Wednesday 27th August - reflecting on the Month of August

 But do I speak too soon? There are still four days to go!

I think, looking back over the scrabbling scrawls that have filled the month of August in my appointments diary and associated memo pages, 

with no fewer than 16 medical 'events' ranging from appointments to deliveries to rescheduled appointments

and including one appointment notification sent to me in error (it's time for your vit B12 injection  - what? I don't have B12 injections) 

and one medicine delivery notification sent in error (you have a medicine delivery today - what? you delivered them last week), 

I think this wonderful and ridiculous piano performance give a complete summary;

Here's the description;

12 Pianists live at Alexandria Opera House (Egypt), 3 January 2011, Encore

Albert Lavignac (1846--1916) / Christoph Sischka

Galop-Marche à 12

for 12 Pianists at 1 Piano

(UA / first performance: 3.6.2000 Internationales Klavierduo-Festival Bad Herrenalb)

12 Pianists: Sebastian Bausch, Heike Bleckmann, Dina El-Leisy, Noriko Ishikawa-Kratzer, Anna Kostenitch, Reimi Matsuda, Christine Schandelmeyer, Tatjana and Leonid Schick, Christoph Sischka, Eriko Takezawa, Thomas Turek

This performance has hold the world record for the most pianists performing simultaneously on one piano and was mentioned in the "The Guinness Book of Records 2002", German edition 

The 12 Pianists are indeed a unique piano ensemble. The choreographic necessities of putting 24 arms with 120 fingers in the right place, on the right keys at the right time are a major achievement. The spectators will enjoy just watching this.

In 1989 a number of young pianists gathered in Germany in order to rediscover and perform music for piano ensemble and to encourage contemporary composers to create new works. In 1996 a new constellation with four permanent members emerged from this group, named Piano4te (pronounced: pianoforte). Their aim was to work in a way similar to chamber music ensembles. Other pianists joined and the big ensemble 12 Pianists came into existence. The starting point for the big-size formation was Sischka's arrangement of Lavignac's Galop-Marche for 12 pianists at one piano. The private collection of scores now comprises more than 700 compositions

The last switcheroo came this afternoon; an opportunity too bring a dermatology appointment forward from September to tomorrow. Yes please!

Hopefully September will be calmer!

Yesterday I had forgotten that I promised to mention the tutorial video for the splodgy watercolour flowers with ink over the top. I signed up for a free series of five tutorials with Irene from Makings and Musings.

This was the first. It's astonishingly effective and rather fun. I enjoyed watching the colours mix and merge.

I'm not going to join any courses though. Not at the moment anyway.

I've seen this book on amazon a few times but resisted getting it:

It looks as though it's the same idea as those flower paintings but the splodges are already there for you! A fun idea...

Here's a teeny tiny drawing course from me; 

How I Drew The Apple Tree

This is a notebook illustration to go with an account of visiting friends who have a red delicious apple tree which looks exactly like a picture from a nursery rhyme book...

I like working small scale because then the details get lost and don't matter. (heh heh)

With a blue biro, because that's what was in my hand, I scribbled the trunk. For once I gave a microsecond's thought to leaving enough room for the rest of the tree. That doesn't always happen. I rather wish I'd made the trunk thinner, but it was too late. Then I biroed (is that a word? It is now) in the apples and filled in the spaces with leafyness.

Next; I fished out the greens, and the red, brown and black from my small set of colouring pencils, and coloured in the apples. Light green lines for leaves and grass, and then dark green on top leaving some light green showing. Finally some lines up and down the trunk, and among leaves and apples in brown and black.

Ten minutes tops. Don't think too much, just do!

Masterpiece it ain't, but it's a great memory jogger to remind me of that moment. 

More music? 

Why not... I adore this beautiful tender folksong, set by Benjamin Britten, sung by Peter Pears and accompanied by Julian Bream, recorded in 1963.