Bouncing Back

It seems impossible I have ignored Windrushnotes since January. But, there were reasons, primarily a long spell when a pesky cold would not go away, and ending up with weeks of coughing and breathing with my mouth open. That must be the most uncomforable thing in the world, especially as it is so disruptive to proper rest. But I managed to "carry on" as the Brits say, although it meant the cancellation of plans and projects. It is difficult to do everything for oneself when ill, and I guess getting older has taught me that one can have the priviledge of just folding up and just plain being sick! I did manage to keep practicing, although some days for a very brief spell. And, my only student, a 15 year old, managed to have all his lessons, and won a 1++ in his first competition in March, and an Outstanding two weeks ago in another one. That pleased me tremendously.

Now it is total Spring here in South Carolina, and the flowers are their most magnificent this week. If you ever watch The Masters from Augusta, then you have an idea of what a Southern Spring looks like. This year it has been quite cool, and thus things have stayed fresher longer than normal.

It is interesting to me how much can be accomplished in small doses. I have made it through the Eroica Variations of Beethoven, working very slowly, never in a hurry. The technique of this work is different in that there is a residue left over from the Eroica Symphony that makes the approach rather orchestral, and hence, not always so pianistic. But, there again, Beethoven is rarely conventional, and more often than not you have to invent a way to play him. A student recently observed that one rarely finds a scale in Beethoven in the fashion we normally practice them. So, endless scale practice might lead to strong fingers, but it doesn't solve the way he actually employs them. That might sound like a flippant remark, but it has to do with his creative genius, and the lengths he went to be original at all costs. I hope to perform this work next year as a PowerPoint presentation.

The other looming Everest is the 200th Anniversary of the births of Chopin and Schumann. I have Piano Portraits of both composers, completed over 30 years ago, and performed all over the world. Now it is time to recreate them with PowerPoint technology, which means transferring dozens of old fashioned slides to disc, so they can be computerized. Then again, choosing the right repetoire is a great challenge, as what one may have played easily in earlier times is not so easy at present. Age!!
But I am pleased to say, I am able to satisfy myself that what I do choose to play will be on a level that will satisfy me....my most important critic!!

So, if one seeks, one finds. Learning new works at this time of life is so gratifying, as the hard won experieces one has gainned over the years make each phrase a new adventure in learning.