Kannan played various lyrical songs in her recital with rich, warm tones.
With a swift upward motion of her bow, Aditi Kannan ‘18 drew in a breath in unison with her accompanist on piano. The two shared a nod as they sunk into an intense part of Brahms’ “Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major, Op. 100.”
This Sunday afternoon, Kannan performed her Senior violin recital in the Timken Room of Graves Hall. For Kannan, this recital was especially meaningful, as it signaled the end of her high school music career as well as an even longer time learning violin on this campus.
“I’ve been playing on this stage since I was in the fourth grade… When I think about where I was in fourth grade and where I am right now, it’s really great to see how far I’ve come. I think this shows that I could do a whole recital by myself, and it gives me a lot of confidence, too,” said Kannan.
Yuji Chan ’18, Kannan’s friend, noted how the recital reflected Kannan’s development as a musician, in terms of her familiarity with performing.
“Her [Junior] year, I watched her perform once in a student recital, and there’s this kind of nervousness that doesn’t always settle. But here she seemed really relaxed, and it shows how comfortable she is with the stage and performing and how well she knows herself as a musician… It’s bittersweet to see her perform her last recital on stage,” said Chan.
The program featured a series of violin pieces accompanied by piano that mostly conveyed a melodic, luscious mood. According to Kannan, she was more comfortable with these lyrical pieces because they emphasized musicality and tone.
“I wanted to choose a program which I felt comfortable with. So throughout the performance I never had a part where I was like ‘Oh no, I just have to get through this part and it’ll all be fine’… I was excited to play each piece. I chose more pieces that had a more luscious tone, and kind of more flowy… That was the vibe I was going for, more intimate and nostalgic feel,” said Kannan.
Kannan names Brahms’ sonata and Provost’s Intermezzo as her favorites in the program. Both pieces feature sustained, fluid notes creating lush tones and, according to Kannan, corresponding with her personality.
“I think the Brahams was my favorite, especially the second movement of the Brahams. I also like the last piece because I feel like they both showcase my old soul,” said Kannan.
Kannan included one jazz piece that she considered more flashy and out of her comfort zone, Gershwin’s “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” Audience members Andrew Wang ’18 named this piece as his favorite in the program.
“I thought all the pieces were really good, but I really liked when she switched from more classical music to a piece of jazz by George Gershwin, ‘It [Ain’t] Necessarily So’. That was just a different style of music that I haven’t really associated with the violin before, [and] she did it really well,” said Wang.
