The term is beginning to wind down, and as per normal everyone is going slightly mad as the exams and assignments roll in. This week has certainly been musically eventful, as I've had two performances of Always With Me, Always With You: the first at St. Monica's on Wednesday for their MEX class, and the second today for the whole of Saints. I don't feel that I totally brought this piece out as well as I could on either of these occassions, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to perform it consistently as I now know what I have to work on. I was probably more nervous at St. Monica's then I was at Saints, as every member of the audience in the Cathedral was a highly trained musician in their own right. The fast legato passages in Always are something I need to probably get cleaner and more consistently before the recital next time, as well as getting exact intonation on the bends in the upper register.
In terms of repertoire, the list now looks as follows:
Electric Guitar
- Always With Me, Always With You (Joe Satriani): with piano or possibly guitar accompaniment
- Cliffs of Dover (Eric Johnson): with bass guitar and drumkit
- 'Round Midnight (my own arrangement): either with piano accompaniment or unaccompanied
- Night and Day (Joe Pass arrangement): Unaccompanied
Acoustic Guitar
- Ocean (John Butler)
- When She Cries (Andy McKee)
- Rylynn (Andy McKee)
Piano
- L'Absente (Yann Tiersen)
Doubtlessly I'll be adding and subtracting from this as we go on, I'm playing with the idea of maybe doing one piece with a backing track, as it would give me the opportunity to play a piece where the guitar is less of the emphasis perhaps. I don't want to do too much stuff with computers though, as I think that gives the performance less opportunity for looseness and flair.
My investigative task is starting to take shape as well. It will be an exposition of the influence of the work of Mozart on the subsequent compositions of Beethoven. I formulated this topic after I found a glaring similarity between Wolfgang's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Minor and Ludwig's Sonata Pathetique in my own listening. Sure enough, there was some extensive internet commentary to be found on the similarities between these works. Since then, I've managed to find some other prospective pieces to include in the extended analysis, namely Mozart's 18th String Quartet and Beethoven's 5th String Quartet (both in A Major), and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 with Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto, both of which are in C Minor. I'll be putting pen to paper in the holidays and hope to put a fair dent in the task after seeing that my Saint Monica's contemporaries have already drafted a thousand words each. Omark.
What I'm listening to as I write this: some assorted tracks from my collection of Belle & Sebastian, a Scottish indie band, who, contrary to some belief, don't have anyone named Belle or Sebastian in their lineup. I quite enjoy the wit in their lyrics that's often reminiscent of Morrissey, and I'm a Cuckoo has long been a favourite of mine, as it's probably the happiest song ever. They've had up to seven members at times, which gives them a sparkling versatility, mixing nicely with their pop sensibilities to give an interesting edgy sound.
Until next time,
Ben.
What I'm listening to as I write this: some assorted tracks from my collection of Belle & Sebastian, a Scottish indie band, who, contrary to some belief, don't have anyone named Belle or Sebastian in their lineup. I quite enjoy the wit in their lyrics that's often reminiscent of Morrissey, and I'm a Cuckoo has long been a favourite of mine, as it's probably the happiest song ever. They've had up to seven members at times, which gives them a sparkling versatility, mixing nicely with their pop sensibilities to give an interesting edgy sound.
Until next time,Ben.
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