Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Music played at the January 22, 2017 session

Our most recent session was at Ottawa's Steinway Piano Gallery, and it was one of our biggest gatherings to date. Four new members played for the first time. And as well as all of the solo piano works, we had a 1-piano duet, a 2-piano duet, and a 4-piano sight-reading performance!

The huge range of music played was as follows:

- Gail: Nocturne by Heinrich Hofmann (op.88, no.3)
- May Lou: Barcarolle #1 Op. 26 by G. Faure
- Karin and Greg (2 Piano Duet):  Pavane, arranged by Sherman Storr, by G. Faure
- Christopher: Consolation #3, by F. Liszt
- Erin: Waltz in B minor by F. Chopin
- Nick: Girl with the flaxen hair, by C. Debussy
- Jackie: Sonata in C Major by W.A. Mozart
- Gordon: Waltz in C minor op. 64 #2 by F. Chopin
- Jeff: Verrufene Stelle (Haunted Place) op. 82, by R. Schumann
- David R: Sarabande , 1st French Suite, by J. S. Bach
- Lynda J:  Marcha Oriental, by E. Granados
- John W.: 2 Russian Folk songs (Ekh Dorogi, and Stenka Razin)
- Michele:  Polytonality, by R. Murray Schafer
- Caryn: Moonlight Mood, by Gillock
- Gared:  Excursions II op. 20, by S. Barber

Round 2

- Mary Lou: Andalusa, by E. Granados
- Christopher and David (duet): Siciliano , by J. S. Bach arranged by Sharon Aaronson
- Lynda: Classical Gas, by Mason Williams
- Gregory: Traumerai, by R. Schumann
- Nick: What Child is this, traditional, arranger unknown
- Gail: The Little Shepherd, by C. Debussy
- John W.: Free improvisation starting on D
- Gared: Preludes op 28 #3, 11; Etude Op. 25 #24, by F. Chopin

Round 3

Christopher, Nick, Gordon, and Lynda sight read 4-pianos, 8-hands arrangements of “Over the Rainbow” and “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring”

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Christopher's piano

My Yamaha U1 is a relative youngster in the piano world. I purchased it in 2008 from the Dr. Piano store in Halifax, making it barely ten years old.


As the Yamaha website says, this model is a “perennial favourite” and is often found in music schools as well as in homes.

I remember my first impressions of it – I liked its clear, direct, and balanced tone without any fussiness. For me, there really was no competition between it and the other uprights (and some of the baby grands) in the store.

After moving to Ottawa, I had a PianoSaver humidity control system installed by my piano technician, David Anderson. The system has really paid off, helping to maintain the tuning even when the weather fluctuates.

The most recent addition to my piano, though, is the light! It’s a beautiful, sleek, LED light that illuminates sheet music and the keyboard really well.

Although I can’t help but long for a grand piano, my U1 serves me well, and is perfect for our small home.