Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto (part 1)

I have been practising Rach 3 for some time now... I am playing the piece on Feb the 20th, in a concert hall in Athens. Not with an orchestra (alas!) but with a second piano. It's actually a quite clever arrangement, I think: in the first part of the concert, I am playing the aforementioned work while in the second part, the pianist who accompanies me will play his piano concerto (Chopin 2) and I will be his "orchestra". We began rehearsals some months ago, and it seems to me that the "project" (quite unusual, by Greek standards at least!) is going fairly well.

I played Rach Three about 10 years ago (in Athens and in London), but things are not that easy any more, in terms of practising! (full time work, three children...). Anyhow, I am doing my best to play this wonderful concert as well as I can. 

It is, in my view, Rachmaninoff's best piano concerto, greater than the Second in terms of maturity and musicality. It is also technically the hardest. For me, the main challenge is to be able to play it through to the end without getting really exhausted. I still have about 15 days to go, so I am not that stressed yet!! 

There are so many things I 'd like to write about this concerto, so let's call this post "part 1", and I will continue...

Best Moment from the "Thirty Two Short Films on Glenn Gould"

I always found this film by Francois Girard so strange and at the same time so fascinating! These are 32 snap-shots in the life and music of Glenn Gould. Some of them I fail completely to understand; others I find moving; others I find utterly successful in terms of depicting the "reality" of this great pianist. 

By far the best "moment" in this film is , in my view, the extract here below. In just four minutes Girard manages to convey so many elements of Gould's life: his seclusive life-style, his wit, the obsession with his health, his eccentricity, and, above all, the way he chose to communicate with the other people: not simply through his music but through his records. The relationship between him and the cleaner is transformed to another dimension by the end of the piece (it's Beethoven by the way) and she is gradually (and so charmingly!) "won" by his music, but the point that Girard wants to make is that the means and vehicle of this transformation is a record, not any kind of direct communication. This was Gould! 

Thoughts after a concert... Bach's Concerto After Marcello

Just came home from a concert where I played Bach  (Concerto after Marcello in D Minor) and Brahms (Intermezzo op.117 no 1). Brahms was more or less ok, while with Bach I felt sort of uncomfortable, especially in the first movement. I've played this piece many times in the past but only a few times did I feel that the result was satisfactory. 

What I try to do (and it's not easy!) is not to imitate Glenn Gould's performance. (from his "Italian Bach"- one of his best records, in my view). He does incredible things in this recording, yet the challenge of the performer is to develop a sense of detachment from his sound, and try to find new things and new perspectives. And yet I must admit that I am so influenced by him and so persuasive do I find his reading of Concerto after Marcello that all too often I unconsciously [and hopelessly] try to do what he does. 
Yet there is another, more subtle danger for a pianist: to try and do the opposite of what another (usually great) pianist is doing. In an effort to distance from someone else's playing, one can play things differenetly just for the sake of doing that. So, for instance, Gould plays it staccato here - I'll play legato; Richter brings out an inner melodic line- I'll try to cover it a bit. And so on... 
What's the conclusion? It's quite simple (to say it at least!): Find your self, look for your individual uniqueness, be genuine.

Morten Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium

Let me say goodbye to 2011, with this moving and utterly beautiful motet written by the American composer Morten Lauridsen, splendidly performed, here, by the Choir Polyphony (Hyperion). 

I do not wish to say anything about it, for it seems that no verbal expression can possibly depict or describe what remains, in essence, unsayable...

Here are the words:

O Magnum Mysterium

et admirabile sacramentum

ut animalia viderent Dominum natum

Beata Virgo cujus viscera

jacentem in praesepio!

meruerunt portare

Dominum Christum

Alleluia!

An english translation (found on Wiki):

O great mystery, and wonderful sacrament, 

that animals should see the new-born Lord, 

lying in a manger! 

Blessed is the Virgin whose womb 

was worthy to bear 

Christ the Lord. 

Alleluia!

My sincere wishes to you all...

David Hill's splendid arrangement of "Silent Night"

Some more details on this splendid  arrangement of the well known Christmas song... 

As I said the other day, it was broadcasted on BBC Radio 3 on the morning of December the 24th, in the "Breakfast Show" presented by Clemency Burton-Hill, a sensitive (and multi-talented!) presenter.  

Here are the names of those who contributed to this recording which, incidentally, was specially made for this program.

BBC Singers, Paul Brough (Conductor).
Solo Tenor: Christopher Bowen 

Baritone: Jamie W. Hall. 

Here is the link, although I am afraid that you won't be able to play it after some time. (It's only available for a week, I think):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0186f1g

 

Christmas Music - Western and Eastern (Byzantine) Carols

Merry Christmas to all the friends of this blog! My very best wishes to you all! 

I was listening to BBC Radio 3 the other day, and I came across this very beautiful rendering of the famous Christmas song, "Silent Night". All I managed to hear was that the transcription was made by David Hill. So, if someone could give me more details about this transcription, I'd be most grateful!

I now remember another lovely Christmas carol which I often used to put on when I was a radio producer. It's called "Star Carol", and is composed by John Rutter. A melodious song, full of joy, light and... lightness!

What else?... Oh, let me not forget our own, Greek traditional christmas carols which my children sang on Xmas day, in our parish church, after the Christmas Liturgy. The melody is typically eastern -  actually this particular song that I have in mind has byzantine roots, so one can easily discern the typical byzantine modes. Here is a decent recording I found on the internet:

My best wishes for Merry Christmas!!!!!

Marc Andre Hamelin's cadenza on Liszt's 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody

This is such a fascinatingly original cadenza! I leave aside the technical bravura (which is, however, extraordinary), I'd like to concentrate on the music: Hamelin achieved to give new breathe to this work which (alas!) has suffered so many mediocre performances. 

His writting is brilliant, his ideas clear and well defined, his melodic choices are utterly original and daring. See how  the main themes of the Rhapsody here interlock  in  such an ingenious way! All in all, a masterpiece, this cadenza! I discovered, today, the score (on youtube) and I was able to admire, once more, the excellent work of this great pianist - undeniably one of the greatest in the world today. 

Here is the score: