Decades ago when I resided in Fresno, California, agriculture's heartland, I visited a local assisted living facility to serenade seniors. With a portable Casio digital keyboard snuggly packed into my Malibu's trunk, I headed to a rewarding lunch hour of music-making. Meticulously, I'd practiced a medley of "oldies" to please aging residents: Songs by Hoagy… Continue reading My Edvard Grieg Memoir with an unlikely framing
Tag: classical music
What is not right about the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland!
It took me only moments to turn back the clock to the 18th International Chopin Competition (2021) to pinpoint why I was compelled to speak up after being disappointed by the latest Third Round picks in this year's Chopin 2025 EXPO. The jury selections followed a grueling launch of 85 pianists in the First Round--whittled… Continue reading What is not right about the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland!
The Only Girl in the Orchestra lands a deserving Oscar!
On a weekday evening, near midnight, an e-mail from Scotland arrived that bristled with excitement. It was from a piano student who'd watched a Netflix documentary about Orin O'Brien, the first female double bassist to be hired by the New York Philharmonic. Enraptured by the story and its heartfelt message that embraced music-making in a… Continue reading The Only Girl in the Orchestra lands a deserving Oscar!
Mitsuko Uchida returns to Zellerbach Hall with a feast of Mozart Piano Concerti
It's been two years since I last heard Mitsuko Uchida dish up a serving of mellifluous Mozart that she tenders phrase by phrase, with nuances of pure poetry. https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2022/03/28/mitsuko-uchida-and-mozart/ 3/24/2024 Performance at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California The pianist's runs, so well-shaped, curvaceous, and keenly melodic, afford a model for students of the piano, teachers,… Continue reading Mitsuko Uchida returns to Zellerbach Hall with a feast of Mozart Piano Concerti
Patient voice-parceling in practicing Beethoven’s Adagio Cantabile (Sonata “Pathetique”)
Some piano students view playing a choir of voices with a rich bed of sustain pedal as an un-delayed gratification. It's an icing on the cake indulgence that often eludes the main course of diligent, attentive, and analytical practicing. A case in point is Beethoven's hauntingly beautiful, Adagio movement of the "Pathetique" Sonata, Op. 13,… Continue reading Patient voice-parceling in practicing Beethoven’s Adagio Cantabile (Sonata “Pathetique”)
Would Mozart believe he was “banned” worldwide?!
I thought it would never happen! An instant banishment from cyber-space! Mozart's beloved Andante from Sonata K. 283 was the victim of pure and simple tyranny by the you tube police! The stand-in argonaut imperialist Hyperion, a recording company whose reach extended above and beyond PUBLIC DOMAIN, wrenched my upload from its earthly existence with… Continue reading Would Mozart believe he was “banned” worldwide?!
No dumbing down piano study for adult students
I'm ready for a shower of criticism on this one. After all, some adults want their favorite transcription of the Elvira Madigan theme song, (aka Mozart's Concerto No. 21 in C, Andante) to encapsulate their musical journey---at least for part of the time. And that's OK if the transcription route of top ten, poorly transformed… Continue reading No dumbing down piano study for adult students
Applying technical skills to sensitive music learning, and reading between the lines
Just when I thought my wellspring of blog inspired ideas had endured a drought, I had a nagging thirst to explore how technical tools (playing scales, arpeggios, chords, octaves, etc) are woven into music study. Allied to this undertaking, was the idea of inferences and how we make certain decisions about phrasing, articulation, etc. based… Continue reading Applying technical skills to sensitive music learning, and reading between the lines
Piano Technique: Trills and the vocal model
Joyce Di Donato, "lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano," is my model for trilling. In an embedded you tube video, the opera singer emphasizes the undulating character of a beautifully executed trill that leans on the upper note. (Too often pianists deliver a robotic stream of alternating notes that's shapeless and out of breath, ignoring an internal flow and… Continue reading Piano Technique: Trills and the vocal model
Judy, Seymour, and Ludwig
It was no surprise that Judy, one of my adult piano students came to her lesson yesterday gushing about Seymour: An Introduction. And naturally, in the nick of time, I grabbed my super-charged, helium packed iPhone and added the latest film rave to my growing collection. Need I say more?... or is it SEE MORE?..… Continue reading Judy, Seymour, and Ludwig
Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten) 