When we went to see Sara Buechner perform, I did not know what to expect. I thought it was going to be like any other piano performance – quiet, calm, but engaging. But, once Buechner played the first notes of her first piece, I was mesmerized. Being able to witness such passion and thrill from someone moving their fingers across a keyboard had never been so exciting. I loved how I was able to feel the excitement between the jump of notes, as Sara jumped in her seat, matching the power of the notes on the piano.
Her performance was also different in that you could feel her personality from how she played, along with the transitions between pieces. I liked that she gave a backstory to some of the pieces that acted as inspiration to her through the years. It was also nice to see that she had friends in the audience that would join in on some of the storytelling she told before each piece.
My favorite piece was actually the piece she gave as an encore. She told a really interesting story about a Japanese toy that played a song, and having her play it for us made me feel like I was holding the toy in my hand and listening to it play.
Watching Sara perform reminded me of my relation to the piano. I started playing piano when I was only four years old. At the time, it felt like a chore because my parents forced me in it as soon as I could understand the alphabet and stretch my little fingers across the keys. I would cheat my way through piano music by memorizing the notes, rather than actually reading them. When I would forget what note to play next, I would tell my teacher I was improvising so she wouldn’t realize that I couldn’t read the score in front of me. I thought the piano was always a beautiful instrument, but I just didn’t have the passion for it because I didn’t see it as a fun activity. After eight years, I stopped taking lessons. Even though I have a piano in my house, I rarely touch it.
I regret not taking my lessons as a child seriously, because I realize how beautiful of an instrument the piano is and seeing others play it makes me jealous. I love music and every time I hear a song on the radio with piano notes in the background, I think of how amazing it would be to be able to learn the song myself. Seeing Sara perform inspired me to start learning how to play the piano again, something that I have been wanting to do for a while now.
I think Sara’s story in general of how she went to Juilliard and has been performing for almost all of her life is admirable. Being able to watch her perform in person was great in that I realized how much hard work and dedication goes into something. I will gladly go to see her perform again, along with other pianists who can create powerful performances for their audiences.
