end of blogging haitus

I'm back in Nashville after a month of rambling.
I ain't never gonna change, I've got a gypsy soul to blame and I was born for leaving.

Places I've been in the last three weeks:

Annapolis, Maryland

Durham, New Hampshire

Boston, Massachusetts

Dover, Delaware

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Ocean City, Maryland

Greenbelt, Maryland

Vienna, Virginia

and back to Nashville, Tennessee. 

I like to do a grand New England tour at least once a year to see as many friends and family as I can in one trip, but the point of this trip was to go study bowmaking up in New Hampshire. It was my third time at this particular workshop (last year for bow repair) I made one violin bow. It turned out well enough, for learning in five days what is a four year program in France. I could do better, and I will, on future bows. Fortunately, plenty went wrong on my first one, so I learned a lot of what not to do next time, or at least how to fix many different things that go wrong. It was a very informative and fun week! And I got a whole slew of new tools to play with.

On our way south after New Hampshire, we stopped in Boston for a night to visit one of my dearest friends. I wish we'd had time to stay longer, since I love Boston a lot. It's one of my favorite cities, which I don't say lightly, because I am very persnickety about some cities, and I would totally live in Boston someday if I could ever afford to.

I had ten whole days in Maryland to catch up with everyone. It was so much fun! I spent time with my family, we went to the beach, got my usual sunburn and then our usual family go-karting, where I won (as usual), then walked down the ocean city boardwalk to the kite store, stopping for greasy pizza on the way, as usual. I met my new nephew (or newphew, if you will), I went to some great live music (Cole Cash, and the NSO Zelda concert), played some great music with my fabulous string trio, caught up with some friends from high school and pulled out some old photos from our high school orchestra trip to France, played some violin for the church I grew up in (which I haven't done since two christmases ago), and many other delightful endeavors.

It was a great trip, but I am so glad to be home, in my own bed, driving my own car, sitting on my porch again, and having a great roommate who made me peach blackberry crumble for breakfast this morning as a welcome home :)

Life is unbelievably good, and it keeps getting better. I'm going to try to write here more often, and I will hopefully have more things to write about. New adventures on the horizon! Don't stop me now, cause I'm having a good time.

grand life update:

Beloved Readers, (both of you)

I apologize again for leaving you hanging for so long. I bet you've been dying to know what I've been up to.

Let's see.

At the end of April, I gave a recital. It went well! I was very pleased with how I played, I think the most comfortable I've been with any solo recital I've given. Here's a video (even though all of my blog readers were either at the recital, or I've sent this to you already)


Also I looked very pretty: (if I do say so)

The day after the recital (since I apparently like to plan things in rapid succession so that I never have time to sleep or think about anything), I drove 900 miles north to Minneapolis. I had been planning a trip up to visit my old Minnesota buddies for a while anyway, and it was a much-needed week vacation. I saw everyone that I hadn't seen in a year: Favorite ship friends, favorite luthier school friends, favorite not-ship-or-luthier-school friends. It was a good week, filled with  large amount of happiness and good food and good music.

As soon as I got back to Nashville, I started packing up my life to move to a new house. I painted my room (because it was green, the whole thing, even the ceiling, and it was like living in a christmas box, which seems like it would be fun at first, but I'm sure it would get old) Anyway. I painted it a color called "Castle Path," which I will leave to your imagination, as I'm sure it is much more exciting in there than it is in real life.

And so with this, that, and the other, I moved. I love my new place. One roommate, who is also a luthier, and a dog. and a back porch. It's a little bit perfect. And close to work. And did I mention perfect?

Isn't she a darlin?

Oh - the most important part of Minnesota, I fell in love. With a violin. It's beautiful, and sounds so great. Made just a few months ago by a maker in St. Paul. It took me weeks to figure out a way to pay for her, but I did, and its mine, and I love it. Here's a shameless glamour shot I took of it on my bed the other day.

Sexy, right? I like big bouts and I cannot lie. 

