Piano-phile

Of finger/hand/arm cramps and La Campanella - how to play it

2009-08-31T22:19:00.001+08:00

Ah yes, the treacherous La Campanella.

The piece that every adventurous and serious pianist will try some time or other. I figured it was finally time to tackle it.

Now let's look at the difficulties of the piece, and how to overcome them:

1. Opening - leaps. No, slow sluggish practice will never help you reach the speed. I learnt it the tough way. Accuracy comes from slow but rapid motions. Contradictory?

2. LH melody - with so much going on in the RH, it seems convenient to leave out the LH. It's tougher than it seems - to bring out the melody beautifully! Separate hand practice would get that sorted. Try to do the LH without looking.

3. 2-1-5 repeated RH fingering. Ooh, that's where the cramps come in. Relaxing the hand will not help either. During slow practice, lock in the tension, but keep your hands supple and flexible.

4. 4-5 trill on RH. My uber-nemesis. I alternative 45 and 35 every 6 notes. Works a treat for me, but am still trying to get it to be even. Some people do all 45, others all 35, some do 3545 or 4535. I suggest try all!

(5. Repeated octaves on RH, and leaping octaves in the LH. Work in progress...)

Voila, end of piece! I've left out the less difficult passages imo, but everyone faces different difficulties. I hope you have fun playing it too!

Review: Simon Trpceski plays Chopin, Debussy, Prokofiev

2009-03-12T06:43:00.004+08:00

Simon Trpceski, one of the world's leading piano soloists, gave a recital in cambridge yesterday, playing an ambitious programme of:

Chopin Mazurkas Op 24
Chopin Mazurka Op 17 no 4
Chopin Sonata no 2 in B flat minor, Op 35

Debussy Children's Corner Suite
Prokofiev Toccata in D minor Op 11
Prokofiev Sonata no 7 in B flat, Op 83

The mazurkas were approached with such poise that one might have mistaken them for etudes in coloration and tone. Trpceski is fully aware of each harmonic change, and with expert control of the pedal, he eases the listener into the subtle chromatic harmonies scattered around.

The sombre, somewhat stern and restless character of the sonata was apparent right from the opening, where Trpceski masterly creates an impetuous fire with tastefully placed hairpins. One could expect nothing less of the presto finale, where his rendition kept me at the edge of my seat.

Debussy's suite was a very welcome contrast - having said that, one could possibly say that Debussy took Chopin's numerous colorations and introduced even more possibilities. After all, Debussy did study Chopin very carefully, even editing his complete nocturnes. (ABRSM publishing)

Trpceski's approach to Debussy was warm and comforting. Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum was filled with lots of charming nuances. Subtle pedal changes and tonal translucency was unmistakably present, which created a great deal of colors from the Steinway D model.

Prokofiev's toccata is 4 minutes of molto perpetuo. Trpceski decided to go for a nuanced 2-in-a-slur (4beats a bar) variation instead of pounding through every note - which seemed unusual for a toccata. This later served to link the climatic passages in a much more coherent fashion. Trpceski decides to spare the use of pedal most of the time, keeping his Prokofiev very clean and discrete, which illustrated the unmoving pulse of the piece. The coda had a sudden acceleration and dramatic crescendo, and the glissando was played in a completely unexpected way. A truly memorable performance.

The first movement of the sonata was taken at a breakneck speed. Trpceski certainly used his fast tempo to create the inquieto and restless effect superbly, not stopping to take a breath even at the most treacherous octave cascades in the middle of the piece. While I felt that the 2nd movement could have been a bit more eerie and distant, Trpceski opted for the more direct approach in the presenting of the chordal progressions. The precipitato was very well-defined with accurate accents and not once was the tension abated - even in the quieter development - and towards the end, the clarity of the perpetuo was still maintained with minimal pedalling.

In summary, surreal Chopin, witty Debussy, breathtaking Prokofiev. A splendid performance.

Saint Saens Carnival of Animals - Aquarium

2009-03-08T07:12:00.006+08:00

Here's a snippet of the recently performed Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals!

