An exciting Piano Recording Event.

An exciting Piano Recording Event.

a new filming opportunity for London Piano recording studio.

VIII LONDON PIANO FESTIVAL

We are so proud of finally releasing what is our next piano recording session in London. Thanks to WKMT London Piano studio and its new edition of Music Festivals.

In November 17th 2018 we all have a date. The perfect event to be recorded, in which you could find music art, exhibition and people, all around a fine food catering with also some drinks to refresh all the guests.

It is the 8th edition of these famous festivals organised by the famous piano studio, and therefore it is also our 8th recording session of these events, as we are always in charge of it. We aim you all to check WKMT’S Youtube channel where you could see the previous events trailers as well as beautiful performances of its students. We also post here the video of the VII Edition we recorded in May 2018.

So well, here we are again in charge of recording the whole event as well as the performance of more than eighty students along the day. As per our experience, it is such a beautiful event full of emotions and passion. Either from the students as they need to push all the knowledge onto the piano and from the relatives and friends getting moved with the performances of the students.

In case you are in London and free that day, do not miss to pass by and have a look at the unique idea of the whole event created by WKMT. It is such an experience in itself that will make you interested in the piano and being part of it in the next event. You can find all the info and details by clicking on the link aforementioned.

Ps. Do not forget to come over to the concert on the 13th October by Juan Rezzuto playing Haydn. A concert we will record too.

Outstanding portfolio recordings at VII WKMT Music Festival.

Outstanding portfolio recordings at VII WKMT Music Festival.

see piano performances BY some wkmt piano students.

VII WKMT Music Festival 12.05.2018

We are bringing back the last edition of the London music festivals by WKMT Piano studios. You must already know about the famous piano festival for students of WKMT and non-members. Celebrated every six months in the beautiful Pushkin House, in Fitzrovia, London.
We already mentioned our participation and motivating project: recording the whole event last 12th May. So we did. We put all our team and equipment at WKMT Disposal to record both audio and video. For this occasion, we counted on a new cameraman who was in charge of the video section, and the results are superb. And that’s why we mention this new article published at WKMT Blog and written by Juan Rezzuto. As Director and minder of these Piano Festivals for the pupils, he has highlighted some of the moments and performers who truly shined on stage.

The sound of the pieces is lovely, and that is mainly for the special equipment we used and, of course, the stunning Steinway & Sons grand piano of the music room of this beautiful house. Everything carried out as planned and expected. From here, we would like to thank all the students who took part on this edition, all the guests who came to enjoy of these emotional performances and everyone for the patience they had on us while we were recording and setting up before, during and right afterward every single performance. They all made the day, and of course, they are the main characters of this edition.

You can read now the full article and watch what we are talking about, and enjoy beautiful an powerful performances of some of the students of pieces by Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Ludovico Eunadi among others. Click on the link aforementioned and access to this beautiful words of Juan Rezzuto to all his students at WKMT.

We are now really looking forward to recording the next Classical concert in London, again by WKMT and played by Juan Rezzuto. See our previous post to have all the information. Haydn Piano Concertos happening in London on the 29th September with WKMT London Orchestra. We will be recording the entire concert as we did last 24th March on Juan’s first concert of the year 2018.

Stay in touch for many more events and news coming soon this Summer for the next term!

Our new recording project: Haydn piano concerto.

Our new recording project: Haydn piano concerto.

New piano recording session in st. cuthbert’s church, london.

CLASSICAL CONCERTS IN LONDON BY WKMT

Piano Recording Studio London now in charge of a new recording session in London for Haydn piano concerto.

Maestro Juan Rezzuto will be playing Haydn piano concerto XVIII:2. A beautiful concert organised and supported by WKMT London Piano Studio. An ambitious project in which this great Maestro will perform this fabulous piano concerto accompanied by WKMT London Orchestra. This Orchestra is being formed by the musicians and professors of the London Amateur Orchestra, who now will be coworking with WKMT for its monthly classical concerts in London accompanying piano performers.

October 13th at 5 pm is the date. Usual venue for WKMT and its concerts, St. Cuthbert’s church, Earls Court London. We will display all our system to record this wonderful piano concert played by Juan Rezzuto. See video posted below about the last concert of himself for WKMT in March this year. This time he was accompanied by a second piano. So in this new occasion, he will have a string quartet doing the orchestral part plus a stunning 275cm long concert grand piano Yamaha CFX courtesy of Markson’s pianos. Thanks to the new partnership between these two big ones, WKMT Concerts will count on a wonderful piano grand to be displayed and performed by its pianists.

Do check all the details and info in the link aforementioned and do not hesitate to contact WKMT to book your tickets soon for a beautiful concert once the Summer is sadly over in London. We hope to see you all there on the 29th.

Here we leave us to enjoy his last performance in London, with the HOB XVIII:4 Haydn piano concerto.

Learn more about this news.

London welcome Aguirre and Tonelli.

London welcome Aguirre and Tonelli.

