Naoko Maeda - Concert Pianist

I worried about my music last week.
I wondered if I could step forward, whether I could simply enjoy music as I had been when I was small.

I have some best friends who I can talk to anything.
One of them is a singer.
After she listened my worrisome, she gave me her idea what she was thinking when she did music:

"Seeking for a sound which I will be impressed, I will be moved by."
"I use time for it."

That was the thing what I was forgetting recently.
My teacher would say to me that being a pianist who plays beautiful sounds with the person's own sounds and music.
She taught me how to use arms softly, how to arms, hands and whole body be free etc..
Pianist doesn't play only with his or her fingers.
I would make a story and imagine as I was performing a piece and entertained myself.

Because I was under the pressure being a concert pianist, I was forgetting basic things as a person who does music.

Yes, I can take much time for create my music.
Yes, I can play pieces which I simply love from bottom of my heart.
Be free!

Play for two hours for "Moonlight On The Water River Cruise" on October 1st.

I am thinking to play some jazz pieces, some by black composers,
all etude pieces by Chopin etc..
Hope inside of a yacht is not cold.
I love my fingers feel warm!

*If you would say that you are a concert pianist, you won't make a mistake when you have a performance, will you?
*If you are a concert pianist, you will be able to read music perfectly, because every note on a music book is a word by a composer, won't you?
*If you are a concert pianist, you will be able to acquire new music within short term and have no excuse after a performance, won't you?

I would say "No"to every question.

I make mistakes whenever I play a piece.
I misread music and notice it after a performance.
I want to make a excuse after a performance.

Could I say that I am a pianist?
I wonder.

Perform at the Sunday Service in Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church on August 2nd.
http://www.ezwebcalendar.com/pbuuc/viewEvent.cfm?EventID=169166

Expecting to have small stages in this summer.
Some pieces are from a music book "Four Early 20th Century piano suites by Black Composers".

I got this book last week.
There are some very beautiful music and I would like to perform these.

Since I cannot find so many piano pieces composed by black composers on the Internet, I am willing to upload some from the book, "Four Early 20th Century piano suites by Black Composers" on my Youtube.
It will come in August.

I will accompany Yoshimi Kadota on a piece " Il Bacio (Arditi) " and anothr small piece on 20th at the Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia.

Anyway, I didn't know how Sumi Jo was amazing!!
Her pianist also was great.
Check this out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24irhyFrQNI&feature=related

Accompanied at Howard community college yesterday.
The college was beautiful and a concert piano was nice.

My performance on April 26th is on You tube.

"Miroirs No.2 Oiseaux tristes" by Maurice Ravel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeILP9vbEB4&feature=channel_page

"Miroirs No.4 Alborada del gracioso"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNYJjBgbMO0&feature=channel_page

When I listened to my Ravel, a bit rough. I have to correct the point.

Yesterday, I got new music for my next solo-concert which is
coming in Fall.
The pieces are "preludes from Rachmaninoff" and
"Sonata from Scriabin", these are incredibly beautiful!!!!!
I would like to perform these amazing music pieces for you in Fall.

Ms. Yoshimi Kadota and I will have a small fun on June 27th at
The Lyceum.
The place is so beautiful and the piano is great.
I am looking forward to performing:
"Prelude Op23 No2 by Rachninoff"

Visit their web site and hope you like "The Lyceum":
http://oha.alexandriava.gov/lyceum/

The performance today I had was done.
It was nice and I had a great experience to learn Ravel this time.
Will upload on my You tube soon.

Let me write down something a little.

The reason why I picked up pieces from Ravel and especially
"Miroirs: No 4 Alborada del graciosofor" for the today's concert
was, I simply wanted to play something fun.
But it turned out that the piece does not bring only fun.
It expresses a person's life.

Read the music very very carefully.
We can notice that there is a person's life in the piece.
The person is living in a dream at the same time is living in
a real world.
Whenever I had time I was reading a piece and actually
I was so depressed.
How many times I got to cry while I was playing that piece!!!

The concert is done, again.
But somehow I don't feel any achievement after I finish concert recently.
My feeling is like, "OK, done. So what is next?" Just this.
I don't need wine or sweet or whatever to treat me.

OK, go go, girl. Keep practicing for your next performance!