Research Assessment #3

Brianna Brown 3B Centennial High School

Date: October 28, 2016
Subject: Musical Performance
Research: Hilary Hahn performance of Mozarts Violin Concerto No. 3 at the George Enescu
Festival.
Analysis:
For my third Research Assessment, I decided to focus more on a personal related issue,
as opposed to a broad look at the overall career. This is because not only did this research give
me a look into what many musicians have to do an a daily basis, but it gave me the opportunity
to experience it as well. Over the past year, I have been assigned the task of learning the solo
that belongs to the first movement of Mozarts Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major. Though it has
been difficult, with much time and work I have succeeded at learning it, but I still face a single
difficulty. The solo is only 5 minutes long, but most who perform it take over 9 minutes. This is
because they must perform a cadenza near the end, something I have never had to do in the
past.
A cadenza is a complete solo in the middle of piece that is not written by the original
composer. Instead, it is written by the performer of the solo, and therefore every variation is
different. I was tasked to compose my own solo, but this is not as simple as it sounds. I could
not just play at random what I pleased; I had to stay within the style of the original composer to
make sure that it was appropriate. Mozart, being one of the most varied and difficult composers
to string players, did not make this task easy for me. I decided to look to other works in order to
gain a perspective on how they interpreted this piece. Along the way, I stumbled across this
video of a famous violinist, Hilary Hahn, performing the solo at a festival. Most other performers
will typically just show off how complicated they can play or how fast they can slur a scale, but
Hahn took a different approach. Her cadenza was much softer and more lyrical than others,
which really resonated with my style of playing.
I observed not only her cadenza, but her overall performance of the entire concerto (not
just my assigned first movement). Through my observations, I discovered different ways to
enhance my own performance. An example of this would be how she moved. Whether
intentional or not, the flow of her body translated into her music, allowing her the freedom to
make the infamous Mozart-style character changes. I noticed that when I mimicked similar
movements, not only was my playing more expressive, but the notes were also better intonation
wise. Another aspect of her performance that I distinctly noticed, was her interaction with the
background orchestra. She constantly looked and silently communicated with each section
leader, not just the concertmaster (section leader of the 1st violins). This allowed the orchestra
to fully understand what she was doing and when, ultimately translating into a solid
performance. Cadenza wise, I was able to draw a great amount of inspiration from her work and
many others. This research has allowed me to grow exponentially in my solo work and
composing skills. Although it is still a great challenge to me right now, I know that with some
time and fails, Ill be happy performing my own composition soon enough.

Some questions that I have drawn from this experience are as follows: What other
opportunities do professionals have to compose their own works? Is there input from the
conductor, and if so how much does it contribute to the final performance? Is there ever an
instance of impromptu composition? What are some steps I can take to better my
understanding of music in order to benefit my later compositions?