May 2008

iSee, iFix, iConquer

May 25, 2008 21:21

Well, my bunny opera has had its final performance (at least for now) and overall, I'm satisfied with how it went. Sifting through the takes has been kind of a tough process, since there are inconsistencies in each, and it's hard for me to weigh the differences. Do I discard the one with the flubbed cadence, or the one with the messier cadenza? In the end it's kind of like comparing apples and oranges. I posted what seems like the best take on YouTube, so feel free to send comments or criticisms my way. :)

I'm glad to have the Mozart recording over with, but the even more glad because the experience has shown me that I need to video-record myself more often. When I watched the Mozart video, I was pleasantly surprised by some aspects, but pretty disappointed by others. For example, the cadenza is supposed to be one of the most brilliant and exciting parts of the concerto, but in hindsight, I find it quite boring actually. This frustrates me more than the flubbed notes and intonation issues. I was well aware of those at the time. But I didn't fully realize about the cadenza until I put myself in the audience's perspective. I'm sure I could have changed things to make it much more exciting and unique. I have a tendency to be reserved and too meticulous, and it sometimes holds me back musically.

Ever since I got my Macbook (which has a built-in camera) I've wondered vaguely if I can record video with it. After some Google research, I discovered that yes, it is possible, and in fact, is extremely simple (even for someone like me who is hopeless where technology is concerned). All I have to do is open iMovie, click the little camera icon, and the iSight camera produces a pop-out window where I can record video instantly. The audio isn't that fantastic, but it is definitely good enough for my purposes.

I'm so excited. I'm going to try and video-record myself at least once a day (on various repertoire) so I can observe my technique and musicality from an outside perspective. This should be especially helpful over the summer, as I take a break from lessons. I found that even recording tiny snippets is really helpul. I recorded a short passage from my Prokofiev today, and between each take, tried to fix one specific thing. After maybe 5-10 minutes, I had made noticeable improvements. I'm sure if I continue this process I'll make much more effective progress. iMovie even has a feature for saving files directly to YouTube, so I'll try and post some things online as I go so I can get outside feedback as well. Yay for technology being on my side this time! ;)

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Mozart

May 21, 2008 21:18

Recording. Tomorrow. Mozart. Bah.

I've never been that great at making recordings. Of all performance situations, recording sessions make me most nervous. I think it's a combination of factors. First, when I'm recording, I know that I'll be able to play it back and hear every little mistake. Also, there's no audience! I hate playing to a microphone. It just zaps the motivation out of my playing. I get self-conscious and tense. Not good. And Mozart. Hah. Well, anyone who's played his concerti knows how impossible it is to hide. You can hear everything. I'm not sure how things will go tomorrow. I need the right combination of focus and relaxation that is hard to pinpoint. I think as long as I warm up carefully and try to enjoy myself, I'll be fine. It would help if I 'connected' more with Mozart D Major. There was a point when I got very unmotivated because I just could not for the life of me play this music nearly as beautifully as I wanted. I got frustrated, then apathetic, and almost started to flat out dislike the piece.

Luckily, I had an epiphany that has helped lately. It will sound strange. But I swear it makes sense. Mozart D Major is really an opera in disguise. An opera about . . . bunnies! Do not laugh.

Fine, laugh all you want, but I do have a rationale for this. A lot of the motifs throughout the piece have a bouncing or running quality, which (to me) brings to mind images of bunnies playing tag. Also, the subito dynamics in various parts are like games of bunny hide-and-go-seek. Trills are bunnies wiggling their tails. The development is the conflict of the story, where the big bad wolf sneaks up and tries to eat the bunnies, but is thwarted because they make him run around in circles and get dizzy. The recapitulation is the bunnies celebrating by going back to their games. It all makes sense! And we know Mozart loved opera. Why should we not assume he loved bunnies as well?

Really though, having images like this really has helped me. Having direction and plot, so to speak, gives me a map for where the music is going at all times. Images and objects give me something more concrete to compare my sound and articulation to. And heck, bunnies are just plain fun. As Mozart (at least in this case) should be.

I'm crazy, aren't I? Hmm. I knew those imported prunes looked suspicious . . .

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Like Father, Like Son

May 18, 2008 11:53

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present for your enjoyment, the two and only:

David and Igor Oistrakh

I only wish the video had better quality — I love watching David Oistrakh's facial expressions. But still, it's a great example of some amazing music making between father and son.

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Mmmm, summer

May 12, 2008 16:45

Since I definitely don't feel like studying for my English final, I think I'll go ahead and procrastinate by blogging here, since it's been awhile. :)

First off, may I say, I am one final and one jury away from completing my first year at college?!? It feels so weird. Honestly, it seems like I've gone through the equivalent of 2 years of school, in comparison to what high school was like for me. Despite some frustrations with my teacher, I've had a good year overall. Some highlights were getting to play for Gil Shaham and the Ahn Trio, studying a bunch of great chamber music, and serving as concertmaster of my college orchestra. Not to mention making some amazing new friends and learning a lot about life, about myself, and about people in general.

I really can't wait for summer though. And next year. Mmmm, I'm excited. For the next couple months, I'll be practicing intensively to learn some new repertoire and prepare for the second session of Aspen. I'm starting the Bach A minor Sonata and Prokofiev G minor Concerto as soon as I get done with my jury. I LOVE the Prokofiev and cannot wait to work on it. And Bach . . . well, solo Bach has always been one of my favorite things to practice. I'm also working on Mozart D Major and some excerpts for Aspen placement auditions. On the one hand, I'm incredibly excited to go study with Paul Kantor and play in a great orchestra, but on the other hand, it'll be quite a new and challenging experience for me. Two months! I'm sure the time will fly.

I'm all enrolled for this fall now as well. I'm taking Theory III, psychology, orchestra, violin lessons, studio, chamber music, and viola lessons. It'll keep me really busy, so I'll have to be careful about my time management, but I think I'll also stay motivated, which I really need right now. I'll be in two trios — a piano trio playing the Smetana G minor, and a clarinet trio doing the Khataturian. My other main project for this fall is the MTNA competition, which my school is hosting this fall. So, I'll be busy preparing for that as well. Hopefully I can enter with both solo and chamber music repertoire. I'm excited.

And then next winter . . . transfer auditions. Ah, its kind of far away, and I'm still trying to finalize my list of schools, but I plan on using the Bach and Prokofiev. I don't like to dwell on the thought to much because it makes me nervous, but auditions are my overarching goal for this year. I just need to keep my eye on the target and work steadily and I'll be fine.

Okay, now back to studying . . . yay Chaucer . . . not.

;-)

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