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May 7, 2005 at 10:47 PM

Thus far today I've surprised myself by doing good work on the Beethoven Concerto 2nd movement. Slow movements are especially important to me, and the two I'm playing on this recital coming up are particularly subtle and inward. After working on the details, splitting the movement into sections (basically all the obbligatos over the main theme, versus the more improvisatory parts at letters A and B), I ran it a few times and feel it's a lot more cohesive now, that the phrases flow much more smoothly and fluently. There was one point, in the middle of the movement where the solo is accompanied by pizz in the strings, where I truly felt that all we go through as musicians, all I personally had been through in this lifelong struggle, had been worth it. And, to paraphrase from the movie Waking Life, those are the kind of spiritual moments we live for, however fleeting. Of course, I wish it did not seem so much of a struggle at all, and more of a journey. But the growing process as a musician is not always that easy.

For the rest of today I will probably work on the last movement of Mendelssohn, and the double-stops in the 2nd movement that must be searingly gorgeous but are unfortunately a big technical pest, and generally sound worse under the ear than out in the hall. Despite all these details that can always be refined and perfected further--I was quite happy with how the first rehearsal with orchestra went, and am very much looking forward to the concert. If anyone is in the Chicago area and is interested in attending, here are the details from the University of Chicago Music Department website:

Saturday, May 14, 2005
UNIVERSITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
This concert centers on two early Romantic masterworks: Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, D. 759, two movements of unearthly beauty; and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, with Northwestern University student Jessica Hung as soloist. Andrew Koehler conducts.
Fulton Recital Hall, 8 pm, Free