I walked into the school theatre on Wednesday evening, looked around, and thought: what a motley crew of young people. It was a bit of a freak show. Shame on me for judging.
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I had just found a good seat for filming Jaclyn's performance when the leadership teacher (an old college friend) approached me to warn that the first two acts were going to be very loud and I might want to join him in the hallway until battle-of-the-heavy-metal-bands was over. It was good advice: we could hear the music just fine from outside. It turned out, though, that the bands were in fact acts 2 & 3. Later I was sorry to discover I missed the one-man skit of the life of a raindrop. I have to give credit to the panel of students who oversaw the selection process at the talent show auditions: they certainly opted for variety. (As best they could - Jaclyn had warned me - there was a lot of guitar.)
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Jaclyn was the only classical music act in the show, and it was certainly different from her usual venue. More audience participation than I've ever seen at a piano recital.
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Jaclyn introduced her number, then after I hit the stop button on my camera a boy from the audience shouted out, "That's my favorite song!"
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They were a very appreciative audience. Again, shame on me for judging them. Here's her performance (don't feel compelled to watch the full 6 minutes) of Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique 1st Movement. You'll hear a small hoot of audience participation at about the 42-second mark, and then the crowd really got into it at around 1 min 30. I should have turned my camera on the boys sitting in front of me who started banging their heads to every chord Jaclyn put her weight behind. Perhaps Beethoven is the original head-banger music.
19 comments:
Wow, fabulous! I loved getting to watch her play -- no wonder they were an appreciative audience!
I haven't heard her in forever! That was AMAZING JACLYN!!!!!!!! WOW!
I love high schoolers! They crack me up!
ps i loved east of Eden Loved it.
Very fun to watch Jaclyn. She clearly has a lot of talent. I agree that Beethoven was the original headbanger. I loved my loud, bangy classical pieces in high school. Rachmoninoff and Khatchaturian have some great bangy chords if she wants to fit in with the heavy metal bands next year too:)
Too bad they didn't give her a better piano to play on. That sound would have wooed the audience even more.
Lucy: they have a grand piano, but didn't want to move it ALL THE WAY across the hall into the theater. haha
Wow, she is totally amazing!
Lovely! Good job! Mom has a right to be proud. :)
WOW! I hope I can play like that some day!
She is fabulous! What talent!
Amazing! Watching just her hands, she looks like she's playing in fast-forward mode! Very impressive.
Law Day sounded pretty cool. Interesting note on your court proceedure. I did not know those things. (You'd be amazed at the huge guys we can cram into the backs of patrol cars that even kids have to squeeze into.)
Excellent job Jaclyn! You've developed your talents well!
Oh my, she is a seriously accomplished woman. Even by Mr. Darcy's rigorous standards. I think you're both amazing.
I was bemoaning the lack of the grand piano as well...
And I love the thought of Beethoven as the original head-banger. What a rebel. I am imagining the scandalized looks of all the proper, well-bred matrons. Delicious.
Wow!!! I had no idea she could play like that. You'd better believe I watched the full 6 minutes, and it was a complete pleasure. Not an easy piece!
I was thinking the same as Lucy, why did they make her play on that rinky dink piano? That kind of playing deserves the resonance of the full grand.
The Beethoven head-banger thing totally made me think of Bill & Ted, when Beethoven is jamming on the synths in the music store, lol.
That is awesome. My husband was a head banger in high school. A study recently came out saying that heavy metal listeners have high IQ's and that they are drawn to that music because it is very complicated. He felt validated by that.:)
Oh my, Jaclyn. Oh, my amazing Jaclyn! Your fingers were positivley flying. Do you realize that few things would have terrified me more than playing a very complicated, very fast, very long peice of classical music infront of all my peers would have been enough to push me over the edge and place me in a mental institution? I would have gotten up there and done some light, fluffy drama presentation. You are my hero.
WOW! She is fantastic! What talent!
I'm proud to say we're related (through marriage anyway!) Truly impressive!
I am a true beleiver that Beethoven was the orginal head-banger music! Jaclyn did a fantastic job. It looks like she had her music with her, but she must have memorized it, as I know that Sonata does not fit on just two pages! Tell her, from a fellow Beethoven lover, and pian teacher - she did great! Such a proud moment for you! How are you anyway? I haven't heard much from you my dear! Take care and hope you are well :)
Excellent! And "Perhaps Beethoven is the original head-banger music." is a classic line. Love it.
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