Styx. A long Journey, reloaded.

[pianowolfi]

The ultimate Styx-Thread!  

On August 13th at 7 p.m CEST I will do a live stream of my whole program 'Styx. A long Journey' on

https://justin.tv/pianowolfi

(Well I very much hope it will work, as I'm doing that the first time ever   )

Leading up to this I will post at least a part of the program here as audio files. These are mostly my tryout recordings from my daily practice.

I'll start with the two first pieces today and add others later.

No. 1: Da nobis pacem ('Lord give us peace') was inspired by a poem from Martin Luther
No. 2: Sympathy 1 is a composition on the four notes e a b a which symbolize the name 'm1469' to whom this whole program is dedicated.

I hope I can continue tomorrow with 'Dies Irae'

The whole program consists of 15 pieces and lasts about 90 Minutes. The first piece was first played as an improv in 2005, the latest in 2007. I have already played the whole program in public in October 2007, but since then I have changed and edited quite a few things, so I call it 'reloaded'.

There might still be some persons 'alive' here ( ) who whitnessed the very first steps of this program back in 2006.

 I noticed that always when I posted some of my pieces outside of the improvisation room they unfortunately didn't get much feedback. Nevertheless I am now consequently posting these particular ones here, because they aren't improvisations anymore, though they have started from there.

[pianowolfi]

No Dies Irae, and no Sympathy 2 yet today. I thought I had captured the spirit but as I listened to the recordings they seemed very pressed and stressed to me, so this has to wait a bit.

But I'm so far quite okay with today's recordings of:

No. 5: Flames
No. 6: Glow
No. 7. Elegy

[littletune]

This is great Wolfi! I'm sure those two will be great too! I'm sure your concert will be really cool!! 

[pianowolfi]

This is great Wolfi! I'm sure those two will be great too! I'm sure your concert will be really cool!!  

You're very nice, thank you very much! It was a bit strange, because while playing I felt sure that Dies Irae and Sympathy 2 were okay, but they were not, they didn't breathe!

[pianowolfi]

Anyway, this is very frustrating, I perfectly know that there are no distortions in my Wave files, I can see it on the screen in GarageBand! But always when I listen I need to turn the volume down because there are distortions that seem to come from the speakers or earphones. As soon as I turn the volume down the distortions disappear. If there was a problem with my Wave files it would still be there after turning down the volume!  I don't have such problems with other recordings.
I use the Edirol R-09HR with mic sensitivity at "high" and input level 27-28 Wave 44.1 khz 16 bit, yesterday I used 24 bit and 96 khz (And it obviously doesn't change after converting to mp3)


Hmmm perhaps that mic sensitivity at "high" is the actual problem. Very annoying. I might need to repost all of these.

[littletune]

Why will you need to repost them? I didn't hear any distortions  should I? 
Well... but have you thought about ghosts Wolfi?  Sorry, I just had to say it 
Oh that happens to me a lot of times, that I have a feeling like I played really ok and then when I listen to it I don't like it at all, and then sometimes it's just the other way around, I think that it was bad and then I like it.

[pianowolfi]

If you hear no distortions it's of course great! Very calming! Haha no there are no ghosts, they wouldn't dare to scare me LOL   But I must say, listening to the main piece "Styx" in the middle of the night (As I sometimes do, to learn more about it, and write/play it better etc.) can evoke quite something    

[pianowolfi]

So today I can add
No. 3 Dies Irae
No. 4 Sympathy 2

....

[pianowolfi]

No. 8 Butterflies and
No. 9 Sunset Suite

Butterflies has a sort of "program" to it, as it was inspired by a situation with a little piano student, who was surprised and in awe about some huge red butterflies that appeared in her garden in the late fall ♥

Sunset Suite consists of three parts/movements:
       1. Yearning
       2. Excitement
       3. Floating

As a whole it's like a sort of Nocturne, but the Excitement part goes beyond the scope of a Nocturne and "Floating" anyway. Excitement might be understood like the rocket start of a space journey, and Floating like the actual "floating" in the orbit, but without all that technology, of course. Well, this is anyway just a crutch, I think it's better to forget the "programs" and just listen  

I might add here the original improvisation of the Sunset Suite at some point in the future, to show the difference between the original improvs and the edited versions. This will show that "Excitement" is heavily edited (which was a long process in itself, over many years, of course) "Yearning" has also been edited but not as much, and the improv "Floating" was actually better than I ever could be afterwards, so I just need to live up to this level, actually


So that's the first half of the program. Just go after the numbers:

1. Da nobis Pacem
2. Sympathy 1
3. Dies Irae
4. Sympathy 2
5. Flames
6. Glow
7. Elegy
8. Butterflies
9. Sunset Suite: 1. Yearning; 2. Excitement; 3. Floating

After Sunset Suite there's a little break, and then the journey goes on

[m1469]

No. 2: Sympathy 1 is a composition on the four notes e a b a which symbolize the name 'm1469' to whom this whole program is dedicated.

