Jotting down thoughts post-recital. You know, my Ravel-only solo piano/string quartet show filled with an hour of insanely ambitious repertoire.
I’m proud. Beyond the hundreds of hours I poured into practicing Gaspard, the night also showcased the culmination of many other artistic endeavors during med school. With my talented string quartet friends, I’ve gotten to play at many fancy venues and events, and they humored me by playing along in Ravel’s quartet. After sketching out stories in Moth format and tons of exposure public speaking, I was more confident with winging the speaking segments. The poster design came together thanks to my bokeh-happy photo from a family trip and experience from my graphic design projects for med school. And of course, the fact that this recital happened at all is thanks to continuing the arts during med school! What a privilege for the David Clayson Prize for Creativity to sponsor the event.
Most importantly, thanks to all my supportive friends for filling the space and clapping no matter what wrong notes I played. This night meant so much to me. I love these pieces in all their dark and complex intrigue, but I sometimes wish I could experience for them the first time again. You know, to get lost in Ondine‘s shimmering notes without stressing out about balancing the three-note chords against one note; or wondering when Le gibet will ever end, or be surprised by Scarbo‘s laugh, sudden outbursts, or unexpected disappearance. But just as rewarding is to give that experience to my friends (a boatload of you!) and try to do the pieces justice. Seriously, thanks so much.
The recital marks the end of my Ravel era. The last third of med school has lent me the necessary spare time and access to grand pianos in order to tackle such grand artistic projects. Next up: the era of my preliminary residency year in internal medicine!
Here’s a recording.
PS. This was in addition to many other projects that has made this semester especially musical. With the North American Medical Orchestra (budding small nonprofit), we played Mozart and Bach. With the Columbia Medical’s orchestra, we played Finlandia and Dvorak 8. My regular quartet played Dvorak’s American Quartet recently. Next week, Weill Cornell’s orchestra is playing Mahler 4 and some Bernstein tunes. With my graduating classmates, we’re playing Tchaikovsky’s waltz from Serenade for Strings at commencement in two weeks.