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Until I discovered Tonebase, nearly ALL my performances were always with amateur orchestras and chamber groups.
Many years ago, as a teenager, I played both cello and piano with our All-State orchestra. During our final performance of the Bloch Concerto Grosso for piano & strings, I was playing the piano part on a VERY old piano with several broken ivory keys.
Unbeknownst to me, I sliced my finger on a broken key and there was blood all over the keyboard...it was truly horrifying to look at but I didn't even notice until the piece was over!
Interestingly, I had totally forgotten about the incident until I played the piece again last summer with an amateur chamber orchestra, and this memory came flooding back to me.
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Andrea Buckland Your command of the English language is simply PERFECT! You're the best!
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One performance came to mind: two years ago, I was working on the Schubert B flat sonata (D960), and another of my teacher's students was also working on it. She asked him if she could come to one of my lessons to hear me play the first movement, and he asked me and I said sure. It was so nice to be playing for someone who was sitting quietly and attentively and actually wanted to hear me that I relaxed and just PLAYED. And the funny thing was that the windows were open, and the next-door neighbor sitting on her front porch both complimented me on my way out AND complimented me to my teacher later. She said it was her favorite piece and I must be really gifted. (My teacher was quite tickled.)
This was about a month after I'd had an absolutely horrible experience in a piano class where another student attacked me verbally, and the teacher did nothing to stop it. My confidence was really shaken. The Schubert experience was healing.
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Harriet Kaplan Harriet, I am very happy for you that you had such a good experience - full of beauty, appreciation and healing. One can visually picture the person on her front porch listening contentedly...her spirit touched by your playing. Lovely.
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Harriet Kaplan thanks for sharing this, Harriet! I feel it as vividly as you have described it and I'm so glad, that it was such a fulfilling experience
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Harriet Kaplan What a nice experience- really sincere appreciation from everyone who heard you that day. That must have felt great. Thanks for sharing!
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Harriet Kaplan I love this story! Thanks for sharing!
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Harriet Kaplan What a beautiful memory. Thanks for sharing it with us.
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Harriet Kaplan What a wonderful story, Harriet! And it is beautiful, poetic, that Schubert was in the middle of it. Thank you for sharing!
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Harriet Kaplan Dear Harriet, you deserve to have this experience much more often!
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Andrea Buckland aw, thanks.
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Harriet Kaplan I鈥檓 so delighted that someone recognized your talent and musicality, especi after such a traumatic prior experience!
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A number of years ago I got an opportunity to play Rhapsody in Blue with the local orchestra. I was thrilled and purchased a blue sparkly gown. There were to be two performances. I had never experienced playing the same piece two nights in a row. The first concert went well. Great audience and a wonderful response. The second night, as I walked out to the piano, I had a scary thought. I didn't want to play the piece. I was still coming down from the night before and I just didn't feel like playing it again. I carried this thought with me as I sat down in front of the piano wondering what was going to happen. The conductor raised his baton and the clarinet player lifted his horn and started that sumptuous ascending scale that turns into a jazzy wail. "I LOVE THIS PIECE" was my next thought and every cell in my body wanted to play. I have never enjoyed performing so much. I used to suffer from dreadful stage fright and had worked hard over the years to minimize it. Inner Game of Tennis and Inner Game of Music were very helpful. I never expected to experience ENJOYING performing. That night was magic and I will never forget it.
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Linda Gould Nice story! My dad made me read Inner Game of Tennis as a child to help with mental toughness during tennis matches. Of course I don鈥檛 remember any of it years later- and need lots of help with piano nerves. Will have to read it again along with Inner Game of Music.
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Linda Gould Love this story! Love this piece! And great insights!
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I don't know that this is my favorite memory but it is definitely one I'll never forget. Time was around 1980 in a restaurant somewhere near Sydney. It was lunch time and the place was packed. You could hardly carry a conversation for the volume of energy in everyones voices. Well of course there is an upright piano up against a back wall. I am always goaded into playing. I don't like to interfere with peoples conversations so you might imagine how I might feel. The minute I touched the first keys of the piano not a sound was to be heard from the customers. They we so focused on what I was playing that I literally felt shaken inside. Fortunately my back was to everyone so they didn't need to see how I was feeling. I'm sure there was a beautiful round of applause but I never hear that sort of thing. Seems my mind is always going over what I just played and that was' Send in the Clowns'.....but I did not encore.
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My first performance at age 5. It was Beethoven's "F眉r Elise" and I got over stage fright immediately because I was happy I could entertain the audience. It helped me over 60 years later through my career in information technology when presenting to large crowds and senior managers. While I wished in some ways I had stuck with my first love, music, after many more performances as accompanist for chamber music and piano concerti , I never forget how music helped me gain confidence in myself and not worry about butterflies. OK. So I still do have some anxiety, it is nothing like I know many other performers manage.
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Mine isn't so much about my experience of the performance as I can't remember much but what I was told of it a few years later.
I got sent to a boarding school in UK at 16 and my English was pretty poor at the time so I couldn't really understand much of anything. The first time I played a solo piece in front of the whole school and it was Ravel's Sonatine 1st movement.
Three years later I finished the school, I bumped into a staff member who she told me she remembered very well the first time I performed, and that as soon as I started the entire school went into total silence. It was very touching for me how my performance could make an impact and be memorable to others.
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Performing for my dad is the greatest joy of my life.
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Favorite so far: when I finally got hired by a very good orchestra to play, and performed as a duo piano performer with my wife in a two piano performance. 1,500 people in the audience each night. It was great. I remember how happy the conductor was after the first night's performance because it went pretty well (I was happy too). What I love most is walking around backstage before the concert and listening to the sound of the orchestra warming up the hour before the concert. To me, that's a magical sound, full of anticipation and excitement. Everyone dressed in black and white, musicians and stagehands, people with headsets communicating to each other. People filing in to the hall, you're already prepared, just going over the music in your mind. Then getting in the zone to play, and finally, walking on stage.
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A truly brilliant performance. Congrats!
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Personally, I haven't performed in a long time since college. However, last month, I had the opportunity to play at a local Amateur Pianists recital. I was referred to the group by a friend and ended up making some great friends. It's nice to finally meet with so many fellow musicians again!