Wolfi!  This is such a beautiful gesture that I scarcely know how to take it in, but nevertheless, I am ... just very ... grateful.  And so happy for you that you are expressing yourself in these musical ways .  My own path has been always mysteriously defined, but I certainly appreciate so much the fact that our musical paths have crossed .

I hope I am doing this all correctly.  I have looked at your channel and it *seems* pretty straight forward, but it would be AWFUL if somehow I got something wrong and just couldn't see/hear it and then it just happens while I'm sitting there hating the technology.  So, I assume, that as long as I can view the channel (and I see the butterfly photo), I will see you playing when you are playing?  Let's hope .  

[pianowolfi]

Wolfi!  This is such a beautiful gesture that I scarcely know how to take it in, but nevertheless, I am ... just very ... grateful.  And so happy for you that you are expressing yourself in these musical ways .  My own path has been always mysteriously defined, but I certainly appreciate so much the fact that our musical paths have crossed .

I hope I am doing this all correctly.  I have looked at your channel and it *seems* pretty straight forward, but it would be AWFUL if somehow I got something wrong and just couldn't see/hear it and then it just happens while I'm sitting there hating the technology.  So, I assume, that as long as I can view the channel (and I see the butterfly photo), I will see you playing when you are playing?  Let's hope .  

I think it will work, I have done a test run today, which was very exciting, and it made me all nervous, I even had to drink a bit of coffee in front of the camera   (all of it is still accessible on the justin.tv channel, for 7 days, and anyway, I have backups)

My own path has been always mysteriously defined, but I certainly appreciate so much the fact that our musical paths have crossed .

Very much the same here

[pianowolfi]

And well, I'll add a bit of "real life" to this. Of course, very much everything is "real life", we might just sometimes don't realize it, or we need a huge distance to it (which can be also very important!! )

Anyway, some of my friends, whom I have invited to my home for the concert next Saturday confused the date and thought that it was today, and wrote me "so sorry we can't come" or offered me to bring some snacks, and I was just not prepared at all!   I feel really bad about this, I am actually glad nobody rang the door bell today during that test run, but actually I can't stop feeling guilty, though, of course, I know that it wasn't my fault..

[m1469]

I think it will work, I have done a test run today, which was very exciting, and it made me all nervous, I even had to drink a bit of coffee in front of the camera   (all of it is still accessible on the justin.tv channel, for 7 days, and anyway, I have backups)

Wolfi,  :- I'm trying to watch the videos and I'm having a pretty tough time of it   .  In fact, you could say I pretty much am not being able to get it to work at all.  Over the course of about 10 minutes, I think some kind of audible commercial sounded out, and then the screen for your video shifted your hands a couple of times, but that's it!!  No sound for you!  I'm feeling concerned  .

[m1469]

Wait, there is some sound when the screen allows your hands to shift, so at least I am getting both together, it's just not "streaming" or whatever you would call it.  It's like the video isn't loading other than in the tiniest chunks!

And, this just in ( ), apparently my aunt-in-law is having a similar difficulty.  hmmmm.

[pianowolfi]

Uh oh that sounds rather bad!! I'll check it out and try to find a solution! Here it worked well, only the audio was a bit out of sync with the video. Also littletune was able to watch it live yesterday, and she said that sometimes the video picture would freeze a bit, but the sound was not interrupted.
I'll do another test run tomorrow at 9 am your time. Perhaps you have time to check in?

[m1469]

I tried the first half link, and that one at first did fine - it loaded the ad and then I was able to watch/listen to you talking almost entirely normally, and then when it came to playing, it was almost nothing but problematic!  I'm sad!  I'm trying again now, but with no luck!

I should be able to check in tomorrow.  Oh, do you mean live?  Yes, let's see how that goes!

[pianowolfi]

I tried the first half link, and that one at first did fine - it loaded the ad and then I was able to watch/listen to you talking almost entirely normally, and then when it came to playing, it was almost nothing but problematic!  I'm sad!  I'm trying again now, but with no luck!

I should be able to check in tomorrow.  Oh, do you mean live?  Yes, let's see how that goes!

Yes, live, I'll do the whole second part of the program. I am on the search for the reason why it didn't work, just checking from my other computer.

