Giving myself plenty of time to get lost, I actually arrived early, walking in and grabbing one of the few remaining free seats in the highschool choir room. It was fifteen minutes before show time. The choir room walls were covered with music related information, like "If you "C" no #s or flats, C is "Do" as well as the sign language for each of the tones of the sol-fa. Parents and their children kept pouring in. We kept shifting our chairs closer as staff brought in more chairs. Then, a large group of children and their teacher arrived. By this time, the only remaining seating was the choir bleachers. Finally, the staff had to ask if any kids wanted to sit up front on the floor.
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| Vadim and Angela |
Vadim stepped out into the hallway to quickly tune his violin. Then, he and his accompanist (his wife Angela), returned to play their first piece, the 1st movement of Beethoven's "Spring" Sonata (Violina Sonata No. 5, published 1801). It was more of a duet, the violin and piano accompanying each other as each took their turns to shine. This will probably be my only time being so close to a Stradivarius being played. It sang the notes. After performing the piece, Vadim and Angela talked about how before Beethoven, violins were simply a part of the orchestra -- they were not solo instruments. Even the score from which they played listed "Sonata fur Clavier (piano) und Violine", as the clavier was still the main solo instrument during that time period.
In contrast to the first piece, Vadim and Angela played a second piece that was written for the violin to be the lead. Actually, it had originally been written for solo piano but then rewritten as a violin solo piece. The piano was definitively relegated to accompaniment in this piece, in contrast to the first piece played. One child asked when Vadim and Angela had first learned to play this piece. They thought that it was 23 years ago when they were both studying at SMU (Southwest Methodist University, Dallas). Vadim also said that they played it much differently now then back then. They both said that they are always learning.
The third piece that they played was by the Swiss composer Ernest Bloch. It was part of a suite of Jewish folk songs (Baal Shem) that he composed for violin in approximately 1918. Ernest Bloch was one of the first crossover composers in classical music. The name of the song is Nigun; however, Vadim said that it roughly translates as "Melody". It is a haunting song that showcased Vadim's talents and the beautiful sound of the Stradivarius.
The Stradivarius that Vadim plays was crafted in 1690. He has been blessed to have been able to play this Stradivarius for the last 22 years. Stradivarius instruments are impossibly expensive for musicians. Vadim's is on loan through a program in Chicago that pairs sponsors who can afford the instruments to cover the costs so that world-class musicians such as Vadim can play them. Vadim explained that every piece of violin score he reads and every time he replays a violin piece in his head, he hears in the voice of his Stradivarius. In fact, for four months while his Stradivarius was having restoration work done, he was miserable with a different loaner Stradivarius, as it did not have the same voice. (And, as Angela added, "everyone else was miserable, too!")
Both Angela and Vadim started playing very early in life (4 years old and 7 years old, respectively). Various students asked about practicing, strategies for learning new songs, when playing finally "clicked" and what they do when they make mistakes during a performance. They both agreed that there is no way to avoid practicing. It's not fun. However, all of that practice means that they get to perform amazing music in front of audiences. If they do make mistakes while performing, Angela stated "Always think forward. Never think backward". Don't fixate. Move on. And their secret to learning new songs? Hard work and time invested (see practicing above).
Their closing song was a Polka by Alfred Schnittke, a light-hearted tune to wrap up this hour with these incredible musicians. Of course, my cello teacher, her other student and I waited to talk to Vadim and Angela after they finished. They are both warm and encouraging people.
Check out Vadim's tour schedule here: http://vadimgluzman.com/appointments/
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