Please contact Leonora if you are interested. Thank you.
News and Meetings
Bristol Piano Club Meeting Oct 15th 2023.
Bristol Piano Club meeting Oct 15th 2023.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable meeting which was very kindly hosted by Kay and we give our thanks to her.
We heard a wide variety of piano music, including not only solo pieces but duets and a piece for two pianos. Peter played a very lively version of Nut Rocker which nearly had us all up dancing!
It was an afternoon of good music, friendship and food and we thank everyone for their culinary and musical contributions.
duets, two
Bristol Piano Club meeting 15.10.23 Playlist
Steve Nocturnes Op. 9 Nos. 1&2 Chopin
Mark Preludes Op.11 Nos 2, 6, 4, 5 Scriabin
Graham and Jean Canonic Study No 2 Schumann/Debussy
Peter Prelude and Fugue in C sharp minor (Book 1 WTC) JS Bach Nut Rocker Kim Fowley
Ret D.V. 568 Op Allegro moderato, Andante molto Schubert
Simon H Sicilliano JS Bach
Berceuse F Bridge
Leonora and Kay Liebesfreud – Love’s Joy F Kreisler – arr. by D.Agay
Ann Sonata K208 Scarlatti
Piano Sonata HobXV1: no 23 Adagio Haydn
Bristol Festival of Music Speech and Drama.
The Piano Section is on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd March 2024.
Information for our meeting in November 23.
Dear All,
We’re wanting to give you advanced information about the Bristol Piano Club Meeting on Saturday 25/11 at our house because it is a meeting with a theme! You might appreciate some extra time to select (and prepare) the music, if you choose to play a piece in keeping with the theme.
The theme is FRANCE and there are various ways you might choose to Vive la France:
a) Play French music
b) Wear French clothes e.g. clothes could reflect the tricolour such as a blue top, white trousers and red socks or else wear a striped top
c) Bring French food
People are welcome to enjoy the theme to whatever extent they wish. There is absolutely NO PRESSURE to do any of the suggestions above, but you can enjoy embracing the atmosphere and being entertained by people who do it wholly or partially!
Feel free to contact us, via Leonora, if you have any queries.
With best wishes,
Kirsty and David Clarke.
Please note that booking opens for the November meeting on Monday 16th October. – Leonora.
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Greetings from Cheryl and Bryan who are in Indonesia
Cheryl has sent a message to say that anyone who knows her personally is welcome to send her a Face Book friend request as she would be delighted to share the journey with members of BPC.
Enjoy your adventures Cheryl and Bryan!
The Piano Series 2
Simon – Congratulations on your achievement of the ABRSM Performance Diploma
Simon’s recent ABRSM Performance Diploma exam.
I had thought many times about attempting one of these exams. The syllabus was kicking round my music shelves for years, occasionally glanced at it but I never felt I had the time to prepare. Then, following retirement things became easier and I decided to go for it! I got lots of encouragement from members of the club, several of whom have advanced performance diplomas.
At the AB there are four levels beyond grade 8: associate, diploma, licentiate and fellow (NB this is going to change shortly – see the AB website). The associate and diploma levels only required a grade 8 pass to enter which I had from some thirty years ago. I decided to try for the diploma option. This has the same repertoire list as the associate (although the associate also allows a selection of grade 8 pieces of up to 10 minutes duration) but with a slightly longer recital time of 35 minutes instead of 30. Also you have to write your own programme notes on which you are examined, and you do a quick study/ sight reading. Each component – recital, viva and quick study – has to be passed in order to get your DipABRSM.
So, I chose a programme lasting 35 minutes of contrasting pieces that I liked and thought went well together (Beethoven’s 1st sonata, Bach’s prelude and fugue in D major from Bk 2, Chopin’s C# minor mazurka from op. 50 and Fauré’ s 2nd impromptu). Then followed over a year of serious practice with monthly lessons from Stefan Hofkes, a very talented local conductor and pianist (now, sadly, absent from Bristol and resident in Spain). Much of this was done on our Clavinova in order to preserve the action of our ‘proper piano’ and the sanity of my wife, Jill. I shudder to think how many times I practised some awkward arpeggios in the Beethoven or those tricky semiquaver runs in the Bach Prelude but eventually they came to heel.
Consulting many of my music books and the internet, researching and writing the programme notes was huge fun. I prepared for the quick study by purchasing a book of past examples and working through these. I didn’t think I would be able to do the recital from memory so I considered trying to find a human page turner but after talking to some techno-savvy Club members I decided to buy a blue tooth page turner which works with my laptop.
Then I rehearsed playing all the recital pieces individually over 10 months or so at the Club meetings and had a full scale recital at ours a few weeks in advance of the big day. Plus several run throughs at the Music Club on the piano that is used for the AB exams (a Boston 212 grand) to get used to the action and the sound.
In the exam things seemed to go reasonably well, nerves moderately under control, and then it was wait, wait, wait until after almost 9 weeks I got an e-mail with the results (success !) and the promise of a certificate in the post.
So, was it worth it – all the hours of preparation, the cost of the lessons, music, page turner and exam fee (over £300)? Absolutely. I was challenged, stretched, and feel I have significantly developed my confidence and musical skills.
And what next? – well, I enjoyed myself so much that I am now working towards the next level – the licentiate. The repertoire list is amazing. I had to make some hard choices of pieces to leave out before settling on the list that will make up the 40 – 45 minute programme. So, I am back at work in the mornings, cup of Assam at the little table next to the Clavinova, working up Berg, Fauré, Bach, Brahms and Chopin. Hopefully you will hear all these in the coming months.
In future AB performance exams will be digital – you film and record yourself on a mobile or laptop and submit the mp4 file with a large cheque. So you can use your own piano and record yourself as many times as you like until you get the performance you are happy with. This brings the AB into line with Trinity and possibly other exam boards. So, depending on your personality, possibly a lot less stress. If you do have the time, want to get really deeply into some amazing piano music and perform it to a knowledgeable, critical audience and get some letters after your name, it’s definitely worth considering.
Once again I’d like to say a huge thanks to the Piano Club for giving me the opportunity to perform my pieces and for the friendship and encouragement that have all contributed towards my journey to this result.
Playlist for 9th Sept 2023 at Len and Marion’s
Len Allegro Joseph Haydn
Chris UW Allegro Domenico Cimarosa
Simon H Mazurka op 63 no.2 Chopin
Moonlight Sonata 1st movement Beethoven
Ann G Sonata in Ab Op 26, 2nd & 3rd Movts, Scherzo &
Marcia Funebre Beethoven
Graham N Passacaglia HWV 432 Handel
Gareth Rumores de la Caleta Isaac Albeniz
Mark Romance in A minor, Op.21 No.1 Clara Schumann
Prelude Op.11 No.4 Scriabin
Margaret Commuter Caprice Richard Lloyd
Brian Nos 1-9 from Twenty-four pieces for Children by Viktor Kosenko
Bristol Piano Club 