Notes & Insights

While practising Une Barque sur l’Océan, I began hearing the piece less as a quiet river journey and more as the vast, unpredictable ocean itself. Ravel’s sweeping textures, wide piano register, and dramatic dynamic contrasts create waves that shift between distant calm and overwhelming power.

What does the “a” in Beethoven’s Op. 81a actually mean? Exploring opus numbers, WoO catalogues, and historical publishing decisions reveals how classical music works are named and why those labels are not always as straightforward as they seem.

A brief moment of misalignment during a lunchtime concert became a quiet test of listening and adaptability. While accompanying singers, I had to quickly adjust when the entry came earlier than expected, finding my place again without interrupting the musical flow. It was a reminder that true accompaniment is not just preparation, but the ability to respond calmly and musically in real time.

Recording myself while preparing Beethoven’s Hunt Sonata revealed an important lesson: playing softly is not simply about reducing volume, but about refining touch and control. Through experimenting with playing on the surface of the keys and comparing before-and-after recordings, I discovered how small changes in physical approach can transform sound.

Repetition is more than routine. In rowing, repeated movement builds consistency and control. In music, it builds reliability. What you practise consistently becomes what you can depend on in performance.

Pressure doesn’t improve performance, it reveals it. In rowing, race day shows whether training holds under stress. In music, the stage works the same way. What you’ve built in practice is what appears when it matters.

An outdoor performance at the West Ryde Easter Celebration on a Roland stage piano brought unexpected challenges and rewards. From adjusting to a different touch and sound projection to connecting with a warm, supportive audience, this performance became a memorable reflection on music, community, and shared joy.

Performing Recercar su Sancta Maria at the Bach Birthday Organ Concert became a deeply rewarding experience, especially when the addition of live singers transformed the texture into something richer, clearer, and more expressive. The interplay between the delicate organ tone and the purity of human voices brought a new depth to the music, highlighting the importance of listening, balance, and collaboration in Baroque performance.

In rowing, strength alone is not enough. If timing is off, effort is wasted. When a crew moves in sync, the boat becomes faster and more efficient. The same applies to music. Performance is not just about individual ability, but about how well you align with others.

Working on Recercar con obbligo by Girolamo Frescobaldi revealed a key challenge: true voice independence. This piece demands more than simply playing multiple lines. While the four keyboard voices already require careful balance, the addition of a fifth sung voice elevates the difficulty and deepens the interpretative challenge.

Training at 5:00 am, before the sun rises, isn’t about excitement or energy, it’s about discipline. Rowers push through the routine, synchronising each stroke with focus and responsibility. The lesson extends beyond the water: in music, real progress comes not from waiting to “feel ready,” but from showing up consistently, practicing with structure, and embracing repetition.

Returning to the piece after a day’s break, the first page of Recercar con obligo by Girolamo Frescobaldi suddenly felt much more natural to play. With limited 30-minute practice sessions, progress comes step by step—rough sight-reading first, then experimenting with fingerings to support clearer voices and smoother phrasing. Sometimes a slightly stretched hand position reduces unnecessary finger swaps, and each small adjustment brings the music closer to clarity and ease.

In this stage of the journey, Tiger Han dives deeper into Recercar con obligo by Frescobaldi, refining fingerings to support articulation and correct note values. Careful experimentation and patience reveal the contrapuntal voices, turning the notes into expressive, singing lines.

What does “Etude” really mean? In this lecture recital, Tiger explore how Chopin transformed simple studies into powerful concert pieces, and why Op. 25 No. 10 once shocked critics as “pandemonium” but now thrills modern audiences.

Preparing early music is a journey of discovery. In this practice journal, Tiger explores Recercar con obligo by Frescobaldi on a small continuo organ for the Bach Birthday recital. What looks simple on the page quickly reveals its challenges. Step by step, phrase by phrase, the music begins to speak, and every decision becomes part of bringing this 17th-century masterpiece to life.

A short reflection from Tiger Han’s lecture recital series on Chopin’s rubato. Exploring how flexibility in phrasing coexists with structural stability, with examples from Chopin’s mazurkas and the mazurka section of Polonaise Op.44.

A reflection on adapting to different pianos and acoustics, and how performing Chopin in a live hall means learning to “play the space,” not just the instrument.

Part of Tiger Han’s lecture recital series, this post explores Chopin’s Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44, a powerful work of national pride, dramatic contrast, and personal inspiration shaped by history and performance.

Part of Tiger Han’s lecture recital series, this post explores Chopin’s Ballade in G minor by examining its narrative structure, shifting moods, Polish poetic influences, and performance interpretation.

A performance reflection on a Sunday afternoon Chopin salon recital, exploring piano sound in an intimate space, audience interaction, program design, and musical interpretation.