How fit do musicians have to be?

Memorising Mozart

I am currently practising Mozart's Sonata in C K.279 for a concert this weekend and for the last few weeks all my practising has been from memory.  However, earlier this week I had a phone call which came just at the end of the second movement.  When I went back to practise the third movement I kept having memory slips even though I've been playing it for weeks without any memory problems at all! I then realised that I had been practising the third movement after the second and maybe my brain needed the connection between the movements in order to ensure I would memorise it correctly?  So, for the last couple of days I've been practising the movements in reverse order, starting with the third movement just to ensure the memory is really secure ready for the concert on Sunday.  Its strange how you can feel that you know a piece really thoroughly and then something like this can lead to memory problems!

One thing I like to do before a concert to ensure I know the pieces really well from memory is to practise away from the instrument.  Often its in the car while driving.  I simply go through the music in my mind and picture myself playing the piece.  If I can do this I find its a really good test as to whether I really know the piece well enough from memory.

Do you have any hints on memorising music?  Any ways you practise to ensure you know pieces from memory?  Feel free to leave comments.

Interpretation

I'm currently working on Mozart's Sonata in C K 279 for a concert on 22 November and thought I'd share some thoughts about how I work out the interpretation of the music.  There are so many points to consider:  

How will I shape each phrase?  

How will I play the ornaments?  

What tempi will I choose for the different movements?  

Have I got the right balance between melody and accompaniment?  

Will I do the repeats?  

Will I add embellishments to the repeats?

...

In my practise time I'll often try phrases out in many different ways to find what I feel works best.  I'll be trying to bear in mind the instruments Mozart would have performed on and how they differ from our modern pianos and I'll be thinking about the performance practise of Mozart's time.  At the same time, I'll also be trying to work out what mood or emotion Mozart is trying to get across in the music.  Is it humorous, sad, joyful, contemplative...?  I also find so much of Mozart's piano music is very orchestral in character and therefore I often think in terms of orchestral instruments.  

These are just a few thoughts I have when approaching a piece of music.  It can often take some time to work out exactly how to interpret a work and of course my interpretation can evolve and develop over many years. 

Putting together a concert programme

Today I have been working on putting a programme together for a forthcoming concert.  I enjoy trying out pieces and seeing which ones work well together.  There are several points to think about:  Do I give the programme a theme?  Do I feature the works of just one composer?  Do I programme the pieces chronologically?

A concert I gave last year featuring just one composer was a Mozart lunchtime recital which began with his Fantasia in C minor then the Sonata in G and finally the Varations in C on Twinkle Twinkle.  This worked well as showed different aspects of Mozart's piano works and each piece had its own character.

Theme and Variations were the subject of another concert programme which opened with Mozart's Sonata in A and was followed by Beethoven's Op. 109 where the final movement is formed from theme and variations.  The finale to this concert was the virtuosic Variations on Paganini by Brahms.
However, for the concert programme I was working on today I've decided to go with a variety of composers and pieces and will open with two Preludes and Fugues by J. S. Bach.  The main work will then be a Mozart Sonata and this will be followed by a selection of Grieg's beautiful lyric pieces.  The finale will be Chopin's Scherzo in B minor.

A programme certainly needs variety with each work having its own character and demonstrating a different aspect of the piano repertoire.  Its also important to use a variety of keys (major and minor).  Although the finale is often a fast and virtuosic piece, a gentle more reflective work can also work well to end a programme - I enjoy performing Schumann's Traumerei as a final encore.

So there's some of my thoughts on programming but please leave comments with your ideas and perhaps giving examples of programmes you've performed or listened to.