Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
Cara W.
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Approaching the masterwork that is Schumann’s cello concerto was equal parts challenging and fun. During my first performance of this movement, my technical limitations and interpretation choices masked the long but varied expressions and lines Schumann had created. Initially, I drew clear distinctions between Schumann’s two main characters: Floristan (extraverted, bombastic) and Eusebius (introverted, shy). But I reflected on my own experiences where I embodied different “characters” – facing the harsh sting of rejection, facing an audience with trembling hands, enduring long, grueling hours of practice – and I realized that no matter how different I appeared in all of these various identities, they were united by my sense of self. While Eusebius, Floristan, and other characters were uniquely their own, they were connected. With this in mind, I performed with a renewed fluidity, adjusting my tone, bow-hair-usage, and vibrato to paint a varied but cohesive soundscape.
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Creativity is first an exploration of oneself — values, experiences, and beliefs – and then a projection of the self through the medium that best resonates with the world and reflects one’s self.
