The opening concert this season features sonatas by Schumann, Prokofiev and Dutilleux, brilliant showpieces by Chopin and Liszt, and piano duos performing works by Debussy, Ravel and Smetana.

It was a dazzling showcase of technique and virtuosity which I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the audience of most notably, children, disrupting my concentration at certain points. An eye-opener for me during this concert was the use of different piano stools for different pieces. Some stools were cushioned, comfy ones while others were more sturdy, firm ones. I somehow came to a conclusion that the comfy chairs were for longer, more relaxed pieces while the firm ones were for fast pieces with a high level of technical difficulty. However, this might have been personal preference by the pianists after all. Another eye-opener was that of the pianists taking their time to prepare themselves before starting to play. This was both done mentally (I could see them relaxing themselves and practising several parts "in the air") and physically (each of them critically adjusted their seating position and the height of the piano stool beforehand). The night was a memorable one that the rest of the course missed (I was the only one interested to go) - which starts me thinking whether some people attend concerts only because their friends go as well, and not for the musical exposure.

The opening concert this season features sonatas by Schumann, Prokofiev and Dutilleux, brilliant showpieces by Chopin and Liszt, and piano duos performing works by Debussy, Ravel and Smetana.

It was a dazzling showcase of technique and virtuosity which I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the audience of most notably, children, disrupting my concentration at certain points. An eye-opener for me during this concert was the use of different piano stools for different pieces. Some stools were cushioned, comfy ones while others were more sturdy, firm ones. I somehow came to a conclusion that the comfy chairs were for longer, more relaxed pieces while the firm ones were for fast pieces with a high level of technical difficulty. However, this might have been personal preference by the pianists after all. Another eye-opener was that of the pianists taking their time to prepare themselves before starting to play. This was both done mentally (I could see them relaxing themselves and practising several parts "in the air") and physically (each of them critically adjusted their seating position and the height of the piano stool beforehand). The night was a memorable one that the rest of the course missed (I was the only one interested to go) - which starts me thinking whether some people attend concerts only because their friends go as well, and not for the musical exposure.

June 2005
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February 2006

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