I spent the whole day before resting and getting my hair done. I got dressed, manufactured hair ornaments to match my gown, and then put on my ever so elegant makeup....then I headed an hour early to the recital hall to chill out and warm up. Suprisingly I wasn't nervous. I mean, I was right before I walked onstage, and for a minute or two the hour before, but really I didn't have any sort of stage fright. It was surreal really -- standing backstage thinking "am I really doing this? Well, I'm dressed up so I must be." The only thing that gave it away to myself that I might be nervous was when I walked onstage and curtseyed. My legs almost gave out. That was when I discovered that I should have practiced bowing and walking in my dress. I almost tripped on the train on my way out, and then the skirt was a little tight so bowing was a little bid difficult. Especially with my legs shaking. Thank God I'm a woman and can hide it under a dress. Guys are screwed in this department. If their legs shake it shows.
The first song was Quia Respexit from Bach's Magnificat. It went very well. My accompanist gave me some cause for worry when he started the introduction out of tempt -- but it all was fixed by the time I started singing. He took it very very slow!
Next came my italian set. I got to act on those pieces -- makes it quite a bit more fun! I had one total panic moment as he started the sixth piece. I couldn't remember where I was in the set of songs. Luckily I remembered just as I opened my mouth to sing. Its a strange phenominon for singers. We'll totally blank out and then open our mouths and SOMEHOW the words are there. So then it was intermission. After intermission was my German song set by assorted composers. It went very very very well. I even heard a brava from the audience at the end. (5 hours has now elapsed from the time I started this post until returning to complete it...) So anyway....My French song set ended my recital. Everything went marvelously. The audience loved it when I showed a bit of ankle in one song. Spur of the moment, but it went over well. Then for my last piece was the hard as all get out French piece -- fast beyond all imagining with an interpolated high E at the end (for those of you who have heard Phantom of the opera, the high note there is also an E). I made it through, remembered all the words, and hit the high E. Very good I thought. I got plenty of positive feedback, much having to do with the jewelry my grandmother was kind enough to bring me from California at the last second. Afterwards the whole slew of us went out to dinner to celebrate!
