It's been a while sharing on this platform. It's been an extremely challenging several months, and all I can hope is that things will improve. There's a lot of pressure in most domains of my life, including career, music studies, health, personal life, and finances, so I've been laying pretty low mostly since I haven't had the energy to share much.
Nonetheless, this is what I've been working on musically:
General Notes
I'm still in between exams. On my Instagram profile, I say that I'm studying for my AMEB AMusA exam, but that's not 100% accurate. I'm preparing to select my programme. In reality, I'm working on a wide variety of techniques - including some non-classical - and playing a variety of material for technical and personal reasons.
I'm performing in public at the QVB on the weekends pretty regularly. I don't really amass a very large audience most of the time, but it's not really the place. I've leaned in pretty heavily into Motown / 60s / 70s music, and started taking a more serious look at some jazz/swing standards.
Nonetheless, there is some classical music being studied:
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5
I reached a point where this became mostly playable for casual audiences. There are sections that still didn't quite feel right, and would be more luck than anything to pull them off well, but I got to a point where I was satisfied with it for now. Yes, I could have kept practicing for greater technical perfection, but since this was purely for my own personal enjoyment, I set it aside.
Honestly, if you asked me to play it this very moment, it's a bit rusty.... though that's okay - I can always dust it off, and the second pass will be better than the first, yeah?
Mozart Sonata in D Major, K. 284
This was assigned to me as a "battering ram" of various technical skills. I still don't enjoy Mozart very much, so I find motivation lacking. The first movement was learned pretty quickly, and I'll admit that it's somewhat fun to play. The second and third movements don't really speak much to me, though, and the third movement's "theme and variations" structure makes it feel like I'm picking at my plate of food, but have no appetite.
Yes, if I were to sit down and put the work in, there's nothing particularly inaccessible, but it seems like a real chore to learn 15 minutes' worth of music in approximately 12 variations (I forget how many, exactly).
I set this one down for a while. I'll play the first movement from time to time out of whimsy, but I'm being asked to have another look. Yay.
Brahms - Intermezzo in E-Flat, Op. 117, No. 1
Challenging times. This piece spoke to me. There's a sadness in Brahms that is exceptionally relatable. I didn't quite memorise this, nor get it to the point where I can play it comfortably in public, but I'll sight-read it from time-to-time in the comfort of home.
My teacher wasn't terribly interested in hearing this, because I needed to expand my range a bit (and we had already covered Op. 118, No. 2 just beforehand.)
Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
I tried learning this piece over 20 years ago. A few years back, a friend (at my suggestion) gave me a printed copy of the sheet music for it as a birthday present, and it's been collecting dust for a while. In my frustration over the Mozart, and halfway expecting to fail miserably, I decided to finally have another look.
Well, I've been picking away at it for a few months - and yes, I can now play the whole thing. Oh, it is a bit rough - it requires so much work, but to be able to memorise and power through the piece somewhat convincingly is a real treat.
At least I can identify a few rough passages and keep working away, but overall, it's - not bad.
Brahms - Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1
Another "old" piece I'm bringing back from the dead. Again, I've had a copy of the Henle Urtext of this sitting on my piano stand for several years, but haven't really done it justice. Though, there's still some pretty good muscle memory going, and structurally, it's not too complicated. It's chaotic, bombastic, full of nervous energy and rage.
Yes, it's more Brahms, but it's on the AMEB LMusA syllabus, so it serves an additional purpose that my teacher respects.
I'll work on it a bit, but I don't think it'll take very long to bring it back to a reasonable standard, even though Op. 79, No. 2's memory is much, much stronger.
Closing Remarks
It's been a bit all over the shop, and now I've been asked to consider looking at some Ravel.
I just hope I maintain motivation and keep going. A few words of support mean a lot.
And in terms of the coffee thing - it's literally what keeps me going while playing at the QVB. By buying me a coffee, you are directly supporting my efforts to share music in Sydney in a very iconic Australian landmark.