My goal for this project was to recreate my UBC audition, which was great and everything, but it’s getting tough for me to just stick to the Suites and the concerto. As I listen to more music, I want to play more and more new pieces, instead of just focusing on the one concerto. In my playing this week though I find it funny that I’m playing pieces by 3 different Bach’s, J.S Bach for the suites, J.C Bach for the concerto in C minor, and C.P.E Bach for the concerto in A minor. I find it so interesting how different their styles are. The suites seem more focused on technical purpose to portray the effect of the pieces, and bank on strong skills to be able to play them properly. The concerto in C minor is very much like having a full china set thrown at your head throughout the piece. Very forceful at the beginning having plate with strong and purposeful lighter bits but finishing with a shaking end. The Concerto in A minor (at least the first movement) feels like you’re the protagonist in some very detailed and engaging plot, but you’re running away from the big scary bad guys and are waiting to lose them. I think it’s interesting to think about and reflect on when playing them all one after another. For me to play, the C minor piece is a good one to get energy out, it goes so quickly for two of the movements, it almost feels like exercise. I like how much I have to think about my finger placement on this one, however frustrating it might be, it’s challenging but attainable which I like. The Suites are good for me to work on technique, because J.S. Bach had an intention for the technical focus of each of the suites and I like that I get to pick and choose based on how I’m feeling.
The CPE Bach is more of a personal challenge than a technical challenge. I know I can play it, I just need to get past my own nervousness. One of my cohort members told me that it was because trauma is held in the body, and as much as I don’t want to use a word as impactful as trauma for this event, I’m starting to think it might be. In grade 12 I practiced hours upon hours everyday, and had full 8 hour days of straight cello and to have that all ruined because of some butterflies in my stomach really killed my morale for a bit. Although I’m thankful I didn’t get into UBC and ended up in Education at UVic, in grade 12, UBC was my dream and it was crushed so yeah- maybe it was trauma. Anyways, I’ll put the 3 bach pieces below.
