Du piano

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend another music event with my host family. However, this time I was able to hear and see my host mom perform. My host mom accompanied the violinist Judith Grobla on a grand piano in a small yet cozy concert room inside Le Regard du Cygne studio located in the 19^th arrondissement. This studio was opened to the public in 1984 and functions as a space for artists, choreographers, dancers and musicians to express their work to others. The opening of this studio coincided with the rise of contemporary dance and thus was the ideal place for dancers to put on shows and performances for those who resided in the Paris area.

The concert room was very small in comparison to the one I went to last month but it was more intimate; you could actually see the musicians playing right in front of you. There were about 50ish people that attended this recital, mostly students of my host mom as well as their families, other pianists, friends and family of Judith and of course those who just appreciate hearing good music. The program of the recital was really well put together as this duo performed three major pieces by three important composers: Sonatine no. 1 by Schubert, Sonate “Le Printemps” by Beethoven, and Sonate no. 1 by Brahms.

Being a pianist for a majority of my life, I am very familiar with the style and technique of these composers. I also attended and performed in many recitals, workshops, and adjudications during my 14 years in a piano studio. But I have not attended a lot of violin and piano duo recitals. This recital was therefore very exciting to go to since I was able to hear the instrumental interaction between the piano and the violin.

During the last couple of weeks, my host mom has been practicing her accompaniment part for the pieces in this recital. It was not until the recital started that I realized that those pieces were the ones for this recital. I was therefore familiar with all of the piano parts of these pieces. This made it possible for me to focus on the violin part and observe Judith’s expression and the emotion she exhibited when playing. I love when my host mom would practice these pieces over and over at home because it reminded me of my mom playing the same pieces over and over until I knew them well myself. I really enjoyed this recital and am glad that I have been able to experience and learn more about music while I have been here.