Between Keys & Creativity feat. Jed Distler - Composer, Steinway Artist, & Radio/Podcast Host

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This episode is brought to you by Keys to Success,
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bringing classical music opportunities to new work
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and its surrounding suburban communities.
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Keys to Success invites you to join our practice-a-thon.
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Unleash your inner musician and help us reach new heights.
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All you need to do is commit to practicing 1,000 minutes of music.
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Whether you're a beginner or a virtuoso,
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Every Minute Played supports our mission
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to inspire and empower the next generation.
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Ready to make a difference? Let's hit those keys.
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1,000 minutes of music
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1,000 minutes of music
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1,000 minutes of music
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Hey there, PianoPod friends and listeners!
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Welcome back to our show!
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You're tuning in to the second episode of Season 5
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and we're so thrilled to invite Steinway artist,
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composer, educator, and host of the renowned radio show
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Between the Keys, none other than Jett Dissler.
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The piece you just heard at the beginning of this episode
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is the second movement from Mr. Dissler's work
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for two pianos titled Loose Changes,
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performed by the renowned piano duo Quattromani.
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A big welcome to all of our first-time listeners and viewers.
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I am Yukimi Song, a classical pianist and educator
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based in New York City.
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Whether you are pursuing a piano career,
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working in the classical music industry,
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or simply passionate about piano music,
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this podcast is your backstage pass
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to the fascinating world of the piano.
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Let me give you a quick overview of the PianoPod.
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In our bi-weekly episodes,
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we dive into captivating conversations with guests
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who are making waves in the classical music industry.
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Our mission is to build a vibrant community
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that embraces fresh ideas,
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ensuring classical music stays alive
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and meaningful in our ever-changing world.
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If you haven't already,
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please check out the introductory episode of Season 5
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to get a sense of what's in store for this season.
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And don't forget to catch up on our previous seasons
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available on your favorite podcast platforms
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or on our YouTube channel.
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Now, let me tell you a bit more about today's guest,
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Jed Disler.
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I have been a long-time admirer of his radio show
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Between the Keys for its insightful commentary
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on various piano recordings.
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What truly impresses me is Jed's ability
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to break down complex musical concepts
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in a way that's accessible to all listeners.
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I've also gained so much from the show's eclectic
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and diverse playlists,
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which span from classical staples
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to contemporary works in jazz.
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Last spring, I came across Jed's profile on Facebook
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and I couldn't resist sending a friend request.
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And to my delight and to my surprise,
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Jed accepted my request right away
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and soon after he also became a listener of the piano pod.
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After several email exchanges,
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he graciously invited me to his home in Manhattan.
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And during my visit, I was warmly welcomed,
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not only by Jed, but also by one of his cats, Shuby.
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So cute.
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I had a chance to see the behind the scenes
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of his radio show and I was amazed
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by his vast collection of CD albums and records
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sent by artists and recording companies.
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It was a delightful experience,
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capped off with a lovely meal,
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a true testament to his kindness and hospitality.
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Jed is a powerhouse in the music world.
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As a composer, pianist and educator,
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he has earned acclaim for his brilliant transcriptions
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of jazz legends like Art Tatum and Bill Evans.
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His innovative piano recitals have premiered works
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by some of the most significant names in contemporary music.
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His creativity knows no bounds.
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Jed founded Composers Collaborative,
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which set a 2013 Guinness World Record
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for the largest keyboard ensemble,
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featuring one of his compositions
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performed on 175 electronic keyboards.
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In a groundbreaking performance,
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he became the first pianist to play
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all Thelonious Monk's works in a single 90-minute concert.
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Currently, Jed is composing an astonishing 1,827 bag of tales
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to celebrate Beethoven's anniversary in 2027.
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His solo piano CD, Fearless Monk, is a must-listen
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and is recorded extensively
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for the high-resolution superior player piano by Steinway.
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In addition to his award-winning radio show
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Between the Keys,
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Jed has also added podcasts to his resume
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with the launch of his new podcast,
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the podcast Maven with Jed Dissler in July 2024.
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So before we dive in,
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I want to take a moment to thank our amazing TPP fans
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and loyal listeners for your continued support.
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If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to rate
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and review it on your favorite podcast platform
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because every rating review will help people find my show.
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Now get ready to uncover the secrets behind
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Jed Dissler's remarkable, multifaceted career
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as a Steinway artist, composer, and educator,
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as well as the success of his radio show
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and newly launched podcast.
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So please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
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["Movie of the Year"]
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You are listening to the PianoPod,
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where we talk to the brightest minds in the industry
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about how they are bringing the piano into the future
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and thriving in a complex, ever-evolving world.
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Welcome to the PianoPod, Jed.
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It's an absolute honor to have you.
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Thank you.
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Well, the honor is mine to be with you,
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and I am a big, big fan of the PianoPod.
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Oh, my goodness.
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I'm the biggest fan of your radio show
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from the Classic Network, Between the Keys.
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Thank you so much.
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You know, I just produced my 480th episode.
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I can't believe it.
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Oh, my goodness.
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Wow.
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Which means 500 is around the corner.
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We have to do something about that.
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Yes, you have to do something about it.
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And so, you know, as I was researching your life and career
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and you've done so much, so much.
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You've been a composer and pianist,
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but also you're the curator, producer.
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But I think it's proper that we will start with the topic
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of your radio show, Between the Keys,
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as I have been the biggest fan,
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but also you have a lot of huge fan base, right?
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And then this program has become a cherished gem
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for music and piano lovers,
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and worldwide, blending insightful commentary
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with musical tradition.
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And I think that's one of the biggest musical treasures
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that truly showcase your deep passion for the piano
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and highlight your expertise.
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So how did it come to life?
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Oh, that's a really good question,
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as I would expect from you.
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It was a matter of serendipity.
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You know, I have always been a big radio fan
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since I was a little boy.
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Classical radio with jazz radio, any radio.
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And I had a little tabletop radio, and in my bedroom,
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I would listen to the radio all night long,
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even when I was sleeping.
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And even when I was a little boy,
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I would talk to myself in my bedroom
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and pretend to be a DJ, and I would make playlists.
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So this has been an obsession all my life.
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And then as I got into college, you know,
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in my late teens, early twenties,
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I became a big fan of a show called Concert Grand,
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which was hosted by Bruce Posner
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and my late dear friend, Joseph Patrick,
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who passed away last December.
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And for 17 years, they had a wonderful piano show
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where they'd play recordings,
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they would compare performances at the same pieces,
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they interviewed many distinctive pianists.
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And also David DuBall had a radio show
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when he was the artistic director,
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the music director of WNCN,
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a wonderful New York station that no longer exists.
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And he would do something similar,
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making comparative, playing comparative performances
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and interviewing artists.
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And this really turned me on
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to a lot of the piano repertoire
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and made me aware of just how important interpretation was
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along with the works themselves.
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And then as I started establishing my so-called career,
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I began appearing on many radio shows
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on New York Public Radio, being a guest.
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And I loved that experience so much.
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And I kept thinking, boy, I wish I was
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in the other chair being the host.
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And I always had fantasies about having a piano radio show.
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So I met at a concert, purely by chance, David Osenberg,
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who is the music director of WWFM, the Classical Network.
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And I just blatantly said to him,
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you know, I've always wanted my own radio show.
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Is there any chance I could do something like that?
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I just blurted it out, you know, with no rhyme or reason,
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because I'm like that.
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I'm very brash and direct and tactless, you know?
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And David said, well, you know,
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I've wanted to have you on as a guest.
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So why don't you come down to the station?
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And I thought, okay, I'll be coming down
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and maybe we'll talk about my being a guest on his show,
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because he has a wonderful show called Cadenzo,
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where he interviews musicians all over the world.
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It's an, and he's one of the best interviewers ever.
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So I show up at the station and instead of talking
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about his show, he and the general manager of the station
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start interviewing me and saying, well,
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what kind of show would you like to have?
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And I thought, what?
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What is this?
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And I just started winging it and I said, oh, you know,
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I want to have a piano radio show
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where every week is different.
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Like one week I'll play all the Chopin etudes
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with one different pianist in each etude with it,
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repeating a pianist, or then maybe the following week
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I'll have a composer like, oh, I don't know,
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Terry Riley or Elliott Carter, even though he was dead,
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I could still ask Elliott Carter.
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You know, somebody have them be a guest DJ
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or put a playlist together.
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Or I was just, you know, winging it.
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And they said, you know, that sounds like a good idea.
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Well, let's give you a show and we will also make you
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our artist in residence.
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Oh my goodness.
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And I thought, whoa, this is all falling into my lap.
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It was all happening so fast.
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And so I quickly learned how to use their recording
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of software, Adobe Audition.
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And I learned about the parameters of, you know,
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within 58 minutes and 30 seconds,
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I can do whatever I want,
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but I do have to do some station identification,
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you know, every once in a while.
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So I thought, this is amazing that I have a show
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or I have complete freedom.
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At the same time, I really try to use
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the freedom responsibly.
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For instance, you know, I'm not gonna play 58 minutes
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of unlistable 12 tone music, you know.
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You know, I'm not gonna play the Ralph Shapie
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from Variations, or maybe I will sometime, you never know.
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But to really, you know, treat the show as, you know,
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have a mission and really do what I set out to do.
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And so I've put a lot of time and thought and effort
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into this over the years.
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And I've gotten a lot of good feedback and suggestions,
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and it's gonna go into its 10th anniversary next year,
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which is kind of wonderful.
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But what I did consciously try to do was
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to not make the show time sensitive,
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meaning that I wouldn't talk about an immediately
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upcoming concert or upcoming event,
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because I wanted the shows to be kind of timeless
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in that they can be archived somewhere,
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and they are archived online so that if you listen to them,
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they can really be from any era.
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Now, of course, there are exceptions,
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because I have done some shows to promote upcoming concerts.
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And I don't do those often, but I have done those where,
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00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:38,800
let's say, a publicist approached me saying,
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can you do a program about this artist's upcoming concert,
265
00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,600
and I can give you an exclusive interview?
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And I'm very happy to do that,
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because I'm happy to have the interview,
268
00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:52,520
so I don't feel like I'm compromising my integrity at all.
269
00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,880
So each episode, is it more like a spontaneous process
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when it comes to like thinking about the theme,
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or is it well planned ahead?
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00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,160
It's both, actually.
273
00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:07,440
Sometimes I will plan things ahead,
274
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or I'll think about a show,
275
00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,640
and I always write down ideas for episodes.
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And of course, these are all subject to revision
277
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and negotiation and rejection over time,
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but I do plan these in advance,
279
00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:29,760
and I also try not to have similar kinds of shows
280
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in close proximity.
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For instance, if I do a program,
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let's say I talked about the ideal Chopin Opus 10 etudes,
283
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where I will play all 12 etudes with one pianist
284
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for each etude without repeating a pianist,
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I may do that one week,
286
00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:52,080
but I'm not gonna do something similar the following week,
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or even the next month, maybe.
288
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I might just take a couple of months
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00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:58,720
in between that kind of programming.
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00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:01,840
And if I have a program with a guest,
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00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,400
I don't wanna have two or three programs with a guest
292
00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:10,240
in one after another, over two or three weeks,
293
00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,680
although sometimes it can be unavoidable.
294
00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:15,200
Recently, I did two programs
295
00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:17,800
featuring young Italian pianists,
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00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:22,680
and because I really wanted to give them attention,
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because I have friends who've been giving me CDs,
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00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:31,160
and they really wanted to have a forum for these artists,
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00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:33,320
and understandably so,
300
00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:38,320
I thought I'll just do two programs, part one and part two,
301
00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:39,720
one week after the next,
302
00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:41,680
and I thought that was perfectly fine.
303
00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:43,840
I don't do that all the time.
304
00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:46,840
So I really try to strike a balance
305
00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,720
so that there's something for everyone.
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00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:54,720
At the end of July this year,
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I put on a show one large-scale work,
308
00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,560
which is a piece called 48 Variations for Two Pianos
309
00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:06,800
by John McGuire, which is, I think,
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00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,600
one of the great minimalist masterpieces
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00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:11,160
in the piano literature,
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00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,760
and it's a mesmerizing kind of piece,
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00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,040
and this is the kind of thing that,
314
00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,960
ordinarily, you'd never hear it on the radio,
315
00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,400
and it takes almost an entire program.
316
00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:27,000
But now, I probably would not have programmed this piece,
317
00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,520
let's say, early in the show's run,
318
00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:33,920
but I think since we have developed a following,
319
00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:35,960
and I've been on the air for so long,
320
00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,920
I thought, well, I could do something different,
321
00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:43,280
and people who usually tune into the show,
322
00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,320
I can say, look, trust me, I wanna try something new,
323
00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:49,880
and just check your expectations at the door,
324
00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:52,320
just give yourself over to this music,
325
00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:54,000
and don't worry, next week we'll have
326
00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,280
Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms, and Chopin, you know?
327
00:17:57,280 --> 00:18:01,240
And I also think it's very important to be as inclusive
328
00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:05,080
as possible as far as composers and performers.
329
00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,560
You don't wanna have just dead male Austrians
330
00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,400
or dead male Polish pianists.
331
00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,280
You know, you wanna have everybody,
332
00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,960
because the piano world is so vast,
333
00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:20,400
and so broad, and so wide-ranging,
334
00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:24,080
and there is so much wonderful piano playing
335
00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,560
and piano music from all over the world,
336
00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:29,560
and I think it's important to represent it
337
00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:32,720
as best that I can.
