Thanks so much for your responses/support guys! Emily, I'm recording on a Steinway this weekend so you'll get some videos shortly.So I wanted to discuss my choice of repertoire for this competition. When I have a free choice of repertoire (in rounds two and three) I would want to play works that reflect a certain point of Chopin's life, points of his life that have impacted me the most.Round 1 is pretty conventional - I'm playing Ballade 1, Nocturne Op.27 No.2, and Etudes Op.10 No.5 and Op.10 No.11. I love all of these pieces and the melody of Op.10 No.11 is very Schubertian which you all know is a big plus for me haha.Round 2 is where I start to imply historical context, I'll open up with Andante Spianato/Grande Polonaise and then play the Op.34 No.1 Waltz since those are selections from the mandatory repertoire for that round. The next pieces I play will be Scherzo 3, Sonata No.2 Movement 1, and Preludes No.22, No.14, No.8 and No.6. The reason for this odd choice of repertoire is because these are all pieces Chopin wrote in 1839 while living in an abandoned monastery in in Paris I believe. Chopin was so ill that he was suffering from extreme night terrors and even hallucinations at points. All of these pieces certainly have the angst of a highly disturbed man. I really want to portray that side of Chopin that not many of us focus on. The mad, crazy, angry Chopin rather than the flower laden man of melancholy we so often view him to be. Don't get me wrong, he was definitely a melancholic person, but he wasn't ONLY that. I picked preludes which personally fill me with the most angst, you guys might think other ones are more disturbing but this is just a personal taste/feeling of mine. Round 3 I'm playing ALL late Chopin. Sonata No.3, Op.56 Mazurkas, Polonaise Fantasy, Mazurkas Op.63 Np.3, Op.67 No.2 & Op.68 no.4. These are all pieces which I think resemble some of Chopin's most mature and defined writing and they were all written during the last five years of his life. The late mazurkas in particular are very special to me, and I consider them to be Chopin's best compositions. I would close with Op.68 No.4 because it's the last piece Chopin ever wrote and there is no other way I would rather end my solo playing at the Chopin competition than to play his last piece. Finals would be concerto 2 because there's much more history behind it than the first one and it was very personal to chopin, especially the slow movement, which he wrote for a girl he fell in love with.If you have any suggestions for my program, feel free to add! I really want to have a very special and personal program for these competitions so I hope I've achieved a good idea here.
Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise
oops I am such an idiot wow brilliant noah. HAHA great rep!
Especially when Trifonov plays it. I need some piece that makes me forget that I'm actually uglier than Ivett
?
WHOA. Why can't I compose in a romantic style???
Because compositions in a romantic style reminds me of romance which reminds me of that sensation I get when I look at Ivett and Aimi (BTW, I'm straight... If you don't understand, just PM schumaniac and you'll know why...)
I'm sure Noah can come up with a super legit name, haha.
Hi everyone!As you all know, the International Chopin Competition is currently taking place. Several months ago when my piano teacher won 5th prize in the National Chopin Competition I decided that I wanted to prepare and participate in this wonderful event (both the international and national competitions) in 2020.In this topic I'll be documenting things such as pieces I'm working on, the progress I'm making, and any problems I have with playing the piece (which I'm hoping you guys will help me fix ), and recordings of the pieces I'm learning.So excited to be sharing this experience with you guys! I hope that a lot of you get involved with me .- AJ
Hello AJ! How wrong I was!! I've always thought your were so much older because of your mature and civil responses to posts here. Now I know you must be in your teens or very early twenties to dream of the 2020 Chopin Competition. So may I wish your journey to be fruitful! Surely like many young pianists, my son Enzo is also dreaming of the Chopin Competition. emill
...I had a weird dream last night where there was this kid sitting at a big black grand piano and Van Cliburn was next to him showing him stuff. Van Cliburn looked up at me and said.. "this is AJ"The boy in my dream was only 8 or 9--but still I thought it was kinda weird. it was just a dream.
Van Cliburn was an extremely sincere pianist/person... lol
You have nothing to fear. If I was your daughter's boyfriend. I can assure you I wouldn't be a jerk to her.- AJ
Yeah it will work for all different competitions! Noah, eventually
What? I love the whole concerto. lol