Yours Truly At Sevenoaks School

Does Alan Fraser practice what he preaches??? Respectfully submitted, AFF

Hi Beautiful playing and this time you have cared to do yourself justice with an acceptable recording. It's faithful to the composer nicely orchestrated and still your personal interpretation. I really liked it one is tired of all these generic interpretations. Can't say if you do what you teach but I'm impressed with your "Canadian" position (you are in a low-period ) . It looks as if your body is very comfortable with this position and as if this contributes to open up orchestrational possibilities. I find the same advantage sitting low but unfortunately my body is to stiff to cope with it. Looking at you I just start to wonder what did Rachmaninoff do did he raise his piano because it seems like his bench was pretty normal? Must come and listen do you play in Germany or Benelux this year? Eric

I play this same program in France (Alsace) in November - this would be closest to your home territory I believe? Thanks for your comments. I am not to be original - you get an "interpretation" like this when you don't try to manipulate the music but instead simply be true to its orchestral and expressive content. In other words, I don't f*** with the phrasing. About sitting low: it has taken me a long time to figure out that down there is really the best for me. I think Rachmaninoff was truly amazing for many, many reasons, but for one in that he achieved what he did without sitting so low. Phil Cohen helped me get back down (where I had been 15 years ago) in a flurry of intensity intuitive striving at one of my last sessions with him this summer in Montreal. At the moment I am even lower than at Sevenoaks, plus my piano is up on blocks - and I am taking the technical logic this position opens up even further! AFF