🎵 Notes from March 16 2025 meetup

Our session was a good way to spend a rainy afternoon at 10,000 Hours Piano Rehearsal Studios. Jeff recounted his positive experience at the March Break Piano Camp. Thanks again to our hosts, Lydia and Jennifer.

Here’s what was played:

• Dave A and Karin (4-hands duet), Circle Dance, by R. Schumann
• Martin: Carnaval Op. 9 #1 Préamble, by R. Schumann
• Christopher: Elegy, by Kristina Arakelyan
• Dennis: Prelude Op. 16 #3, by A. Scriabin
• David R: Nocturne, Op. 9 #2, by F. Chopin
• Jocelyn: Etude in A Major, by C. Czerny
• Natalie: Capriccio in G minor Op. 16 #3, by J. Brahms
• Natalie: Intermezzo Op. 116 #3, by J. Brahms
• Jeff: Preludes Op.11#12, Op. 11 #10, Op. 16 #2, by A. Scriabin
• Anne-Marie: Intermezzo in A major Op. 18 #2 , by J. Brahms
• Karin: Consolation #3, by F. Liszt
• Martin: Prelude #5 in D major, J. S. Bach
• Dennis: Ad Libre, by Alexandra Stréliski
• Dennis: Opening of French Suite #4, by J. S. Bach
• Anne-Marie: Sonata in B minor K.87, by D. Scarlatti
• Christopher: Incognito, by Jason Sifford
• David R: middle section of Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66, vaudeville song "I’m Always Chasing Rainbows", by F. Chopin
• Jeff: ´Etude-Tableau Op. 33 #5, by S. Rachmaninoff
• Dennis: Waltz #19 in A minor, by F. Chopin
• David: Moonlight Sonata 1st and 2nd mov Op. 27 #2, by L. V. Beethoven

🎵 Notes from March 2 2025 meetup

We had a good session at Anne-Marie's, although a few of us had to climb over snowbanks to get in!  It was mostly a session of the “classics".

Here's what was played:

• Gregory: Pineapple Rag, by Scott Joplin
• Anne-Marie: Sonata K135, by Domenico Scarlatti
• Martin: Prelude #5 in D major, by J. S. Bach
• Gordon: Moment Musicale, Op. 94 #6, by F. Schubert
• Jeff: Etude Tableau Op. 33 #5, by S. Rachmaninoff
• Mary Lou Argentinian Dance Op. 2 #1 and #2, by Alberto Ginastera
• Wesley: Sonata Op. 8 #13 (Adagio and Rondo), by L. V. Beethoven
• Jeff: Années de Pèlerinage, Troisième Année, Aux Cyprès de la Villa d’Este (S.163 #3), by F. Liszt
• Gordon Waltz in A flat Op. 69 31 Frederic Chopin
• Wesley: Over the Rainbow, by Harold Arlen arr. George Shearing
• Mary Lou: Etude #3 in E major, Op. 10 #3, by F. Chopin
• Anne-Marie: Prelude #22 Bk. 1, by J. S. Bach
• Martin: Fugue #15 in G major, by J. S. Bach 

🎵 Notes from February 15 2025 meetup

We had a fairly full house at Ottawa Pianos, playing on Yamaha's finest, and managed to finish just as the snowstorm started nipping at our heels. We welcomed Lianna, who performed a less known piece by Czech composer Leoš Janáček. There were a few other composers who we have not commonly heard, as well as Anton Arensky another new one for us. 

