Four to six hours daily at the piano, 100% devoted to my heart composer, Frédéric Chopin. Nirvana! It was an extraordinary love affair when I was 24-years-old.
Chopin's 210th birthday was March 1. I celebrated by enjoying the live-stream of the National Chopin Competition finals from Miami. It brought back heart-warming memories from my time competing in the competition in 1984.
Round one consisted of two etudes, a nocturne, and a scherzo. Six consecutive preludes, a ballade, and a polonaise were required for round two. I advanced to semi-finals, where I performed an opus of mazurkas and a sonata. Finalists played one of Chopin's two concerti with an orchestra.
That was followed by a trip to Poland six months later, where I was accepted into the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. It was not only my first time competing in an international competition, it was my first trip to Europe. It was a daunting experience, and I was nervous.
Some of the best advice I was given was from an experienced and accomplished colleague, David Syme. He said, “Don't try and impress the judges. There's nothing they haven't already heard. Just play your heart out and be yourself.”
While I didn't advance far in the international competition, I was pleased that I worked through my nerves and played my best. It was inspiring hearing the pianists from all over the world and visiting Zelazowa Wola, Chopin's birth home.
The International Chopin Competition takes place every five years, and it's the olympics to the Poles. Chopin heard everywhere… in taxis, restaurants, and shops. Schools close early so children can attend the competition. Celebrating the nation's most famous composer is an important part of Polish culture.
Chopin's birthday inspired me to upload two videos to my youtube channel of Chopin Etudes I performed about a year ago, when I was half way between right hand surgery number three and four.
The etudes were performed in a program called Left Hand Plus, the first time my right hand joined my left since my hand injury in June of 2017. The Revolutionary Etude is a study in endurance for the left hand. Since my injury, it's been a measurement test for the extension in my right hand. I'm elated I can now reach most of the right hand chords that I rolled (played one note at a time) a year ago.
The 4th scherzo in the video above is pre-injury, recorded at a recital at Lisa Spector's Music School in 2012. It's taken me two and a half years, but I can finally watch old videos of my right hand playing effortlessly without feeling the overwhelming grief of the loss of my pre-injury right hand.
The blessings of this injury and recovery continue to unfold. I'm making good progress on writing my memoir about a musician's journey from tragedy to triumph. I understand this experience in a way that I hadn't before. Writing this memoir is breathing life into the part of me that had died inside when my hand was crushed. That's helped to make room for my recovering hand, along with all the miracles that continue to unfold.
Be the first to guess what music the above photo is from. Post your answer in a comment below and you'll be sent my 1997 CD “Encores d'Elegance!” It's so rare that it's not even available on streaming. Must have a US shipping address.
OH my you are amazing. I looked at the score and got ambushed with all those flats and sharps.
Beautiful.
Thanks Laureen!