338
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:34,240
And another thing that I do is,
339
00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:38,800
let's say if I wanna put a Chopin waltz into the mix,
340
00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,080
I will look for a recording by a pianist
341
00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:45,480
who maybe isn't so well-known or has a CD on the small label,
342
00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:47,240
but it's a really good performance
343
00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:49,480
that deserves to be broadcast,
344
00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,640
so instead of pulling out the usual Arthur Rubinstein,
345
00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:55,320
you know, I love Arthur Rubinstein,
346
00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:57,360
but he doesn't need my promotion,
347
00:18:57,360 --> 00:19:01,880
but this young pianist will need more promotion.
348
00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,960
And David Duball actually does this on his program,
349
00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:10,560
The Piano Matters, and I think that's a very noble thing,
350
00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:13,240
because he's been involved with teaching
351
00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:17,120
and mentoring young pianists for a long time,
352
00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:19,440
and I think that's also part of my mission, too,
353
00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:23,040
to just have the past and the present and the future,
354
00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:24,240
you know?
355
00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:25,080
That's awesome.
356
00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:27,880
That's quite a progressive idea.
357
00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,120
Now, what kind of feedback
358
00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:32,600
do you usually receive from listeners?
359
00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:35,720
Is there any particular feedback that touched you
360
00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:38,760
or surprised you, or how does this feedback influence
361
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,720
the direction of the episodes, future episodes?
362
00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:46,680
Well, sometimes I'll get a suggestion from somebody saying,
363
00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:50,480
can you devote a program to this artist or this composer?
364
00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,240
And I will usually consider that,
365
00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,040
or even if I don't do a whole episode,
366
00:19:56,040 --> 00:20:01,040
I will seriously consider, you know, a piece of music.
367
00:20:01,360 --> 00:20:05,080
What I often don't consider is people,
368
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:08,280
a lot of people sometimes I'll say, you know,
369
00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:11,000
would you like to interview this artist or that artist?
370
00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:14,880
And sometimes if I don't really like the music,
371
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,960
then I'm not gonna give them the time of day.
372
00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:21,280
And I'm usually very honest with publicists.
373
00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:22,360
You know, like if somebody says,
374
00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:24,560
can you have this person on your show?
375
00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:27,560
I'll send them some reviews that I wrote.
376
00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,160
I'll say, well, I don't think this person wants to meet me
377
00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:34,000
because I said that their recording of this piece
378
00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,520
or that piece is the worst one ever made.
379
00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:41,120
And I, you know, that's, you know,
380
00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:45,040
that's kind of, you know, trying to balance out the reviewer
381
00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:47,040
and the presenter and the host, you know,
382
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:49,080
that it can be kind of difficult.
383
00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,960
I have gotten some feedback from people saying
384
00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:56,800
that the show really helped them get through an illness
385
00:20:56,800 --> 00:20:59,400
or get through a difficult time in their life.
386
00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,280
And during the pandemic, when there were no concerts,
387
00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:07,600
I was getting a lot of feedback from people saying
388
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,680
that I'm so happy to have your show
389
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:15,440
because this is something that makes me happy
390
00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:17,320
and makes me calm.
391
00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,680
And that kind of feedback really, really means the world
392
00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:21,520
to me.
393
00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:25,960
Also, I often get feedback when I will play a recording
394
00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:29,720
of a pianist who I think is rather obscure or unknown.
395
00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:33,240
And I'll get an email from out of nowhere,
396
00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,320
from a total stranger saying,
397
00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,720
oh, thank you for playing the piano recordings
398
00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:39,880
of Webster Aitken.
399
00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:43,880
I studied with him and they gave the whole backstory
400
00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:46,240
and that's so fascinating.
401
00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:49,640
And I remember I played a recording of a composer
402
00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,320
who I knew nothing about.
403
00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:55,560
And I got a very extensive email from somebody
404
00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:59,560
who knew this person or this person was a relative
405
00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:00,560
or something like that.
406
00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:03,680
So it's always getting the feedback
407
00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:05,600
with the personal connection saying,
408
00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:09,920
oh, I didn't realize you played my mother's piece
409
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:14,520
and I didn't realize that this composer's son
410
00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:15,560
was listening.
411
00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:18,160
So that kind of thing makes me happy.
412
00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:21,080
It's gonna be 10th year next year?
413
00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:25,840
Well, the first show I did was March, 2015.
414
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:30,840
So if we get into March, 2025, then I guess that's 10 years.
415
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:37,520
But having regular faithful listeners is great
416
00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:39,840
but what's even more important
417
00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,440
is getting more people to listen.
418
00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,560
And for those who are just discovering the show,
419
00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:49,560
for them to know that there are webcasts of the program
420
00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:53,000
that are posted on the station's website
421
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,680
for whenever you want to listen.
422
00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,400
Wfm.org.
423
00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:00,440
.org and the classical network.
424
00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:05,440
And they also post webcasts for their other special programs
425
00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:09,400
because they have a lot of varied programming
426
00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:10,880
that is so interesting
427
00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,000
and all very specialized in different ways.
428
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,120
It's a really wonderful station
429
00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:19,920
and I am so grateful for the freedom that I have.
430
00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:22,960
And you've done an amazing job
431
00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:26,920
and somehow your voice through everybody.
432
00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,120
You have the vocal quality tone that is through there.
433
00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:32,080
It's so interesting.
434
00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,240
Well, I was never trained as a radio personality.
435
00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:38,840
Although I remember when I was talking with Joe Patrick
436
00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:41,720
years and years ago about wanting to be a radio host,
437
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:43,800
he said, oh, your voice is too high.
438
00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:45,560
You have a tenor voice.
439
00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:47,160
It's not gonna work on the radio
440
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:51,440
because so many radio commentators have very low.
441
00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:52,280
Oh, yeah, that's true.
442
00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:55,160
Low, comforting voices.
443
00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:59,280
And that was the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven.
444
00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:05,000
Or there is one, and of course they have very
445
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,880
an affection in how they pronounce things.
446
00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:11,200
There's a very famous radio station
447
00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:13,880
where they had an announcer say,
448
00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,160
and that was the Overture to Candide.
449
00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:18,960
Candide, not Candide.
450
00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,040
Candide by Leonard Bernstein.
451
00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:22,880
Bernstein?
452
00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,480
Well, like what is this Germanization of come?
453
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:26,320
Aw.
454
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,720
But I did hear that.
455
00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:30,720
I swear to God, I heard that.
456
00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:35,360
And it's interesting because the first shows I did,
457
00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:36,840
I script everything I do
458
00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:41,120
because I can't speak spontaneously to save my life.
459
00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:42,200
But I scripted these.
460
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:47,200
And when I hear how I was reading the scripts and talking,
461
00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,480
it sounds so stilted and so formal.
462
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:53,720
And I cringe a little bit.
463
00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:57,680
And then I worked with a friend of mine, Darren Zimmer,
464
00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,600
who was a fantastic soprano.
465
00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:01,920
And she had listened to some of the first shows.
466
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:03,000
And she said, you know,
467
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,000
you have to work on your vocal quality.
468
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,400
So she gave me some coaching.
469
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:09,400
But I try to modulate my voice
470
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:13,400
and I try not to make it sound like this.
471
00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:17,360
And that was the Italian Concerto of Bach.
472
00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:19,520
I just tried to do it conversationally.
473
00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:21,040
Like I'll write a script.
474
00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:25,320
Then when I'm reading it, I look away.
475
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,440
And, you know, of course I do a lot of editing
476
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:30,680
where if I go, mm and ah,
477
00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,760
or if I mess up somebody's name
478
00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,680
because my pronunciation of foreign names,
479
00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:39,120
especially Eastern European names,
480
00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:42,440
leaves a lot to be desired.
481
00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:47,440
So if you listen to my unedited vocal tracks on my show,
482
00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:51,120
you'll hear me messing up pronunciations
483
00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:54,360
and then practice and then have to edit everything.
484
00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:55,600
And then, and then I,
485
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,560
and sometimes you'll hear me cursing
486
00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:58,960
when I screw something up.
487
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,320
In fact, I think there was one broadcast
488
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:07,320
where I messed up an edit and a four letter word went by.
489
00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:10,880
And I don't, and nobody complained about it,
490
00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,040
but apparently in the webcast,
491
00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:16,400
somebody heard the webcast and wrote back saying,
492
00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:18,680
hey, you said the F word.
493
00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:21,600
And I thought, oh my God, this went on the radio.
494
00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,680
I'm getting, I mean, on podcasts,
495
00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:26,800
certain podcasts you can curse,
496
00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:31,800
but you can't on the broadcast radio.
497
00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:33,560
Sure, sure, sure.
498
00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:37,080
You are right now joining this conversation
499
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:38,640
from your home, right?
500
00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:40,720
And I- This is my music studio.
501
00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:41,920
You've been here.
502
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:43,560
I know, you invited me.
503
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:44,680
You- Yes.
504
00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:45,840
And then we had a great time.
505
00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:48,600
So is that the room actually,
506
00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:50,640
you do the recording session for-
507
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:54,240
Yeah, this is, this is, this is the chamber.
508
00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:55,080
Yeah.
509
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:55,920
Oh wow.
510
00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:56,760
This is the torture chamber.
511
00:26:56,760 --> 00:27:00,920
And I see, I see the stack of CDs and-
512
00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:04,360
Well, in my music studio here,
513
00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:08,200
all the CDs are only piano
514
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:13,200
and they are meticulously organized and alphabetized.
515
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:18,200
In other rooms in the hallway are my non-piano CDs,
516
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,120
classical jazz, world music, whatever.
517
00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:27,160
But then I have other closets where I have box sets
518
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:31,880
that are not piano box sets, because as a reviewer,
519
00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:34,920
I get sent so many things.
520
00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,160
And also because I write booklet notes
521
00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,360
for a lot of these releases, I get copies of them.
522
00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:42,240
And I still have a lot of vinyl.
523
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,360
I keep, I play a lot of vinyl on my show
524
00:27:45,360 --> 00:27:48,360
because there are so many recordings
525
00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:51,840
that have never been transferred to a digital format.
526
00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:55,560
And often when I do programs of rare recordings
527
00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:59,520
that I like to share, which is, I consider kind of a mission,
528
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:01,360
sometimes I'll pull down vinyl.
529
00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:06,000
And I also have a lot of hard drives that have digital files
530
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,360
which I get from all kinds of places.
531
00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:13,000
And these files are, these drives are backed up
532
00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:17,200
in triplicate because you don't want them to crash.
533
00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:20,640
And then, so where I'm sitting now is,
534
00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:25,640
this is my reviewing broadcasting desk.
535
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:29,720
But then I have another desk, which is my composing desk,
536
00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:32,080
which is right next to one of my pianos
537
00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,280
because I have two pianos in the studio.
538
00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,400
So there's a lot in the studio,
539
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:41,560
but I try not to have it cluttered or disorganized
540
00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:46,360
because it's so easy for me to discombobulate things.
541
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:51,360
And I live in the terror of ever becoming a hoarder.
542
00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:54,560
I don't know if you know that television show, Hoarders?
543
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:55,400
Have you ever seen that?
544
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:56,600
Yes, I've seen it, yes.
545
00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:00,040
I am so afraid of this because my parents,
546
00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,640
who died a long time ago, had hoarding tendencies.
547
00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:08,480
And my father's father was a very serious hoarder.
548
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:11,000
I mean, it's not like he had garbage piled up,
549
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:14,480
but he would buy things in bulk.
550
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:17,960
I think this was an attitude among people
551
00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:20,600
who were affected by the Depression,
552
00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,040
where if they had to buy a pencil,
553
00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:26,000
they would buy boxes of pencils because they'd be afraid
554
00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,600
that you wouldn't be able to find these anymore.
555
00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:34,400
And they would have a pantry full of canned food
556
00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:36,600
that was there for years and years.
557
00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:38,440
And I've seen this a lot.
558
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,880
And I'm a thrower outer,
559
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,760
but I get so much mail every day
560
00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,400
that it's really hard to negotiate that.
561
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:50,320
And sometimes things just pile up.
562
00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:55,320
And so organization does not come naturally to me,
563
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:57,560
but like what I was talking about,
564
00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:00,480
organizing the radio show and organizing my life,
565
00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,000
I'm a compulsive list maker.
566
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:08,000
And I just make sure things are put away as much as possible,
567
00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:13,200
or I can always renegotiate the spaces.
568
00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,160
But sometimes I'll forget about things and I'm thinking,
569
00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:18,880
oh my God, what are all these CDs doing here?
570
00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:21,360
I haven't opened them in a year.
571
00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:26,440
It's hard to keep track of all that, as you can imagine.
572
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:29,880
Yeah, yeah, but it's a really fun room.
573
00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,040
I sit there and then there are so many,
574
00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:36,120
and you showed me this and that, different kinds of CDs.
575
00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:41,120
So, Spinoff, with your charm and kindness, Jed,
576
00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:44,520
you're after all a music critic.
577
00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:49,520
So how can one make it onto your good list
578
00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:52,200
rather than the bad list?
579
00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:54,800
For me, I think it's just,
580
00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:59,120
I'm just always in pursuit of excellence.
