
My piano quartet had its first 'official' coaching on our chamber piece today (Wilberg's Carmen Fantasy for 2 pianos, 8 hands commissioned by American Piano Quartet). It was also the first time we played in a true duo piano stage setup...Basically this involves facing both pianos towards eachother, and literally removing the lid on the secondo piano while the primo piano lid is up full. My god, the difference in sound was intense. The piece is essentially an orchestral transcription-made-arrangement, and our coach is Dr. Cheramy, the flute prof, obviously a seasoned orchestral player. It's really exciting to have this non-pianist ear working for us, who while is not dealing with technical issues, is giving us a freer perspective of how to colour the sound of the piano to imitate the piece's orchestral origins. For instance, in the first movement, I have all these embellished scales that have the same decorative function as a piccolo, so my goal is to use a more brittle/crisp articulation to create a more transparent texture. I'm really excited about this project, as the only recording ever made was of the actual American Piano Quartet, and the recording, while very dynamic and, well percussive, is also overly pianistic. We're going to go for a more colourful interpretation, using recordings of the actual opera as references.
Oh, and I got 90 on my theory test, only because I interpreted a briefly recurring rhythmic motive as NOT being sequential, as there was very little melodic similarity in the three times it occured, and didn't nearly compare to the obvious tonal sequence that followed. According to Ms. Hestekin, this is a modified sequence. W/E. I did get the rest of the test perfect, form diagrams/bass reductions and all :D. I was proud of myself yesterday though, I had my lesson, then an hour-and-a-half practice session, then a three hour session that evening. All I have to do is that--just more consistently.
Anyways, I should go look over my history notes while res is still quiet (how I love Wednesday afternoons)