Do marches really have to have dotted rhythms?
Nice to see an article about marching music, one of the weird, esoteric topics that perplex ballet pianists like me: a 2018 conference paper byNiels Hansen, Nicholas Shea & David…
“They would have…” — Coppélia, Scotch snaps and class (the social kind)
The Scotch Snap goes to Poland My recent discovery that one of the interpolations in Coppélia for Franz’s variation is from a “Scottish” ballet (Gretna Green, by Guiraud) encouraged me…
Franz’s solo in Coppélia: yet another interpolation (Bol’shoi version)
Who knows what this is? Answers below! Click here to download Franz’s interpolated solo from Coppélia for piano (free pdf) After I’d finished that last post on teachers and their…
Diamond fairy variation: new piano arrangement
I had to play this yesterday at a competition, and surprisingly, it’s the first time I’ve had to do it in public. It’s vile to play. Nowadays, if I’m faced…
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…