Here’s what was played:

• Lianna: 1905 Piano Sonata 1st mov, by Leoš Janáček
• Gregory: Opus 53 #3, by Felix Mendelssohn
• Martin: Fugue #15 in G major, by J. S. Bach
• Jean-Claude: Nocturne #10, by John Field
• Mary Lou: Etude in E major Op. 10 #3, by F. Chopin
• Dennis: Nocturne in B flat major, by Ignace Paderewski
• David R: English Suite #3 Gavotte and Musette, by J. S. Bach
• Dave A: Borders, by Alexandra Streliski
• Natalie: Sonata Op. 457, 1st mov, by W. A. Mozart
• Emil and Paul (2 piano duet): Romance from Suite 1 Op. 15, by Anton Arensky
• Emil and Paul (2 piano duet): Variation 18 from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, by Sergei Rachmaninoff
• Jeff: Années de Pèlerinage, Aux Cyprès de la Villa d’Este, by F. Liszt
• David R: Mazurkas Op. 68 #2 and #3, by F. Chopin
• Jeff: Sonata de Petrarch, by F. Liszt
• Jean-Claude: Gnossienne No. 4, by Erik Satie
• Dennis: Pie Jesu, by Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Natalie: Sonata Op. 457 3rd mov, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

🎵 Notes from February 2 2025 meetup

We had a small but pleasant and relaxed session at Gregory’s, with our usual mixture from Bach to Modern. Jerome Kern and Roger Eno are new to our composer list … now over 400! Despite the variety of pieces in the repertoire, by coincidence two of us played the same piece by Handel! Lorraine had an interesting pairing of Preludes in the same key by J. S. Bach and Dmitri Shostakovich. 

Here’s what was played: 

• Gregory: Passacaglia from HMV 432 , by G. F. Handel
• Randy: Through the Blue, by Roger Eno
• Mary Lou: Etude in E major Op. 10 #3, by F. Chopin
• Daniel Z: Fantasie BWV 906, by J. S. Bach
• Lorraine: Passacaglia from HMV 432, by G. F. Handel
• Jeff: Prelude Op. 11 #12 and #10, by A. Scriabin
• Mary Lou: Argentinian Dances Op. 2 #1 and #2, by Alberto Ginastera
• Lorraine: Prelude in D, Op. 34 #5,by D. Shostakovitch
• Lorraine: Prelude #5 in D, by J. S. Bach
• Daniel Z: Op. 25 #12, by F. Chopin
• Jeff: Prelude Op. 17 #3 and Op. 16 #12, A. Scriabin

🎵 Notes from January 13 2025 meetup

We had another enjoyable afternoon of music at 10,000 Hours Piano Rehearsal Studios with a mix of solo piano and ensembles — piano/violin, piano 4-hands, piano/voice! Mozart, Bach and Chopin were our most popular composers.

Here’s what was played:

• Martin: Sonata #12 1st mov, by W. A. Mozart
• Christopher: Intermezzo Op. 117#1, by J. Brahms
• David R: Invention #14 in B flat major, by J. S. Bach
• David R: Prelude in B minor , by J. S. Bach (arr. A. Siloti)
• Françoise/Kevin (piano/violin): Bluebird, by Alexis Ffrench
• Françoise/Kevin (piano/violin): One More Day, by Rebecca Kaiserin
• Dennis: Opus 23, by D. O'Halloran
• Jocelyne: Moment Musicale Op. 94 D. 780 #6, by F. Schubert
• Dave A/Karin (4-hands): Nocturne #5, by John Fields
• Natalie: Sonata #14 K. 457 2nd mov, by W. A. Mozart
• Mizuki: Sonata #3 K. 281, by W. A. Mozart
• Jenny: Prelude and Fugue in C major, by J. S. Bach
• Mary Lou: Etude Op. 10 #3 in E major, by F. Chopin
• Mizuki: Gymnopédie #1, by E. Satie
• Dennis: Song for Gavin, by L. Einaudi
• David R: Valse Op. 64 #2, by F. Chopin
• Françoise (piano/voice): When You Taught Me How to Dance, by Katie Melua

🎵 Notes from January 5 2025 meetup

What better place to spend a cold sunny winter afternoon than playing the piano at Natalie's? Eight of us did, performing our usual mix from baroque to modern. Laurens van Rooyen was new for us; we have not yet heard many Dutch composers. 

