a recording diary
That’s it then. The notes are all recorded, now it is down to my producer – the excellent Michael Ponder – to edit and master the final recording, and to Toccata Classics to put together the finished product and tell me when it can be released. As the dust has begun to settle (and I’ve had a few days off) it is time to reflect upon this process – the highs and lows, the self-discovery (eek), the things I may want to take forward into future projects, the things I will never attempt again…
April 15-17 2019. Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth.
The piano music of F.S.Kelly
Pianist – Alex Wilson
Producer – Michael Ponder
Day 1
Monographs = 9
Studies = 4
Hours = 9
Energy levels post session = 3/10. An ominous level of lethargy after one day…
Day 2
Monographs = 10
Studies = 5
Hours = 10
Energy levels post session = 0.5/10. Enough energy to drive home without falling asleep, but only just!
Day 3
Monographs = 5
Studies = 4
Hours = 9
Energy levels post session = 6/10. Surprisingly high, probably due to some serious post-recording adrenaline.
Recording for an album of solo piano music is HARD, HARD, HARD. After day 1 I already felt like I’d been punched, then kicked, then slapped, then punched again. After day 2 I never wanted to look at a piano again and hated everything to do with Frederick Septimus Kelly and his piano music. Day 3 contained some of the biggest challenges of all and it was a test of my determination to get through all the notes before we had to give Wyastone concert hall back to its owner. The distance from the stage to the recording booth was starting to seem like a very long way indeed; some kind of airport-style travellator between the two so I didn’t have to physically move between takes would have been appreciated.
Then it was 6pm on day 3. The 24thmonograph had just been laid down – Monograph 19 will now to me forever signify the end of a seriously draining (if exhilarating) recording process – and the feeling of euphoria that came in that moment made all the hours of recording worthwhile. All the fundraising, practising, research, concerts, emails and phone calls had been building towards these 3 days, and now it was out of my hands, my work was done. The wait for the finished article has begun.
The whisky I drank to celebrate the end of the process also made it worthwhile…
The concentration required to perform at your best for hour after hour of solo recording is monumental. I hadn’t been ready for the relentless difficulty of this music, the challenge of playing such technically challenging pieces at performance level one after another. Fistfuls of notes, absolute precision required at very high speed. There were times I felt like I would never complete the most difficult studies, that I’d be completely incapable of finishing everything off at all, that I was mad to contemplate such a project in the first place.
I awoke a level of self-determination in preparing all these wild, complex, mysterious pieces for recording, and have reinforced this determination in laying them down on time over 3 days when my concentration and energy levels sometimes made me doubt it. This is a useful discovery about myself that will hopefully resurface in future moments of self-doubt.
The recording process doesn’t let you get away with anything. Studying your own performance with a magnifying glass, bar by bar, highlights any moment that you may have ‘glossed over’ in practice – not that I’m saying my performances are littered with mistakes by any means, but in recording this music I struggled with moments that I previously had no idea I had any technical issues with. Slow practice doesn’t necessarily highlight everything!
Hiring someone with the professionalism and fine-tuned ear of Michael Ponder to produce was a very good move – I was amazed at some of the details he was able to pick up on despite having never heard the music before. He kept saying that he liked the music and that I’m doing well, which I appreciated at the time whether it was true or not!
Having a precise schedule for 3 days is a good idea. Sticking to that schedule is also a good idea. I paired fast, demanding studies with slow, ‘easier’ monographs and spaced out the really fiddly studies across the 3 days. By and large I stuck to this plan – and I think I’d have struggled to finish everything off if I’d left too much challenging repertoire until the final day. The earliest finishing time came on the last day so I must have done something right – I even managed to see my daughter for 15 minutes before bedtime!
Deciding to record one of the hardest, fastest studies first of all was a BAD idea. Ploughing on through break times and not even leaving the building during a full day’s work was a BAD idea. Particularly when the building is nestled deep within the beautiful Wye Valley, perfect for some restorative, concentration boosting fresh air. Still, you can’t expect to get everything right!
I feel like I have made a recording that will be worthwhile, a recording to be proud of. A historical document and a testament to a creative, mysterious composer who deserves a higher profile. I won’t pretend that I like all 37 pieces equally – there are some that I struggled with technically and some that I found hard to penetrate on a musical level – but there are real moments of beauty, fascinating harmonic exploration and technical brilliance in this music, and I hope that listeners will find something they enjoy amongst the 37 tracks. Just don’t ask me to programme all 37 in one concert!