581
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:01,400
That's simply that.
582
00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:05,480
And I think artistic excellence is its own justification.
583
00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,000
Often somebody will say,
584
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,880
I just recorded a CD of Schumann's Chrysler Rihanna.
585
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,640
How many recordings of Chrysler Rihanna
586
00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:16,960
do we need in the world?
587
00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:21,960
Because there are only about 10,000 of them out there.
588
00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:26,960
954 are probably excellent.
589
00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:29,760
But I think excellence is its own reward
590
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,680
and whether one needs something or not,
591
00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,520
you have to just take each really case by case.
592
00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:40,720
And I'll give you a wonderful example of this.
593
00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,800
About 20 or so years ago,
594
00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:48,800
I received a recording on a small Polish label,
595
00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:51,320
actually not all that small,
596
00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:55,800
by a Polish pianist playing the Prokofiev 7th Sonata
597
00:31:55,800 --> 00:32:00,280
along with works of Skriabin and Rachmaninoff.
598
00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,480
And I thought, okay, I've never heard of this pianist
599
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:05,680
and this is a small label
600
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:09,560
and how many recordings of the Prokofiev 7th Sonata
601
00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:10,400
do we need?
602
00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:13,080
And it was a knockout.
603
00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:15,960
It was one of the best performances of this piece
604
00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:17,360
I had ever heard.
605
00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:20,880
And I made comparisons with Maurizio Polini
606
00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:23,040
and Sveta Savvikter and Glenn Gould
607
00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:25,800
and it yielded nothing to that.
608
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:30,440
And you can say the same for so many other pieces
609
00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:32,320
of standard repertoire.
610
00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:35,800
Now, of course, when I'm reviewing something like this,
611
00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:39,800
you can't compare it to every previous recording
612
00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:41,000
because you'd go nuts.
613
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,320
But I think that it's important as a critic
614
00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:48,240
to know the catalog because you know something
615
00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:52,040
about performance practice and the evolution of styles.
616
00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:53,480
So if somebody is gonna come out
617
00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:57,240
with a new cycle of Beethoven sonatas,
618
00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:59,960
I will make certain comparisons
619
00:32:59,960 --> 00:33:01,600
but I won't compare it to everyone.
620
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:06,600
But I may say that this pianist is closer in style
621
00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:10,040
to the intimacy of Wilhelm Kempf
622
00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:14,960
than the more dynamic Arter Schnabel version
623
00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:16,240
or people like that.
624
00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:19,560
You know, I mean, these aren't the best examples
625
00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:23,120
but at least you can provide a small context.
626
00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:25,800
And then if the performer does something
627
00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,480
that's kind of unique or interesting,
628
00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:29,320
you would mention that.
629
00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:32,280
But you have to talk about what the performance sounds like
630
00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:37,280
in the most clear and accurate yet entertaining words
631
00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,120
as possible.
632
00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:43,800
So I think for me, it's just the pursuit of excellence
633
00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:45,640
is what I look for.
634
00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:48,080
The pursuit of excellence is really everything.
635
00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:52,960
But specifically, do you look for in technical precision,
636
00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:57,960
emotional depth into one recording or maybe perhaps,
637
00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:00,720
well, the pianist has to be excellent
638
00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:05,720
but blend of everything, blending of those qualities or?
639
00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:08,280
Oh, ideally, yes.
640
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,040
I think that also with modern recordings
641
00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:16,040
because the standard of engineering and also
642
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,760
technical proficiency is so high
643
00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:23,760
that you really do have to judge the performer.
644
00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:28,440
One problem is because the technical standard is so high,
645
00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:31,960
it can be very difficult to ascertain
646
00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:34,400
the different levels of excellence,
647
00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:37,040
like what is more excellent than another.
648
00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:39,680
But you want to have a combination
649
00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:44,160
of technical proficiency and musicality
650
00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:49,160
and emotional involvement and communication
651
00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:50,640
of musical meaning.
652
00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:53,360
And you do get that a lot,
653
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,440
but because there's so much out there,
654
00:34:55,440 --> 00:35:00,440
sometimes it's to really try to find these,
655
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,280
it can be difficult.
656
00:35:02,280 --> 00:35:07,280
But the truth is that there are more excellent recordings
657
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:11,440
of classical music on the market at lower prices
658
00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:13,800
than at any other time in history.
659
00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:18,800
The catalog just abounds with wonderful releases.
660
00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:22,120
I mean, the standard is higher than ever before.
661
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:25,000
So what's the opposite end?
662
00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:29,000
What makes a recording fall flat, for example?
663
00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:30,120
There can be many things.
664
00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:33,760
It could be substandard engineering.
665
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:38,760
It could be a performer who is just very mannered
666
00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:42,960
or it's not just a matter of not following
667
00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:46,040
what's in the score, but imposing so many things
668
00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,960
on the interpretation or micromanaging things.
669
00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:53,960
And you do find a lot of really fine musicians
670
00:35:54,120 --> 00:35:58,160
overthinking or micromanaging their performances
671
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:01,120
where they focus on little details
672
00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:06,120
that draw more attention to themselves than to the music.
673
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:07,560
And they don't really have to do that
674
00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:11,640
because if you have a strong personality
675
00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:14,640
and you just play a piece of music as straight as possible,
676
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,520
the personality is gonna come out anyway.
677
00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:21,280
But there's a lot of micromanaging
678
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:25,480
and a lot of performers behaving badly.
679
00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,600
And I think it's just this determination
680
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:30,240
to do something different.
681
00:36:30,240 --> 00:36:33,240
For the sake of being different.
682
00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:35,440
Now, for the sake of being different,
683
00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:40,440
can you do that by having to have a very interesting layout
684
00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:42,960
in a CD album, for example,
685
00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:44,960
like a combination of different composers
686
00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:48,440
that will make one album stand out
687
00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:52,040
or more thoughtful way of programming?
688
00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:55,280
Well, actually, that's a really good solution
689
00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:58,360
because there are more and more pianists
690
00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:03,360
who are making CDs that are more like DJ sets
691
00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:08,640
where they're mixing and matching pieces
692
00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:10,400
from all over the place.
693
00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:13,720
And I think that this is a very refreshing
694
00:37:13,720 --> 00:37:17,920
and interesting idea because a good example of this
695
00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:21,560
is Yuja Wang because most of her solo releases
696
00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:25,160
mix and match repertoire in really interesting
697
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:26,760
and provocative ways.
698
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:29,840
She is not one who's gonna come out
699
00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:32,480
and record all the Chopin nocturnes,
700
00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:34,920
but she may record one or two nocturnes
701
00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:39,280
in conjunction with a Ligeti etude or a Philip Glass etude.
702
00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:42,040
And then another piece that you may think
703
00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:43,840
has nothing to do with it,
704
00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:48,120
but actually the program trajectory really works quite well.
705
00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:51,040
And she's done this both on record and in concert.
706
00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:53,640
And it's an interesting concept.
707
00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:55,440
And I think that this concept
708
00:37:55,440 --> 00:38:00,360
and I think that this kind of thing can be very healthy
709
00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:02,760
as long as it's not gimmicky.
710
00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:06,840
If it's about the gimmick in and of itself,
711
00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:08,920
then there can be problems.
712
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:13,320
But I think that this is one way how contemporary culture
713
00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:16,880
like DJ culture where you're mixing and matching things
714
00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:21,440
and making playlists is having a positive impact.
715
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:25,200
Really, you think?
716
00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:28,360
Well, I think in terms of programming
717
00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:32,960
and coming up with unusual yet provocative
718
00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:36,960
and artistically valid ways of presenting the music,
719
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:41,960
because if this is a good way to introduce the repertoire
720
00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:44,920
to listeners or performers,
721
00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:48,120
then it gets them into the music.
722
00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:53,120
And then there are pianists who do want to put out
723
00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:56,240
an all Schumann recital or do a cycle of pieces.
724
00:38:56,240 --> 00:38:58,520
And that's certainly very valid,
725
00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:01,040
but I think there's so many other ways of doing it.
726
00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:05,560
And in a way, I think these mix and match playlists
727
00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:09,680
parallel what I try to do with Between the Keys,
728
00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:13,600
because I don't always play complete works
729
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:14,760
on Between the Keys,
730
00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:17,000
or if I'm focusing on a certain artist
731
00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:19,280
or I'm focusing on the genre,
732
00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:20,920
I'll break up pieces like this.
733
00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:23,240
But then every once in a while I may do a show
734
00:39:23,240 --> 00:39:27,080
where I'll just have one or two large works.
735
00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:29,280
Like recently I did a chamber music show
736
00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:32,360
focusing on the cellist Pablo Casals,
737
00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:35,440
and I had a complete Bach sonata with him
738
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:38,680
and pianist Miezeslar Hrushovsky,
739
00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:42,200
and then a Beethoven sonata with Wilhelm Kempf.
740
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:44,560
And this isn't the kind of program I do all the time,
741
00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,240
but I think you need both.
742
00:39:47,240 --> 00:39:50,800
I think they compliment one another.
743
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,440
Wow, interesting to hear that thought
744
00:39:53,440 --> 00:39:56,400
on music streaming services, because I had a question.
745
00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:57,960
Well, let's get into the question.
746
00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:02,040
So, I thought you would be like totally,
747
00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:05,120
well, you can't say anti because technology is there
748
00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:09,440
and everybody listens to music from Spotify, Apple,
749
00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:10,280
and so on.
750
00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:14,280
But those giant companies,
751
00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:17,360
they provide literally unparalleled access
752
00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:20,400
to that vast array of music at your fingertips.
753
00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:24,360
And however, from a musician's point of view,
754
00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:27,400
given the dominance of these streaming giants,
755
00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:29,920
it's nearly impossible to avoid them
756
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:33,640
if you want to reach a wide audience.
757
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:37,760
But how do you see the trade-off between the accessibility
758
00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:41,280
and then the significant loss of revenue for artists?
759
00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:44,600
I'm afraid I'm not really qualified
760
00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:46,160
to answer this question.
761
00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,840
No, no, thank you for being honest.
762
00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:53,360
But I'm so happy to hear actually you're really for it.
763
00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:58,000
I feel that any way to get the music out there,
764
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:01,080
either with a physical product or streaming
765
00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:04,560
or really any format or any future format
766
00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:08,280
that we haven't even thought about, I think is valid.
767
00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:10,800
And of course, there's always the question
768
00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:12,440
of how one pays for this.
769
00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:15,560
In fact, the record producer, John Colshaw,
770
00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:18,240
who was one of the most important classical producers ever,
771
00:41:18,240 --> 00:41:19,480
he was the one who produced
772
00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:23,000
the George Shulte ring cycle in the 60s.
773
00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:27,760
He predicted this kind of thing 50 years ago.
774
00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:30,720
He said that, I won't be surprised
775
00:41:30,720 --> 00:41:34,920
if somebody just puts a credit card in a machine
776
00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:39,120
and then they get their music whenever they want to.
777
00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:42,040
It wasn't necessarily like streaming or computer,
778
00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:47,040
but he realized that there were gonna be future technologies.
779
00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:50,240
And I use all of these technologies
780
00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:53,800
in a very fluid and fluent kind of way.
781
00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:58,440
A good example of this is with streaming services.
782
00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:01,080
If I'm writing a review of, let's say,
783
00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:04,720
a new recording of the Beethoven Waldstein Sonata,
784
00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:08,880
and I need to make a very quick comparison,
785
00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:11,880
but I don't wanna go through all of my shelves,
786
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:14,040
or maybe I'm writing this review
787
00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:16,920
where I'm out of town and on my computer,
788
00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:19,280
and I don't have access to my physical files
789
00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:22,480
or physical CDs, I'll just go to Spotify
790
00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:27,480
and I'll do a search and I can check things.
791
00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:33,560
I can check how pianist X plays measure 25 versus piano Y.
792
00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:38,880
And that's a wonderful way to use that kind of technology.
793
00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:43,880
And for me, often I will use this to look for music
794
00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:45,680
or look for performances.
795
00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:48,840
If I have to find a performance of a certain piece of music,
796
00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:52,240
but it can't exceed four minutes, let's say.
797
00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:55,400
Then when I'm looking at Spotify,
798
00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:59,320
or if I'm looking at iTunes, or I'm looking through,
799
00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:01,240
you know, any of these digital sources,
800
00:43:01,240 --> 00:43:04,040
I see all the timings right before me.
801
00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:09,040
But I always use physical CDs or CD quality files
802
00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:12,200
for my broadcast because it's the best quality.
803
00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:14,800
And I like having the physical discs
804
00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:19,800
because you have the notes and you know, you have.
805
00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:23,120
And I think as a collectible product,
806
00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:26,360
they really have a lot of value.
807
00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:28,920
And there are some record companies
808
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:33,120
that really put a lot of care and consideration
809
00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:35,600
into the physical product.
810
00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:38,360
So you're getting a collector's item
811
00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:41,040
where you can look at wonderful records
812
00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:44,920
and look at wonderful booklet notes and photos
813
00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:47,560
and sturdy binding, you know,
814
00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:51,840
where it's really done in a very intelligent
815
00:43:51,840 --> 00:43:53,360
and respectful way.
816
00:43:54,520 --> 00:43:58,560
That's why I think a lot of these box sets coming out
817
00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:01,920
are so important, like these complete editions
818
00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:05,200
that, you know, the big companies are putting out.
