A most satisfying end to this past week. Happy Monday 18th November 2024
In the last several weeks I have been putting in some serious hours of practice to prepare for a house concert, which took place yesterday, Sunday 17th November 2024.
What many don’t realize is that when preparing for a recital, the daily preparation time is usually approximately four times the length of the actual programme.
This is because it is not simply a case of knowing the correct notes to press and when to press them. If you want to present music that is true to the composer’s intentions, yet is not simply a copy of what is already available on CD, DVD, Spotify, YouTube music, and countless radio stations, a very close connection with the works needs to be felt. You need to explore the printed pages in depth, follow the composer’s instructions closely, and be able to sort out the (sometimes centuries of) myth and embroidery that has attached itself to the music. Especially, music of the 19th century has often been so modified as to be almost a new creation.
When you have formed a close idea of what you wish to convey to the audience, it is time to start looking what other fine pianists have made of the music. Perhaps pick up a few really great ideas you hadn’t considered, and at least ascertain that your performance is in the ballpark, that you are not way off…
