May I
introduce you? This week I was lucky enough to spend three full days being coached by the highly acclaimed
Fry Street Quartet at Juan Diego High School along with my other quartet members Alex, Calli, and Patrick. From 10:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon, we lived and breathed the second movement of Schubert's
Death and the Maiden . This movement was a huge undertaking, not only because of the technicalities, and sheer length (more than fifteen minutes), but because of the deep meaning behind the piece.
Schubert's Death and the Maiden is derived from a poem by Matthias Claudius:
The Maiden:Stay away! Oh, stay away!Go, fierce death!I am still young, please go!
And do not touch me.Death:Give me your hand, you beautiful and tender vision!I am a friend, and come not to hurt you.Be of good cheer! I am not cruel, You will sleep softly in my arms!Schubert's translation from words to music is incredible; there is such a raw plethora of emotion that comes alive in this piece, and it's amazing to create it.
As Anne the lovely cellist said,
"In this line, can't you just see the maiden getting her first glimpse of Hell as it billows out before her and attempts to drag her down?"
To put it bluntly, I fell in love with the piece.
Our main coaches were Will (first violin), and Becky (second violin), but we had a few coaching sessions with Anne and Russel as well. I was continually challenged by each musician in ways that I never expected, and my whole perspective on chamber music has been altered.
Attempting to create the perfect chamber sound was truly an experience. It was to be so close to the rest of the quartet that our breathing patterns caught together, and the slightest jerk of the shoulder set off a musical reaction. I've never been so keyed in to three different people at once.
We didn't get to that point without lots of hard work, and some excellent coaching of course. Will and Becky really helped us connect as a quartet, and create something moving and growing from a few sheets of paper covered in black notes.
I learned a lot about how breathing and moving affect the music.
From Becky I learned just how important the leading breath into a section is, as it sets the tempo, and character of the music. As we rehearsed, breathing together became natural throughout the entire piece.
From Will I was reminded of the importance of movement as a musical leadership skill. He showed me how it allows the musician to lead into the piece, to take control of the melody, to communicate the pulse, and to draw in the other players and the audience.
The members of the Fry Street are just so inspiring to me. They are so much fun to watch and listen to. They really had a way of pulling the best violinist out of me, and the best quartet out of all of us. After our performance today Anne came up and gave me a huge hug and said, "You made music". That was the biggest compliment I could have received.
I'm looking forward to six more days of violin, as Intermountain Suzuki Strings Institute comes up this week.
Melanie Hoggan, and my Nana- my amazing mentor and my sweet grandmother. I love you! Isn't digging up old pictures the best? Picture taken in Munich, Germany.
May I introduce you? This week I was lucky enough to spend three full days being coached by the highly acclaimed Fry Street Quartet at Juan Diego High School along with my other quartet members Alex, Calli, and Patrick. From 10:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon, we lived and breathed the second movement of Schubert's Death and the Maiden . This movement was a huge undertaking, not only because of the technicalities, and sheer length (more than fifteen minutes), but because of the deep meaning behind the piece.
Official 5k of the year down! For some reason I had the song Long Shot- specifically the Katy Perry version- stuck in my head the ENTIRE race.
Yesterday my life was made complete. Not only did my favorite band Relient K come to Utah, but I got tickets! The venue was the ideal place for this concert; big enough to hold everyone, but small enough to allow us to get right up to the stage.
It was PACKED. I was constantly being squished against people I didn't know, and it got so hot that you literally had to jump up to get fresh air. As we waited the crowd got more and more anxious, and finally began raucously chanting "Start the show!".
After more than an hour of waiting, the opening bands came on. They were great! The first band was The Classic Crime.
The second opener was Owl City. This guy was so cool. His singing was totally relaxed, with awesome synth to back it up. The floating cloud projection behind him just added to the effect.
As it got closer and closer to the time when Relient K would come on, we got more and more hysterical. Let's just say that my voice was lost long before they even came on.
When Matt Thiessen came on stage, the crowd went insane. I was at serious risk of losing my shoes and getting trampled. I was also at risk of getting a heart attack, I've never been so excited to see someone in my life! It was incredible that they were right there.
Relient K sounded even better in real life. It was amazing to sing along at the top of my lungs to music I've been listening to for years. Certain songs like "Which To Bury, Us Or The Hatchet?", and "Be My Escape" I've always dreamed of hearing live.
There was also a great variety in the instrumentals. Thiessen often played on the piano as he sang. There was also xylophone, trumpets, and accordian that added so much to the overall effect. They had a couple quirky songs like one about The Office, and the Subway $5 foot long jingle.
What's a concert without a cool t-shirt?
Megan, Paige, and Julie.
The most perfect start to summer that I could imagine.