819
00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:07,440
For instance, I just got this.
820
00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:12,440
This is a collection of Paul Robeson's complete Columbia,
821
00:44:12,720 --> 00:44:16,720
RCA, HMV and Victor recordings.
822
00:44:16,720 --> 00:44:21,240
And it's the first time his complete recorded output
823
00:44:21,240 --> 00:44:23,440
for these labels have been assembled
824
00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:26,920
and remastered all in one place.
825
00:44:26,920 --> 00:44:31,920
And he was such an important cultural figure in America
826
00:44:31,920 --> 00:44:34,040
who's been all but forgotten,
827
00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:39,040
but he was a incredible bass baritone
828
00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:41,800
who sang spirituals and traditional songs.
829
00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:44,320
He had an extraordinary voice.
830
00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:48,240
He and Fyodor Shalyapin were the greatest basses
831
00:44:48,240 --> 00:44:50,640
of their generations.
832
00:44:50,640 --> 00:44:55,640
And this assembles all of the recordings,
833
00:44:55,720 --> 00:44:59,760
but also the documentation could not be more thorough.
834
00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:02,360
There are wonderful annotations
835
00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:06,200
by his granddaughter and by scholars.
836
00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:10,160
And you cannot imagine a more comprehensive,
837
00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:14,680
a more thorough and more caring representation
838
00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:17,080
of Paul Robeson's artistry.
839
00:45:17,080 --> 00:45:22,080
And Sony BMG has done wonderful projects like this.
840
00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:27,200
They've done some box sets containing
841
00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:31,120
the complete recorded rehearsals of Vladimir Putin
842
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:33,760
and the complete rehearsals of Vladimir Horowitz
843
00:45:33,760 --> 00:45:37,160
leading up to his 1965 historic return
844
00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:41,680
and his 1966 follow-up concerts.
845
00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:44,720
And I wrote the notes to that box set.
846
00:45:44,720 --> 00:45:47,400
There's some other people who wrote notes too,
847
00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:51,680
but that was done in such a thorough and caring way
848
00:45:51,680 --> 00:45:54,520
where not only do you have all of the music
849
00:45:54,520 --> 00:45:55,600
and the conversation,
850
00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:59,600
but you also have the conversation written out,
851
00:45:59,600 --> 00:46:02,240
so you can follow it if you don't understand it.
852
00:46:03,120 --> 00:46:05,880
I think this represents the best
853
00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:08,640
of what physical products can offer.
854
00:46:08,640 --> 00:46:11,000
Of course, there's some box sets that are put together
855
00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:13,840
in a very slapdash shoddy way too.
856
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:15,960
Yeah, sure.
857
00:46:17,560 --> 00:46:19,440
Before continuing this episode,
858
00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:22,520
we'd like to take a moment to highlight our sponsor,
859
00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:23,880
Keys to Success,
860
00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:27,520
whose support helps us make this episode possible.
861
00:46:27,520 --> 00:46:29,720
Are you ready to make a difference through music?
862
00:46:29,720 --> 00:46:33,280
Keys to Success is thrilled to announce our practice athon.
863
00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:36,200
For only $25, you can become a vital key
864
00:46:36,200 --> 00:46:38,680
in bolstering classical music education.
865
00:46:38,680 --> 00:46:41,400
Just like a piano is complete with 88 keys,
866
00:46:41,400 --> 00:46:44,160
our mission is complete with supporters like you.
867
00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:46,320
By registering, you commit to practicing
868
00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:48,160
1,000 minutes of music.
869
00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:50,480
Whether you're a novice or a seasoned performer,
870
00:46:50,480 --> 00:46:53,200
every minute contributes to something bigger.
871
00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:55,080
At Keys to Success, we're dedicated
872
00:46:55,080 --> 00:46:57,960
to bringing classical music opportunities to Newark
873
00:46:57,960 --> 00:47:00,520
and its surrounding suburban communities.
874
00:47:00,520 --> 00:47:04,480
Your $25 registration not only supports our mission,
875
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:07,160
but also makes you an essential part of a movement
876
00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:10,960
that's changing the landscape of classical music education.
877
00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:13,320
Imagine this, your support could be the key
878
00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:16,240
that unlocks the potential of a young musician,
879
00:47:16,240 --> 00:47:17,960
offering them the chance to experience
880
00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:20,760
the transformative power of music.
881
00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:22,960
As members of the classical music community,
882
00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:25,000
your involvement sends a powerful message
883
00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:28,120
about the importance of nurturing the next generation.
884
00:47:28,120 --> 00:47:30,800
We're looking for classical musicians like you
885
00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:33,760
to amplify the importance of music education.
886
00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:37,200
Visit keysnewark.com to sign up and join a community
887
00:47:37,200 --> 00:47:39,320
that values the impact of every note.
888
00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:41,160
You can learn more about the practice athon
889
00:47:41,160 --> 00:47:44,000
by finding us on Instagram at KeysNewYork.
890
00:47:44,840 --> 00:47:46,880
Join our practice athon and help us create
891
00:47:46,880 --> 00:47:48,360
a symphony of change.
892
00:47:48,360 --> 00:47:51,400
With just $25, you're not only playing your part,
893
00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:53,160
you're becoming a key player in the world
894
00:47:53,160 --> 00:47:55,240
of classical music education.
895
00:47:55,240 --> 00:47:56,480
Let's make those keys sing
896
00:47:56,480 --> 00:47:58,640
and inspire the next generation together.
897
00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:05,920
So, so far we've talked about from you being the producer
898
00:48:06,480 --> 00:48:10,560
and host of the show, of your radio show,
899
00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:15,000
but now I'd like to focus on your career
900
00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,600
as a pianist and composer.
901
00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:21,000
So I began this episode by playing one of your works
902
00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:22,200
for two pianos.
903
00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:25,560
It's the second movement from Lose Changes.
904
00:48:25,560 --> 00:48:29,360
And I actually heard the whole thing on YouTube.
905
00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:31,440
Yes, there was the whole thing.
906
00:48:31,440 --> 00:48:35,360
Yeah, it was, they are very fun pieces, fun.
907
00:48:35,360 --> 00:48:38,800
Like 10, 11 movements, 10 movements.
908
00:48:38,800 --> 00:48:40,480
Yeah, well, you know what happened?
909
00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:43,720
I had this commission to write a piece for Quattromanni
910
00:48:43,720 --> 00:48:48,720
who are one of the best two piano teams
911
00:48:48,720 --> 00:48:52,360
around, they're extraordinary musicians.
912
00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:54,640
And I was so excited by the commission
913
00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:56,040
that I could make up my mind
914
00:48:56,040 --> 00:48:57,760
what kind of piece I wanted to write.
915
00:48:57,760 --> 00:49:01,240
And I was just coming up with all kinds of ideas.
916
00:49:01,240 --> 00:49:03,560
And I thought, oh, screw it.
917
00:49:03,560 --> 00:49:08,080
I'm just gonna write 10 or 11, however many little pieces
918
00:49:08,080 --> 00:49:10,840
and just throw all those ideas together.
919
00:49:10,840 --> 00:49:13,800
And I wrote the piece fairly quickly,
920
00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:17,240
but what's interesting about how I wrote the piece,
921
00:49:17,240 --> 00:49:21,880
I still have a very vivid memory of how one or two
922
00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:23,240
of the pieces came together,
923
00:49:23,240 --> 00:49:27,720
which is that I actually wrote it on a bus
924
00:49:27,720 --> 00:49:29,960
going from New York to Washington, DC,
925
00:49:29,960 --> 00:49:33,840
because I was going to a big massive protest
926
00:49:33,840 --> 00:49:36,400
against the Iraq war.
927
00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:39,600
I think this was in 2005.
928
00:49:39,600 --> 00:49:44,600
And I remember taking the bus back and forth to Washington.
929
00:49:44,600 --> 00:49:49,600
And I always carry these Moleskine music notebooks
930
00:49:50,720 --> 00:49:53,560
to sketch in because I write a lot of music away
931
00:49:53,560 --> 00:49:55,840
from the piano, believe it or not,
932
00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:58,960
because I was really trained to do that.
933
00:49:58,960 --> 00:50:01,000
I always check things at the piano.
934
00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:04,280
And it's interesting that when I'm writing solo piano,
935
00:50:04,280 --> 00:50:06,520
I do tend to sit at the piano.
936
00:50:06,520 --> 00:50:09,200
But if I'm writing for two pianos,
937
00:50:09,200 --> 00:50:11,680
I get distracted and I get confused.
938
00:50:11,680 --> 00:50:13,240
And I find it so much easier
939
00:50:13,240 --> 00:50:15,480
to write away from the piano
940
00:50:15,480 --> 00:50:18,520
because then each piano has its own voice
941
00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:20,360
and its own duties.
942
00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:23,520
So it's a little easier for me to do that
943
00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:26,520
without being burdened by two hands trying to play
944
00:50:26,520 --> 00:50:28,200
what four hands are gonna do.
945
00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:30,600
Of course, when I get home, I check everything
946
00:50:30,600 --> 00:50:31,960
and I make revisions.
947
00:50:31,960 --> 00:50:35,960
I always do because I don't totally trust my hearing.
948
00:50:35,960 --> 00:50:40,960
But a lot of loose changes happened on those bus rides.
949
00:50:40,960 --> 00:50:43,360
It's kind of funny.
950
00:50:43,360 --> 00:50:45,080
But I had so much fun with it.
951
00:50:45,080 --> 00:50:48,880
And they and Quattromanni just played
952
00:50:48,880 --> 00:50:50,840
the living daylights out of this piece.
953
00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:54,640
Their recording is just phenomenal.
954
00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:56,640
That's one reason why I've been reluctant
955
00:50:56,640 --> 00:50:58,320
to perform the piece myself
956
00:50:58,320 --> 00:51:01,720
because I don't think I could do it better than them.
957
00:51:01,720 --> 00:51:03,680
Yeah, it's a fantastic recording.
958
00:51:03,680 --> 00:51:07,760
The album is called Kindert Spirits, right?
959
00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:09,080
Yes, yes, yes.
960
00:51:09,080 --> 00:51:13,520
Yes, it's a compilation with different composers.
961
00:51:13,520 --> 00:51:14,680
Yeah. That's true.
962
00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:15,600
That's right.
963
00:51:15,600 --> 00:51:18,160
So when I research your life
964
00:51:18,160 --> 00:51:21,200
and you started as a jazz pianist, correct?
965
00:51:21,200 --> 00:51:23,560
Oh yeah, I thought I was gonna go into jazz.
966
00:51:23,560 --> 00:51:25,160
That was my...
967
00:51:25,160 --> 00:51:28,040
I often say that it's a first language
968
00:51:28,040 --> 00:51:29,960
that I seldom speak.
969
00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:33,120
But when I speak it, when I have the opportunities,
970
00:51:33,120 --> 00:51:36,280
I have so much fun and I love it so much.
971
00:51:36,280 --> 00:51:38,800
But I didn't really pursue a jazz career.
972
00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:40,240
I probably could have,
973
00:51:40,240 --> 00:51:43,840
but I think there's an episode of The Simpsons
974
00:51:43,840 --> 00:51:46,880
where Bart Simpson is placed in a special class
975
00:51:46,880 --> 00:51:50,040
and he says, oh no, I'm supposed to be in this other class.
976
00:51:50,040 --> 00:51:51,680
And the teacher says, oh,
977
00:51:51,680 --> 00:51:54,960
it looks like you have a case of the Spostas.
978
00:51:54,960 --> 00:51:56,400
And I kept thinking, oh,
979
00:51:56,400 --> 00:51:59,000
I'm supposed to study classical piano.
980
00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:00,760
I'm supposed to be composing.
981
00:52:00,760 --> 00:52:04,120
And I was so interested in it and I wanted to compose,
982
00:52:04,120 --> 00:52:07,320
but I think I was going into it a lot out of guilt,
983
00:52:07,320 --> 00:52:10,680
out of a feeling I should be...
984
00:52:10,680 --> 00:52:12,000
Why am I playing jazz?
985
00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:14,360
I should be learning the Chopin etudes.
986
00:52:14,360 --> 00:52:17,720
I should be learning the Beethoven sonatas.
987
00:52:17,720 --> 00:52:21,320
It's the should-ofs and the Spostas.
988
00:52:21,320 --> 00:52:24,280
And I thought that would make me
989
00:52:24,280 --> 00:52:26,280
a little bit more legitimate maybe.
990
00:52:26,280 --> 00:52:27,120
I don't know.
991
00:52:28,360 --> 00:52:31,040
It's not that I have no regret
992
00:52:31,040 --> 00:52:34,360
because contemporary classical music
993
00:52:34,360 --> 00:52:37,640
and classical music has been very good to me
994
00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:39,840
and I've gotten so much out of it.
995
00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:44,840
And I have a pretty diverse body of composed work.
996
00:52:46,280 --> 00:52:48,640
I haven't written as much music as I wanted to.
997
00:52:48,640 --> 00:52:52,360
I go through very prolific period,
998
00:52:52,360 --> 00:52:57,360
but I suppose I really should be composing full-time
999
00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:00,880
and not doing any of these activities.
1000
00:53:00,880 --> 00:53:03,600
If I was given all the money in the world,
1001
00:53:03,600 --> 00:53:06,360
that's probably what I would do.
