Today

Welcome, leianora, to my journal! Nice to meet another transcriptionist I seem to have a lot in common with! :)

Work: And...It's another wildly exciting day at work! I should have brought the book I was reading.

Wow...The place to work is downstairs on the 3rd floor! It's a weight loss clinic with a large waiting room. In this waiting room are big, comfy, leather sofas and a huge plasma-screen TV. We're talking bridge-of-the-Enterprise-sized TV. Their receptionist sits directly across from this TV, and even though the television is at the other end of the room, the screen is large enough that even I could still see the image. It's probably a good thing I don't work there; I'd be wanting to watch Star Trek reruns all the time!

Rich: If anyone on my friends list sees or talks to richandme, please tell him to read my journal. Thanks!

If You are Familiar with Violin Music...

I need some advice on pieces which might be suitable for an undergraduate freshman violin audition that takes place in a story I am writing. The requirements are:

• One movement of a concerto
  
• At least one movement of unaccompanied Bach
  
• One contrasting work of the student's choice
  

The pieces I propose are:

• First movement, Violin Concerto #1 by Oliver Knussen
  
• Sonata in E Minor for Harpsichord and Solo Violin by J. S. Bach
  
• "Reel Around the Sun" by Bill Whelan, from Riverdance.
  

What I would like is for one piece to be very difficult, so that it shows technical skill, another piece to show the ability to convey emotion and technical skill in a deceptively simple work, and a third piece to show the performer's personal taste/guilty pleasure.

The student must memorize at least one piece to be considered for a music scholarship. He wants to memorize all three because he doesn't like having to turn pages while performing.

Do these seem reasonable? Is "Reel Around the Sun" totally unsuitable for a classical violin audition? How many of the works mentioned above would it be reasonable for the student to have memorized? Are there other violin works which might be better choices? I am more familiar with classical piano music than with the violin repertoire.

Many thanks for your help!