Practicing Schubert

My practice sessions this week have consisted largely of Schubert, Schubert, and more Schubert in preparation for next week's concert in London, Ontario.

One of the more fascinating discoveries I have been making in the practice and rehearsal process so far is just how different Schubert's Trockne Blumen flute variations are from the original song on which they are based. The variations have so much in common with Beethoven's writing that it almost seems as though Schubert wrote them through the lens of Beethoven's middle-period style. We have also found that the opening of the variations finally seems to work when preceded by the actual song--the prelude to the variations almost appears to pick up where the song ends, not immediately apparent until you play them back to back--which is what we will be doing next Friday.