Pre-contest Update 1

OK - contest is starts in less than 36 hours.
Here's the scoop.

I am very underprepared. If the contest were suddenly postponed a week (and my flight as well) I would be so unbelievably amazing. But right now, that's not the case. I'm well on my way to unbelievably amazing but I might not get there by the time it starts. The music might still be held together with duct tape and sticky tack... hopefully not showing on the surface, but anything's possible.

I practiced 11 hours today. Some of that was in Lier on the instrument the contest will be on. It was rather disheartening. I've got a ways to go.

Tomorrow - wake up early, practice some more to prepare for a late-morning visit Lier and for my final hour of practice on the real deal. Then zip back to Mechelen, fix whatever needs fixing (hopefully on a real carillon). Then 1.5 hour massage at 5:30pm. That's the cut off. No more physical practice after that. Wherever it is, it is.

After the massage, a relaxing dinner, then lying in a hammock sipping tea and doing mental practice until bed.

Early to bed, late to rise, and off to Lier for the contest. A morning of stretching, tai chi, meditation, soaking up the sun. And then the contest.


There are 8 candidates, but here are the ones I'm worried about:

Rien Donkerslot - organist, only 2 years into his carillon career, but already a really good player (if this guy keeps getting better at the same rate, I might need to retire from competition soon). I can still play better than him on equal preparation, but he knows his stuff better than me right now.

Toru Takao - virtuosic, highly accurate, and my main competition in past contests. He's been at the music longer than me, but apparently is also having issues and isn't feeling prepared either.

Roy Kroezen - carillonneur of Zwolle, one of the more experienced competitors, apparently well prepared and playing very nicely. Sometimes gets thrown by nerves day of the contest. If he holds it together, he could win this.

Anne Kroeze - carrillonneur of Emerloord and a couple other places. Also playing pretty well from what I've been told. Maybe not as much of a threat as Roy, but he's there to snatch up a place in the finals if I don't get my act together.

plus me makes 5. And there are 3 slots in the finals (and there could be fewer if the playing level isn't good enough).

The judges include two famous baroque bigwigs (Gustav Leonhardt and Wieland Cuijken, harpsichordist and gambaist). Leonhardt is famous for refusing to award first prizes at contests (arguing that nobody is good enough for the title of winner). This is looking like a very likely outcome for this competition. But we shall see.

If I don't make the finals, I'll be sad.
If I make the finals, I'll be scared (playing unprepared for a very critical audience), but happier.
If I win, its gonna be amazing.

36 hours. And still a lot to be done...