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I decided to start sharing my journey in case it can help anyone else out there!

The Khachaturian Flute Concerto is a very interesting work. I’m currently researching it for programme notes for my concerto assessment next week. One interesting story I have read - and I am not sure how true this is yet - is that a few years after Khachaturian wrote it for violin, a flautist (Jean Pierre-Rampal) asked him to write a flute concerto for him. Khachaturian said no but that he could adapt the violin concerto for flute instead. So he did. And this is what we now have. It is one of the hardest pieces I have ever played and requires a huge amount of stamina, both because of its length but also because it was not written for the flute, making it much harder for breathing but also notes that are not in easy registers for flute.

I want to talk about my dad. And about something that he did a very long time ago that means that he can still be with me and still be part of my musical life, even though he passed away 2 years ago. It's something that means so much to me for so many different reasons. It is a link to him. It's a link to my previous musical life. It reminds me of where I was a long time ago before I stopped. It gives me recordings that when I listen to, I know he was there - because he did those recordings. I can listen to them and visualise him sitting in the audience with his little mini disc recorder and also the times when he even brought a tripod with him to set up a little recorder. He did this with so many of my concerts over so many years. Somehow he knew that 25+ years later I'd be reigniting my musical career and that I'd need what he was doing. Not just in the recordings but in feeling his love and support from all those years ago. I was so lucky - I had that love and unwavering support from both my parents.

Progress report - orchestral audition!

The learning process (this was the second day of practising it)

Learning fast notes

I’m currently working on an assignment for my MMus module ‘Applied Performance Studies’. For my project I have chosen ‘preparing for an orchestral audition’ as the focus.

Twenty-five years ago I stopped playing the flute. Pretty much completely. The reasons behind this are complicated and personal, but it definitely isn’t something anyone would have predicted for me growing up. Growing up the flute was my life. From very soon after starting to play, it was what I wanted to do ‘when I grew up’. And that never wavered. 

I want to talk about my learning process for the 2nd Movement of Khachaturian’s Flute Concerto.