This is Aquarium, which has a glockenspiel instead of a glass harmonica, with Ian Tindale (2nd piano) and Christ's College Orchestra

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More recitals and concerts

2009-02-22T07:07:00.003+08:00

It's been and will be a busy term! I've got 5 recitals, of which 2 had passed. They were:

Chamber Recital - Kelvin Chan (piano), Duana Chan (violin)
Duo Concertante presents
Dvorak Sonatina for piano and violin, Op 100
Grieg Sonata no 3 in C minor for piano and violin, Op 45 no 3
6 Feb 09

Solo recital
"Poetry and Invention in Music"
Chopin Ballades 1,2,3
Chopin Nocturne in B flat minor Op 9 no 1
Chopin Nocturne in E minor Op 72 no 1
Scriabin Sonata no 5
21 Feb 09

Upcoming recitals and concerts are:

University of Cambridge Philharmonia
Mozart Piano Concerto no 23 in A major, K488
Emmanuel United Reformed Church
7.30pm
28 Feb 09

Solo recital
Corpus Christi College
All chopin recital
1.15pm
6 Mar 09

Christ's College Orchestra
Saint-Saens Le Carnaval des Animaux
Great St Mary's Church
7.30pm
7 Mar 09

Certainly looking forward to all the concerts!

Piano technicals

2008-12-10T08:40:00.001+08:00

Upon request! here it is - help on technique:

Technicals:

1. Seating position and posture - not too near piano, sit at edge of seat, allowing body weight to be shifted forward when necessary. It can be helpful at times to sit with the right foot flat on the floor, but the left leg bent more with just the toes (and not the heel) touching the floor. This allows body weight to be transferred to the fingers for maximum strength and volume.

2. Arm position/ seat height - seat height should be adjusted such that the arms are bent at the elbows at approximately 90 degrees. Increasing seat height gives more flexibility of wrist, and hence more power when playing, but that is coupled to a reduction in finger control. Similarly, a low seat height affords greater finger control and hence lyricism, but power is obtained less easily.

3. Hand position - asking someone to relax at the piano is to ask the impossible. Moving the fingers already generates tension. I think that when the term "relax" is used, it means suppleness, where the hand and fingers are free to move despite having to play one or more notes with the other fingers. Having said that, it can and should be encouraged that the fingers should relax after playing the keys, and no extra force should be applied after the keys are depressed. Upon lifting from the keys, the fingers should try to curl back to the natural position of the hand (obtained by supporting the hannd by the wrist and letting the hand go flaccid)

4. Fingers - strength, dexterity of fingers is absolutely for fine performances. This comes from finger independence, which can be gleaned from various exercises like hanon, or the Ted Joselson technique which i teach my students. It is quite common for some people to have curled up little fingers, or locked fingers, or thumbs which cave in at the joint at the base of the thumb. I think most of these flaws are caused by weaknesses in other fingers (usually 2, 3 and 4), which may lead the pianist to compensate its weakness by increasing the tension in the hand. Although the result will be a 'stronger' and louder sound, it lacks control and suppleness. Try practising in pp, focusing not to add surplus tension in the hand, by using the other hand to support the thumb (for caved-in thumbs) and uncurling the curled fingers. Only increase the dynamics when pp can be played quite comfortably.

5. Metronomic practice - yes it's the good ol' metronome. Start with very slow practice, especially for pieces with treacherous running notes or spreads or leaps, and drive home the rhythmic pulse right from the beginning. At this stage, be careful not to add any accents, which would be very audible when the speed is upped.

Murray Perahia - The complete Beethoven piano concertos

2008-11-27T01:30:00.004+08:00

A close friend recently bought me the complete set of PCs by Beethoven, performed by Murray Perahia with Bernand Haitink and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, as a birthday present.

The New York Times said Perahia "Played with clarity, elegance and rhythmic crispness... creating a swirling, beautiful blur of colors." I think that really sums up the set very well. These 5 concertos are highly virtuosic, and Perahia breathes life into the demanding passages, which he tackles without flinching, and always playing it very musically with elegant phrasing.

The balance of sound was delicate, and articulation was simply sublime, with a broad range of colours extracted from both the orchestra and the piano to correspond with the varying moods of the concertos.

