I just listened to your performance again and I loved it even more than the first time! Once again, congratulations for the bold commitment to the piece that you demonstrated here. All the very best to you, young man.
Congratulations on a bold performance! Re: your unconventional technique @ 4:55... I once used an unconventional technique to perform a trill because of a problem with the finger that should have performed the feat. Instead of using the proper finger, and as fast as humanly possible, I raced my right hand up to the top of the horn to repeatedly hit the b key, immediately racing back down to the proper right-hand position to catch a run on the way down from the trill. My professor at the time tried to convince me to just play it conventionally, which was not musical because of my physical limitation with that finger. The cognitive dissonance between whether to heed my current professor's words or serve the music, I travelled secretly, by train, to meet my previous teacher to ask his advice. (This was before zoom!) After I played it for him cleanly 3 consecutive times, he agreed that my way serves the music more richly. He said, "Do you think you can do it without catching your sleeve in the keys of the instrument?" I replied, "I know I can do it cleanly!" He said, "Then do it. The music is what matters. You play it more musically when you use your unconventional technique. After all, it's the music that matters." I returned to the university, performed my recital, and managed the feat cleanly and musically. It was a lesson that I remember to this day: When you are sure of a path for a noble cause, don't let anyone discourage you. Thank you, Abe Kestenberg of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Your words live in my ears and in my heart, still.
This music is loved by those who did not have neighbors who learned to perform it.
I just listened to your performance again and I loved it even more than the first time! Once again, congratulations for the bold commitment to the piece that you demonstrated here. All the very best to you, young man.
Congratulations on a bold performance! Re: your unconventional technique @ 4:55... I once used an unconventional technique to perform a trill because of a problem with the finger that should have performed the feat. Instead of using the proper finger, and as fast as humanly possible, I raced my right hand up to the top of the horn to repeatedly hit the b key, immediately racing back down to the proper right-hand position to catch a run on the way down from the trill. My professor at the time tried to convince me to just play it conventionally, which was not musical because of my physical limitation with that finger. The cognitive dissonance between whether to heed my current professor's words or serve the music, I travelled secretly, by train, to meet my previous teacher to ask his advice. (This was before zoom!)
After I played it for him cleanly 3 consecutive times, he agreed that my way serves the music more richly. He said, "Do you think you can do it without catching your sleeve in the keys of the instrument?" I replied, "I know I can do it cleanly!" He said, "Then do it. The music is what matters. You play it more musically when you use your unconventional technique. After all, it's the music that matters."
I returned to the university, performed my recital, and managed the feat cleanly and musically. It was a lesson that I remember to this day: When you are sure of a path for a noble cause, don't let anyone discourage you. Thank you, Abe Kestenberg of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Your words live in my ears and in my heart, still.
1:32