NEW WKMT PIANO CONCERT: 16TH JUNE 2018.

https://www.piano-composer-teacher-london.co.uk/classical-concerts-london-by-wkmt

Piano Recording Studio London has a new work to do! We will be in charge of the recording of the next WKMT Piano Concert happening on 16th June at St. Cuthbert’s church, Earls Court, London.

WKMT will be hosting a superb piano programme performed by two Argentinian piano professors, Carolina Anderson and Aleksandra Tonelli. Both, friends of the famous piano studio, have the chance of performing Argentinian music on the piano of this wonderful venue. A blend of popular and classical music to make this Saturday evening a date to remember.

Argentina is such a special country. A huge country with plenty of beautiful things to show and share. One of them is the music. Argentinian music is one of the richest in the entire world. Mainly, in terms of piano community, it gave the best pianists in the world still alive: Martha Argerich. Amongst others like Daniel Barenboim and Bruno Gelber as well as new upcoming stars. It also has its own musical signature which has gone through the entire planet: Tango. And that is exactly what WKMT brings in this occasion. The idea of enjoy the proper Argentinian music, popular and classic, performed by two different piano professionals.

In case you are thinking of booking any concert tickets for this June, do not hesitate and book for this great concert which will make you fall in love with the Argentinian music and atmosphere. WKMT Concerts are always a way to enjoy the live music surrounded by inspiration and joyful. WKMT with its constant commitment to getting everyone closer to classical music in the city.

Check all the info with the link aforementioned and join us for a beautiful and inspiring Saturday evening in London.

Preventing mistakes optimises your recording time

Preventing mistakes optimises your recording time

The same way we try very hard to avoid any errors when we perform in front of an audience, we should prepare very well before our piano recording session. Quality piano practising can save us a lot of expensive recording time.

As performers, we usually get stressed during a piano recording session. I believe this happens because we realise the innate quality of a recorded performance. This performance is eternal. Well, it is true, we can repeat those passages we are not happy with as much as we want but… Will we still like in 10 years time what we have chosen today? To answer this question positively, we need to make a significant investment in our planning.

When we say planning, we refer to the decision-making process that allows us to define our version of the piece. The dynamics we imprint in our performance, the rubatos, the emphasis on some notes and the decision of positioning some material in the background will constitute our way of assigning a personality to our performance. We need to decide everything beforehand. We should leave no information gap in our performance.

As necessary as the latter “expressive” planning is the technical preparation of our piece’s execution. I’ve chosen the word execution to highlight the technical aspect of the performance. What creates more anxiety is the lack of certainty about what we physically need to do to execute our piece correctly. Both positive and negative movements need to be precisely coordinated, so our hands interact smoothly during our performance, allowing us to express ourselves and without stepping in between us and our imagination. These movements, the movements that produce sounds and the ones that are meant to get our fingers, arms and hands ready to attack the keys precisely need to be studied.

Recording a Classical Piano Concert

Recording a Classical Piano Concert

Recently I was tasked with recording our director Juan Rezzuto ‘s Haydn piano concert that took place at St. Cuthberts Church on 24th March 2018. This concert featured two pieces: Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 4 in A, and Piano Concerto No.4 in G. Accompanying Juan Rezzuto was Bejar Rodriguez on Violin and Sabrina Curpanen on Piano.

The main challenges that faced me were how to capture the best source sound without compromising the musician’s performance, dealing with a limited number of microphones and making sure that all the audio captured would be able to be synched in post-production. The equipment available to me was a pair of Audix scx25a microphones, a Behringer C-3 microphone, a Zoom H4N handheld recorder with built in microphones, an Audient ID14 audio interface and a Macbook Pro. As Juan’s piano was to be the lead instrument I focused on capturing the best sound for it that was possible. I used the pair of Audix scx25a mics as a stereo pair inside the piano to capture the entire spread of the piano and to minimise other sounds leaking into these mics.

Audix scx25a mics inside Juan’s piano

I used the Behringer C-3 mic to capture the violin and then later the second piano. To get the most of out of this microphone when miking up the violin I set its polar pattern to cardioid so that it mainly picks up what is in front of it, I placed the back of the mic facing the piano so that it rejected the piano sound. When miking up the second piano I did a similar thing by facing the back of the microphone towards Juan’s piano so that it rejected the sound of that piano. 

Behringer C-3 mic on Sabrina’s piano

Finally, I used the built-in microphones in the Zoom H4N handheld recorder to capture the ambience of the entire concert, the H4n was placed in front of the two pianos to do this.

The other issue that I had to address was how the audio would be able to be synched with the film footage in post-production. As I was recording the microphones on two separate devices (the Zoom H4N and the Audient ID 22), and there were cameras filming, the audio would be out of synch as it is impossible to press record at the exact same time on multiple devices.

Audient Id14 Interface Settings

Macbook Pro Setup

To combat this issue, I performed a single loud clap in-between each movement, this loud clap would serve as a reference point for each of the files to be synched to.  