There are some people who would claim that live music is always more exciting and musical than a recording - this set is one of the few recordings that certainly debunk this claim - it couldn't possibly sound any better than this. A definitely must in every classical-music-lover's collection.

Alfred Brendel in concert - Mozart Concerto no 24

2008-06-11T07:35:00.003+08:00

While currently still in the UK, i've had the opportunity to catch great pianists in concert. Last year i managed to catch Martha Argerich playing Ravel's G major concerto with Charles Dutoit (it was fab); earlier this evening, i went to Barbican Hall to watch Alfred Brendel playing Mozart's piano concerto no 24 in C minor, K491, with Bernard Haitink.

Brendel's playing is absolutely sublime and leaves the audience breathless. His ability to make the melodic line sing is exceptional - one can hear him humming the melody as he plays it - his engagement in the music is probably what distinguishes a person who plays the piano, to a true musician.

Brendel is rather liberal in the use of the pedal; he pedals through melodic lines, and even in runs with rapid flutter pedalling - yet all are in good taste, without shortchanging the clarity and brilliance. Perhaps how he does it is by a lighter staccato touch?

After a dark opening by the orchestra, Brendel enters pensively, retaining the solemn mood of the orchestra. He changes colours so very often with the selective use of the pedal, and creates wonderful balances of sounds when playing with the orchestra, so that he is neither too prominent, nor too distant. The cadenza retains the essence of the movement and is superbly Mozartian, recapitulating the original motifs and (surprisingly not ending with a trill!) leading the orchestra in gently into the coda.

I found the second movement a tad too fast for my liking - i feel that the second movement is somewhat aria-like, and could be allowed for more time to breathe. Having said that, Brendel must have thought through it, as he still managed to put his finger on the pulse of the movement - the only drawback of the speed was that when the solo flute and bassoon had a conversation, they struggled to keep in time with the piece with the required rapid runs.

The last movement was necessarily restless, and Brendel led the orchestra with his vivacity and drew rich sonorous chords, with a refreshing contrast in the light-hearted interlude in the middle of the movement.

A splendid performance of the concerto, which rendered him unanimous standing ovations, so much so as to call him onto the stage 5 times, before he relented to play an encore - Schubert Impromptu D935 op142 in Aflat major. Once again he showed his mastery in creating magical shades and colours, even at dynamics of ppp.

Now my only grievance is that the concerto was too short - i would certainly like to listen to him more!

Madonna Hard Candy

2008-04-28T21:22:00.003+08:00

Well, it's finally here:

1. Candy shop
2. 4 minutes
3. Give it 2 me
4. Heartbeat
5. Miles away
6. She's not me
7. Incredible
8. Beat goes on
9. Dance 2night
10. Spanish lesson
11. Devil wouldn't recognise you
12. Voices

Having listened through the album just once through, it's apparent that Justin Timberlake has had a large influence on the style of certain songs, which add flavourful character.

I'm quite a large M fan i should say, but this album's a bit strange to me actually. I've gotta listen through a bit more, before i can decide really. In any case, her first release (4minutes) is definitely the best imho. x

Rainbow

2008-04-15T18:34:00.003+08:00

Life's getting mundane over here, but a rainbow makes my day :) Saw a huge one yesterday evening after dinner when the sun was setting, but very sunny still, together with a fine drizzle.

condenser microphone

2008-04-04T21:58:00.002+08:00

I hadnt the slightest clue that a microphone needed an interface when i got down to purchasing one earlier today. Fortunately, i managed to find a proper condensor microphone, which didnt require one- to record my piano playing. I think this 3 figure sum will go a long way in my many more recordings to come. Had enough of poor quality recordings! I shall post my first recording with the mic here once i get down to playing something :)

Mayballs and competitions

2008-02-17T07:06:00.002+08:00

I recently took part in a concerto competition within Cambridge. Yeah it sounds rather atas, but it's a small-scale competition, where instrumentalists (NB not only pianists) "compete" to get a soloist position with an orchestra. Well, this year, only about 20 pple took part, of which a great many were music students.

