Mandar Juvekar


Performances

Some of my performances I am most proud of.

Chamber

Beethoven, Piano Trio Op. 11 [video]
with Arian Nadjimzadah (clarinet) and Justin Murante (cello); recorded and mixed by Will Bellows. This was one of my favorite chamber pieces to rehearse and perform. I enjoyed how jolly the piece is: it was a nice break from the other pieces I was playing at the time, and was especially welcome in an otherwise stressful semester. Justin's solo in the second movement is one of my favorite moments. This was also my first time being recorded in a studio.
Mozart, Sonata for Two Pianos K. 448 [video]
with Daniel Carstairs; mixed by Shardul Chiplunkar. After months of playing alone because of the pandemic, it was a pleasure to play with Daniel. The piece turned out to be more challenging than I expected (especially to coordinate) because of all the running 16th note passages, but it was a lot of fun to work on. It was also the only time I have had to roll a piano from one room to another in a cramped basement once a week. The recording quality wasn't ideal, but Shardul did a great job of doing what he could to salvage it.
Brahms, Piano Trio No. 1, Mvt. 1 [video]
with Tessa Shlonsky (violin) and Justin Murante (cello); recorded live. This was the first non-duet chamber piece I ever played, and I have many great memories from rehearsing it. The piano part was quite challenging, but it was completely worth it. The trio is one of my favorite pieces of music. The long melodic lines, the dramatic contrasts, and the big sweeping crescendos are absolutely beautiful; they are also very satisfying to play.

Solo

Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 3, Mvt. 1 [video]
with Nathan Cheung. My first concerto. I really enjoyed the mix of classical simplicity and powerful drama that is unique to Beethoven's transitional works. The subito changes in moods and dynamics are very fun to play. Caution to those looking to play the piece: the fourths passage in the bridge from the first subject to the second subject is harder than it looks (but definitely doable).
Chopin, Ballade No. 1 [video]
A piece that was on my musical bucket list; I'm very glad I could tick it off. This piece has everything I love playing: an ear-cathching intro, a romantic second theme that progressively blooms over the course of the piece, lots of dramatic contrasts, and a fiery coda (which, by the way, is just as difficult as advertised).
Tchaikovsky, Dumka Op. 59 [video]
This was the final piece in a 40-minute recital I gave at the Academy of Music, Pune. I love Tchaikovsky's combination of Russian folk melodies and Western European form and technique.

Composed/Recorded/Mixed by Me

John Hasselback III et al., St. Thomas [mp3]
The final group project for my audio engineering course, recorded and mixed in the studio in Rettner Hall. I had the pleasure of producing this performance by John's band, right from setting up the studio, to recording, to mixing. I was especially happy with the trumpet and piano tones we got.
POch3lbel's Cannon in D (For The Most Part) [mp3]
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

My Musical Bucket List

Pieces I really want to play at some point in life, along with my favorite recordings of them (alphabetical by composer).