December 15, 2004 at 9:04 PM

Tomorrow I am off to Switzerland for rehearsals. I think I spend this week about 25 hours staring at the computer, trying to find a place to life in New York, but until now I have not had any luck. If only I had money, then it would be a lot easier... But after just reading the article on the NY Times on the Juilliard Effect, I am wondering if I am ever going to be financially secure... But he, I mostly love what I am doing, so who cares, besides the collection agencies :)

The other part of my week has consisted out of preparation for the Queen Elisabeth. However not by practicing. I am having a hard time choosing repertoire, and I don't seem to be capable of choosing what I want to play. There are so many good pieces out there. Take for instance Distance de Fee of Takemitsu, beautiful Messiaenic piece (is that a word???) It would be a great piece for the post 1950 requirement. But I could also do the Yun Konigliches Thema, which I know by now... And for the finals: do I play Tchaikovksy Concerto combined with Debussy Sonata, both pieces which I intemately know, or do I go for the less "popular" Shostakovich first concerto and the Mendelssohn Sonata, which I do not have so much of a history with. There are so many cons and pros. And then the all time question of Paganini Caprices. Did these juryes forget how it was to be young and how much they hated playing Paganini??? Why do they make us suffer the same fate and then triple it (you are supposed to have 3 caprices ready to go, and they tell you a little bit before playing which one will be the one they want to hear...)

I am looking forward to it, even the Paganini's. But it is a hard decision, choosing programms for these kind of events. I always try to visualize myself playing at the event and then see what piece feels most natural and right. Although some pieces might never feel natural, one can always tell if something fits or not.

I told myself I have to decide before Christmas, so I have another week to brainstorm. I will play through the Mendelssohn and Takemitsu with a friend and hopefully that will help my decision. I do have to practice, think about them, eat them, breath them, sleep with them for the next 6 months. By the time the competition is over, I still want to like them. We'll see what happens. Maybe I should take a poll on what V-com readers think...
Goodnight!

From Adam Shivers
Posted on December 17, 2004 at 1:00 AM

I am interested in making guitars...yet even more intrigued with the idea of making VIOLINS... BUT has anyone heard of any Schools or extensive classes for making harps?

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December 15, 2004 at 9:04 PM

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