[pianowolfi]

At the moment it seems that justin tv has a severe problem with Internet Explorer, or vice versa. My Internet explorer works perfectly with youtube though, so it's not Internet Explorer per se I guess. It must be something between IEx and Justintv. I strongly recommend to use Firefox. My Internet Explorer also refuses to work with this site, but Firefox works perfectly.

[m1469]

Well, I am listening to some YouTubes now and having the same kind of problems, so maybe my computer is just wanting to give up the ghost and is becoming ancient  .  I guess it's being so slow to load things (though YouTube is usually not such a problem ... maybe it's my hotel internet speed?  Though I don't think it's that slow).  Anyway, on your actual concert I will need to watch/listen from my (husband's) phone ... which, I have already checked that there is app. for (but my own phone is too old already to support it), and maybe that will actually solve it?  I won't know that until Tuesday though.

[m1469]

At the moment it seems that justin tv has a severe problem with Internet Explorer, or vice versa. My Internet explorer works perfectly with youtube though, so it's not Internet Explorer per se I guess. It must be something between IEx and Justintv. I strongly recommend to use Firefox. My Internet Explorer also refuses to work with this site, but Firefox works perfectly.

Okay, I think I am using google chrome, actually, but maybe it's some of the same problems?  I have found in the past that Firefox works for me for some things, and then not for others!  Why, why is nothing perfect in this world?  Why me, lord? 

*curses* 

[pianowolfi]

Okay, I think I am using google chrome, actually, but maybe it's some of the same problems?  I have found in the past that Firefox works for me for some things, and then not for others!  Why, why is nothing perfect in this world?  Why me, lord? 

*curses* 

Indeed!!

I never worked with Google chrome, I will try that one too! I think iPhone works, as they have a particular link below the channel that says "Watch on iPhone"

[m1469]

Indeed!!

I never worked with Google chrome, I will try that one too! I think iPhone works, as they have a particular link below the channel that says "Watch on iPhone"

Yeah, that is basically a link to the app. that you can also find in the app. store.  But, either way, I will get it and carry on .

[pianowolfi]

Yeah, that is basically a link to the app. that you can also find in the app. store.  But, either way, I will get it and carry on .

ohhh--kay... I see

well you'll of course anyway get free cds as much as you want and lifelong free entrance to my live Styx concerts, where ever they may take place, since you're the dedicatee!!

[littletune]

I'm using Google chrome too! And it's working ok! Now I'm listening and watching the first half from yesterday again and it works great (except I wish it would be a little louder but that's my computer). m1469 you know what you could do with that first half recording? Cause for me things are loading really slowly too a lot of times, but when it starts I put it on "Pause" and wait for a few minutes until it loads more and then it's not stopping all the time anymore. But I don't know what you could do with the live recording, but for me it was ok yesterday... I mean the picture was freezing sometimes but the sound was ok (except once for a few seconds everything disappeared).
I don't know I hope it will start working better for m1469 too!  Cause it's really great!   

[pianowolfi]

Thank you so much, littletune!

Why I changed to justin.tv: Ustream seems to interrupt the stream every 5-15 minutes with commercials, which would not actually do good to a piano program like Styx, of course.  At least I read that on their forum, posted by some members:

https://www.ustream.tv/forum/showthread.php?5735-Why-are-ads-interrupting-during-the-show

I actually never tried it out beyond a few minutes, but this thread scared me away. Obviously they offer adfree broadcasting, but for a horrendous amount of $!!

I have principally nothing against commercials, because without them we wouldn't be able to even dream of doing things like a live stream. But if they're interrupting a show at points that you can't even choose yourself, as a user, it just doesn't work out, for me.

But maybe I was judging too fast and I should have tried it out in the first place. Perhaps they have changed it in the meanwhile? I don't know. Maybe I'll try a parallel stream tomorrow. *Checks in with secret technique wizards while sleeping*  

[m1469]

ohhh--kay... :- I see

well you'll of course anyway get free cds as much as you want and lifelong free entrance to my live Styx concerts, where ever they may take place, since you're the dedicatee!!

Well, you are very nice!  But, I sure didn't mean anything badly!  I'm looking forward to it, by whatever means I get to watch/listen to it! 

Littletune, yes, I tried the "pause and let load" technique, which I've used on YouTube, as well, and that does work nicely!  But, yes, I've figured that it is one thing to have that for a video and another for livestream.  Anyway, I'm sure something will become worked out - I really bet the phone app. is "up" on everything, since smart phones are such the craze. 

[pianowolfi]

Now I'm really eager to trying it out tomorrow

 

Well, you are very nice!  But, I sure didn't mean anything badly!  I'm looking forward to it, by whatever means I get to watch/listen to it! 

Yes, of course I know that you didn't mean anything badly!

