Alicia asked Jessica to perform in the lobby before and on stage during the intermission of Julie Moffet Dance Studio's Nutcracker performance. Jessica jumps at any and every opportunity to play her cello for an audience, whether it's in a theater filled with hundreds of people, a living room filled with doting grandparents, or the center of our home where dishes and homework are being done during the performance,she is eager to share her talent. The kids have been begging Neil and I to take them to a Nutcracker performance, and the fact that we were handed three complimentary tickets to this performance made it affordable for us to bring the whole family.
When the curtains came down for intermission, and my child's name was announced, and she walked onto that stage and sat down with her skeleton stand and piles of sheet music, I could not help but wonder why people were getting up and leaving, and why on earth everyone was jabbering when we were about to be delighted by some beautiful music. And then I remembered that these people were not here to hear the cello, they were here to see little Sally bounce around in a tutu, and they needed to pee and get concessions before her sister wowed the audience with her Arabian solo. As much as I enjoyed these dance numbers, and always love me some good Nutcracker, I was sitting in the Egyptian Theatre for one purpose that evening, and that was for the intermission. So though I needed to pee like you wouldn't believe, I sat back in my seat, butterflies in my stomach, holding my breath, until Jessica began to pull her bow across those beautiful strings.
Fortunately, and much to Jessica's delight, they had attached a microphone to her cello. She began to play, and the sound moved across the room of distracted parents. I would love to say that a hush came across the room as all were in awe of my child's playing, but we forget that most of the people in that room were receiving their only dose of culture for the year, in the form of a ballet, and didn't care for an overdose. But the room did get quieter, and there were those who were listening. And there were many who were kind enough to applaud between each number. My respect for humanity was restored somewhat.
Jessica played O Holy Night and Silent Night, and then proceeded to go through her repertoire. She began to play Saint Saen's Swan, "Mr. Swan" as Peter Prier so lovingly refers to it, and one of my favorites. Jessica can play flashy concertos complete with crazy runs at mind-bloggling speeds and ridiculous shifts, but her specialty is the beautiful slow pieces. Her wide rich vibrato enhances each note as she flows through the piece with grace and artistry. I was a proud mama in that audience, and those people probably didn't understand what a treat they were enjoying.
Thanks to YouTube, there was a hum in the room as Jessica began to belt out a memorized Prelude to Bach's First Cello Suite. The room seemed to buzz with a level of respect now that she was playing something that the Pianoguys have made popular. A room that hardly paused for The Swan, was now energized over Bach. The young woman next to Sabrina commented smugly, that certainly this girl wasn't actually playing. This had to be a recording. Sabrina informed her that that was her sister, and that this is a piece she plays everyday. Funny thing, this was not the most complex piece she had played that evening, but it's the one that wowed the audience.
The intermission ended just about the time that Jessica ran out of music, and I gave her a nice proud mommy applause, and the rest of the room gave her a hardy applause as well. My wish for her?...that someday she is able to play for just as large an audience in just as fun a venue, where everyone is there to hear her, where everyone respects her instrument and her ability to make it sing.
No comments:
Post a Comment