I thought I would be nice to keep a record of the repertoire I’m learning. I’ll jot my pieces down here and update the lists when things change/grow.
Solo
Sibelius Violin Concerto
My goal is to get this ready for the concerto auditions which happen in March 2023. It’s handy to have this deadline to keep up the practice motivation!
One of my old tutors and good friends Hywel Jenkins played me a handful of recordings to compare. He introduced me to Lisa Batiashvili’s recording, which I’ll leave for you here!
Bach B minor double
I chose this movement because I was introduced to it by an acting tutor from RWCMD. Over the summer he asked me to come and play this movement to some of his classes who were exploring movement and rhetoric. It was such an interesting experience. I really enjoyed the conversations that sparked from looking at how tempo/rhythm/phrasing can show themselves in the body and the way we move. Bach’s unaccompanied music works so well with this because he was such a genius of harmony. The whole musical idea is so cleverly expressed on one stave, and in the same way we move through our lives in our single body. Here's a recording of the whole Partita by Chris Thile, a really amazing mandolin player who I've been inspired by in recent years.
Biber - Passacaglia
I’m performing this in a few weeks in baroque class. I get the chance to play with a baroque bow, one I borrowed from ACSM. Baroque bows vary a lot in shape, the one I have is similar in length to a modern bow. It has a much pointier tip, and the wood is more straight, towards the concave side, whereas a modern bow is more convex. This has an effect on the articulation of the music, and learning how to do this well and in a way that is personal to me is going to be a big part of this class. Here’s a great recording by Rachel Podger, who I was lucky to work with a handful of times at RWCMD. The first time was on zoom, and even then she was a great teacher! Luckily I also got the chance to be in a room with her. My favourite class ever was her boga (bow-yoga) class, the principles of which I still use today! She also gave us a great baroque improvisation which totally wowed me. Watching her improvise with such ease and grace was truly spectacular.
Castello, Sonata 5 with Sackbut and Cello!
I’m performing this next week in Baroque class with two fellow classmates. I worked with Sackbuts once before, a very long time ago back at Wells Cathedral School! Sackbuts are the name for what would have been a Baroque Trombone. I like the sound a lot, and I like how well they go with violin! You never get trombone and violin sonatas these days.
Orchestra
Beethoven Symphony No. 4
What surprised me about this piece is how many times I’ve heard the third movement and had no idea it was from this symphony. We were reading through the movements last week and when we turned the page to the third movement I went ‘Oh! It’s this one!’ In my head. I really enjoy playing this symphony. The dark colors in the opening are not unlike some of the darker atmospheres in my Sibelius concerto, albeit on a much bigger scale. I find playing the fourth movement so exhilarating, and I can’t wait to have it properly under my fingers so I can really enjoy myself and listen properly to the other parts.....
Stravinsky Suite No. 1
We read through this a few days ago and it’s pretty cool. I’d never heard of this piece before, but I especially like the harmony writing in the first movement. The third movement is a lot of fun too. Oh and the conductor dropped on us that we will be performing this piece without a conductor, standing up, and from memory. Bam. The bar just got raised I guess.
Chamber TBC
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