April 15-17 2019. Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth.
The piano music of F.S.Kelly
Pianist – Alex Wilson
Producer – Michael Ponder
Day 1
Monographs = 9
Studies = 4
Hours = 9
Energy levels post session = 3/10. An ominous level of lethargy after one day…
Day 2
Monographs = 10
Studies = 5
Hours = 10
Energy levels post session = 0.5/10. Enough energy to drive home without falling asleep, but only just!
Day 3
Monographs = 5
Studies = 4
Hours = 9
Energy levels post session = 6/10. Surprisingly high, probably due to some serious post-recording adrenaline.
Recording for an album of solo piano music is HARD, HARD, HARD. After day 1 I already felt like I’d been punched, then kicked, then slapped, then punched again. After day 2 I never wanted to look at a piano again and hated everything to do with Frederick Septimus Kelly and his piano music. Day 3 contained some of the biggest challenges of all and it was a test of my determination to get through all the notes before we had to give Wyastone concert hall back to its owner. The distance from the stage to the recording booth was starting to seem like a very long way indeed; some kind of airport-style travellator between the two so I didn’t have to physically move between takes would have been appreciated.
Then it was 6pm on day 3. The 24thmonograph had just been laid down – Monograph 19 will now to me forever signify the end of a seriously draining (if exhilarating) recording process – and the feeling of euphoria that came in that moment made all the hours of recording worthwhile. All the fundraising, practising, research, concerts, emails and phone calls had been building towards these 3 days, and now it was out of my hands, my work was done. The wait for the finished article has begun.
The whisky I drank to celebrate the end of the process also made it worthwhile…
The concentration required to perform at your best for hour after hour of solo recording is monumental. I hadn’t been ready for the relentless difficulty of this music, the challenge of playing such technically challenging pieces at performance level one after another. Fistfuls of notes, absolute precision required at very high speed. There were times I felt like I would never complete the most difficult studies, that I’d be completely incapable of finishing everything off at all, that I was mad to contemplate such a project in the first place.
I awoke a level of self-determination in preparing all these wild, complex, mysterious pieces for recording, and have reinforced this determination in laying them down on time over 3 days when my concentration and energy levels sometimes made me doubt it. This is a useful discovery about myself that will hopefully resurface in future moments of self-doubt.
The recording process doesn’t let you get away with anything. Studying your own performance with a magnifying glass, bar by bar, highlights any moment that you may have ‘glossed over’ in practice – not that I’m saying my performances are littered with mistakes by any means, but in recording this music I struggled with moments that I previously had no idea I had any technical issues with. Slow practice doesn’t necessarily highlight everything!
Hiring someone with the professionalism and fine-tuned ear of Michael Ponder to produce was a very good move – I was amazed at some of the details he was able to pick up on despite having never heard the music before. He kept saying that he liked the music and that I’m doing well, which I appreciated at the time whether it was true or not!
Having a precise schedule for 3 days is a good idea. Sticking to that schedule is also a good idea. I paired fast, demanding studies with slow, ‘easier’ monographs and spaced out the really fiddly studies across the 3 days. By and large I stuck to this plan – and I think I’d have struggled to finish everything off if I’d left too much challenging repertoire until the final day. The earliest finishing time came on the last day so I must have done something right – I even managed to see my daughter for 15 minutes before bedtime!
Deciding to record one of the hardest, fastest studies first of all was a BAD idea. Ploughing on through break times and not even leaving the building during a full day’s work was a BAD idea. Particularly when the building is nestled deep within the beautiful Wye Valley, perfect for some restorative, concentration boosting fresh air. Still, you can’t expect to get everything right!
I feel like I have made a recording that will be worthwhile, a recording to be proud of. A historical document and a testament to a creative, mysterious composer who deserves a higher profile. I won’t pretend that I like all 37 pieces equally – there are some that I struggled with technically and some that I found hard to penetrate on a musical level – but there are real moments of beauty, fascinating harmonic exploration and technical brilliance in this music, and I hope that listeners will find something they enjoy amongst the 37 tracks. Just don’t ask me to programme all 37 in one concert!
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