Characterizing WTK II (very, very long)

[snip]

Thanks for taking the time to share your impressions of Book 2. I'll have to dust off the LPs and the score and take a listen/look at it again. A nice change of pace from the typical 'what should I buy' post that is becoming the standard fare on rmmp.

- - Gary L. Reply to the newsgroup only

I've been playing the A flat major P&F - not too deadlily I hope - and I can't help wondering whether the fugue subject was in the back of Beethoven's mind when he conceived the contrapuntal theme in the 'Consecration of the House' Overture.

: Beethoven's mind when he conceived the contrapuntal theme in the : 'Consecration of the House' Overture.

Wanda Landowska pointed out the similarity between the theme of the finale of the 'Eroica' and the bass line of the F minor prelude.

I have, several times, mentioned the remarkable, to me, similarity between the themes of March Slav and Orientale and the names of the composers just slipped into my block memory. Both of these pieces used appear in those '100 most popular piano works' type folios. But no one ever comments and I am wondering if anybody has checked it out. The former is Tchaikovsky and the latter Cui as best I can remember. Anybody? TS

Don't forget that it was MIDI engineered:

'What's currently at mp3.com (I say 'currently' because I'm forever updating the material) are almost completely artificial, edited and re-edited to the point where nothing remains of my original except the ornamentation (and my conception of the piece). Each voice is analyzed and edited individually. The end-result is useful (at least to me) as a guide to my own practice at the piano.'

Thanks for the kind words. I see people are starting to digest what I wrote (though I haven't read any of the other impressions yet). Perhaps I could write liner notes for Sony

k, i'll ask! why did you 'leave' oberlin? /and/ why move things to sjsu?

(x-post cancelled)

Interpretations differ, of course, but I think it's a bit too devilish to be considered 'religious.' Perhaps if it was played very slowly... Of Bk II, I think the most painfully religious (a la the two you mentioned) is the G-sharp minor. (Is that the one Richter attempted to play at Stalin's funeral? That's the one that sticks out in my mind...)

During my stint at Oberlin, the two most frequently played P&Fs were the two five-voice specimens, the C-sharp minor and B-flat minor from Book I. Other than that, Book II was much more popular, and gems like the E-flat major (which I play), F minor and F-sharp major from Bk I were totally neglected.

On the other hand, the best performance of Bach I heard was an Artist Diploma recital which included the heavenly B major from Bk II. It had the subtle aroma of a fine wine, and each voice seemed to ring in sympathy with every other. I wish I could remember her name.

It's still -way- too fast. Grant is a fine musician (studio-ist?) but that one decision is highly debatable...

Moot point now, though, as MP3.com has essentially gone under. Last time I checked, my page was gone, with no encouraging words to speak of...

Finances. Oberlin cost $35K a year; SJSU is $2K, and for that, I get to take lessons with a student of Gilbert Kalish and Vlado Perlemuter, be the pianist or celestist for both of the two largest ensembles, and, most importantly, not live in dorms...

I'm hoping to save my money and go back to Oberlin after graduating. But if I do, I'd like to do it as an undergraduate. I would sign up for the 5-year program that would give me a B.M. in Piano and an M.M. in Conducting... and on the side take some of those wonderfully diverse classes Oberlin offers, being an equally developed liberal-arts college. Oh, and some violin lessons, too... *grins*

If Sonarrat says it's too fast, he's probably right. Much of what I've done is not very good, in my opinion, and it may be that I've over-engineered. I do try to make improvements from time to time, however. I've moved everything over to 'ampcast.com,' at least some of 'everything' that is. Some of my interpretations have changed quite a bit. Also, I've become ruthless, charging now for 'downloads.'

I'm curious, Sonarrat, why you changed schools. Oberlin has a great reputation, at least at the undergraduate level. And it is a beautiful campus.

JG