I had my first piano recital on Sunday. In the interest of full disclosure, I used to play rock drums in clubs and have played small informal cello recitals before so maybe I have more experience with this than many adult beginners.

The recital was in a medium sized recital hall on a local college campus with auditorium seats and a 9 foot S and S on the low stage. My pieces were an arrangement of Dvorak's largo from the 9th (New World ) Symphony and an etude by some guy in C minor. When I walked in, my teacher lit up and told me how glad she was that I had shown up. It was almost as if she thought I might back out even though I've never wavered in wanting to play. Of course I had to get my son there for his recital...

I went on in the middle of about 20 student in a group of 3 who were in their first recitals. I was good and honestly nervous but I had made my peace with making mistakes. All the students had to at least announce themselves and the pieces they were playing. I decided to say something about my pieces like the big guys do. So I get up there and I face the audience standing up and open with a joke: "I'm not the only adult in the recital. (pause) I'm just the biggest kid here." The place erupts in laughter and I explain the Dvorak in about 6 sentences and get to work. The Dvorak is okay. I blow a couple of minor pedal points but basically get all the notes but not as expressively as I would like. The nerves have me playing a little stiffly. The etude goes really well until the ultimate crossover arpeggio run to the big final chord and I blow the first two notes without possibility of recovery and I have to start the run again. I go for the really big note last note on the C below the bass clef with oomph like I do on my Korg; the Steinway gives me so much BOOM that I almost fall off the bench. Damn, those piano REACT, don't they? In the end all is well, teacher beams, audience claps and wife leaks a tear or two and tells me how proud she is.

The next day, my son has a lesson and we head over to teachers house. She's STILL beaming and tells me no less than 6 people commented on how inspiring I was. Two of them are starting their own lessons and a third has decided that it's time to go back to school and finish up her degree. Who knew? It took me a LONG time in this life that to figure out that it's the things I didn't do that I regret. Two hours after my piano recital I had my second ever recorder concert. It was a great day and I was grateful to be there in those moments and have the people to share it with and to acknowledge that the sharing of even beginners music can be such an important part of the second half of my life.

Kurt

Wow! Sounds like you did MAHVELOUS!

I've never heard an etude by "Some Guy" before

Really? He's quite popular. I just bumped into him waiting in line at Starbucks the other day.

Great story KurtZ, glad it went well!

Great story. Congrats on pulling it all off.

Good for you!

Congrats! That's an amazing story. Playing is one thing, but I would neeeever have dared to make a joke like that.

He has a brother, who seems to be the cause of all the fights and accidents in the world. "It wasn't me. it was That Guy!"

K*

Congrats! Sounds like you did well. I really admire you for going up there and playing. I freeze up on stage. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Congratulations, KurtZ! I'm sure the audience didn't notice the slightly less than perfect pedaling.

Hey you know what's funny? The only compliments I take seriously come from my wife. Must be a dependency/trust thing.

Anyway, great job! You're an inspiration to us all.

Congratulations! Sounds great.
Thank you for sharing your experience.


I'm quaking in my boots for my recital this weekend......

Don't worry T'sMom. Just enjoy the process. And eat a bannana before the recital.