After all those months of practising the same difficult passages over and over again, and probably driving my family crazy with the endless metronome ticking, and the whispered ‘One-e-and-a-two-e-and-a…’s, the piano recital was tonight. Usually, many people end up not being able to go, but it was a really full house. The end of year concert is in a peaceful church in Metchosen, which has a grand piano. Its got quite impressive sound, which reverberates nicely in the wood-floored room. The touch was very hard, which most people commented on. You can even see my arms trembling in the video, my legs struggling to push down on a very high pedal. Note to self, wear heels next time.
Its nice to hear such a sampling of works, and relief to be able to share the music that one has spent so long perfecting. Its like carrying around a secret you’re itching to tell someone. Music is another language I am lucky, I never get nervous before a concert, but I can tell from the look on some peoples’ faces that this is not the case for them. I can’t imagine all the ‘owls’ in their tummies right before they press the first key (My friend, Jess, termed serve nerves as ‘owls’, used when she is more nervous than just having ‘butterflies’ in her tummy haha).
This year, there seemed to be a lot of modern and romantic-era pieces. I added to that by playing Debussy’s “La fille aux cheveaux de lin’ and ‘Reverie’, two very popular and dreamy pieces. He paints with tonal imagery, the way Monet splashes a riot of color across one of his impressionist painting, vivid in color, yet indistinct enough to leave room for our imagination. Obviously these pieces aren’t perfect, but I adored them enough to hope people would overlook a few errors here and there. Those big darn octaves. Yikes! I can streeeettttcchhh a 9th quite comfortably, or without the burning in my tendons, but a 10th is nearly beyond me. Usually I can settle right into the octave position in my sleep. I know exactly what that stretch of 8 keys feels like…its the practicality of playing this that is more difficult haa.
Debussy broke all the rules, and followed his ear and heart, versus the static and formal rules of composition. Now its very clear why teachers are so obsessed with their students learning scales; how much of a nightmare would it be if the arpeggios didn’t come second nature? The notes seem to float off my fingers by themselves (it wasn’t like that in the beginning; it was more like a sticky mess than flowing music).
My lovely students Lisa and Emma came with their families. Lisa played on of my favourite pieces, “Song of Twilight” by Yoshinao Nakada. It is very apply named, because the fluent, enchanting nature of the music brings to mind visions of early evening, in a Japanese garden perhaps, cheery blossoms falling lightly onto a clear pool. I was so proud :).
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| Posing with one of my friends & former student, Andie |