[m1469]

wooooo!  It's working for me, I think!  I see you doing things!

[pianowolfi]

I'm happy that it worked I had to dig quite a bit into various software and settings and experiment a lot. So far I came up with the following recording setting:

Hardware:

1.Mac Book pro (Mac Os X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard) The fan makes a bit of noise when it's hot, but I think that can't be noticed on the recording.

2. iMic device, : this is very important because the built in Microphone input on MacBooks doesn't anymore support external microphones with a separate battery, like mine I always wondered why the sound was so soft, almost unhearable, when I tried to record something with this microphone on the computer!!    (But the iMic isn't very expensive)

3. Sony stereo microphone ECM-MS907 @ iMic (A microphone I've anyway used for years  together with my minidisc recorder)

4. Canon DV Camcorder MV790 @ Firewire (I anyway had this camcorder in use for years as well) I recorded also on DV tape, first of all to have a backup, and secondly to prevent the Camcorder from turning automatically off after a while.

Software:
1. Flash Media Live Encoder (free software). Settings:
    Format: H.264 level 3.0
    Frame rate: 25.00 fps
    Input and output size 640X480 (according to the camcorder)
    Sound: Mp3, Stereo, 44100 Hz, 128 kbps

2. Just today I downloaded Cam Twist, a free software that Justin.tv recommends for adding titles and effects to the live stream. You have to set it as primary device in the Flash Media Live Encoder, and then you can control everything from the Cam Twist Studio Window.

First I struggled a bit with all these new things but after a bit of experimenting it worked, and it's very exciting and a lot of fun!!

And after all, I know what I need to practice for Saturday!  
    

[littletune]

It was sooo great Wolfi! I wish I could watch it on Saturday too! Well I'll watch the recording then Good luck with the concert!! 
I'm really glad m1469 was able to watch it this time!

Oh and I just wanted to say that it was soooo cool cause the sun came out exactly when you were playing Sunrise, here where I live and where you live too!!!          That's really cool! 

[mistermoe]

Hi Wolfi!

I have always been impressed by the improvisors on this forum and have listened to many improvisations here long time before signing up to this forum.
It's great to see that your program styx, with improvisations which are part of this forum for a long time is ready to be perform again.
I haven't been here for quite some time and it was good news to read, that you will play this live on stream in just a couple of days! 

I just listened to the first part of your program and am now listening to the second.

I never really know what to respond to improvisations, but there's something which always comes to my mind when i listen to yours:
You have a very special and recognicable way of improvising and it feels honest (and i think this last thing is something i'm more and more looking for in life - and sadly i feel it's very difficult to find).

I'm looking forward to your live concert on saturday!

See you! 

[pianowolfi]

Hi Mistermoe, thank you very much, and good to see you again here! I appreciate very much when someone can find something recognizable and characteristic in my music, and it's interesting to hear you on this particular perspective of honesty.
In this sense I also worked on this program again, for some time (with breaks), as I wished to bring out the structure and architecture more distinctly, and more clearly. For some pieces that meant to go back, closer to the original improv (for instance Restless Prelude), for others it meant significant editing (For instance Farewell, which was "Panta Rhei" back then), to get closer to the original "message".

See you on Saturday
 

[pianowolfi]

It was sooo great Wolfi! I wish I could watch it on Saturday too! Well I'll watch the recording then Good luck with the concert!! 
I'm really glad m1469 was able to watch it this time!

Oh and I just wanted to say that it was soooo cool cause the sun came out exactly when you were playing Sunrise, here where I live and where you live too!!!          That's really cool! 

Hi Littletune, thank you so much for your nice words Yes that was quite a bit special, because when I started there was actually a thunderstorm going on here. I think with my ffff in Styx (Which doesn't seem so loud in the recording) I have won, I was just louder than the thunder (great compliment to my neighbours!!! ). Well, the finale of this piece is really really loud, I can't do it differently 

[ted]

I have made an audio CD of your files and intend to listen to it attentively tonight or tomorrow without interruption. I have heard parts of it before but not the set as a whole, as it is now, in one sitting. I shall also try to view your playing on Sunday morning (here). I am not on the forum as frequently or for as long as I once was, but I am keeping an eye on your music, don't worry about that, and I shall comment when time permits. Anyone who actually persists in trying to notate his improvisational ideas has my automatic respect; it's far too hard a task for me and my improvisation, that's for sure ! The form and programme of this work fascinate me.

[pianowolfi]

Hi Ted, thank you so much! This is the whole first part. It's best to listen to on the balcony or in the backyard in the evening. But I guess it might be too cold in Australia at the time I'll add the second part here too, soon! The second part is actually relatively short in the new version, I might add one or two pieces of that series that I call "Styx apocrypha" which are from the same context and time period, but didn't make it into the program...

