What did I learn?All and all, I've learned a lot about myself through the process of this project. As someone who has spent their life playing the cello, it was a monumental and fulfilling moment to complete a full recording of a cello concerto, especially it being the Shostakovich Cello Concerto which I have dreamed of playing my whole life. This experience has proven to me that all the time I spent playing shows, rehearsing, studying, and learning the art of music at SSHS has been worthwhile and very useful. Applying all the knowledge and experience I've developed at school into my cello playing outside of class in the real world has been an experience that has prepared me for what it's like to be a professional cellist.
Spending all those hours alone practicing at home finding my own interpretation of the dark, mysterious, and sorrowful cello concerto really brought my musicality to a whole new level. It has also proven to me that if I have a goal and a dream pictured in my head, and through hard work and dedication, it is possible to make those dreams come to life. I mentioned in my hypotheses that through learning and recording this piece, I would improve my technical abilities and musicality on the cello. Not only has this been proved, in addition, this piece has enabled me to complete the recording and most of the work to the best of my abilities, making this project a success. I'm happy with how the recording turned out, and know that there's always room for improvement. In the long run, I ended up with a recording of the 1st, 3rd and 4th movement, which I then used to audition with for my college application for several music conservatories. This being one of the more difficult cello concertos ever written, makes it so that it would be a miracle for someone like me to play it perfectly without mistakes. That being said, my intonation towards the last two movements could have been executed better. I could have played the first movement at a faster tempo, and I could have fixed up a few incorrect notes throughout the beginning. All these little details will be something I will work hard at to fix and improve upon once I come face to face with this cello concerto again in my career. I hope to one day play this one of a kind piece with an orchestra to truly experience the full composition and all the possibilities of this Shostakovich cello concerto. |