As a radiologic technologist who experienced corona front and center at White Plains hospital, the past year allowed L to reflect on his life and experiences and express them through music.
L’s new Violin Concerto is a reflection of his life and his interpretation of his changing American Dream. Raised in New York, L’s heritage comes from all over, his mother’s side of the family are Western European immigrants whereas his parent’s side is of Eastern Europe descent.
While his Concerto conveys his own personal change over the course of his life, there is a highly dynamic consistency that continues throughout the piece representing his inner-self-reflection. It begins with a fiery dynamic that represents the influence of his Western Europe heritage and his impulsive and reactionary nature. The piece picks up more to represent the trials and tribulations he faced, both good and bad that in the moment he may not have identified as important but since has realized the impact this has had on him and who he has become.
The piece then takes a somber tone to represent his realization that his fiery and actionable self may not necessarily be good for life. This part of the piece reflects the time he took to become less reactionary and develop a more reserved demeanor as he transitioned to a “watcher” as he began to recognize the shift in his priorities and ideals.
It begins with a fiery dynamic that represents the influence of his Western Europe heritage and his impulsive and reactionary nature.
The audience can then feel the piece move into another chapter of his life as there is a solo violin playing a rendition inspired by the street music he played during his time in Western Europe. The music creates a clear sense of this easier going, let it all happen, experience the world focus of his American Dream that he was in at this point in his life to end the first movement of the Concerto.
The second movement represents his present state and the focus of his current American Dream. There is a serenity and peacefulness in the music with an undertone of happiness to reflect the importance he places on peace, both internally and externally. He said the inspiration behind the second movement was the change in his dream which now focuses on the beauty of life and shifting away from the hustle and bustle. He seeks inner peace and a way back to the natural world around him.
L’s ability to express the different stages of his life and the different focuses and drives he had in each of those stages whilst also creating a sense of consistency that unites each part of his life is astounding.
L is…
- 41 Years-Old
- Male, Cisgender
- White
- Middle Class
- Gay