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Dulciana

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  1. Thanks for this. I had acquired the Sonata da Chiesa earlier in the year via Boeijenga (http://www.boeijengamusic.com), who were extremely helpful, so thought it must be back in print again. I have enjoyed immensely the Thema met Variaties and the Sonata da Chiesa, and would like to learn some more. Is there anyone who plays Andriessen's toccata that can attest to how hard it is?
  2. Thank you very much for these replies. Most helpful.
  3. I have been unsuccessfully trying to find somewhere to buy Hendrik Andriessen's 'Thema met Variaties': it is widely enough played that I assumed it would be easy to find. I'm currently learning it off a photocopy, but wanted to actually buy a proper copy if possible. I was also impressed by the same composer's 'Premier Choral' which I heard and fancied having a look at, but, again, haven't been able to track it down. Has anybody got any ideas, please?
  4. There is a clear inconsistency here, though. You say that his playing doesn't do much for you, but at the same time imply that others who have expressed negative reactions are wrong given that he has been invited to play at prestigious venues. I don't think that Carpenter's style - fashion or music - can be attributed to his youth (he's 31). Indeed, he appears extremely intelligent and speaks much truth about "the organ scene" that is perhaps a bit too close to home for some. His style is carefully cultivated, and actually rather old fashioned in many ways. I can understand that people would find it galling that he could pack the Royal Albert Hall while an organ recital, even one given by a fine player, typically attracts a handful of strange anoraked folk, and few music lovers who are not themselves in some way related to the organ. Does that mean that Carpenter should be vilified for doing so? Of course not. But I can understand those who are uncomfortable with the music itself being relegated to a position of secondary interest, and, having gone to hear Carpenter's prom on Saturday, can say that I personally found it tedious and one dimensional. However, the reaction of the audience would suggest that I was in the minority, so who I am I to say? (Incidentally, what was the point of him playing the F major toccata in F sharp, apart from it being announced with the sole intention of impressing? That got the concert of to a bad start for me even before a note was played.) Funnily enough, I would rather have listened to him speak about music for an hour rather than listening to him play.
  5. http://www.thebrag.com/2012/06/26/music-interview-cameron-carpenter/ "he doesn’t believe in announcing programs before the night – he thinks people should come for the performer, not the music..." Therein lies an interesting insight. "Carpenter has confirmed that he’ll definitely be playing what he calls the ‘Syncretic Prelude and Fugue in D’: his own arrangement of Bach’s Chaconne in D Minor (“which is, at 15 minutes, one of the ultimate statements of humanity,” he gushes)" Why is it necessary for him to "arrange" a piece he himself describes as one of the ultimate statements of humanity? I know little of this chap's music making beyond a few YouTube clips, but the more I read of his attitude the less I would actually want to hear him.
  6. Here is an interesting article from a couple of years ago. I couldn't resist reproducing one quotation from it: "Cavaillé-Coll? Cameron and I played one recently. Extremely limited. The rest of the European organs? I really have no interest in them. Relics". I shall make no further comment. http://www.counterpunch.org/2010/04/09/storm-over-cameron-carpenter/
  7. No music here, but some interesting points???
  8. Ignoring the state of the organ I think this is appalling and I can't understand why this gentleman is so lauded.
  9. I don't think there's any such thing as absolute music, as defined.
  10. Not sure if we've had it already (what a long thread), but this is exciting.
  11. One of the most important things is to avoid pressure on the elbow, which can certainly exacerbate a nerve which is prone to compression at points where it passes through tight areas; the most common of these you can find between the two bony prominences on the inside of the elbow joint (medial humoral epicondyle and olecranon). We lean on our elbows all the time, and apply pressure on this area in a variety of situations. It is a matter of being aware and trying to avoid this. It is important to ensure that the symptoms resolve with this conservative approach, as a more chronic entrapment can lead to wasting and weakness of the small hand muscles, of which the ulnar nerve supplies the majority. Any sign that these muscles are becoming weak is an indication to consider surgery to decompress the nerve, which is why your doctor will want to monitor the progress. Be vigilant for this.
  12. The distribution of the paraesthesia sounds like the territory supplied by the ulnar nerve. Do you lean on that elbow? The ulnar nerve not uncommonly gets entrapped as it passes around the back of the elbow.
  13. Daft question, but is the bench at the correct height? If it was too high I could imagine the knee being stretched awkwardly when playing. Imagine you've already thought of that, though.
  14. Can he cite an occasion on which the audience were physically laughing at his conclusion of Beethoven's sonata op 31 no 1? Incidentally, in the same article he states his lack of sympathy with the music of Rachmaninov as relating to the latter's lack of invention: this coming from a man whose performing career consisted in a large part of the piano music of Beethoven, and nothing (or very little) contemporary.
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