Unusually, we had a summer book recital! In this case, scheduling the recital in the summer was necessary; however, it brought a lot of extra challenges in scheduling rehearsals and joint lessons due to unpredictable schedules in the summer! In spite of the challenges, Emma and Miles persevered and were able to give their performance. Here are their reflections on the experience:
~from Miles
In this recital, I think I did fine overall, but with much room for improvement. The piece that I think I played best was Martinni Gavotte, as I improved a lot from the start of preparation for the recital. I also made sure to communicate dynamics and give cues to Emma and/or Ms Sonomi. Individually, I made sure to use contrasting dynamics between each section and use appropriate bow divisions. However this piece also had some issues, with the E section having some mistakes and maintaining an issue to play with the harmony. The piece that needed the most improvement was Gavotte in G minor as the dynamics were inconsistent, as the way they increased or decreased depending on how high the note was wasn’t linear and the dynamics would seem to suddenly increase as I arrived at the e string. I also forgot the correct structure of the piece and unlike other pieces with mistakes, it took a very long time for me to reset myself and keep going. The piece where I communicated the best was Gossec Gavotte. In Gossec, specifically at the end of the B section and start of the C section where I did the retard and pause into 2 cues with different tempos. In conclusion, the recital went well overall from communication and teamwork ingredients aspects but with too many small individual mistakes sprinkled throughout.
~from Emma
As I’m typing this reflection I can’t form every thing that happened in this recital into words, there were so many things that I want to change, so many things that could have been better, so many hours spent on making this recital better. But there were also so many things that I couldn’t do before and can now, so many things that I’m proud of, so many praises from others.
If I were to go back in time, there are so many things that I want to change, from little details to major parts. In the beginning of the recital, I was really nervous, my fingers were frozen stuck, my brain went blank, and my eyes were glued onto my fingers. I couldn’t focus, I was too focused on thinking negatively that I completely forgot about many things that I spent hours working on. More dynamics and articulation in Humoresque, especially in the first B section. And also not only sticking to super loud and super soft in Bach Bouree, to have more variation in the piece. With more practice, these mistakes could have been avoided, my goal for my next recital would be to play to the absolute best of my ability, use my time to practice wisely, and hopefully play better than I did in this recital.
On the bright side I had surprised my own expectations in pieces such as in the Minuet when I played with great dynamics, and I communicated well with Miles, which made a really well rehearsed duet. I also thought Gavotte in D major had good dynamics, and a lot of energy that fit the vibe of the piece. As the recital went on my nervousness started to fade, replaced with a sense of confidence.
The recital wasn’t perfect but it was filled with many memories, both good and bad, memories that I will cherish forever.
