moss clearance/update
[Cough.]
It’s been a while, and the blog, an alert reader points out, has gathered moss. (This particular moss was never visible to me on my computer, so I can only hope it has been successfully eradicated.) Writing on the blog has always been something I’ve enjoyed, but over the last few months — during which time I’ve been particularly unmossy, or unmoored, myself — at moments when I’ve been inclined to post, the question has tended to be “should I write on the blog or practice another hour?” or “should I write on the blog or sleep another hour?” and, well, in my life practice and sleep tend to win most of their battles. (When they face off, things get interesting.)
But now, I’m sitting on a plane from Tokyo to New York, and I’m at that point in the transpacific flight at which I’ve eaten, slept more-or-less a full night (day? who can tell…), read a Russian novel, mentally reorganized my closets, eaten again, learned ancient Greek and read the Iliad, and it seems like an excellent time to get back to blogging. In the unlikely event that this flight eventually lands, I will even post what I write.
It’s been an eventful few months. In addition to the concerts, which kept me occupied (and then some), I made a recording, live at the Wigmore Hall, of Schubert sonatas, paired with some Kurtag. I’ll be writing plenty on that subject soon enough, as it was a pretty remarkable experience, which again reshaped my feelings about recording. (Not to mention Schubert…) But for now, while I gather my thoughts, I offer you a list of recent events which could have been, should have been, and in certain cases, still might be blog fodder:
- Playing the Schumann Concerto, without a conductor, in Saint Paul, and subsequently rethinking the relationship of a soloist with an orchestra
- The man with a snake on the A Train in New York/woman with a rabbit on the Hibiya Line in Tokyo. (I was thinking some sort of modern day Aesop fable/cultural diversity combo deal.)
- The experience of walking into the dressing room of the Sociedad Filarmonica in Bilbao and being surrounded by signed photos of Casals, Rubinstein, Schnabel, Menuhin, Cortot, Szigeti — and my mother and grandmother.
- My intrepid Japanese manager’s successful effort to rebook us — on a different airline! — onto a flight from Osaka to Matsuyama which was leaving precisely 29 minutes after our arrival at the airport. And luggage was involved!
- The ordering process at a Japanese-operated Korean restaurant visited by me and two friends — one Korean, and one a limited speaker of Japanese. My contribution to the process was to veto selections once they had been made, which usually took 10 minutes and involved a combination of two languages and some frantic hand gesturing.
- The always enlightening (sometimes in surprising ways) experience of taking a month away from performing after going at a whirlwind pace for half a year — a bit, I suspect, like quitting smoking cold turkey, though I hope and suspect that the performing is slightly less hazardous to my health.
In short, it’s been intense/exhilarating/insane. This state of affairs looks set to continue for the foreseeable future: expect more frequent reporting from the trenches.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am
Having just read (in the FINANCIAL TIMES) about the collaboration between Wigmore Hall and Plushmedia, I have to ask if that recording was video, as well as audio, and, if so, whether it will be available on the Internet through Plushmedia.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:07 am
Stephen - The recording is just audio, and it was made for the Wigmore Hall’s own label, Wigmore Hall Live. It’s being released in the States in September.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
More animals on trains, please.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Your Viagra links are back again.
Somebody needs to do something about security.
August 13th, 2009 at 9:03 am
I should mention that I have seen similar blocks of dozens of Viagra (etc) links on some other sites. It is hard to work out what the perpetrators gain from it, but it does show that they (or their bots) can get in and edit your site at will.
I second the request for more animals on trains.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
A blogpost suggestion to throw in the mix: write a few words about your experiences selecting the new Steinway concert grand for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. I don’t know how interesting it might be for your professional-musician readers but, as a non-musician, I found your recent talk about the process (and the accompanying inaugural recital, of course) at the ISO engrossing. Your selection methodology, the variety of sounds/behaviors from identically manufacturered instruments, deciding which ones to eliminate, factoring in the effects of later technical adjustments, the break-in period, the assistance of Steinway — all of those aspects, and more, were fascinating. Since you’ve already explained it, in a way, perhaps it would be a quicker blogpost to put together.
Your Kreisleriana that night was wonderful. I also heard you perform it a month earlier at your Piano Academy recital at IU. Your skill and control in infusing the alternating, contrasting moods with such appropriate and strong emotion is amazing. I don’t know how a performer — particularly one, like you, who feels the pieces so intimately as you describe — is able to control their own emotions during a performance like that as to be able to shift back and forth, up and down, along the mood scale so often and so quickly.
Finally, are you getting thinner? Eat something!
August 21st, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Jonathan,
I’m glad you have a blog as I’ve wanted to comment on your solo piano recital in San Francisco last April. First, I thought your choice of music was superb. Each piece flowed into the next–very well rounded performance. In fact (I’ll admit), I almost mistook the Schubert Sonata as part of Kurtag (the chord progressions distinguished the two composers from each other).
Second, thank you for introducing me to the music of Kurtag. I don’t recall my “Piano Literature” teacher ever mentioning Kurtag but, for some reason, Scriabin popped into my mind when I heard you play Kurtag…on the surface, Kurtag’s music appears simple…I recall one of the pieces played with one hand…I can still hear that beautiful, ethereal melody in my mind. To quote my piano teacher…”it takes a certain pianist to play Scriabin” which, I believe holds true with Kurtag. I would think not everyone can make that one-handed melody sound so exquisite–the pianist must truly love Kurtag’s music to play it well. I’m very tempted to abandon Scriabin for Kurtag (both are musically challenging) though…I love playing Scriabin’s music too much to ever disown him completely.
Scriabin once said “harmony is melody unfurled,” which I relate to Kurtag’s music too. Like Scriabin and Rachmaninov, Kurtag seems to have the melody interweaving between the voices. Kurtag’s music also reminds me of Schumann’s “Album for the Young” at a higher difficulty level (not sure if this is true). Any thoughts on what Scriabin meant?
Lastly, I was wondering if you will be having any master classes next year or are you open to holding a master class. If so, could I have a schedule of your upcoming master classes? I look forward to reading more about Kurtag!
August 24th, 2009 at 6:17 am
Jonathan,
Having just got home from hearing you play with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Melbourne Arts Center I was blown away. Beethoven was beautiful but the Mozart piece you played was magnificent I haven’t heard Mozart played that well in a long time and my attempts certainly don’t compare. I hope you come back to Australia to play again because it would be fantastic to see you play some more. It is easy to see the joy you have in music through your playing, thank you for making it a magnificent evening.
Letitia
January 23rd, 2010 at 10:32 am
01/23/2010
Jonathan…
At ~ 5AM today, I listened very carefully to your playing of the Beethoven Op. 109 on Mr. Barenboim’s DVD of all 32 sonatas. I love your playing! And it was quite meaningful and interesting to hear the comments and suggestions made at that master class by DB…
I also enjoyed your biography at your Blog! Interesting to read about your musical family, too. I seem to recall your mother’s name… I lived in Jerusalem 1939-1950; perhaps I heard her name there (??)
From your schedule, it looks like you’ll be giving a concert tomorrow in Europe. Enjoy! Once you are done and feel like doing something different, explore my Blog:
http://www.myclassicalnotes.com
Hank Zauderer
Aptos, California (~ 100 miles South of San Francisco)