Thursday, February 05, 2009

I've become boring - maybe

Feeling rather blogged out at present. It's probably in part because I've gone back to work this week after three weeks off, but it may also be that my energy levels aren't as high because of what's going on healthwise.
Or it may be that I've just become utterly boring and have nothing else to say.

At the end of the month I'm supposed to be doing a block course at Varsity - my first real experience of the place. (Hopefully I won't be in hospital having an op that week!). The course is one of the Theology Dept ones: Congregations in New Zealand. It was suggested by my boss at work, and I didn't think it would greatly grab me as a subject. However, I've begun reading the course notes, and the first couple of chapters have been more interesting than I thought they'd be. So maybe it'll suit me after all.
On the music front I started writing a piece for cornet and piano in the last few days of the holidays, and that was going reasonably well. And I discovered Prokofiev's 1st piano sonata. I may have heard it before, but I've never played it. It turns out to be very playable, in fact (much more so than some of the 5th, which I've worked at rather than played, for many years). I've ordered a copy of the piece online, as the copy I'm using is from the library.

2 comments:

Tim Jones said...

My Dad used to play me (a tape of) the Prokofiev Toccata (in D minor, Op 11) sometimes. Now that would be a formidable piece to play! (Apparently Prokofiev's technique wasn't quite up to playing it himself.)

It can be seen and heard at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSPDmQtWPak

As someone who can't play a note himself, I am secure in issuing such challenges ...

Mike Crowl said...

Thanks for putting me onto that video, Tim. I don't think I'm familiar with the Toccata, so it was good not just to hear it but see it. Crikey! Absolutely fantastic piece of piano playing.