Dvorak Cello Concerto in B Minor Mvt 1

I was first given this piece last October. It was by far one of the harder pieces I've accompanied. For the first two or three weeks that I had the piece, I had to go back to my routine of practicing as if I were back in high school preparing for a competition. Had it been any other cellist preparing this piece, I probably would have said no, I'm not going to put forth the effort to learn it. But this wasn't just any other cellist. This was probably my favorite cellist I've ever played for in my 10 years of accompanying cello students.

This piece has a special place in my heart. Not only is it a lovely cello concerto, but the student playing it is extremely dear to me. I first met him about two and a half to three years ago, and he's always been a joy to play for. Very talented, sweet, and gifted in the ability to bring a piece to life.

His performance on Sunday wasn't perfect, but I always love playing with him because he brings out the musician in me. Accompanying is less about being a musician but more about the ensemble of playing with someone else. If your soloist is slowing down, you have to slow down, even if it's not written in the music. If your soloist isn't playing the rhythm correctly, you have to purposely not play your own rhythm right in order to maintain the ensemble. For me, I'm always on alert to what is going to happen next because I'm terrified of what my soloist will do. But with him, I can relax, melt away into the music, and play.

His teacher has already told me what he's playing for next year's contest. I'm already nervous and excited. I hope he is too :)

And now, with his parent's permission as well as his, I am sharing our performance.