Travels

[furtwaengler]

I had a friend in visiting from a far, a former roommate, and excellent trumpet player. We attended a performance of Bach's B minor mass, which everyone should do at some point. As we were eating and going about various locations, he would stop with his camera and say, "Wait, let me document this."

I'm not big on cameras and taking photographs, myself. My snapshots and documentations are audible. Here are two of them, with a disappearing prelude preluding the disappearing.

September 1st, 2009: The local high school's Clavinova. The prelude is just a 30 second trifle.

October 10, 2009: Trip 2, appearing out of sequence for reasons you shall see. The occasion was the world premiere of Joe Baber's opera, "River of Time," based on the early life of Abraham Lincoln (this was fantastic, btw).

September 21, 2009: Trip 1. Not a long trip, but hearing violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved present a true solo recital, a riveting one. The meditation has a built in prelude, and then we're off.

Different places, different pianos.

(getting to know a Steinway D: https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=36289.0 )

(I am dominating this board.    )

[lostinidlewonder]

That Prelude is jazzy and with so little notes is quite chaotic sounding, the recording sound like a basis for something to be added with it, you could really build this up in a crazy way.

The In Wilmore.mp3, how you start with repeated figures, I often find myself doing this when trying to center myself into a particular sound before improvising. It is almost like a monk hitting a gong.

Meditation chords where nice, I liked 0:26-1:02 very nice, the opening chord feeling is mysterious and deep, makes me feel like im at the bottom of the ocean somewhat, I feel like I am swayed side to side, the melody was pretty, 1:02 ending chord begged for it melodic line to continue but I know it is hard to keep up that energy, a good basis for some compositional decision making though. I like how improvs can set us up for that.

[furtwaengler]

Thanks lostinidlewonder. I think I may have thought to use some of the meditation for a viola sonata...but I'm just not good at writing.  

Oh well, I fly across the country in a few hours, and there is a warm 1915 Chickering upright waiting for me, an instrument I've grown fond of. I might have time to record a Chopin program I played on March 1st with some *good* equipment. And perhaps some more improvisation, which is my favorite past time (guilty pleasure?). We'll see how it pans out.

(I'm rambling. Pianostreet's improvisation board is my blog).

[pianowolfi]

Ha, Meditation, I love that one!!
Intense stuff, really

You are crazy like me, brotha, you're on the verge of encouraging me to perhaps post some real spooky stuff in the near future, I have also some improvs where I'm babbling around and even singing (But the latter is actually, as terrible as it sounds, only a reminder for the case I'm making a composition out of it...)

Gonna listen to the other ones later

[furtwaengler]

You are crazy like me, brotha, you're on the verge of encouraging me to perhaps post some real spooky stuff in the near future, I have also some improvs where I'm babbling around and even singing (But the latter is actually, as terrible as it sounds, only a reminder for the case I'm making a composition out of it...)

Pianowolfi, you've given me the ultimate compliment, and I must stop to thank you. The only thing I can say is do it! I want to hear you, brotha!