1002
00:53:06,360 --> 00:53:10,480
But I love the radio show and I love playing the piano.
1003
00:53:10,480 --> 00:53:14,240
I've played classical recitals and I've done collaborations,
1004
00:53:14,240 --> 00:53:15,720
but there's certain things
1005
00:53:15,720 --> 00:53:17,320
I just don't want to play in public.
1006
00:53:17,320 --> 00:53:20,080
Like you're never gonna hear me play a Mozart concerto
1007
00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:22,840
in public ever because there are too many people
1008
00:53:22,840 --> 00:53:24,240
who do it really well.
1009
00:53:24,240 --> 00:53:27,200
About maybe 10, 12 years ago,
1010
00:53:27,200 --> 00:53:31,560
I had to play the Mozart-Kegelstadt trio.
1011
00:53:31,560 --> 00:53:34,480
I worked my butt off on the piano part
1012
00:53:34,480 --> 00:53:36,880
because it's really like playing a piano concerto.
1013
00:53:36,880 --> 00:53:41,880
It's a wonderful piece, but I worked like crazy on it
1014
00:53:41,880 --> 00:53:46,040
because the flow of the phrasing
1015
00:53:46,040 --> 00:53:49,320
maybe didn't come as natural to me as I would have liked.
1016
00:53:49,320 --> 00:53:53,320
And I was just preparing it and sweating buckets
1017
00:53:53,320 --> 00:53:55,440
and the performance went well,
1018
00:53:55,440 --> 00:53:59,920
but I have to say I did not enjoy it at all.
1019
00:53:59,920 --> 00:54:04,440
I do not enjoy recording classical music
1020
00:54:04,440 --> 00:54:07,080
because the pressure is just too much.
1021
00:54:07,080 --> 00:54:12,080
And I made a decision that I would never record
1022
00:54:12,080 --> 00:54:14,920
classical music again, unless I'm recording my own works,
1023
00:54:14,920 --> 00:54:18,160
because if I mess something up, nobody's gonna know, right?
1024
00:54:19,280 --> 00:54:21,400
But thank you for telling me all this
1025
00:54:21,400 --> 00:54:25,200
because I think lately, especially,
1026
00:54:25,200 --> 00:54:28,440
I'm sure you noticed this as a radio show host too,
1027
00:54:28,440 --> 00:54:32,000
but you can really find your own identity through music.
1028
00:54:32,000 --> 00:54:35,880
So there's no like, oh, you have to play this piece
1029
00:54:35,880 --> 00:54:39,360
and then you have to go through this specific program
1030
00:54:41,120 --> 00:54:44,320
or route to become-
1031
00:54:44,320 --> 00:54:45,640
Look, don't get me wrong.
1032
00:54:45,640 --> 00:54:49,120
I am so happy that I learned the Chopin etudes
1033
00:54:49,120 --> 00:54:51,160
at a young age when I did.
1034
00:54:51,160 --> 00:54:53,480
I mean, not that I can,
1035
00:54:53,480 --> 00:54:56,040
it would take me a while to get them back in my fingers,
1036
00:54:56,040 --> 00:54:58,440
but if I'm teaching master classes,
1037
00:54:58,440 --> 00:55:01,440
because I know this repertoire, I can demonstrate things.
1038
00:55:01,440 --> 00:55:04,080
I mean, I can't play any of these pieces
1039
00:55:04,080 --> 00:55:06,320
as well as the students who bring things into me,
1040
00:55:06,320 --> 00:55:10,080
but I can look at them and I can give them suggestions
1041
00:55:10,080 --> 00:55:13,520
about how to make something technically easier
1042
00:55:13,520 --> 00:55:15,440
or ways of getting around things
1043
00:55:15,440 --> 00:55:20,440
or ways to communicate what's in the score
1044
00:55:22,120 --> 00:55:25,000
in a better and clearer way.
1045
00:55:25,000 --> 00:55:30,000
So I have no regrets at all.
1046
00:55:30,920 --> 00:55:34,960
I don't think it was certainly not time wasted,
1047
00:55:34,960 --> 00:55:39,840
but are you gonna see me playing the Chopin etudes
1048
00:55:39,840 --> 00:55:41,000
in front of people?
1049
00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:43,880
No, of course not.
1050
00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:45,640
Who needs it?
1051
00:55:45,640 --> 00:55:50,600
On the other hand, there are some contemporary pieces
1052
00:55:50,600 --> 00:55:53,440
that I'm very happy to play in public,
1053
00:55:53,440 --> 00:55:56,240
which I feel very comfortable doing
1054
00:55:56,240 --> 00:56:00,040
and I think that I can bring something to them.
1055
00:56:00,040 --> 00:56:03,360
I actually have some recital programs planned for next year,
1056
00:56:03,360 --> 00:56:07,120
which I'm very excited about the program.
1057
00:56:07,120 --> 00:56:08,680
Tell me more.
1058
00:56:08,680 --> 00:56:12,040
Well, one piece is a set of variations
1059
00:56:12,040 --> 00:56:16,360
called We Sing for the Future by Cornelius Cardew.
1060
00:56:16,360 --> 00:56:20,000
And he was a close friend and colleague of Frederick Siewski,
1061
00:56:20,000 --> 00:56:23,280
who was a very close friend and kind of a mentor to me
1062
00:56:23,280 --> 00:56:25,640
at the great composer pianist.
1063
00:56:25,640 --> 00:56:27,520
And Frederick turned me on to this piece
1064
00:56:27,520 --> 00:56:30,520
and it was the last piece that Cardew wrote
1065
00:56:30,520 --> 00:56:35,520
before he was murdered in a hit and run accident.
1066
00:56:35,760 --> 00:56:40,240
And it's a very tonal piece,
1067
00:56:40,240 --> 00:56:44,280
but it also uses the piano in very ingenuous ways.
1068
00:56:44,280 --> 00:56:46,960
And it's part of a concert of music
1069
00:56:46,960 --> 00:56:50,600
that has to do with heroism, has to do with pieces,
1070
00:56:50,600 --> 00:56:55,600
has to do with some kind of political import, I suppose.
1071
00:56:55,680 --> 00:57:00,680
And then after the Cardew, I played the funeral march
1072
00:57:01,200 --> 00:57:04,920
from Beethoven's Eroica Symphony in the Liszt transcription.
1073
00:57:06,120 --> 00:57:07,840
What a juxtaposition.
1074
00:57:07,840 --> 00:57:09,960
Then the second half of the concert,
1075
00:57:09,960 --> 00:57:13,240
I'll probably write a new set of variations,
1076
00:57:13,240 --> 00:57:16,760
I guess, based on the Ukrainian national anthem.
1077
00:57:16,760 --> 00:57:21,120
Then I play Frederick Siewski's fantasy
1078
00:57:21,120 --> 00:57:25,760
based on John Lennon's Give Piece a Chance,
1079
00:57:25,760 --> 00:57:27,440
which I've played many times.
1080
00:57:27,440 --> 00:57:29,880
And there's also room for improvisation.
1081
00:57:29,880 --> 00:57:32,960
Also, in these pieces, one can improvise.
1082
00:57:32,960 --> 00:57:37,720
And I love to improvise in classical contexts.
1083
00:57:37,720 --> 00:57:40,560
That's why I love playing a lot of Siewski's pieces,
1084
00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:47,000
because he also gives room for one to play optional cadenzas.
1085
00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:49,840
And then I finished the concert with a piece by Alvin Curran,
1086
00:57:49,840 --> 00:57:53,520
who's a wonderful composer and pianist.
1087
00:57:53,520 --> 00:57:56,840
And he and Frederick and the late Richard Teitelbaum
1088
00:57:56,840 --> 00:58:01,840
formed Musica electronica viva in Rome in the late 1960s,
1089
00:58:01,880 --> 00:58:06,160
which was a great collective improvisation group
1090
00:58:06,160 --> 00:58:10,840
that had really tremendous impact on their time.
1091
00:58:10,840 --> 00:58:13,800
Alvin wrote a piece in memory of Cornelius,
1092
00:58:13,800 --> 00:58:15,800
because he was a friend of Cornelius also.
1093
00:58:15,800 --> 00:58:18,000
It's called Four Cornelius.
1094
00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:22,160
And it's a piece that opens with a kind of lament
1095
00:58:22,160 --> 00:58:26,680
that wouldn't be out of place in Eric Satie's Gymnopédie.
1096
00:58:26,680 --> 00:58:30,240
And then it goes into this relentless section
1097
00:58:30,240 --> 00:58:33,800
of these building tremolos in both hands
1098
00:58:33,800 --> 00:58:37,440
that builds to an extraordinary climax.
1099
00:58:37,440 --> 00:58:40,200
And this is a piece that's been in my repertoire for ages.
1100
00:58:40,200 --> 00:58:42,200
It's an extraordinary piece.
1101
00:58:42,200 --> 00:58:44,800
So I think the trajectory is kind of interesting,
1102
00:58:44,800 --> 00:58:48,160
starting with Cornelius's last piece,
1103
00:58:48,160 --> 00:58:50,240
and then a piece written in memory.
1104
00:58:50,240 --> 00:58:53,040
Then you have Give Peace a Chance, and then the Funeral
1105
00:58:53,040 --> 00:58:57,920
March, and then Give Something of Mine
1106
00:58:57,920 --> 00:59:00,960
to Reflect the State of the World.
1107
00:59:00,960 --> 00:59:04,240
So you have the subtext that I'm talking about,
1108
00:59:04,240 --> 00:59:09,360
but also musically, it all is very unified and makes sense,
1109
00:59:09,360 --> 00:59:10,760
and it's very diverse.
1110
00:59:10,760 --> 00:59:14,600
And programming is very important to me,
1111
00:59:14,600 --> 00:59:18,440
I think, as you've gathered, as a piano player,
1112
00:59:18,440 --> 00:59:21,120
as well as a radio host.
1113
00:59:21,120 --> 00:59:24,600
I think programming in order and contrast,
1114
00:59:24,600 --> 00:59:26,760
this has all been very, very important to me.
1115
00:59:26,760 --> 00:59:31,200
And it's interesting how a lot of really wonderful pianists
1116
00:59:31,200 --> 00:59:34,920
really are not very good programmers.
1117
00:59:34,920 --> 00:59:37,800
Yes, yes.
1118
00:59:37,800 --> 00:59:42,600
I guess one must keep researching these pieces
1119
00:59:42,600 --> 00:59:46,320
and getting to know contemporary composers.
1120
00:59:46,320 --> 00:59:49,560
Oh, well, there's so much out there.
1121
00:59:49,560 --> 00:59:53,280
I mean, there's just such a vast amount of music.
1122
00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:57,080
Another thing that I've been doing in my piano playing life
1123
00:59:57,080 --> 01:00:00,760
over the last two or three years after the pandemic finished
1124
01:00:00,760 --> 01:00:02,920
and concerts opened up, I started
1125
01:00:02,920 --> 01:00:07,600
playing symphonic repertoire in piano forehand arrangements
1126
01:00:07,600 --> 01:00:10,440
with different friends in the US.
1127
01:00:10,440 --> 01:00:12,960
And I've been doing Mahler.
1128
01:00:12,960 --> 01:00:18,160
My first experience was playing the Mahler Ninth Symphony
1129
01:00:18,160 --> 01:00:22,040
with my dear, dear friend Jerry Kuderna,
1130
01:00:22,040 --> 01:00:25,200
who is a pianist who's based in Berkeley.
1131
01:00:25,200 --> 01:00:28,600
He's a great teacher, a wonderful artist,
1132
01:00:28,600 --> 01:00:33,920
and he's probably my closest friend among pianists
1133
01:00:33,920 --> 01:00:35,960
in the United States.
1134
01:00:35,960 --> 01:00:40,040
And we had the opportunity to play the Mahler Ninth Symphony
1135
01:00:40,040 --> 01:00:46,440
at the Catacombs in the Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn
1136
01:00:46,440 --> 01:00:50,880
at a series that Andrew Owsley produces during the summer.
1137
01:00:50,880 --> 01:00:53,800
It was really extraordinary to play the Mahler Ninth
1138
01:00:53,800 --> 01:01:00,480
Forehands in this small catacomb with a very small audience.
1139
01:01:00,480 --> 01:01:04,080
And this is the cemetery where Leonard Bernstein is buried,
1140
01:01:04,080 --> 01:01:06,400
so I'm sure he was listening to the Mahler
1141
01:01:06,400 --> 01:01:07,760
and probably cringing.
1142
01:01:07,760 --> 01:01:10,240
I could have imagined his spirit saying,
1143
01:01:10,240 --> 01:01:15,320
get off that piano bench and let me show you how it's done.
1144
01:01:15,320 --> 01:01:18,720
And then Jerry and I played the Mahler several more times.
1145
01:01:18,720 --> 01:01:23,960
In fact, we will be playing it on the Salon Concerts
1146
01:01:23,960 --> 01:01:26,600
at Clavier House series, for which
1147
01:01:26,600 --> 01:01:29,160
I became artistic director.
1148
01:01:29,160 --> 01:01:32,200
I also played the Mahler Second last year
1149
01:01:32,200 --> 01:01:36,120
in a benefit for Ukraine in London with the pianist
1150
01:01:36,120 --> 01:01:38,600
Gabriele Baldacci.
