I’m a Blogger

So, here I am, sitting at my computer at 02:38 at night, not at all going to sleep (which I really should be doing), and instead, starting a blog. (/mixed feelings of elation and dread).

I’ve been intending to do this for months, but my procrastination never let me, so today, prior to doing this, I sent an e-mail to one of my best friends, saying, “I’m planning to start a blog. Not, like, planning in theory, but planning right now, the very moment I finish writing this e-mail.” I also made a grisly simile to people who post their intentions to do Terminal Things to Themselves and then go right ahead and do it (to make a stronger point, you see). And then I finished writing it, and sent it, and after that there was no way back.

WordPress. A great platform, it is, easy to set up (hard to master? we shall see), very customizable (I’m completely flooded with all the options right now) – and though I’m certain I could waste spend hours customizing everything (and one day I might, so it’s good the option is there), I’ll keep it basic and simple in the first days/weeks/months, and try to concentrate on the blogging instead.

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So, to concentrate on the blogging instead – I came back from Argentina last week (I’ll do a separate post on that), and was jet-lagging rather badly (and still slightly am) – going to sleep at 5am and collapsing into 2-hour day-naps, and feeling generally groggy and sleepy and confounded during the day. But I’m quickly getting neck-deep into work, so this jet-lag business has to stop, and rather soon (heard that, you jet lag?)

Thing is, you see, this coming month is going to be utter repertoire craziness. To be more specific:

Next weekend is a 3-concert marathon at the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art with Eric Zuber and Ilya Rashkovsky (who won the 4th and 3rd prize at the Rubinstein Competition in May) – we’re playing loads of things, mostly with orchestra (it’s going to be the Israel Camerata with Avner Biron, which is great, as they were really good at the competition, and I’m really happy to work with them again) – I, in particular, am performing:

• Haydn – D major Concerto
• Mozart – Double Concerto (with Ilya)
• Brahms – Sonata for two pianos (with Eric – that’s the Quintet Op. 34 in its previous version, and I rather naively assumed that, having played the quintet before, the sonata wouldn’t be that much work. Yeah, right :] )
• Chopin – Concerto No. 2

All great works, the Mozart and the Chopin being my personal favourites on that list.

Now, two days after the marathon, I have a series of five recitals – two in Israel (Haifa and Ashdod), and then three in Canada (not enough jet lag for me, eh? But I’m really glad to be going, as it’s my first time there and Canada is a beautiful country and I wanted to visit for a long time, and also as it’s Vancouver, which I heard was a particularly beautiful city; and it’s a really good concert series to boot – the Vancouver Recital Society). The programme:

• Prokofiev – Sonata No. 4
• Franck – Prelude, Chorale and Fugue
• Bartok – Six dances in Bulgarian rhythm
• Liszt – Sonata

I’ll do a separate post about it too, as parts of it are new, and parts are works I haven’t played for a while, so it occupies large chunks of my head on a daily basis.

But, that’s not all. My last recital in Canada is on the 25th, early afternoon. On the same evening, I take the flight back home (via London). I arrive on the 27th at 05:35 (scheduled) and that very morning I have to rehearse Mozart K488 with the Israel Symphony Orchestra. And it’s completely new, and we’re going to have one rehearsal (though a double one). Then it’s a three day interval (Rosh Ha Shana – the Jewish New Year), and four concerts with them – three in my home town, Rishon Le Zion, and one at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, which is our main opera theater (and it doubles as a concert hall – a rather beautiful one in my opinion; here is a photo taken from the stage: http://images.mouse.co.il/storage/e/7/shlomi-ggg20092211_6250000_0..jpg ) (yeah, I know I can embed photos in the post itself, but all that later.)

So, that’s my plan/occupation/list of challenges for the upcoming month. And I really should be going to sleep now, as it’s 03:14 rather than 02:38, and my consciousness will pang me badly tomorrow.

All the best for now. BG.