[pianowolfi]

Now I have got the whole second part.
All the recordings in this thread are not cut at all, I just did several run-throughs, chose the best of the day and added a bit of reverb and EQ.

No. 10 Restless Prelude ("Far Away")
No. 11 Farewell (Clash of the main motifs)
No. 12 Dies I-Rag

Edit:I have added the Dies I-Rag later. It was too late to play on my grand so I messed a bit around with the Honky Tonk sound of my Roland Digital, haha 

[pianowolfi]

No. 13 Styx. A Fantasy of Darkness.

[pianowolfi]

Views from above:
No. 14 View from the Mountain
No. 15 Sunrise

Edit: I changed the recording of "sunrise" because it seemed too fast to me, at the moment I have the original improv there which is still the best recording imo.

And I have found a piece from the same day (New Years Eve 2006) which I added to "View from the mountain as an intro, I have just rediscovered it this New Years Eve 2011, written it down and recorded on Jan. 2nd, 2012

[pianowolfi]

Styx. A long Journey Livestream today at 7 p.m. CEST (Central European Summer Time) on

https://de.justin.tv/pianowolfi

 

[akasimone]

Wolfi, any chance you'll also be recording this so we can check it out later?  I'd love to hear the whole set but unfortunately I won't be around tomorrow afternoon

[pianowolfi]

Yes there will be a recording which is accessible after the stream, at least for a few days. I think if I create a so called "Highlight" it will even stay there for longer.

[m1469]

This is happening right now at: https://de.justin.tv/pianowolfi  

There's still time to catch the last of the first half, and the entire second half!  

[pankrpec]

I was watching but my stream went to hell after 30min and I didn't hear a continous minute after that . In the end I had to sign off.
I guess I'll have to wait for the saved recording.

[mistermoe]

Bravo Wolfi!!

I enjoyed this concert a lot!

See you around!

[m1469]

Bravo, Wolfi!  Well done, and you are the first here, that I know of, to share like this with the online community!  Thank you so much .  Let us know when a next one is on the horizon .

[furtwaengler]

Wait just a minute! Did I already miss this? I thought it was in a couple hours?

Ah well, Wolfi...you better have recorded this!

[pianowolfi]

I have recorded it. Now it's still fresh and I might need a bit of distance and space, and then I'll try to create a highlight which will stay for a few more days But nothing is lost.

The whole uncut stream will be accessible for a few days, I think it's 4 days or so, they say it's 7 but I think it's less

I like how the sunlight has played with me

I love the sun.

It's 'sunrise' after all, at the end

But of course the music is what counts. I understand now better that the visual can be a bit distracting (like "wth is that shiny thing on my butt, oh omg it's just the jeans brand thingy )

[pianowolfi]

Bravo, Wolfi!  Well done, and you are the first here, that I know of, to share like this with the online community!  Thank you so much .  Let us know when a next one is on the horizon .

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! For all, and for your support and everything

It's been quite of a journey of it's own, during the last weeks, and an experience, and a footstep on the path, and much more!

[pianowolfi]

I was watching but my stream went to hell after 30min and I didn't hear a continous minute after that . In the end I had to sign off.
I guess I'll have to wait for the saved recording.

Hi pancrpec, I'm so sorry that it didn't work out for you this time!

Unfortunately I have no idea of why. There are several things that, of course, are and will stay a bit of a mystery to me. For instance I learned that the slight audio delay that you will notice on the saved rec, and that I noticed as well, stems from a sort of interaction between the camcorder and the audio setting, and that you need to learn to "delay" your video frames to catch up with the audio...it's like oh my...so much more things to learn...

However, I hope that at least the backupped stream will be accessible for you.

[rachfan]

Hi wolfi,

Bravo!  And congratulations!  I watched/listened to the complete "Styx" cycle and thoroughly enjoyed it. You played these pieces beautifully.  I believe that "Styx" is an important composition of our time.  You should be justly proud of this wonderful accomplishment.  While certainly the greatest impact is hearing the entire cycle, can you visualize pianists wishing to draw particular pieces from Styx to play one individually or a small group of three or so in a recital perhaps?  

I knew you play a Steinway B so expected it to be a Hamburg Steinway; but when I tuned in, I was surprised that you play a NY Steinway!  And it sounds great.  Often Europeans prefer the brighter purity of the fundamental tones of the Hamburg model, while Americans are more used to the more woolly sound with the complexity of overtones found in the NY Steinway. I would bet that there is a story behind your piano.

Again, well done!

David