The state of my musical life

Created July 25, 2024

Music has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Much of that has been in the form of playing the piano, which as of right now I have done for a little over 14 years. This post has a general list of things that reflect the state of my musical life right now, including what I am working on, some recordings from the past ~6 years, and what I would like to play at some point in the future.

What I currently enjoy playing

In progress

These are pieces I am actively working on right now.

  • Debussy, Reflets dans l’eau from Images. This is the first significant Debussy work I have played, and I really enjoy it. I might work on the rest of Debussy’s Images later this year.
  • TBD - currently thinking about what to work on next; candidates include something by Rachmaninoff (because I have never played Rach before), or maybe Beethoven’s Waldstein sonata.
“Finished” pieces

These are pieces that I am not actively working on anymore, but am still playing for fun.

  • Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor, Mvt. 1. (A long shot but) If you have an orchestra and would be willing to perform this with me please email me!
  • Mendelssohn, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. [YouTube]

Some older performances

Here are some older recordings that I thought came out well. The underlined text can be clicked to reveal more details.

Solo
  • Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 3, Mvt. 1. [video]
    with Nathan Cheung. My first concerto.
  • Chopin, Ballade No. 1. [video]
    This was a bucket list piece for quite some time; glad I was able to tick it off :)
  • Tchaikovsky, Dumka Op. 59. [video]
    This was the last piece in a 40-minute recital I gave at the Academy of Music in Pune. This also ended up being my audition piece for lessons at the Eastman School of Music.
Chamber
  • Beethoven, Piano Trio Op. 11. [video]
    with Arian Nadjimzadah (clarinet) and Justin Murante (cello); recorded and mixed by Will Bellows.
  • Mozart, Sonata for Two Pianos K. 448. [video]
    with Daniel Carstairs; mixed by Shardul Chiplunkar. The first chamber piece I played after the pandemic. Also the only time I have had to roll a piano through a cramped corridor in a basement every week to rehearse. The recording quality was unideal, but Shardul did what he could to salvage it.
  • Brahms, Piano Trio No. 1, Mvt. 1. [video]
    with Tessa Shlonsky (violin) and Justin Murante (cello); recorded live. My first non-duet chamber piece. Last year I performed this piece again with two very talented undergrads at BU, but unfortunately I do not have the recording for that performance at the moment :(
Recording/Mixing/Arranging
  • John Hasselback III et al., St. Thomas. [audio]
    The final group project for a recording tech class I took, and the first time I recorded and mixed a piece of music for someone else. It was very interesting to see the more "behind-the-scenes" aspects of music and how much goes into producing music.
  • POch3lbel’s Cannon in D (For The Most Part). [audio]

    by mjuvekar and shardulc (2000-), inspired by Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706).

    A note from the arrangers

    We set out with one goal—to combine the elegance and intricacy of Baroque music with the flexibility and experimentalism afforded by modern electronic instruments. Upon much research, we found that among the vast, rich Baroque repertoire, Pachelbel's Canon in D offered the most fertile grounds for further development, due to its recognizability, versatility, centuries of history, and solid foundations in the cello line. Drawing inspiration from classics such as Pachelbel's Chicken and Hlavní nadraží Praha - znělka 02 (Dlouhá verze), we embarked on the bold quest of arranging this iconic piece for the humble Pocket Operator (PO-33).

    The first step was to obtain the perfect audio samples: we tried a creaking door, we tried a garbage disposal, we tried a running faucet, but finally what really clicked was the sound of a groan from shardulc's mucus-lined throat. Then we took a look or two at the score (an authentic source) and let the creative juices flow. One thing led to another, and in time, the fruit of our labor was ripe. We are proud to present a work that we believe is truly representative of today's age. We hope you enjoy (?) it.

    — shardulc & mjuvekar, 2020-08-01

A musical bucket list

A list of pieces that I wish I could play, along with my preferred recordings for each. For my own amusement I am categorizing these as “in reach,” meaning I could probably play them (with some practice), and “dream”, meaning I likely won’t get to the required level of proficiency anytime soon. It would be great to come back years later and cross of something currently in “dream.”

In Reach
  • Chopin, Barcarolle (a bit ambitious for “in reach” but oh well). [YouTube]
  • Liszt, Paraphrase on Rigoletto. [YouTube]
  • Rachmaninoff, Trio Élégiaque No. 1 [YouTube]
Dream
  • Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 1. [YouTube]
  • Schubert, Wanderer Fantasy. [Apple Music]
  • Schumann, Piano Concerto [Apple Music]
  • Rachmaninoff, Variations on a Theme of Paganini. [YouTube]