To see and hear the finished result of these recordings please refer to the videos below of the Piano Concerto No.4 in G.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc_emi60MA0&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPbfa2WxmwA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsKUsE8Puow

Thomas Rickerby (Audio Engineer)

More info about WKMT concerts

Recording a Classical Piano Concert

Piano Festival preparations with wkmt.

Piano Festival preparations.

new children piano masterclass prep for wkmt music festival vii edition.

https://www.piano-composer-teacher-london.co.uk/classical-concerts-london-by-wkmt

Piano Recording Studio London has been offered a new event to record. The next Children Piano Masterclass by WKMT. The next 28th April 2018, piano students will gather at St. Cuthbert’s Earls Court, London, to enjoy a great Masterclass-preparation for the coming VII WKMT Music Festival where all the students will be performing in front of an audience. Therefore, this idea is to provide them all with the pressure and stress same as they will be feeling on stage the day of the Festival.

We are also in charge of recording this great opportunity full of joy and learning. Performances, teachers demonstrations and music games under a beautiful venue. Children and parents will be enjoying this great opportunity while the performers rehearse and receive pieces of advice from the Maestros. Cristina Guerra, piano teacher specialised in Kids, will be leading the Masterclass.

Come on in! Check all the info and details on the link aforementioned and do not hesitate to contact WKMT to answer your questions, and apply for either the Festival and this Masterclass.

Playing in front of an audience with wkmt piano studio London.

Playing in front of an audience.

the new edition of London music festivals for you to perform.

https://www.piano-composer-teacher-london.co.uk/wkmt-london-music-festivals

WKMT brings you all the opportunity to perform in front of an audience. For members and non-members allowed to perform the pieces, they are ready for. The London Music Festivals are the perfect chance to show everyone what you have studied so far while being recorded professionally in a fully catered event.

Next 12th May 2018 at the magnificent Pushkin House, Fitzrovia. You all will be the witness of fantastic performances by different students of all levels and ages. The guests are welcomed in the reception of this beautiful house in an also a beautiful area, with a glass of prosecco and nice canapes, while waiting in the library for the performances. Then, once the performers are ready, they will go upstairs to enjoy the concerts.

Like the previous times, and thanking WKMT, we will be in charge of the professional recording session along the Festival. Below you could find our video posted by WKMT of the last festival hosted on the 18th November in the same venue. We hope you all like it and the standards of this great opportunities WKMT gives to its students and musicians.

In case you have some piano pieces ready, and you would like to take part of this great experience, do not hesitate to contact WKMT. They will make an assessment of your pieces and they will give you all the information. Now is the time to have your performances in London recorded by a professional piano recording studio. You can find WKMT Festival website in the link aforementioned and follow us to see the next Music Festival videos posted. For now, we let you enjoy the video prepared for the previous Festival.

Recording Haydn Piano Concerto.

Recording Haydn Piano Concerto.

AN EXCITING NEW OPPORTUNITY TO RECORD A GREAT HAYDN PIANO CONCERTO IN LONDON.

https://www.piano-composer-teacher-london.co.uk/classical-concerts-london-by-wkmt

Thanking WKMT and Juan Rezzuto for making true this opportunity. We are in charge of recording this great Haydn piano concerto No4 and also the Sonata No4 in A, performed by Juan Rezzuto. In this case, they replace the orchestra of the concert with a second piano. Sabrina Curpanen, Senior piano teacher at WKMT will accompany him in this beautiful concert playing the orchestra. So it will be an amazing two pianos concert.

The venue? The usual: St. Cuthbert’s church, Earls Court, London, UK. Where WKMT always organised nice piano concerts every month for its members. The date? The 24th March at 4 pm. Save the date and pop into what is going to be a gorgeous Saturday afternoon with beautiful music and outstanding sight.

Here we share what WKMT expresses about the piano concerto.

Recording your piano gesture.

Recording your piano gesture.

Analysing the musical gesture with wkmt.

https://www.piano-composer-teacher-london.co.uk/single-post/Piano-Gestures

Have you ever heard about musical gesture? And even more, that gesture applied to when performing on the piano?

We make a reference to an article recently published at WKMT Blog, which helps to the piano lessons of his students by knowing more about different concepts of music. In this case, they treat the gestures.

First of all, what is a gesture? Movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea. And how do we apply that to the performances on the piano? Well, an option would be by external gestures. The way your body reacts to the music or piece. What you feel or makes you feel. Something involuntary as a reaction to listening or performing a piece.  Most probably, when you have performed, you may have some gestures coming out from your body. Those gestures are personal and different from each others’. You may have been participating in a piano recording session and therefore your own gestures were recorded.

There is another type of gesture defined by the article called internal, which are the ones based on the piece. Something that it comes defined by the main composer of the piece. Something that it makes that piece unique and you could easily associate it with the composer.

This article, which you could find on the link above, gives plenty of information and details about the musical gesture. Other ideas are Duality and Temperament which are out of the main gestures.

Do not miss the chance of reading this great article written by Mark Dowling, a Senior piano teacher at the studio. Also, if you would like to record yourself through a piano piece(s) do not hesitate to contact us.