Naturally, i didnt get very far, for i didnt realise i could play non-concerto repertoire for a concerto competition. Quite strange isnt it? I hadnt really prepared much for concertos, so although i didnt get through, in retrospect, im quite pleased with my playing, considering i didnt practise my audition pieces much 2 weeks before that competition.

May week is approaching! (well it's actually quite far away, but auditions are already CLOSING) I'm auditioning for a couple of balls this year, and i'm hoping the total earnings are going to be able to pay for my airfare back to SG, or equivalent, because im not going to use the money for the airfare ANYWAY. hahaha.

Upcoming recitals, concerts, competitions and masterclasses

2008-01-25T23:15:00.000+08:00

This term is a very musical term indeed. I'm completely buried in the amount of music repertoire i have to learn for my upcoming recitals and masterclasses!

29 Jan Masterclass with Bryce Morrison
30 Jan Chamber recital at St Cat's College
2 Feb A capella performance at Chinese New Year Ball
3 Feb Chamber recital at Girton College
5 Feb Masterclass with Garfield Jackson, from Endellion String Quartet
6 Feb CUMS I Piano concerto competition - auditions
11 Feb Masterclass with Abigail Dolan
14 Feb Masterclass with Celia Nicklin
24 Feb Piano performance at CUMSA annual ball, and a capella performance
29 Feb Solo piano recital at Corpus Christi College
11 Mar Mozart A major Concerto no 23 (K488) with Corpus Christi College Orchestra
14 Mar Chamber recital at Corpus Christi College

And that (presumably) ends the term! whew!

Piano Masterclass

2007-12-11T23:05:00.001+08:00

I'm really flattered! Mary Wu, an adjudicator of the recent National Piano and Violin Competition, picked me instead of a finalist to play at her masterclass! Very unexpected indeed. She recently gave all-Ravel recitals, and she has worked under Vlado Perlemuter(who worked with composer himself), so it'd be really interesting to hear from her point of view on my Ravel Ondine and Faure nocturne!

I do have one dissatisfaction about the finals - why is the finals lumped together with the prize presentation? It limits the maximum number of finalists, which doesn't make any sense at all. Am i then surprised that only 3 were picked for the finals? the audience has to sit through 3 full piano concertos. what a concert that would be! go imagine if 5 were picked instead.

Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition 2007

2007-12-11T00:03:00.000+08:00

Well, I got through to the semis, but not the finals, for the Artist (aka Open) category. Here's a list of what i played:

First round:
Ondine from Gaspard de la nuit, Ravel
1st movement of Sonata no7, Prokofiev

Semifinals:
Sonata in D major K311 (complete), Mozart
Nocturne no4, op36, Faure
2nd and 3rd movement of Sonata no7, Prokofiev

Concerto : Concerto in G major, Ravel

So as expected, the adjudicators picked the 1st movement of the G major Ravel. It's very peculiar that only 3 of 9 (11 semifinalists, 2 dropped out) were chosen for the finals!

Well, next up is a series of flute/piano duo recitals in Cambridge, which includes very heavy music like the Prokofiev Flute and Piano Sonata (composed directly after Prokofiev 7th); as well as some serious viola music (Hindemith, for viola and piano). Also most probably will include the ROSL Arts (Music) competition in UK, as well as a couple more solo recitals. It's gonna keep me VERY VERY busy, but well, what better time to do it than now?!

More new repertoire on the way!

Prokofiev 7 sonata - precipitato

2007-11-03T19:16:00.000+08:00

For people who would like to listen to the Prokofiev before my recital in Cambridge/ competition in Singapore. This was recorded quite in Jan 2005, and aired on Arts Central in Singapore. It was performed in Concert For Hope, a fundraising concert for the 2004 tsunami victims.

Instrumental Award

2007-10-06T20:32:00.000+08:00

I decided to apply for the instrumental award, after 1 year of hesitation. The first round of auditions included playing the piano accompaniment of the first movement of Beethoven Violin Sonata Op 30 no3, as well as a short sightreading passage. The second round was a rehearsal of that very piece in front of a group of adjudicators, as well a short chat with them (the usual questions - why did u apply, what happens if you meet someone with a clash of musical ideas yadada)

So, while i was enjoying my weekend trip in Amsterdam, the results were announced, and this year there were fewer offers, surprisingly. Apart from myself, 4 other pianists, and other instrumentalists were awarded it.