Which brings us to my latest musical endeavor. I found the most wonderful pianist, and together we kidnapped a cellist to join us and we've started a piano trio. It's at the very beginning, but stay tuned for the unveiling of a website and some recital dates later this summer in Maryland, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

The last bit of exciting news is that next month I am heading out on a grand adventure, my annual pilgrimage up the East Coast. I love it, and I can't wait to see everyone. Flying to Maryland, driving to Boston, driving further to New Hampshire, learning how to make some violin bows, driving back down to Maryland. Driving south to Virginia to see the little munchkin who will be out of the oven by then! I'm pretty excited.

After that we've got some quartet recording endeavors, which I will update you on as soon as I know things.

Oh, and I'm pretty obsessed with this piece. Have a listen:

earth, air, fire, wine

To the girl I told to run away

The ghost I saw a hundred times a day

You weren't like me no you weren't afraid

You are elements combined

Earth, air, fire, wine

Someday you'll be mine

You stuck around, but we didn't fly

Weighed down by all I hid behind my eyes

I only hope that you realize

You are elements combined

Earth, air, fire, wine

Someday you'll be mine

I'll bury all excuses

Burn all the reasons why

I cant be everything you want

And everything you need

You're elements combined

We talk a lot but it's always small

Tiny bricks that make a giant wall

I hope these words are a wrecking ball

who says classical music is boring?

I went to see the Nashville Symphony last night. It was so lovely! We've been so often lately. It's such a fun and easy way to have a fancy night out.

The effect on that picture kind of makes me look like I have a black eye, but I don't, in case you wondered. Don't worry.

So here's something that.. might be common knowledge, but it JUST clicked for me yesterday.

We're all familiar with Paganini's 24th Caprice, right? It's probably the most popular one, maybe because it starts out so simply with the theme, that ambitious and optimistic violinists choose it to learn (before tossing it aside in frustration when they realize their tiny hands can't play 10ths in succession)(not that I know this from personal experience) In any case, it's catchy. To remind my readers which one it is, here is Hilary Hahn.

And then, of course, everyone knows Rachmaninoff's famous Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Variation 18 - if for no other reason than being a fan of the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time. (and let's be honest, who isn't a fan of Christopher Reeve back in 1980? Dreamy.)

(And here's a fun fact. In the book Bid Time Return, that the movie was based on, the piece was actually Mahler's 9th. But it was apparently too long to fit into the movie, and someone, somewhere decided that Rachmaninoff would be a better hit.)

...

Here's how awesome music is: the Variation #18 is the 24th caprice theme, upside down. WHAT.

Mind blown.

...

music to my ears!

I've realized that my happiness is directly proportional to the amount of music I'm playing and the amount of sunlight that is available. So, I've been pretty awesome in the last week or so. I always become noticeably more cheery when the clock springs forward and the days get longer!

But my life has been filled with so much music lately, it's ridiculous. All of it is good, all of it makes me happy, all of it is epic and wonderful. Last weekend I went to DC to play some video game quartet music for The Art of Video Games exhibit in at the Smithsonian. It was so much fun! I have very limited video game experience, but as soon as I became aware of the music a few years ago, I absolutely admire and enjoy the soundtracks. So good, so well written, and so very well adapted for string quartet by my good friend Chad! We were much more popular than we expected (even signing some autographs), and it looks like we'll get a few more gigs out of it!

My trip to DC happened to coincide with one of my favorite currently touring bands ever. The Infamous Stringdusters played at the 930 club, and wow. If you don't know about them, go listen to everything they've ever done. If you do, then you know. I already knew they put on a good show, because I've seen them plenty of times before - but this was honestly the best I've ever seen them. And good company enjoying it with me made it even better!