Here’s what was played:

• Gregory: Paragon Rag, by Scott Joplin
• Karin: Reverie, by Laurens van Rooyen
• Kathy: Sonata K466, by Domenico Scarlatti
• Natalie: Sonata Op. 437 3rd mov, by W. A. Mozart
• Hedda: Incognito, by Jason Sifford
• Jocelyne: Sonata in F minor WoO 47 #2, by L. Beethoven
• Paul: Mazurka Op. 17 #4, by F. Chopin
• Randy: Nostalgie, by Eric Satie
• Gregory: My Way, by  J. Revaux
• Paul: Mazurka in A minor Op. 7 #2, by F. Chopin
• Karin: Imaginary Landscapes, by Laurens van Rooyen
• Natalie: Cuba from Suite Espanola, by Isaac Albeniz
• Kathy: Prelude in E flat, Well Tempered Klavier book 2, by J. S. Bach
• Natalie: Sonata Op. 437 2nd mov, by W. A. Mozart

🎵 Notes from December 8 2024 meetup

We had an excellent session at the home of Françoise.  Alberta Clipper tried to ruin the party but arrived and left too soon, leaving us with a sunny afternoon.  We had 24 individual pieces played, and some were quite short.  The challenging piece by Lorraine was only about a minute, but still twice the length than if it were played at the designated tempo!  There were quite a few classics, and some Christmas favourites all of which had really good arrangements.  Several new composers were added to our list, plus others that are performed quite infrequently. 

Here's what was played: 

• Gregory: Elite Synchopations, by Scott Joplin
• Gordon: Waltz Op. 124 #4, by R. Schumann
• Gordon: Waltz Op. 39 #8, by P. Tchaikovsky
• Gordon: Waltz Lente Op. 33, by Oskar Merikanto
• Andrew: Prelude and Fugue in D major, by J. S. Bach
• Jean-Claude: Silent Night in the style of Rachmaninoff, by Derry Bertenshaw
• Dennis: Ave Maria, by Sygvaldi Kaladòns
• Françoise (piano) and Kevin (violin): Andantino, by Brian Crain
• Françoise: (piano and vocals) and Kevin (violin): Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen
• David R: English Suite #3 Gavotte and Musette, by J. S. Bach, SoundCloud recording of David playing this piece is here
• Randy: Contredance in B flat major B. 17, by F. Chopin
• Kevin (violin) and Randy (piano): Spiegel im Spiegel, by Arvo Pärt
• Jocelyne: Moment Musical Op. 94 #6 D780, by F. Schubert
• Dave A: International Christmas Carols medley
• Natalie: Cuba from Suite Espanol, by Albéniz
• Lorraine: Prelude in D major Op. 34 #5, by D. Shostakovitch
• Mizuki: Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas, by Hugh Martin
• Grace: Music from “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”, by Ryuichi Sakamoto
• Sachie: White Christmas, by Irving Berlin
• Sachie: Salut d’Amor, by Edward Elgar
• Dennis: Song of Gavin, by L. Einaudi
• Grace: Skating, by Vince Guaraldi
• Jean-Claude: Shephards at the Mange, by F. Liszt
• David R: Polovtsian Dance from Prince Igor, by Alexander Borodin (arr. Felix Blumenfeld), SoundCloud recording of David playing this piece is here

🎵 Notes from November 10 2024 meetup

We had a good size group at 10,000 Hours with our usual interesting assortment of pieces played. Among others, we enjoyed hearing the composer Sammy Fain a first for our group, and some “icy” music from Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds. 

