I actually find myself a bit ahead of the game after 12 weeks, so much so that I have taken today off from practicing. It also happens to be income tax filing time for us, so the time will be used to prepare our taxes. As to the pieces, I always mix previously learned material with new. The opening piece is Bach 2-part Invention in D Major, one I had played many years ago. It is one of 15, all of which I have learned and performed at some time. It is now up and playable and I will begin to memorize it very soon. It is followed by a new Prelude and Fugue by Bach, also in D Major and from Book I of The Well Tempered Clavier. This marks my 13th selection from this two volume epic work, out of 48 that he wrote. Bach takes one simple idea and writes a page of music using it. Each hand is completely independent, though they do share the idea in ingenious ways. It is a somewhat learned piece, though it has a few Wow moments for the close listener.
The Prelude is again a one-idea piece that repeats continuously, quickly and unrelentingly for two pages. The idea itself (4 notes) is performed by the right hand while the left plucks along much like a double bass in jazz music would do. The short piece ends in a virtuoso passage and leads to the Fugue. The Prelude is coming along and should be playable in another month.
The Fugue is an unusual one, said to mimic Couperin's style for writing a French Overture. I really enjoy working on this piece, which uses 32nd notes as its main idea. I can play the piece at slow to moderate tempo; it only needs to move a little snappier now. Again, it should take perhaps another month to be serviceable.
Next comes a new work for me, an early Haydn Sonata, also in D Major. It is in 3 easy movements, and though I do not yet have it up to tempo, it is memorized and playable now! The first is a clever theme and variations, the second a very short minuet, and the third a showy little fast movement in sonata form. I like all three, but the last movement is the most fun to play.
Just before intermission will come a bagatelle by Beethoven, a work I have learned and performed many times before. I have yet to begin work on it, but it won't take long to relearn.
The second half opens with three works by Scriabin, preludes from Op 11. I learned three for my last program and liked them so much that I decided to learn three more. The first one is playable, the second one is almost there, and the third one is ready to be memorized. After that comes a Chopin Nocturne, Op 27 #2. I truly love the piece, but the first ten weeks was a real struggle. I nearly abandoned the work several times. After 12 weeks I am finally beginning to see some progress, but I am probably only half way there. Three more months will (hopefully) see me able to play it. If you listen to a recording of this incredible piece it doesn't sound particularly difficult. It is, however.
Next comes another piece I am relearning called March Wind, by MacDowell. It is a virtuoso work that will sound amazing on my newer piano. Part of the fun of relearning pieces now is that I get to hear them on a totally different instrument. I will finish up with two works by Philip Glass, both from the Amazon SF TV series called Tales From The Loop. This is a completely amazing TV series based on a book of SF/fantasy artworks. The series is greatly enhanced by Glass's music.
It was a busy week for us, with some driving involved. I only had to fill the gas tank once in March, and we are trying to keep our journeys to a minimum. Currently our gasoline prices are $1.86.9 per litre and should be hitting $2 very soon. Diesel costs much more, heading towards $3. On Monday our radon system was installed and seems to be doing the job. It was a complicated affair because of the unusual foundation of our house, but it got done in about six hours.
On Tuesday we went and picked up our new orthotics. Deb gets them every few years, but this was my first time. Deb is walking and exercising again quite regularly. While travel is hoped for, the way world events are shaping up we may be thwarted yet again. We should know more by the end of April. On Wednesday Deb saw her rheumatologist in Windsor. Both of them were very happy with Deb's current state of being, thanks to her new medication. See you again in three months. Finally, on Thursday it was back to Windsor for Deb's regular dental check up and cleaning. Through all that I still managed to put in a full practice on piano each day.
In film news there is one to report. Foolish Heart is a 1998 Argentinian film directed by Hector Babenco. The first two thirds of the film tell of a young Jewish teen who falls in love with Ana, a mentally troubled young woman who has already spent two years in an institution. They hang out with a small group of people interested in psychic phenomena. Juan and Ana hit it off well, but because of his youth and her fragile mental state things eventually go off track. They run away together after he takes her from another institution. Like a modern but unintentional Romeo and Juliette they eventually end up almost killing themselves with sleeping pills. They are both hospitalized and never see one another again. This main part of the film is quite good. However, suddenly we are thrust into a different film. Suddenly 20 years have passed. Juan is now flying home from Los Angeles (he is a film director) to visit his dying father. He revisits some old friends but Ana, whom he thought was dead, won't see him. She is married and does not wish to reopen a relationship with Juan. However, he meets a woman in a small chapel, follows her and they have sex in a stairway. From here on the film gets weirder and weirder and seems to lose a sense of perspective. Juan is married and has two children, but he appears to be nothing now but a sex-starved middle aged male. The end of the film proves that he is even much worse than that. While I recommend the first two thirds, the final segment is both disturbing and puzzling (and even bewildering). Ana, as played by Maria Luisa Mendonca, is the main reason to see the film. Her vivid depiction of a woman going mad is a sight to behold.
In PC gaming news we continue to make progress with Sherlock Holmes: The Awakening. We are at the climax now in Chapter 8. We are atop a lighthouse, where the light is attracting Cthulhu. We must destroy it or else. In some ways it is a ground-breaking game; in other ways it is really quite stupid (like so many adventures games we have played). I will compose a full review soon. We might even finish it tonight. Here is a screen shot from the New Orleans part of the game:
I also continue to drive trains. Train Sim World (6) is one of the best things to happen to me in years. Every day I am driving a different train in a different country, passenger and freight. Today I'm on the Dresden to Leipzig line, hauling passengers hither and yon. A few recent images from different routes....
That's all for now. Be back soon.
Mapman Mike
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