A Violin Recital

As the lone senior in her homeschool senior class, Oldest Daughter decided that she didn't want to have a traditional graduation ceremony--too much pomp and circumstance focused on just one person, she felt. Instead, she decided to invite all her friends to a senior violin recital, her last before leaving Jordan. She and her teacher planned a delightful program:

J.S. Bach~ Sonata 1 for Solo Violin, Adagio and Presto

J.S. Bach~Double Violin Concerto, 1st movement
(played with her teacher)
E. Lalo~Symphonie Espanole, IV movement
Jean Sibelius~Violin Concerto, Allegro moderato
J. Massenet~ 'Meditation'
Peter Tchaikovsky~'Russian Dance' from the ballet Swan Lake
Rimsky-Korsakoff~'Arabian Song' from Scheherazade
Arr. Fritz Kreisler
Pablo de Sarasate~Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs)

Oldest daughter included this Note to the Audience:

Ever since I was a little girl, I have wished I could sing. I can sing, but I can't 'sing'. Instead, at the age of six, I embarked on a journey which is by no means over. I started taking violin lessons. Throughout the years I've found that the violin, the only instrument which can imitate the sound of a woman's voice, can not only sing, it can laugh and cry, dance and sleep, meditate and pray, speak and whisper, explode in fits of emotion and bursts of passion. It can allow you to hear what it is to be joyful, what it is to love, and what it is to mourn.

The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, believed that the beauty we sense is merely an imitation of a higher, more perfect immaterial beauty. It is a shadow of true Beauty, which comes only from God, Himself. I hope that I can help you see things with your soul as well as your eyes. Close your eyes if it will help you see the music, and let the music show itself to you. Music is not a common thing; it is a rare treasure. Please enjoy my humble efforts to present a bit of what I've discovered along my journey. Thank God for the beautiful gift of music he's given us, and for allowing us to enjoy it.

It was truly a grand evening, with many friends gathered to celebrate with Oldest Daughter and to enjoy the beautiful music which she shared with us all.

Though difficult to choose which pieces to post here, I've decided on Gypsy Airs and Russian Dance. However, Lalo and the Bach Sonata are lovely too. And, if you've a little time, you'll want to listen to Sibelius--very dramatic and I had to upload it in two clips as it is about 13 minutes long. This was Oldest Daughter's audition concerto movement--though she played only about the first 3-5 minutes of it for most auditions. All nine videos can be accessed via my YouTube page.



Russian Dance, Peter Tchaikovsky


Gypsy Airs, Pablo de Sarasate