Here’s what was played:

• Karin: Adagio, by J. S. Bach arr. Marcello
• Nick: Sonata #L7, by F. J. Haydn
• Dennis: Intermezzo Op. 118 #2, by J. Brahms
• Françoise (piano) and Kevin (violin): Solitary Hill, by Brian Crain
• David R: Recuerdos de la Alhambra, F. Tarrega arr. D. Center
• Natalie: Prelude and Fugue in D major BWV 874, by J. S. Bach
• Jocelyne: Sonata in F minor, by L. V. Beethoven
• Carolyn: Waltz in B minor Op. 69#2, by F. Chopin
• Paul: Mazurka in A minor Op. 7 #2, by F. Chopin
• Grace: Jazz Exercise #4, by Oscar Peterson
• Grace: Alice in Wonderland, by Sammy Fain
• Grace: Over the Rainbow, by Harold Arlen arr. by Shearing
• Mizuki: June Barcarolle, by P. Tchaikovsky
• Jeff: Preludes Op. 11 #10, Op. 11 #12, Op. 17 #3 and Op. 16 #2, by A. Scriabin
• Dennis: Saman, by Ólafur Arnalds
• David R: Hannah Grace Waltz/ Hope, by Maria Rose Rechner, SoundCloud recording of David playing these pieces is here and here
• Françoise (piano) and Kevin (violin): Crimson Sky, by Brian Crain
• Natalie: Sonata K457 1st movement, by W. A. Mozart

🎵 Notes from November 3 2024 meetup

A small group at Anne-Marie's enjoyed performing on a 1950s Steinway that was once played by Victor Borge.  It was all serious for us, though, with a mix of classics, contemporary and “lounge music", some new to our group.

Here's what was played:

• Gregory: Maple Leaf Rag, by Scott Joplin
• Gordon:  Etude #12 S136, by F. Liszt
• Gordon: Nocturne in B, by F. Liszt
• Nick: Sonata L6, by F. J. Haydn
• Andrew: Un lift pour Ville Émard, by André Gagnon
• Daniel: 1st 3 segments from “Pictures at an Exhibition”, by M. Moussorgsky
• Anne-Marie: Improvisation, by Gabriel Fauré
• Gregory: I’m in the Mood for Love, by Jimmy McHugh
• Gregory: Fly Me to the Moon, by Bart Howard
• Nick:  Minuet in F major HWV S20, by G. F. Handel
• Gordon: Impromptu Passioné, by C. Czerny
• Daniel: Moon River, by Henry Mancini
• Daniel: Pennies from Heaven, by Arthur Johnston
• Andrew: Comme au Premier Jour, by André Gagnon

🎵 Notes from October 19 2024 meetup

On a pleasant sunny day we had a good turnout and played on Ottawa Pianos' magnificent Felix CFX concert grand.  We welcomed new member Daniel to the group. There was an interesting variety of works played, Baroque to Modern, and from relatively simple (but good) to more challenging (and also good).  

Here's what was played:

• Gregory: Sérenade sur l’eau, by Jacques Ibert and Waltz in B minor, by Viktor Kossenko
• Jean-Claude: Notturno, by Ottorino Resphigi
• Tunde: Sonata in A minor 1st part, by W. A. Mozart
• Andrew: Humoreske part 1, by R. Schumann
• Françoise (piano) and Kevin (violin): Andante Affetuoso, by Brian Crain
• David R: Minuets in G major and G minor, by C. Petzold (formerly attributed to J. S. Bach)
• Jocelyn: Sonata in F major, by L. V. Beethoven
• Stéphanie: Reflections, by Dennis Alexander
• Karin: Voiles, by C. Debussy
• Dennis: La fille aux cheveux de lin, by C. Debussy
• Jennifer: Prelude in D major Op. 28, by S. Rachmaninoff
• Daniel: Solace: A Mexican Serenade, by Scott Joplin
• Françoise and Dennis (vocal/piano duet): Le secret, by Gabriel Fauré
• Jean-Claude: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, by J. S. Bach (arr. Myra Hess)
• Françoise (piano) and Kevin (violin): Time Forgotten, by Brian Crain
• David R: Polovtsian Dance from Prince Igor, by Alexander Borodin (arr. Felix Blumenfeld)