Then, as soon as I got back, the Cleveland Orchestra was performing a guest concert here in Nashville at the Schermerhorn. They played Beethoven Symphony #6 (which I always find fitting for this time of year) ( --Beethoven 7 is for rainy days, 6 is for warm spring days. 9 is for summer. 5 is for doomful situations.) The Grieg Piano Concert0, played magnificently by Gabriela Montero (who dazzled us with an encore, improvised the Dr. Zhivago theme in the style of a tango), and then Pines of Rome (Respighi). It was. Fantastic. Pines of Rome is just one of those pieces that, by the end, the world could end and no one would mind. I was impressed with the Cleveland Orchestra, too - not that the Nashville Symphony isn't as good, they are just a slightly different (if slightly rougher) flavor experience. Like, if the Cleveland Orchestra is Maker's Mark, the Nashville Symphony is perhaps Jack Daniels. (which makes the Baltimore Symphony Jameson; the Minnesota Orchestra would be Glenfiddich)

My own little orchestra, the Nashville Philharmonic, is a six-pack of something delicious. Maybe Fat Tire. This upcoming concert series is a really, really great program. We are playing the Sibelius Symphony No.2, that I didn't know at all until we started rehearsing, but I have fallen completely in love with it! I love playing music that I can recognize things that modern composers mooch off of, for movie soundtracks. Dvorak, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius. They were there before John Williams, before Hans Zimmer, and they used techniques and textures to convey things on a broader scale than just the pictures and plots we are forced to associate with modern classical soundtracks. Don't get me wrong - those are great now. Just recognize the great people that came first.

ALSO in the last week, I've been to two graduate recitals at Belmont. One violin and one cello, two grad students that I'm friends with. Both were terrific! Highlights were the 1st movement of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto (that I'm already very familiar with, but his performance was just stellar), and the Boccherini Cello Concerto No. 9 (I had heard her practicing it, but I had never heard it with accompaniment, it was delightful!)

So what's next? This weekend I'm going to the Nashville Symphony. Here's the program:

Kodály - Dances of Galanta

Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, OP. 43

Franck - Symphony in D minor

I'm most excited for the Rachmaninoff - but stay tuned for a review, and also more about the Spring Duet Recital in the works!

rebecca

.duet recital

On November 12th, my good friend Danielle and I gave a duet recital. It was for fun, then it was stressful, and then it was fun, and we're going to plan another one for the spring!

What we played:

Concerto in A minor for Two Violins - Vivaldi

Romance in G - Beethoven (Danielle)

Concerto No. 2 - Wieniawski (Me)

Concerto in D minor for Two Violins - Bach

Soon there will be videos posted on YouTube, but until then, here are some pictures!

morning of. some pre-recital hot chocolate!

Getting hairs did!

motherly support!

playing.

afterwards! glad to be done. (with accompanist)

.redirect

For today's post, go to Monday Shenannigans, where you can read about my cute car troubles, listen to a neat song, and see what my sister has to say today too!

music is ear food

This is not a groundbreaking analogy. But I came upon this comparison the other day when I found myself defending Debussy to a friend who was not fond of this particular composer. I was trying to explain that he was good, and why. In describing his music I found myself using words like “complex,” “chewy,” “layers,” and “nose.” (kidding about that last one) but, halfway through my monologue, I realized I could easily be describing a wine. And Debussy does indeed compare to a fine wine, in my opinion. There are many different sensations you get from beginning to end when listening to his music.

But more than that, music is so much like dining; the more I thought, the more easily I compared. Rossini is a lovely piece of cake: easy to eat, but too much is too much. Tchaikovsky is a beautiful, delicious steak, cooked perfectly medium rare, with a side of asparagus so well matched - by the end of it you are completely satisfied. Bartok is an interesting foreign meal that you don’t quite like, but you get through it and pretend you did anyway. And some people quite enjoy it. Brahms is a good stew. Mozart is pizza – all around good, you can never have too much, very good any day, any time of day music. (fancier Mozart is fancier pizza – but pizza is still pizza, and Mozart is Mozart.) And Bach is vegetables, so very good for you, even if one might get tired of it occasionally.

As Shakespeare said, “If music be the food of love, play on.” I would change that, perhaps, to: if music be delicious food in general, continue playing and eating all the wonderful things. All day.

Your glass of music for the day (red, not white) :

(if you’re in a particular hurry, start at the 3:30 minute mark and listen until at least 5:15)

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