The Diary
of
Anne Ku

16 April 2001 Monday

INTIMATE PERFORMANCE

Concert halls are big not only to allow sounds to reverberate but also to fit more listeners. I had always fretted over the small size of my living room - not big enough to host a performance.

Tonight fourteen listeners watched a classical guitarist perform less than one foot away. We could hear his breathing. We could feel his anxiety. We could see the veins on his hands. We were so close to him that we felt we could affect how he played.

When I played, I turned my back on the audience. I couldn't move my piano, but they could see my hands on the keys. I don't sense my audience's reaction because I'm totally engrossed in the music.

Later we all played a part in the performance. We read poems. We sang. Not just the soprano or the mezzo soprano present, we discovered a tenor and another pianist. My cozy living room allowed this intimacy of the performer and the audience.

Yesterday

Tomorrow

Cat Concerto