Total shot in the dark, and it's unlikely you'll see this, but did you happen to write about learning to play this piece in your common app college essay?

Sigh… What you should understand and especially as a soloist yourself, is that whether or not the tempo fluctuations were written in the piece, it is ultimately up to the performer to interpret what was written on the page. The beauty of solo marimba-or solo anything for that matter, is that one can move things around the way the like, play section A a little faster, play section B a little slower and softer, etc. Now obviously you have to ultimately play what's on the page which this gentlemen definitely did but nowhere on the music does it say tempo "Guisto" (strict) on top of this, Keiko Abe's pieces all have a tendency to fall more towards the rubato side of things. The reason he is gaining so much praise for this performance is because he didn't limit himself to what he saw on the page which is how you become a great solo performer. Just think about that for a few minutes, you may not like his interpretation and of course you are entitled to your own opinion, but ultimately he played this piece extraordinarily well.

I know that this piece was performed very well. I even commented on that. However, if you look at a download link, which I will leave at the bottom of this comment, you can see that in the description of this piece at the bottom, it says "In the entire piece, the tone E is centrally integrated, and it must always be played (except in the last two measures) in the same tempo." I know that it is up to the performer to decide how a solo should perform a piece, but when it is explicitly stated to do something a certain way, that should be followed. Also, I never commented on volume as the listed dynamics on a piece are there are to show that the writer is intending it to be a certain level range, but not a specific volume. Also, the specific jumps in runs shouldn't be added, no matter how he wants it to be performed; if he doesn't like the way it is, then he should either live with it or do a different solo (it sounds harsh, but it's the truth). Also, I am a marimba player myself, and I've since my first comment finished learning this solo, so when I say something in a way that implies I know what I'm talking about, I probably know what I'm talking about. Do the research for yourself before you post a response next time, and don't put words in my mouth just to improve your argument. I said he played the solo well, and didn't comment on his dynamics once. And he should have known that the tempo wasn't supposed to change if he performed this solo at such a high level. I don't want this comment to be removed for putting a link in because I don't know if that is still a problem, so just google "dream of the cherry blossoms keiko abe sheet music" and it will be the first link. It will be in the Full Description section at the bottom of the page.

kittydrago I really liked his rubato. He plays the piece incredibly powerfully. I have a CD recording of Keiko Abe playing it, and she also uses quite a bit of rubato, even more than this guy does. Keiko Abe herself rarely plays her work as written. I generally agree with following all tempo marking and playing everything as written, however, there are many opportunities as a soloist to offer your original musical ideas in a piece. It's about creativity, musicality, and art.