It’s getting windy these days and this Chopin etude (op. 25 no. 12 “Winter wind”) reminds me of that hard frozen gusts of ice and snow.
The etude or study is an “exercise” but this Chopin etude can be played in concert. It’s a harsh workout for the right hand which emulates the torrential onslaught of the wind and is reinforced by the proud left hand.
Last year it snowed today. Winter wind is coming… maybe not today or the next week, but it is inevitable.
This week I rehearsed with my accompanist. She’s playing the orchestra part and I’m playing the soloist part. This little excerpt is from our first rehearsal so it’s just a little messy… but it’s a work in progress and what’s most important is to keep striving! (I think the vibrations from the pianos and my stomping caused the camera to quake a bit, sorry!)
This is from the first movement of Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2, just a few pages before the recapitulation (the reappearance of the majestic melody of the first theme).
This is one of my favorite parts to play because of the sweeping motions and the action! There’s real dialogue between the orchestra and the soloist, we play off of each other and there’s really no greater feeling. It’s really a whirlwind of action here and to play it means to really empty your mind and let your ears, instinct, and emotion take control.
The second theme of the 3rd movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano concerto no. 2.
It’s a beautiful melody of an overflowing heart that palpates with rushes of joy, love, and desire. It’s the intense outpouring that squeezes the air out of your lungs and the thoughts out of your head. For a moment, the world stands still and everything is right.
This is just a snippet of what I’ve been working on and while this isn’t a final product, it’s a reminder to keep striving!
