Friday, March 27, 2009

Weird!

So I have my recital on Sunday ... I had my dress rehearsal today ... it sucked!

Like seriously, it's great to know the worst that it could come out:

Why did it suck:
1. I'm on the verge of getting sick (thank you to my 9 yr. old student for having a cold 2 wks. in a row!! Ah well, I love my students so much! All of them!)
2. I took a *long* shower last night ... this is bad for callouses ...

And that's what's weird ... my playing went down for the first time in weeks, btwn. my inability to concentrate & all the extra muscle tension that comes w/ getting sick + my missing callouses ... it was all so strange.

Anyway, lesson + rehearsals + practicing means my technique's back up & in good shape ... just got some more note learning and crystallizing to do!

I'll get there & it's gonna be awesome!

4 comments:

CelloGirl said...

Having a sucky dress rehearsal means that your recital will be AWESOME!!

Good luck on Sunday!

Emily said...

How did it go??

Mike Lunapiena said...

Emily,

It went very well. In many ways, it was the best I've ever played. The Bach needed another month really - I made music out of the parts I had down, but I did not have all the notes under my fingers & was still working on learning it the day of the recital. The Beethoven Trio was fun & people were really into it. The Elgar was for me (and apparently most folks watching) really the high moment of the whole thing, both in terms of my own playing & the emotional depth. I dedicated it to Jackie DuPre before I played it. I really feel very connected to that piece and can't wait to go through the rest of it ... who knows, maybe some day I can play it with an orchestra.

So then, as an encore, I hooked my cello up to my Wah Pedal & amp. & did an improvisation with some incorporated themes (Pirates of the Carribean, Lord of the Rings, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Crazy Train, etc), which people really got into.

I had a pretty good number of people there too ... all in all, couldn't have asked for more. Playing it was like reaching a new plateau of musicianship and playing ... and I sort of feel like it's just the beginning.

Now I'm working on A New Brain - great musical!

Emily said...

My Bach always needs another month, so I totally get that. The Elgar is special to most cellists, I think. It speaks to us so directly, doesn't it? I see you as a colleague more than a student, but that doesn't stop me from offering you a huge congratulations! I bet there's an orchestra that would love to back you up on that piece, so keep looking and exploring that option, even if it doesn't seem crucial now. It can sometimes take years for the thing to actually materialize!

Woo Hoo! Mike and the Elgar!! :D