1151
01:01:38,600 --> 01:01:42,960
I played Mahler Fifth in Milano with Massimo Giuseppe Bianchi.
1152
01:01:42,960 --> 01:01:44,280
What a wonderful pianist.
1153
01:01:44,280 --> 01:01:47,200
I've played the Mahler First in New York
1154
01:01:47,200 --> 01:01:53,320
with Drew Peterson, who won the American Pianist Association
1155
01:01:53,320 --> 01:01:55,240
Award in 2017.
1156
01:01:55,240 --> 01:01:59,960
He's one of the most gifted pianists of his generation.
1157
01:01:59,960 --> 01:02:03,520
And it's not official yet, but there
1158
01:02:03,520 --> 01:02:09,000
looks like there's going to be a Mahler Six in Helsinki in 2025,
1159
01:02:09,000 --> 01:02:10,920
I hope, but I don't really know.
1160
01:02:10,920 --> 01:02:14,800
I also played Shostakovich Ninth with Peter Jablonsky
1161
01:02:14,800 --> 01:02:18,000
last year in Karlskrona, Sweden.
1162
01:02:18,000 --> 01:02:21,000
That was such a wonderful collaboration.
1163
01:02:21,000 --> 01:02:24,320
And that is Shostakovich's own arrangement,
1164
01:02:24,320 --> 01:02:27,240
and it worked so well for the piano.
1165
01:02:27,240 --> 01:02:29,080
Some of his other symphonies I don't
1166
01:02:29,080 --> 01:02:31,800
think would be as effective on the piano,
1167
01:02:31,800 --> 01:02:34,000
even though he did the arrangements.
1168
01:02:34,000 --> 01:02:35,760
Like Symphony No.
1169
01:02:35,760 --> 01:02:39,960
11, I think, relies so much on the orchestration
1170
01:02:39,960 --> 01:02:43,400
and also the ambient atmosphere in a concert hall
1171
01:02:43,400 --> 01:02:48,880
that it might be a little fatiguing to hear that.
1172
01:02:48,880 --> 01:02:50,120
I don't know.
1173
01:02:50,120 --> 01:02:51,120
It's kind of strange.
1174
01:02:51,120 --> 01:02:54,880
You have to really be selective.
1175
01:02:54,880 --> 01:02:57,320
Some of these transcriptions really
1176
01:02:57,320 --> 01:03:00,600
lend themselves to public performance.
1177
01:03:00,600 --> 01:03:02,440
Certainly Shostakovich Ninth does.
1178
01:03:02,440 --> 01:03:06,800
Mahler Ninth really works very well on piano.
1179
01:03:06,800 --> 01:03:11,000
The Mahler First does, although you have endless tremolos,
1180
01:03:11,000 --> 01:03:13,840
and I think this probably is served better
1181
01:03:13,840 --> 01:03:17,880
by an orchestra maybe.
1182
01:03:17,880 --> 01:03:21,320
Are these transcribed by who?
1183
01:03:21,320 --> 01:03:23,000
Different people.
1184
01:03:23,000 --> 01:03:25,920
Bruno Walter did the Mahler First and Second,
1185
01:03:25,920 --> 01:03:29,280
and he was Mahler's disciple.
1186
01:03:29,280 --> 01:03:34,000
So that has a lot of validity to that.
1187
01:03:34,000 --> 01:03:37,320
A lot of the others were done by house arrangers,
1188
01:03:37,320 --> 01:03:40,080
because a lot of these music publishing companies
1189
01:03:40,080 --> 01:03:43,600
had arrangers who were not really well-known musicians,
1190
01:03:43,600 --> 01:03:46,600
but they made a living making transcriptions,
1191
01:03:46,600 --> 01:03:49,360
because this is what you had before you
1192
01:03:49,360 --> 01:03:52,120
had radio and recordings.
1193
01:03:52,120 --> 01:03:54,720
If you wanted to hear the new Brahms Symphony,
1194
01:03:54,720 --> 01:03:58,040
either you had to take a horse and buggy to Vienna
1195
01:03:58,040 --> 01:04:00,200
for three days, or otherwise you'd
1196
01:04:00,200 --> 01:04:02,640
buy the forehand arrangement.
1197
01:04:02,640 --> 01:04:05,400
Actually, Brahms either did his own arrangements
1198
01:04:05,400 --> 01:04:08,200
or supervised other people doing them,
1199
01:04:08,200 --> 01:04:12,880
or you would play it yourself at home.
1200
01:04:12,880 --> 01:04:18,520
And the piano, as you know, was the home entertainment center
1201
01:04:18,520 --> 01:04:24,560
from about 1840-something up until the early 1930s.
1202
01:04:24,560 --> 01:04:27,800
And I have a big collection of forehand music.
1203
01:04:27,800 --> 01:04:30,260
I love playing these things.
1204
01:04:30,260 --> 01:04:33,000
When I have my pianist friends over,
1205
01:04:33,000 --> 01:04:37,240
I rope them into sight reading through Haydn quartets
1206
01:04:37,240 --> 01:04:41,760
or Debussy, La Mer, or whatever.
1207
01:04:41,760 --> 01:04:45,320
And what I like about that is that it's fun,
1208
01:04:45,320 --> 01:04:48,000
and there's no professional pressure attached to that,
1209
01:04:48,000 --> 01:04:52,080
although ironically, it's becoming a profession for me.
1210
01:04:52,080 --> 01:04:54,840
So I do have the professional pressure.
1211
01:04:54,840 --> 01:04:57,080
But at the same time, because they're transcriptions,
1212
01:04:57,080 --> 01:05:00,760
like if you have some passages of ridiculously hard octaves,
1213
01:05:00,760 --> 01:05:04,520
I'll usually leave stuff out, because hey,
1214
01:05:04,520 --> 01:05:08,320
it's a transcription of a transcription or something.
1215
01:05:08,320 --> 01:05:12,920
And you've done so many interesting gigs.
1216
01:05:12,920 --> 01:05:15,120
But one thing I realized was, what
1217
01:05:15,120 --> 01:05:20,640
is this 175 electronic keyboards, the Guinness record?
1218
01:05:20,640 --> 01:05:22,640
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
1219
01:05:22,640 --> 01:05:24,760
This is a fun project.
1220
01:05:24,760 --> 01:05:28,840
What happened was I was involved for quite a few years
1221
01:05:28,840 --> 01:05:33,080
with Make Music New York, which is an organization that
1222
01:05:33,080 --> 01:05:37,600
produces free concerts, mostly in outdoor venues,
1223
01:05:37,600 --> 01:05:41,360
all over the city on June 21.
1224
01:05:41,360 --> 01:05:45,400
I was involved with the first one done in New York in 2007,
1225
01:05:45,400 --> 01:05:50,480
where I led a performance of Terry Riley's minimalist
1226
01:05:50,480 --> 01:05:53,240
manifesto, a minimalist masterpiece,
1227
01:05:53,240 --> 01:05:59,600
in C with 100-plus musicians on Cornelia Street in Greenwich
1228
01:05:59,600 --> 01:06:02,800
Village, because the Cornelia Street Cafe was
1229
01:06:02,800 --> 01:06:08,280
a place where I hosted a monthly contemporary music
1230
01:06:08,280 --> 01:06:09,560
series for years.
1231
01:06:09,560 --> 01:06:13,960
And I was very, very involved with musical activities
1232
01:06:13,960 --> 01:06:15,480
at the cafe.
1233
01:06:15,480 --> 01:06:18,840
And the owner of the cafe, Robin Hirsch,
1234
01:06:18,840 --> 01:06:23,840
who is an actor and writer, was very supportive
1235
01:06:23,840 --> 01:06:26,040
of my musical activities.
1236
01:06:26,040 --> 01:06:29,720
So when this opportunity came up with Make Music New York,
1237
01:06:29,720 --> 01:06:33,400
I asked Robin, do you think we could do a big thing
1238
01:06:33,400 --> 01:06:34,200
on the street?
1239
01:06:34,200 --> 01:06:36,720
So we got permission from the city
1240
01:06:36,720 --> 01:06:40,280
and the other businesses knew about this.
1241
01:06:40,280 --> 01:06:42,560
So it was very, very successful.
1242
01:06:42,560 --> 01:06:43,760
It was a lot of fun.
1243
01:06:43,760 --> 01:06:48,880
And so for the next several years,
1244
01:06:48,880 --> 01:06:54,520
my music nonprofit organization, Composers Collaborative,
1245
01:06:54,520 --> 01:06:57,680
produced or either co-produced big events
1246
01:06:57,680 --> 01:07:00,440
on the street on June 21.
1247
01:07:00,440 --> 01:07:05,280
So what happened is, on June 21, 2013,
1248
01:07:05,280 --> 01:07:07,680
Make Music New York was interested in doing
1249
01:07:07,680 --> 01:07:10,560
a multi-keyboard project where Yamaha would
1250
01:07:10,560 --> 01:07:17,160
donate 175 or so keyboards, however many keyboards it
1251
01:07:17,160 --> 01:07:19,840
would take to break the Guinness Book
1252
01:07:19,840 --> 01:07:25,120
Record of number of keyboards playing simultaneously.
1253
01:07:25,120 --> 01:07:28,320
So they asked if I was interested in participating.
1254
01:07:28,320 --> 01:07:31,400
So I thought, well, why don't I write a piece of music for this?
1255
01:07:31,400 --> 01:07:34,040
So I wrote a piece called Broken Record,
1256
01:07:34,040 --> 01:07:36,840
which was a piece that was more of an installation
1257
01:07:36,840 --> 01:07:41,080
and a kind of environmental piece where there were written
1258
01:07:41,080 --> 01:07:43,280
notes, but there were also gestures,
1259
01:07:43,280 --> 01:07:47,200
like I would have blocks of time saying,
1260
01:07:47,200 --> 01:07:51,800
from two minutes and 30 seconds to four minutes and 40 seconds,
1261
01:07:51,800 --> 01:07:54,280
you just play arpeggios.
1262
01:07:54,280 --> 01:07:56,880
And so I had all of these keyboards.
1263
01:07:56,880 --> 01:08:02,440
And my wife, Maria Scarpini, who is a visual artist,
1264
01:08:02,440 --> 01:08:06,480
arranged the look of the keyboards on the street.
1265
01:08:06,480 --> 01:08:09,240
She did the chenography where she
1266
01:08:09,240 --> 01:08:12,120
made an outline of where to place the keyboards
1267
01:08:12,120 --> 01:08:15,160
and also where to place the five conductors that I had.
1268
01:08:15,160 --> 01:08:19,600
And she did this in a way where pedestrians could walk up
1269
01:08:19,600 --> 01:08:22,400
and down the street and hear the piece
1270
01:08:22,400 --> 01:08:25,480
from different perspectives because things sounded
1271
01:08:25,480 --> 01:08:28,880
very different from wherever you were on the street.
1272
01:08:28,880 --> 01:08:32,520
Now, the thing was is that we wouldn't
1273
01:08:32,520 --> 01:08:39,280
have been able to qualify for the Guinness record
1274
01:08:39,280 --> 01:08:43,040
unless we played a familiar composition.
1275
01:08:43,040 --> 01:08:47,000
And who the hell knows Jed Disler's composition,
1276
01:08:47,000 --> 01:08:48,120
Broken Record?
1277
01:08:48,120 --> 01:08:51,400
But everybody knows the Pachelbel canon, right?
1278
01:08:51,400 --> 01:08:51,920
Yeah.
1279
01:08:51,920 --> 01:08:52,600
Right.
1280
01:08:52,600 --> 01:08:53,960
So what did I do?
1281
01:08:53,960 --> 01:08:56,600
I made an arrangement of the Pachelbel canon
1282
01:08:56,600 --> 01:08:58,680
for 175 keyboards.
1283
01:08:58,680 --> 01:09:01,040
And we opened with that.
1284
01:09:01,040 --> 01:09:02,600
Wow.
1285
01:09:02,600 --> 01:09:05,080
Wow, I can't imagine.
1286
01:09:05,080 --> 01:09:09,040
Oh, well, there's if you go on YouTube,
1287
01:09:09,040 --> 01:09:11,080
you'll find a video of this.
1288
01:09:11,080 --> 01:09:12,680
It's really kind of amusing.
1289
01:09:12,680 --> 01:09:14,240
I'll send you a link to it.
1290
01:09:14,240 --> 01:09:18,240
It was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of hard work.
1291
01:09:18,240 --> 01:09:22,760
But it's a project that I would love to do again,
1292
01:09:22,760 --> 01:09:28,400
but to do it on a larger scale in another outdoor venue,
1293
01:09:28,400 --> 01:09:32,080
but also to have an infrastructure that would
1294
01:09:32,080 --> 01:09:41,160
include a sound engineer and really good financial support.
1295
01:09:41,160 --> 01:09:45,240
Because I think it's something that can involve communities.
1296
01:09:45,240 --> 01:09:48,000
And a lot of the people who participated
1297
01:09:48,000 --> 01:09:50,360
were not professional performers.
1298
01:09:50,360 --> 01:09:52,000
Like there were a lot of school kids.
1299
01:09:52,000 --> 01:09:57,680
In fact, one of the school kids was
1300
01:09:57,680 --> 01:10:01,120
Cameron Glass, whose father is Philip Glass.
1301
01:10:01,120 --> 01:10:02,560
And of course, Philip showed up.
1302
01:10:02,560 --> 01:10:04,760
And then we roped him into playing.
