Violin Recital

Marcus and his teacher, Brian

Yesterday was Marcus's violin recital. His teacher is going to a law school in Pennsylvania this Fall, so this was the last recital with him. We're sad that he's leaving us, but wish him the best of luck in his future endeavor.

Anyway, the recital went very well. I still get so nervous, but I think Marcus is getting better at it. He used to be so shy and didn't want to do anything in front of other people, but when I asked him after the recital whether he was nervous during the performance, he said, "Not really. I was more nervous about how I would bow at the end."
I guess I should have had him practice bowing more! (and not jumping on and off from the stage instead of using the stairs...)

昨日はマーカスのリサイタルでした。先生はもうすぐ引っ越してしまうのでこれがこの先生との最後のリサイタル。残念〜
私は相変わらず始まる前から大緊張していましたが、マーカスは落ち着いた様子でした。シャイで人前で何かをするなんて大苦手の彼だったのに、度胸が着いてきたものです。リサイタルのあと、「緊張した？」と聞いたら、「あんまり。最後にどうやってお辞儀しようかが気になってそっちの方が心配だったよ。」ですって。 お辞儀の練習もっとしておくべきだったかな。（笑）あ、あと舞台の上に飛び乗ったり飛び降りたりしない練習もしておくべきでした．（苦笑）

He performed two pieces, and this video is the first piece he performed. It's called "Vocalise" by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It is a very difficult piece, and it's a lot harder than it sounds. I honestly think that this piece is beyond his level. Nevertheless, he did a good job. He doesn't like how he played it, and he says that he's done better, and I agree with him. His tones were off here and there, and his bowing was not precise at a few places. But, he's only been playing the violin for 2 1/2 years. I'm okay with this. In fact, I'm glad to see him realizing his mistakes. If you don't know what you did wrong, you can't improve them, right?

２曲演奏しましたが、最初の曲はラフマニノフの“ヴォカリーズ”。 これはかなり難しい曲。ゆっくりとして流れるような曲なので簡単そうですが、それが難しい！正直言って、この曲はマーカスにはちょっと上級すぎだと思うのですよね。でも、彼は頑張って練習しました。
本番の出来が気に入らないマーカス、「もっと上手く演奏できたはず。」って。確かに、音程が外れていたり、弓の動きがスムーズにいかなかった箇所があったりして充分力を発揮できなかったかな、と思いますが、それでもまずまず上出来です、これだけ出来れば。本人が間違いに気がついているのだから、上達の可能性もあり、という事ですよね。




The second piece is "Concerto for Two Violins, the 1st movement" by J.S. Bach. This is one of his favorite pieces and he was very excited to have an opportunity to play it with Brian. This is another tough piece, and I think he did very well. Duets are so hard because you need to pay attention to the other player and it's crucial to keep the steady tempo.
Marcus received so many compliments after the recital for this performance. Yet, he was not satisfied with it. After I showed him this video, he said, "I played it horrible!" Well, I didn't agree with that one, and told him that he did great. Sure, it wasn't perfect and his tempo was uneven, but he didn't mess up with a few troubled spots we practiced over and over and I was so happy about that.

２曲目はバッハの「２つのバイオリンの協奏曲−第1楽章−」。
この曲はマーカスのお気に入りの１つなので、リサイタルで先生と弾ける事が嬉しく彼はとても楽しみにしていました。 この曲も難度高めですが、なかなかうまく弾けたと思います。
リサイタルの終了後、たくさんの人から褒め言葉をかけられたマーカスですが、この演奏も彼は満足できなかったみたいで、ビデオを見せたら「ひどい演奏〜！」って嘆いていました。（リオの話によるとこっそり泣いていたとか。）テンポが安定していなかったりして、完璧とはいえない演奏ですが、それでも上手に頑張ったと思うので褒めてあげたのですが、本人納得せず。何度も何度も練習した苦手な箇所を間違えないで弾けたのはとっても偉いと思うのですけれどね〜




This is the accompanist, Michael. He is an excellent pianist, and you can read about him here and here. Brian recommended him to us, and we were fortunate enough to rehearse with him a couple of times at his house prior to the recital. He is super expensive, but I think it was worth it.

下の写真は、伴奏をしてくれたマイケル。彼はまだ若いのに優秀なピアニストで様々なコンクールで優勝したり、ジュリアード学院の先生から賞賛されたりしています。マーカスの先生の推薦で伴奏をしてもらう事になりました。伴奏者としてはちょっとお値段高めですが、そういうものですよね。

Marcus and his accompanist, Michael

We have found a new teacher for Marcus, and even though we're sad to lose Brian, I'm excited to learn from this new teacher. Even Marcus recognized that his new teacher would be beneficial for him. The new teacher is with The Gifted Music School, so Marcus is technically enrolled in The Gifted Music School Preparatory division. I'm not sure if Marcus is aiming to be accepted in The Gifted Music School in the future, but Mr. Watanabe (the director of the school) gave me a word of encouragement when we met him for the evaluation and told me that Marcus could become very very good. Of course, anyone can be "very very good" if he/she works hard, and my concern is how Marcus will be able to find balance in everything he does. I don't see how he would be able to practice the violin for five hours a day like the students at The Gifted Music School do. Sure, he does practice one or two hours every day, but not five, especially during the soccer season. Well, we'll see what happens.
The most important thing is that he loves music and the violin. As long as he enjoys it, I have to support him in any way I can.

さて、次の先生も見つかり、とりあえずほっとしています。今の先生がいなくなるのは寂しいけれど、次の先生はなかなか良さそうなのでマーカスも私もちょっと楽しみにしています。ソルトレイクでは知る人ぞ知るThe Gifted Music Schoolのプレスクールに入学するという形になるのですが、将来的にThe Gifted Music Schoolに受けいれられる程のレベル になるのを目的にするのかは未定です。The Gifted Music Schoolのディレクターには「マーカスはとても優れたバイオリニストになる可能性がある。」と言われたのですが、練習すれば誰でも可能性はありますよね〜
要はどれくらい練習に注ぎ込む時間があるか、だと思います。毎日５時間はとても無理そう。
とにかく、彼は楽しんで、バイオリンが好きだ！という気持ちがある限り、なんとか応援＋サポートしていこうと思っています。