Here's the benefits:
Coaching by professional musicians during term time
£75 allowance over a whole year
Some £ to offset the costs for music lessons
Opportunities to give concerts

It's pretty intense i should imagine. I expected to be part of a quartet or something, but I just found out earlier this morning that I was paired with a flutist, a 2nd year music student. So here goes a lot of flute and piano music!

Apart from these commitments from the instrumental award, I've also decided to do a few more stuff in cambridge, which include:
Accompaniment with a violist, whom I've been wanting to play with but never got down to it.
Solo recital in Michaelmas term (ie within the next 2 months) in prep for the competition
Accompaniment for violinist friends in college for informal concerts

ie if im not attending lectures or practicals, the only other places you can find me are my room, or the piano room below my room. Oh, and finally i get the same privileges as a music student - i can book music rooms in the music fac! finally, good pianos at my disposal.

Lake Fishing!

2007-08-29T23:25:00.000+08:00

I just got back from a freshwater fishing expedition to some lake in KL, Malaysia, where anglers seldom visit. It's practically teeming with fish, you can see them by the shore most of the time. For a 3d2n trip, i hit the waters just 5 times, but it was a 100% success rate each of the 5 times. Here's just a list of the species i saw or caught:

1. Peacock Bass (wow! hard to find. 4 caught, 2 adults on artificial minnow, 2 juvenile on bread)

2. Hypsibarbus wetmorei, or Golden Belly Barb. Multiple hookups, all on bread.

3. Oreochromis niloticus, or Nile tilapia

4. Red tilapias and related (The bright red one is so red it almost looks fake!)

5. Catfish (of all kinds - but only the flathead catfish were caught - some on bread, some on artificial lures. This one is particularly grumpy. After landing it and unhooking it, it promptly wriggled back to the waters as we stood by the banks, staring with mouths wide open at that amazing feat)

5. Terrapins (yes i hooked them, unknowingly. As i asked the question: "Who stole my bread?", this terrapin raised its right paw and said "It wasn't me!" Notice the hook was embedded in the flesh. )

6. Snakeheads (of all kinds - the Forest snakehead, giant snakehead, common snakehead were all seen swimming about, 2 feet from the bank. Just terribly hard to catch!)

7. Koi (Hardly seen about, but plentiful in certain areas where tourists feed bread all the time)

8. Monster carp. Not sure what kinds, but 2 were caught. I'm pretty sure one is the European Carp (the orange fins) Neither were caught by yours truly. Both broke the line when hauling up onto the banks. Must have been about 6-8 kg. Each >2.5 feet.

9. Many more! Just couldnt document them already.

Freshwater fishing is so much cleaner than saltwater fishing, where you're bound to stink to high heavens!

Oh if you're wondering what we did to the fish we caught, of course we released them. Catch and release is the way to go; i mean, what could we have done with the fish? cooked it? For the fish-friendly people - barbless hooks were used.

Fishing! at bedok jetty again

2007-08-16T00:25:00.001+08:00

Yes i went fishing again. Remembered the last fishing post i put up a long slender toothy fish? hah! not so lucky this time la. Although i did see golden trevally, queenfish ~2ft long, groupers all in <2hours, i ended up accidentally hooking up this poor fish in its GILLS. what luck. Don't laugh arh. It's a fish nonetheless.

