Over the years I've been able to play some of it still - cdrtainly the opening movement.
I found turned on the cathedral organ sound on Orla a few weeks ago, and played it. The sound was incredible. I dug out the Kenneth Baker Classical book that I had used 34 years ago, and tried to play it by sight reading.
Most of what I had been playing remembered was sort of OK, but not quite in the right order. I'd also never attempted to learn a horribly complicated bit in the middle. Unlike Eric Morecambe playing Grieg's Piano Concerto, the notes were in the right order, but the sets of bars were wonky.
So I decided to relearn it, properly. Ish.
I had to learn whole sections from scratch. I had to unlearn and relearn others. What had takenme about an hour as a kid, took me many, many plays. I am also aware that hearing someone getting it wrong and re-playing is annoying so I usually only play it once, which of course is part of the reason it is all taking so long.
I gradually sorted out the right hand bits, and the both-hands-on-the-top-keyboard bits. I now had them in the correct order, and if I didn't bother with the lower keyboard bits, or the huge difficult middle section, it still sounded OK to the untrained ear.
I gradually added in most of the lower keyboard bits. Then I started to teach myself to play the middle section.
It got better each time, but it's painfully slow.I'm now at the stage where I can more or less play it through, but I can't play it through without mistakes.
Today I thought I'd listen to a proper rendition of it, in an attempt to pick up some of the nuances of play.
Big Mistake.
I've realised that my playing of it is like playing a 45 record on 33 speed.
I don't think I'll ever get to the proper speed.
And I also now realise that I only have part of the music.
I don't want the rest of it. What I have is quite enough to be going on with.