1303
01:10:04,760 --> 01:10:08,160
So I can say that Philip Glass performed my compositions.
1304
01:10:08,160 --> 01:10:10,360
But there are a lot of other composers there.
1305
01:10:10,360 --> 01:10:13,120
The late Noah Krzyzewski, who was
1306
01:10:13,120 --> 01:10:17,320
one of the great electronic composers of his generation.
1307
01:10:17,320 --> 01:10:20,920
And who was a dear, dear friend he played.
1308
01:10:20,920 --> 01:10:25,040
And he never showed his face in public,
1309
01:10:25,040 --> 01:10:28,560
because he wrote his electronic music in isolation.
1310
01:10:28,560 --> 01:10:32,360
And that he showed up to this and participated
1311
01:10:32,360 --> 01:10:34,600
meant so much to me.
1312
01:10:34,600 --> 01:10:37,320
But just this kind of a community spirit
1313
01:10:37,320 --> 01:10:39,280
was so much fun.
1314
01:10:39,280 --> 01:10:43,680
And this is the kind of thing that we need more and more of.
1315
01:10:43,680 --> 01:10:47,640
Because it just shows that people can participate
1316
01:10:47,640 --> 01:10:53,400
in live music and be a part of something that is bigger.
1317
01:10:56,680 --> 01:10:57,800
What's the cliche?
1318
01:10:57,800 --> 01:10:59,760
More than the sum of its parts?
1319
01:10:59,760 --> 01:11:04,360
Or it adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
1320
01:11:04,360 --> 01:11:07,560
But I would love to, anyway, I don't
1321
01:11:07,560 --> 01:11:10,800
want to talk too much, because somebody else
1322
01:11:10,800 --> 01:11:14,320
might steal the idea.
1323
01:11:14,320 --> 01:11:18,200
But I do have some ideas for venues and sites,
1324
01:11:18,200 --> 01:11:20,560
where I think this could really work.
1325
01:11:20,560 --> 01:11:24,200
I would love to do it again.
1326
01:11:24,200 --> 01:11:26,240
We're doing two things.
1327
01:11:26,240 --> 01:11:29,760
I wrote a piece for 175 electronic keyboards
1328
01:11:29,760 --> 01:11:32,160
in grand piano, which is called Broken Record.
1329
01:11:32,160 --> 01:11:35,960
And it's a piece that really uses
1330
01:11:35,960 --> 01:11:39,840
the entire length of the street as kind of a soundscape.
1331
01:11:39,840 --> 01:11:44,080
Where waves of sound are going from one place to another.
1332
01:11:44,080 --> 01:11:46,920
And there are some sections where
1333
01:11:46,920 --> 01:11:50,200
people can play what they want within certain parameters.
1334
01:11:50,200 --> 01:12:14,440
Another project you are working on, which is the 1827 Bagatelle's
1335
01:12:14,440 --> 01:12:14,960
project.
1336
01:12:14,960 --> 01:12:15,440
Oh, yeah.
1337
01:12:15,440 --> 01:12:20,640
I'm composing 1,827 piano Bagatelle's for the Beethoven
1338
01:12:20,640 --> 01:12:22,760
death anniversary.
1339
01:12:22,760 --> 01:12:26,320
And each Bagatelle is dedicated to a different pianist,
1340
01:12:26,320 --> 01:12:30,480
musician, friend, or somebody involved in this.
1341
01:12:30,480 --> 01:12:33,080
You are in my database of people.
1342
01:12:33,080 --> 01:12:33,560
Me?
1343
01:12:33,560 --> 01:12:34,080
By the way.
1344
01:12:34,080 --> 01:12:34,600
Oh, yeah.
1345
01:12:34,600 --> 01:12:35,120
Of course.
1346
01:12:35,120 --> 01:12:37,760
You're one of the recent entries.
1347
01:12:37,760 --> 01:12:38,600
Oh, my goodness.
1348
01:12:38,600 --> 01:12:39,880
That's an honor.
1349
01:12:39,880 --> 01:12:42,320
So some of these have been performed.
1350
01:12:42,320 --> 01:12:46,040
I'm up to about a third way through.
1351
01:12:46,040 --> 01:12:48,840
But the thing is, some of the Bagatelle's
1352
01:12:48,840 --> 01:12:52,000
are only like five seconds, six seconds long.
1353
01:12:52,000 --> 01:12:55,640
And they're all very stylistically diverse.
1354
01:12:55,640 --> 01:12:59,760
Also, because I'm constantly sketching things
1355
01:12:59,760 --> 01:13:01,720
and tossing the sketches away.
1356
01:13:01,720 --> 01:13:05,160
But I keep everything, although they're all filed.
1357
01:13:05,160 --> 01:13:08,840
Again, it's that hoarder tendency or tendency
1358
01:13:08,840 --> 01:13:10,840
not to hoard.
1359
01:13:10,840 --> 01:13:13,480
I can go back to a lot of these pieces
1360
01:13:13,480 --> 01:13:15,600
that I forgot about from years ago,
1361
01:13:15,600 --> 01:13:17,640
like something I started, never finished.
1362
01:13:17,640 --> 01:13:20,360
And then I just say, OK, I'll do this.
1363
01:13:20,360 --> 01:13:21,720
I'll just keep it intact.
1364
01:13:21,720 --> 01:13:23,200
It's a Bagatelle.
1365
01:13:23,200 --> 01:13:28,200
So I spend several hours a day just copying the damn music
1366
01:13:28,200 --> 01:13:31,200
and then when I'm copying, I do little revisions.
1367
01:13:31,200 --> 01:13:37,160
And one can play any amount of these, as many or as few
1368
01:13:37,160 --> 01:13:41,360
as one wishes in any order.
1369
01:13:41,360 --> 01:13:44,320
There's no rules or regulations about it.
1370
01:13:44,320 --> 01:13:47,640
It's really just like a big gift to the piano community.
1371
01:13:47,640 --> 01:13:48,520
And then I retire.
1372
01:13:51,960 --> 01:13:53,000
I don't think so.
1373
01:13:53,000 --> 01:13:54,480
I don't think so.
1374
01:13:54,480 --> 01:13:58,680
Do you plan to do this like maybe some sort of,
1375
01:13:58,680 --> 01:14:02,040
I don't know, event or like putting something in there?
1376
01:14:02,040 --> 01:14:06,800
There's already talk about doing the entire cycle
1377
01:14:06,800 --> 01:14:09,080
in a couple of European cities.
1378
01:14:09,080 --> 01:14:10,960
I can't really talk about details.
1379
01:14:10,960 --> 01:14:14,080
But I don't know whether I would play the whole thing
1380
01:14:14,080 --> 01:14:15,040
or somebody else would.
1381
01:14:15,040 --> 01:14:17,200
I mean, I imagine the whole thing
1382
01:14:17,200 --> 01:14:21,360
would total maybe eight hours of music altogether.
1383
01:14:21,360 --> 01:14:23,800
It wouldn't be all that long, honestly.
1384
01:14:23,800 --> 01:14:26,680
There is one Bagatelle that's actually one hour long,
1385
01:14:26,680 --> 01:14:30,080
but that's because you have hundreds of repetitions.
1386
01:14:30,080 --> 01:14:33,600
And that was actually written for a friend of mine,
1387
01:14:33,600 --> 01:14:38,080
Nicola Orvat, a really fantastic pianist who plays
1388
01:14:38,080 --> 01:14:42,040
Satis Vexations by himself.
1389
01:14:42,040 --> 01:14:43,720
I don't know how he does that.
1390
01:14:43,720 --> 01:14:48,000
He does 24 hours or so playing straight through.
1391
01:14:48,000 --> 01:14:50,360
I don't know how he does that.
1392
01:14:50,360 --> 01:14:52,240
So that's kind of dedicated to him.
1393
01:14:52,240 --> 01:14:55,520
But we'll see what happens.
1394
01:14:55,520 --> 01:14:59,760
I mean, I'm open to suggestions.
1395
01:14:59,760 --> 01:15:01,640
I'm open to funding.
1396
01:15:01,640 --> 01:15:02,920
I'm open to.
1397
01:15:02,920 --> 01:15:06,160
Oh, and we should talk about my podcast, shouldn't we?
1398
01:15:06,160 --> 01:15:08,120
Oh, sure.
1399
01:15:08,120 --> 01:15:09,560
Let's talk about it.
1400
01:15:09,560 --> 01:15:14,880
So you just gave a birth to a podcast show.
1401
01:15:14,880 --> 01:15:15,360
Yes.
1402
01:15:15,360 --> 01:15:18,880
And I have to thank you for helping me set it up
1403
01:15:18,880 --> 01:15:23,040
and for all of your support and your ideas and feedback,
1404
01:15:23,040 --> 01:15:26,040
because I wouldn't have been able to do this without you.
1405
01:15:26,040 --> 01:15:29,880
But it's called The Piano Maven with Jed Distler.
1406
01:15:29,880 --> 01:15:32,920
And it's a very simple premise where
1407
01:15:32,920 --> 01:15:34,840
I talk about piano recordings.
1408
01:15:34,840 --> 01:15:37,400
There isn't any music, because you
1409
01:15:37,400 --> 01:15:40,240
have to deal with getting rights if you have
1410
01:15:40,240 --> 01:15:41,840
music in a podcast format.
1411
01:15:41,840 --> 01:15:44,840
Whereas on my radio show with webcasts,
1412
01:15:44,840 --> 01:15:46,600
you can't download those, although I'm
1413
01:15:46,600 --> 01:15:49,720
sure people can find ways to do that illegally.
1414
01:15:49,720 --> 01:15:53,040
But the radio is a very different thing.
1415
01:15:53,040 --> 01:15:54,800
But what I do is I discuss recordings.
1416
01:15:54,800 --> 01:15:59,480
However, I provide links to how you can access the recordings,
1417
01:15:59,480 --> 01:16:04,520
purchase them, or hear them in authorized YouTube site.
1418
01:16:04,520 --> 01:16:08,040
In fact, I've been getting a lot of feedback
1419
01:16:08,040 --> 01:16:12,080
from listeners who've discovered the podcast through YouTube.
1420
01:16:12,080 --> 01:16:13,800
And they send comments.
1421
01:16:13,800 --> 01:16:17,720
And they're very supportive and interesting.
1422
01:16:17,720 --> 01:16:21,480
And what's been wonderful is that my podcast has opened up
1423
01:16:21,480 --> 01:16:24,640
a lot of dialogues about recordings and repertoire.
1424
01:16:24,640 --> 01:16:26,680
And I'll talk about new releases,
1425
01:16:26,680 --> 01:16:28,560
or I'll talk about unusual things.
1426
01:16:28,560 --> 01:16:30,600
It's kind of like between the keys in the sense
1427
01:16:30,600 --> 01:16:33,240
that I'm trying to give a lot of variety,
1428
01:16:33,240 --> 01:16:37,520
and not just to have only new releases or only dead pianists.
1429
01:16:37,520 --> 01:16:38,720
I try to mix it up.
1430
01:16:38,720 --> 01:16:41,920
I also have episodes about jazz pianists
1431
01:16:41,920 --> 01:16:45,560
that will be coming up, and not your usual suspects
1432
01:16:45,560 --> 01:16:46,800
among jazz pianists.
1433
01:16:46,800 --> 01:16:49,160
There'll be some surprises.
1434
01:16:49,160 --> 01:16:52,280
Pianists who you probably haven't even thought about.
1435
01:16:52,280 --> 01:16:55,680
And also, the listeners who are writing in
1436
01:16:55,680 --> 01:16:59,280
or drawing my attention to pianists who I didn't even
1437
01:16:59,280 --> 01:17:01,160
know about.
1438
01:17:01,160 --> 01:17:07,160
So it's this back and forth that I think is just so wonderful.
1439
01:17:07,160 --> 01:17:10,920
And it just shows what a community
1440
01:17:10,920 --> 01:17:14,080
we have in the piano world internationally,
1441
01:17:14,080 --> 01:17:18,680
and how we have to keep the community cultivated,
1442
01:17:18,680 --> 01:17:20,880
and alive, and nurtured.
1443
01:17:20,880 --> 01:17:22,640
It's so important.
1444
01:17:22,640 --> 01:17:25,520
And you've been doing this to such a wonderful extent
1445
01:17:25,520 --> 01:17:26,720
with the piano pod.
1446
01:17:26,720 --> 01:17:30,480
And I hope that I've been doing this with my work, too.
1447
01:17:30,480 --> 01:17:32,040
Oh, you are my inspiration.
1448
01:17:32,040 --> 01:17:35,600
But thank you so much for such encouraging words.
1449
01:17:35,600 --> 01:17:37,640
It means so much.
1450
01:17:37,640 --> 01:17:43,240
But this is the reason why we do radio show to podcasts,
1451
01:17:43,240 --> 01:17:45,520
because we love piano so much.
1452
01:17:45,520 --> 01:17:49,680
And it's not this compositions by the usual suspects,
1453
01:17:49,680 --> 01:17:52,720
but it's just so much more.
1454
01:17:52,720 --> 01:17:54,760
And I think the important thing is,
1455
01:17:54,760 --> 01:17:58,560
another thing I should have said about my radio show before is,
1456
01:17:58,560 --> 01:18:00,120
and when we talk about community,
1457
01:18:00,120 --> 01:18:01,560
we're not just talking about people
1458
01:18:01,560 --> 01:18:05,600
who've been a part of the community for a long time,
1459
01:18:05,600 --> 01:18:08,640
because we don't want to always preach to the choir.