NAC piano and violin competition 2007

2007-05-23T07:20:00.000+08:00

Well well, the biennial competition is this year, and i'm quite impressed with the Open category repertoire ("The "Open" category has been renamed "Artist" category to reflect the professional aspirations of the participants in this category)

Here's a list of the piano concerto repertoire, a massive increase from the pitiful 4 two years ago:

Piano Concerto Set List
1. MOZART Concerto No. 20 in D minor K. 466
2. MOZART Concerto No. 23 in A major K. 488
3. MOZART Concerto No. 24 in C minor K. 491
4. BEETHOVEN Concerto No. 3 in C minor Op. 37
5. BEETHOVEN Concerto No. 4 in G major Op. 58
6. BEETHOVEN Concerto No. 5 in E flat major Op. 73
7. CHOPIN Concerto No. 2 in F minor Op. 21
8. SCHUMANN Concerto in A minor Op. 54
9. TCHAIKOVSKY Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor Op. 23
10. GRIEG Concerto in A minor Op. 16
11. RACHMANINOV Concerto No. 2 in C minor Op. 18
12. LISZT Concerto No. 1 in E flat major
13. RAVEL Concerto in G major
14. BARTOK Concerto No. 3 in E major
15. PROKOFIEV Concerto No. 3 in C major Op. 26

The list looks very exciting indeed; finally i get a chance to tell myself i should start properly learning a concerto! ahahah of course what im choosing will be kept private until the official repertoire list of all the participants are published =p

Hm i wonder how many people will do the Prokofiev!! I bet 10 million people will pick K488, Ravel and Grieg!!!

Exams loom within the next 2 weeks; i haven't even had the chance to touch the piano in 2 FULL weeks. Well i'm giving a mini informal recital this sunday; so i guess i better strike a balance between burying myself in notes, and practising on finger dexterity.

Trafalgar Square

2007-04-30T04:32:00.000+08:00

London's Trafalgar Square is a place one should definitely visit. Here's my top reasons:

1. It's a historic landmark, commemorating the British naval triumph over Napolean in 1805.
2. The fountains are really quite pretty, and in warm sunny weather (that's when you're lucky) you can sit on the grass everywhere and watch pigeons.
3. The National Gallery is directly beside, and one should enter to see the permanent exhibits, including the notable Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Chair.
4. You get to see random interesting stuff! aha!

I was bringing a friend round London, and of course Trafalgar Square would be a destination. On arrival, look what i saw:

I couldn't believe my eyes! haha imagine the crowd it drew:

I think the hullabaloo had been ongoing for a while, since not too long after we arrived, the police came and were apparently more amused by the sight, rather than putting a stop to the commotion. Let's take a look again:

And yes, the guy was wearing a red g-string only. (and i did miss parts when he did reveal a bit more than that)

Concert and receptions

2007-03-13T07:11:00.000+08:00

Whew! concert finally over. Have yet to hear the recording which i made, but overall was very pleased with the overall concert. Yay will do another one soon. Next thing to look forward to is working with Noriko Ogawa on 12Apr07. Exciting!

As a (honorary) trustee of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, i was invited to a reception to welcome us - i expected a couple of people to turn up - the number of trustees for 2006-2007 was a staggering number amounting to hundreds of people - very unexpected. Gd food, gd wine aha, from what i heard, every other year Prince Charles is invited; this year we had The Rt Hon The Lord Carrington, who is the sec-gen of NATO. hm quite cool indeed. But as a trustee, we only get invited only ONCE ever - the year you first come into residence - which means i'll miss seeing a helicopter descending into a field and a Prince coming out and waving! =p lol

The only thing is, when it's stated "dress code - smart casual", it's very misleading - they said it was going to be a relaxed and informal atmosphere, and for men, a lounge suit or a jacket and tie, and equivalent attire for women; national dress would be wholly appropriate - This is in stark contrast to singapore! aha i remember Esplanade concerts dress code is usually suggested smart casual - people turn up in teeshirts and cargo pants. Lol must get used to it hehe. I'm glad i wore a full suit, and fortunately blended in perfectly with the immaculately dressed fellow trustees who were present.

Now for the newer photos

2006-04-17T01:20:00.000+08:00

This is a more recent concert photo taken in August last year. Can consider "recent" la. Not all the time got concert right... May 17 Robert invited me to play alongside Chan Yoong Han at Musica, so i guess more photos then. =p

Old photos

2006-04-17T00:58:00.000+08:00

Look at these old photos! Taken in July 2004. Wah i changed a lot. Just chanced upon these old digital photos just now when i was attempting to archive them. Brings back great memories of going on stage and delivering a power-house concert, with lots of shouts of "Bravo" from the crowds... better feeling than eating chocolate!