Tag Archives: recital

Beverly

Here are my introductions/poems that I read at my recital last night:

Debussy
(mvt 1) Planted firmly on the Earth, a powerful proclamation. But doubt takes on many shapes, as the curves in the road are numerous. You try to find your way, seeking certainty from wise ones. Arriving up to the highest precipice, you reclaim your power.
(mvt 2&3) Trying to be sneaky, but stumbling, bumbling. A lonely melody is strummed in the evening’s twilight. There are phantoms that startle and spook. You run away, faster and faster. Getting lost, finding yourself in unfamiliar territory. Fortunately the lonely melody returns like an old friend, and leads you to a hopeful place. You are connected to the Earth once again. You can fly, explore, zigzag, sink to the lowest depths, but it will never be forgotten. It watches you, this Mother Earth, until at last you land with a crash, a smash, yet reunited.

Ravel
Whisper, whisper, a baby rocking with musical triplets and duplets, back and forth. A beautiful fragrance, yet wistful.
A new kind of rocking, mature, thoughtful, pragmatically nuanced. An interwoven tapestry of colors and ages, millennia old. Diving into the richest soil, returning up to the highest ethers. When nothing more is to be plumbed, the small child finds her tranquilest place atop a cloud.

Stravinsky
(Intro) A lean, formal statement, energetic and lyrical
(Serenata) Rustling leaves in a gently whirling wind
(Aria) A two-faced rustic dance
(Largo) Sighing, reaching to the sky
(Tarantella) A tiptoed sprint, jutting out in spikes
(Minuetto et Finale) A parade begins, then detours, picking up nearby villagers. Not all are eager participants. This leads into a wild dance peppered with remembrances of friendships long past and of love, all culminating in a colorful fireworks display.