Roast Chicken, Shostakovich, and Gogol Bordello
Both Shostakovich and Gogol Bordello have used a Russian song from the "Red Terror" period (1918-1921) in their respective works, "Moskva CheremushkI" and "Start Wearing Purple". The song is called…
Confessions of an anxious pianist #26: Same or different music on the other side?
Although the “anxious ballet pianist” series is officially over, I’m adding one more post now, because I realised today that after thirty years of playing for class, I still often…
A year of ballet playing cards #50: A chameleon-like march by Granados (DJ)
Download the score of the Military March by Granados (pdf, free) Read more about my Year of Ballet Playing Cards The march that isn’t a march: one of the perennial…
A year of ballet playing cards #35: A mazurka by Hubay
Download piano score of Hubay’s mazurka (free pdf) Read more about my Year of Ballet Playing Cards Slow, mazurka-like exercises from the corner for multiple pirouettes are a staple of…
Varieties of reading: drawing in and pulling away
I’ve just finished reading Matthew Crawford’s The World Beyond Your Head, which I’d happily say is one of the best books I’ve read in the last year. I wonder when…
A year of ballet playing cards #53 (Black Joker): Reel from La Sylphide
There's nothing like the reel from La Sylphide to perk up little jumps in a ballet class. Here's the piano score, nicely typeset.