One Senior Recital at a Time


Where did the time go? Erik is graduating shortly , less than a week away to graduation and he just completed his last AP exam as of 4:20 pm 5/12.

May 9th would be remembered as a day that gave us all the excitement and more. The applause from all the friends who attended the recital almost gave us chills. We have most frequently heard him perform his best for competitions in the last several years, and not for a public performance. None of us are accustomed to having an audience for him. Competitions are experiences of discipline,, and you are always playing for a group of judges and not an audience. This day was different. It was a day to honor Erik and his teacher of 5 years, Dr. Francis Yang for the tremendous work they did together. The preparation for the event was exciting and the day could not have gone better. We packed chairs in our house and we enjoyed welcoming more than 50 guests!

(By the way, if you click each photo it should enlarge for better viewing)














Erik says that the pieces may have lost the accuracy of the COMPETITION-ready level..., but he was confident that he would delivery it with more meaning in each phrase and more passion in every note. Part of the program included pieces that he had performed for competitions a few years prior.  He felt so rewarded to perform these with more maturity and understanding of the music as literature with deep history, which embodies complex human emotions and experiences. The pieces he performed represented composers from the last three centuries and included a contemporary. We believe that Erik himself could tell how far he has traveled on this musical journey, and we also felt assured by seeing how delighted he was with the results of perseverance. The radiance on the faces of his delighted guests deeply touched us all.

 During the recital, he engaged with the audience by explaining about what the music is about, or why it is titled as such, or what it means, or even what to look for while listening. He prepared a short but very interesting notes as an insert to the program so each can also read a little about the music he was performing. It added so much to those who may have heard the piece for the first time. This, he said was the most challenging part, if you know about his struggle with speech, you know all well what that means. It is apparent in the videos below but that also demonstrated to everyone who knew him of yet, another hard work he accomplished. I think he would enjoy remembering this day.

 We are thrilled that we were able to provide an opportunity at home that is not a competition. Sure we heard mistakes and he wishes some parts had gone better.  The Friends in the audience were quite excited for him and not about to judge him. The highlights of the program was definitely Grieg's piano Concerto that Erik and Francis performed together. My recording skill is quite poor, due mostly to my own nervousness... I could not concentrate on listening to him and recording at the same time. The living room was packed with friends and location of the device created a bit of challenge as well. Please imagine as your hear it that you are sitting in our home. The Steinway that traveled from Wilmington NC sang with Erik and filled our home with beautiful musical stories. It was deeply touching to see how our son was blessed to study with Francis, or meet this special piano one day on this journey, and that  he was born to our family. We have no coincidences in any of this. For those who are interested in how we acquired this Steinway, please go to. "One Steinway at a time".

As you listen to these Youtube posts, please adjust your volume, since it tends to be loud and harsh. Using the earphones may bring better tonal quality. 
 The entire performance was close to an hour. So, please sit down and stay a while!!!
Feel free to leave Him any comments if you so desire. 


Comments

Unknown said…
Phenomenal, Erik! Thank-you for investing such a huge amount of time, energy, and effort in the gift God has given you. Well done!
May 13, 2015 at 5:44 AM
proud granny said…
Loved it all Erik. Had Grandpa come in and listen, too. Now I can play it anytime as my background music. So proud of you. Love, Grandma Martin
May 13, 2015 at 6:15 PM
Anonymous said…
Amazing! Wakako and Eric thank you for sharing this special concert. Such talent and sophistication in one so young! I am confident you will continue to shine in the future. Michelle Beauchesne
May 14, 2015 at 6:51 AM
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