February 22 - New Music New Haven

Performers are often given unrealistic expectations when it comes to the premieres of new works. I was asked to perform an incredibly difficult piece composed by a student here at Yale - Yoshi Onishi. Written for soprano, cello, and piano, we were given four days to learn and rehearse the 25-minute work. Four days! It took me half a year to learn the Ligeti Etude I play so often. It takes pianists months to learn Beethoven sonatas (and when do we ever really feel prepared to play them in public?).

Onishi's piece was virtually impossible to play and the composer screamed every time I played a wrong note. The rhythms were so confusing that we had to have a conductor; his job was to ensure that the three of us (or in one of the movements, all two of us) were in the same place.

Somehow last Thursday night, we were expected to walk on stage, look composed and professional, and perform the piece for the public. No wonder audiences frequently take issue with new music! Somehow we got by (and I didn't hear any composer screaming during the performance). We did the best we could, and even though none of us were particularly impressed by our own performances, we were very impressed by each others. The singer did a marvelous job navigating her atonal sequence of pitches!

This is why I like to be the one to play my own music instead placing it in the hands of unprepared performers.