Organ & Opera
[A post I made to LiveJournal on Sat, August 13, 2016.]
I had a pretty cool day of music yesterday =).
It began with my twice a month organ lesson. I feel bad because I just can't seem to get myself to practice the organ as much as I'd like, or as much as my teacher would like, but I am truly working to improve that. During the lesson I was thinking, "Sigh, I just don't like organ as much as piano!" I wouldn't tell my teacher that, though, because I really respect her, and these lessons are being provided by my church as a part of continuing education, so I TOTALLY appreciate them, you know? But it's hard being a "student" when I am driving all over the Bay Area, playing for this and that rehearsal, fitting in my own students, playing for two church services a week, on top of going to the gym for my personal training sessions now (!!!).
But as I was driving yesterday, I put in one of the organ CDs my teacher let me borrow, and it's just INCREDIBLE! I listened to one of the most well-known pieces in the organ repertory, "Toccata and Fugue in d minor" by J.S. Bach, and while the Toccata is a bit overplayed, the fugue is just GORGEOUS and so moving and powerful, and the other pieces on the CD were captivating and just so fantastic. Organ is truly a different beast, as I've said before. It's nothing like piano. You are an entire ORCHESTRA! A great organist is able to utilize the stops and manuals to make sounds of flutes, strings, trumpet, and to give that exciting "rumble" that you hear that is just chilling!
Of course, there are the practical difficulties of practicing organ: I can't just get out of bed and walk over to an organ: I have to drive to the church, set it up, and plan to be there at least an hour or it's not worth it. I am exploring the option of practicing at a church in Brentwood, so as to not always have to drive back to Concord. Also, organ is physically EXHAUSTING! The pedals are so very important, and to be really excellent at them takes leg muscle, and right now I'm not in good shape, so even half an hour of organ practice is tiring. But, I know that in time it will get easier!
The second aspect of my day in music was that I am REALLY liking opera nowadays! I've had the pleasure of working with a few fantastic conductors, and six AMAZING soloists, in rehearsal for the gorgeous opera "La Bohéme" by Puccini! We have been rehearsing in Palo Alto and Los Altos, and this work is just absolutely stunning. I mean, I've always known opera is incredible, but with SO MANY genres of the classical repertoire to study, opera wasn't on the top of my list; I was more focused on solo piano repertoire, chamber music, collaborative repertoire, and musicals. But now, working with these incredible musicians, I really want to delve more into the vast repertoire of opera that spans over 400 years.
I had a pretty cool day of music yesterday =).
It began with my twice a month organ lesson. I feel bad because I just can't seem to get myself to practice the organ as much as I'd like, or as much as my teacher would like, but I am truly working to improve that. During the lesson I was thinking, "Sigh, I just don't like organ as much as piano!" I wouldn't tell my teacher that, though, because I really respect her, and these lessons are being provided by my church as a part of continuing education, so I TOTALLY appreciate them, you know? But it's hard being a "student" when I am driving all over the Bay Area, playing for this and that rehearsal, fitting in my own students, playing for two church services a week, on top of going to the gym for my personal training sessions now (!!!).
But as I was driving yesterday, I put in one of the organ CDs my teacher let me borrow, and it's just INCREDIBLE! I listened to one of the most well-known pieces in the organ repertory, "Toccata and Fugue in d minor" by J.S. Bach, and while the Toccata is a bit overplayed, the fugue is just GORGEOUS and so moving and powerful, and the other pieces on the CD were captivating and just so fantastic. Organ is truly a different beast, as I've said before. It's nothing like piano. You are an entire ORCHESTRA! A great organist is able to utilize the stops and manuals to make sounds of flutes, strings, trumpet, and to give that exciting "rumble" that you hear that is just chilling!
Of course, there are the practical difficulties of practicing organ: I can't just get out of bed and walk over to an organ: I have to drive to the church, set it up, and plan to be there at least an hour or it's not worth it. I am exploring the option of practicing at a church in Brentwood, so as to not always have to drive back to Concord. Also, organ is physically EXHAUSTING! The pedals are so very important, and to be really excellent at them takes leg muscle, and right now I'm not in good shape, so even half an hour of organ practice is tiring. But, I know that in time it will get easier!
The second aspect of my day in music was that I am REALLY liking opera nowadays! I've had the pleasure of working with a few fantastic conductors, and six AMAZING soloists, in rehearsal for the gorgeous opera "La Bohéme" by Puccini! We have been rehearsing in Palo Alto and Los Altos, and this work is just absolutely stunning. I mean, I've always known opera is incredible, but with SO MANY genres of the classical repertoire to study, opera wasn't on the top of my list; I was more focused on solo piano repertoire, chamber music, collaborative repertoire, and musicals. But now, working with these incredible musicians, I really want to delve more into the vast repertoire of opera that spans over 400 years.