Playing With Wolfgang: Random & Awkward Redeemed
I remember a feeling of complete frustration and incomprehension. It happened frequently during my undergraduate years. But two incidents really stand out from the rest. The music? Liszt’s Sonetto 104…
Playing With Wolfgang: Wolf In The Dark
Today's Playing With Wolfgang was written by Ellen Shallcross. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! I grew up in a musical household. My dad was always listening to classical recordings, my mom taught…
Playing With Wolfgang: Syncing Schubert
As an undergraduate, I spent a semester discovering Schubert’s Impromptu’s. I was drawn particularly to the one in Ab. I loved the cascading figures and the drama of the central…
Playing With Wolfgang: Jesus Loves Me in Japanese
I remember clearly the day clearly. It was a big deal for us kids. We were going to surprise the whole congregation. We could barely sit still through the beginning…
Playing With Wolfgang: My Dog Ate My Minuet
The first time I ever worked on a Bach dance movement I felt like I had encountered an alien landscape. I had grown up on Bach chorales but somehow those…
Playing With Wolfgang: A Little Un-Coordination (plus a bonus)
Early in my college career, I was working on the Bach Toccata in E Minor and getting totally frustrated. I watched my fellow students breeze through their Bach. I was…
Playing With Wolfgang: Bach’s Groove
“I just can’t get the beats to this song. Where is the groove?”, said one of my college class piano students. I had a moment of panic. My eyes must…
Playing With Wolfgang: Ives for Boston
A few years ago I got out Thoreau from Ives’ Concord Sonata and decided to discover it. As you all know I’m a sucker for pieces about the outdoors, plus…