Seeing as I've somehow neglected to update this blog, a post is long-overdue.
The big news is that I sat my AMusA diploma exam, but unfortunately I didn't make the grade. I programmed a selection of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Ravel - and everything but the Ravel was learned in the distant past. This was perhaps a mistake playing so many pieces with too much performance history involved - leading to overconfidence and underpractice.
The programme I presented consisted of:
Brahms Rhapsody in G minor, Op. 79, No. 2
Prelude to Bach's English Suite No. 2 in A minor.
Ravel's "Oiseaux Tristes" from Miroirs
Beethoven's "Sonata Pathetique" - Op. 13 (Complete)
The feedback was mostly fair, and I'll use it to hold myself to higher performance standards in the future.
Nonetheless, I'm at peace with the results - I was growing tired of playing this repertoire and look forward to restoring some other fantastic pieces that I've let decay as a result of preparing for this exam, as well as work on new things.
It's also clear that I'll have to work much more on my technique, either through technical exercises or pieces that force me to improve upon my weaker abilities.
Going forward, I will be restoring these pieces:
Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor.
Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G# minor - Op. 32/12.
Brahms Intermezzo in A - Op. 118/2.
...and for new repetoire, begin working on one of Liszt's Transcendental Etudes.
While I primarily play piano for my own personal enjoyment, I'm at something of a crossroads. I'm starting to become curious about earning something in return for my skills and hard work, so I've started to have initial conversations with a few people about what starting out a side career as a performing musician might look like. I'm still on the fence - it sounds like a lot of work and investment, and lots of hungry musicians. Maybe I'm not hungry enough. Maybe I'm just feeling down on my luck.
Ideally, I'd just like to find a hotel or restaurant lounge with a decent piano where I can play for an hour or two whatever I like. In fact, I'm basically already doing this for one of the hotels in Sydney, except I'm not getting paid for it - it's merely an opportunity to play on a baby grand piano that's still in reasonably good shape.
I'm really hoping that 2025 holds a much brighter future.