It seems the theme of my performing life has been NEW.
The pieces are new to the world - newly composed and some of them are even premieres. It's interesting to think - since some of the pieces are being recorded by the composers, I am setting a precedent for how the piece should be played. Performers often like to consult recordings of pieces they're learning, and even if they listen to mine and say, 'I hate the way he played that phrase!', I find it exciting to be part of the process.
The pieces are also new to me, in some cases very new. The longest I've been working on any of the pieces has been less than two months - learning notes over Christmas break. The shortest was a piece I played today, for which I only got the part on Monday. A few of the pieces I'm playing will only have one or two rehearsals as an ensemble before presenting them in a few days. At first, I was worried about trying to pull it together so haphazardly, but things are turning out very well so far. I definitely like this new faster pace.
When I think back to myself as a pianist just a few years ago, I played only a few pieces that were written within my lifetime, the majority of pieces I played were over a century old. They were also often played; for every piece, there were multiple recordings that I could consult. I was also much slower to learn music. Pieces and recitals fit nicely into academic years, where it took 3-6 months to learn a piece well enough to perform it.
As I am here, in the midst of a performing weekend, I can confidently say that I love the new; I love all the challenges and rewards it brings.
No comments:
Post a Comment