1460
01:18:08,640 --> 01:18:12,040
We want to be inviting new people.
1461
01:18:12,040 --> 01:18:14,320
There are always going to be people tuning
1462
01:18:14,320 --> 01:18:18,640
into your podcast, my podcast, and my radio show,
1463
01:18:18,640 --> 01:18:22,680
who may be just discovering a Beethoven piece,
1464
01:18:22,680 --> 01:18:26,040
or learning about the piano for the first time.
1465
01:18:26,040 --> 01:18:29,520
And you have to present something
1466
01:18:29,520 --> 01:18:33,960
in a way that will make it attractive for them
1467
01:18:33,960 --> 01:18:36,920
to come back for more.
1468
01:18:36,920 --> 01:18:42,880
One thing that I never liked about reading sports columnists
1469
01:18:42,880 --> 01:18:47,440
is that they always presume a kind of prior knowledge
1470
01:18:47,440 --> 01:18:48,880
among readers.
1471
01:18:48,880 --> 01:18:53,320
And they use jargon that I never understand.
1472
01:18:53,320 --> 01:18:55,560
And I'm often turned off by that,
1473
01:18:55,560 --> 01:18:57,680
because they assume you know so much.
1474
01:18:57,680 --> 01:19:00,920
And there's all this insider information
1475
01:19:00,920 --> 01:19:03,160
that kind of alienates me.
1476
01:19:03,160 --> 01:19:07,240
I feel the same way often about reading opera critics,
1477
01:19:07,240 --> 01:19:10,720
because they're talking a lot in technical terms
1478
01:19:10,720 --> 01:19:16,440
or in very arcane language that I think would turn off
1479
01:19:16,440 --> 01:19:21,520
people who just want to listen to opera and enjoy the singers.
1480
01:19:21,520 --> 01:19:24,240
And I know that when I write record reviews,
1481
01:19:24,240 --> 01:19:26,560
sometimes I can get a little technical,
1482
01:19:26,560 --> 01:19:30,200
or I can get involved in this kind of jargon.
1483
01:19:30,200 --> 01:19:31,720
But I try not to do that.
1484
01:19:31,720 --> 01:19:35,880
And I try not to do this when I'm putting a radio show
1485
01:19:35,880 --> 01:19:36,360
together.
1486
01:19:36,360 --> 01:19:40,080
Even sometimes it's unavoidable.
1487
01:19:40,080 --> 01:19:45,920
But you want to invite somebody who may not know about this
1488
01:19:45,920 --> 01:19:48,560
and to give them information, but make
1489
01:19:48,560 --> 01:19:50,920
them want to learn more.
1490
01:19:50,920 --> 01:19:55,400
And then they can discover all this on their own.
1491
01:19:55,400 --> 01:19:56,160
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1492
01:19:56,160 --> 01:19:59,600
But where does that big heart come from?
1493
01:19:59,600 --> 01:20:01,280
My parents.
1494
01:20:01,280 --> 01:20:04,680
I had very loving, supportive parents.
1495
01:20:04,680 --> 01:20:06,400
And I had three younger brothers.
1496
01:20:06,400 --> 01:20:11,440
And we were raised to be kind and to be civil.
1497
01:20:11,440 --> 01:20:14,280
We didn't always have to like one another
1498
01:20:14,280 --> 01:20:16,520
all the time in the house.
1499
01:20:16,520 --> 01:20:21,160
But respect and civility were always important.
1500
01:20:21,160 --> 01:20:25,520
And there was always a sense of support and generosity
1501
01:20:25,520 --> 01:20:27,920
from my parents, even if we didn't always
1502
01:20:27,920 --> 01:20:30,120
share the same loves.
1503
01:20:30,120 --> 01:20:32,880
My father was not artistic at all.
1504
01:20:32,880 --> 01:20:34,320
He was really into sports.
1505
01:20:34,320 --> 01:20:36,440
I wasn't into sports.
1506
01:20:36,440 --> 01:20:40,200
But his sense of right and wrong,
1507
01:20:40,200 --> 01:20:43,920
his feeling of being protective of those he loved,
1508
01:20:43,920 --> 01:20:48,280
and his authenticity, and how he related so naturally
1509
01:20:48,280 --> 01:20:52,320
with people is something that I've tried to emulate.
1510
01:20:52,320 --> 01:20:54,720
I don't know if I do it successfully.
1511
01:20:54,720 --> 01:20:58,440
But my mother was a teacher and a poet
1512
01:20:58,440 --> 01:21:02,440
and somebody who was just very open and curious about all
1513
01:21:02,440 --> 01:21:03,960
of the arts.
1514
01:21:03,960 --> 01:21:09,520
And living in a house with an artist who had
1515
01:21:09,520 --> 01:21:11,240
all kinds of things going on.
1516
01:21:11,240 --> 01:21:14,840
And when I was a kid, she bought records for me all the time.
1517
01:21:14,840 --> 01:21:18,520
She bought secondhand records of all styles.
1518
01:21:18,520 --> 01:21:20,960
And it didn't really matter what it was.
1519
01:21:20,960 --> 01:21:27,200
And just being non-judgmental, but also setting limits,
1520
01:21:27,200 --> 01:21:27,880
of course.
1521
01:21:27,880 --> 01:21:35,880
But I think it's their kindness and their ethical blueprint.
1522
01:21:35,880 --> 01:21:40,640
I think that this is, and having mentors
1523
01:21:40,640 --> 01:21:43,640
who are generous, and also knowing how not to be.
1524
01:21:43,640 --> 01:21:45,680
Because there's some teachers I had
1525
01:21:45,680 --> 01:21:51,280
who were just very small minded and not very generous.
1526
01:21:51,280 --> 01:21:55,280
So I knew who not to be like.
1527
01:21:55,280 --> 01:22:00,080
So I really think it was my upbringing, honestly.
1528
01:22:00,080 --> 01:22:03,600
So I'm just very lucky.
1529
01:22:03,600 --> 01:22:08,200
Not everyone is lucky to have close family ties.
1530
01:22:08,200 --> 01:22:12,120
I was just in Colorado recently because one
1531
01:22:12,120 --> 01:22:16,440
of my younger brother's daughter had a wedding.
1532
01:22:16,440 --> 01:22:19,480
It was just a wonderful occasion to be with my brothers
1533
01:22:19,480 --> 01:22:22,920
and their kids who are all grown.
1534
01:22:22,920 --> 01:22:27,680
And they all have that very sweet and generous nature.
1535
01:22:27,680 --> 01:22:32,600
They're all doing interesting work.
1536
01:22:32,600 --> 01:22:34,200
There are no musicians among them,
1537
01:22:34,200 --> 01:22:37,120
although I do have a nephew who studied French horn
1538
01:22:37,120 --> 01:22:38,960
very seriously.
1539
01:22:38,960 --> 01:22:41,000
And he's a sports fanatic.
1540
01:22:41,000 --> 01:22:43,920
And he works in broadcasting.
1541
01:22:43,920 --> 01:22:45,520
And he just loves it.
1542
01:22:45,520 --> 01:22:48,280
But we're going to do a Between the Keys episode together
1543
01:22:48,280 --> 01:22:50,520
where we talk about the introduction of the Brahms
1544
01:22:50,520 --> 01:22:53,760
Second Concerto, because there's that horn solo.
1545
01:22:53,760 --> 01:22:56,040
So he's going to comment on the horn solos
1546
01:22:56,040 --> 01:22:57,520
without knowing who's playing.
1547
01:22:57,520 --> 01:23:00,120
And then I'm going to comment on the pianist
1548
01:23:00,120 --> 01:23:01,320
without knowing who's playing.
1549
01:23:01,320 --> 01:23:03,280
We're going to see what we come up with.
1550
01:23:03,280 --> 01:23:04,840
Oh, how lovely.
1551
01:23:04,840 --> 01:23:07,600
It would be so much fun to collaborate with him on this.
1552
01:23:07,600 --> 01:23:13,000
And as I get older, I feel that friends and family are really
1553
01:23:13,000 --> 01:23:14,840
the most important thing.
1554
01:23:14,840 --> 01:23:19,240
And when I'm with my wife's friends in Italy,
1555
01:23:19,240 --> 01:23:22,480
because she's from Milan and we spent a long time,
1556
01:23:22,480 --> 01:23:25,800
there is this loyalty among friends
1557
01:23:25,800 --> 01:23:28,600
that you don't always find in the United States.
1558
01:23:28,600 --> 01:23:31,280
I think in New York City, even though it's such a big city
1559
01:23:31,280 --> 01:23:34,400
and there's so many people, it can often
1560
01:23:34,400 --> 01:23:39,200
seem so isolated because we're all so obsessed by our work
1561
01:23:39,200 --> 01:23:42,920
and we're all alone in our studios working.
1562
01:23:42,920 --> 01:23:47,720
And you don't always have that sense of community
1563
01:23:47,720 --> 01:23:48,800
that you can have.
1564
01:23:48,800 --> 01:23:51,720
I mean, I will see friends and colleagues at concerts.
1565
01:23:51,720 --> 01:23:55,440
But it's not that we always go out of our way
1566
01:23:55,440 --> 01:23:59,440
to make time to go have coffee or have dinner.
1567
01:23:59,440 --> 01:24:01,240
You have to really make the effort to do that.
1568
01:24:01,240 --> 01:24:05,360
Whereas when I'm in Milan or even when I'm in the Bay Area,
1569
01:24:05,360 --> 01:24:08,360
it's a little different because my pianist friends are always
1570
01:24:08,360 --> 01:24:12,360
going to one another's concerts and listening to run-throughs
1571
01:24:12,360 --> 01:24:15,800
and helping each other out.
1572
01:24:15,800 --> 01:24:18,840
And it's something that's really quite wonderful.
1573
01:24:18,840 --> 01:24:21,120
It's very Italian.
1574
01:24:21,120 --> 01:24:26,760
And the best example of this is I remember,
1575
01:24:26,760 --> 01:24:29,680
oh, I think it was a couple of years ago, we were in Milan.
1576
01:24:29,680 --> 01:24:34,440
And my wife was staying a few more days beyond me.
1577
01:24:34,440 --> 01:24:36,640
I had to leave a little earlier.
1578
01:24:36,640 --> 01:24:41,080
So these friends of ours drive all the way across the city.
1579
01:24:41,080 --> 01:24:44,440
The morning I'm going to leave, I have an afternoon flight.
1580
01:24:44,440 --> 01:24:47,240
They drive over in the morning, just have coffee with us,
1581
01:24:47,240 --> 01:24:49,400
just to say hi and goodbye.
1582
01:24:49,400 --> 01:24:52,080
Does that ever happen in New York City?
1583
01:24:52,080 --> 01:24:53,800
I don't think so.
1584
01:24:53,800 --> 01:24:54,680
Rarely.
1585
01:24:54,680 --> 01:24:58,560
I mean, this will happen in a small town somewhere.
1586
01:24:58,560 --> 01:25:01,280
And these are people who I'm very fond with.
1587
01:25:01,280 --> 01:25:05,880
But these are old friends of Mima's, of my wife's.
1588
01:25:05,880 --> 01:25:08,920
And I've come to know them.
1589
01:25:08,920 --> 01:25:10,000
And I'm very fond of them.
1590
01:25:10,000 --> 01:25:12,800
But they're busy people.
1591
01:25:12,800 --> 01:25:14,560
They don't have to do this.
1592
01:25:14,560 --> 01:25:18,000
But this is what happens all the time.
1593
01:25:18,000 --> 01:25:23,600
And this is what I value really more than anything.
1594
01:25:23,600 --> 01:25:27,600
I think friends and family are really,
1595
01:25:27,600 --> 01:25:29,560
that's the top priority for me.
1596
01:25:29,560 --> 01:25:31,760
I can always make music.
1597
01:25:31,760 --> 01:25:35,040
And I can always do my musical projects.
1598
01:25:35,040 --> 01:25:39,240
But you can't get another family.
1599
01:25:39,240 --> 01:25:42,680
Jed, you mentioned in the guest form you filled out for me
1600
01:25:42,680 --> 01:25:46,440
that you've always pursued your dreams and obsessions
1601
01:25:46,440 --> 01:25:51,240
to their final goal, seeking out like-minded individuals
1602
01:25:51,240 --> 01:25:52,560
for support and feedback.
1603
01:25:52,560 --> 01:25:55,000
We mentioned about community and so on today.
1604
01:25:55,000 --> 01:25:59,720
So in the often solitary pursuit of artistic excellence,
1605
01:25:59,720 --> 01:26:02,840
especially being a pianist and composer as well,
1606
01:26:02,840 --> 01:26:05,400
how do you balance the drive for personal achievement
1607
01:26:05,400 --> 01:26:07,280
with the need to create community
1608
01:26:07,280 --> 01:26:09,480
and build steadfast relationships?
1609
01:26:09,480 --> 01:26:11,640
Maybe you answered that question.
1610
01:26:11,640 --> 01:26:16,040
You already talked about family and friends.
1611
01:26:16,040 --> 01:26:20,600
I think that the pursuit of artistic excellence
1612
01:26:20,600 --> 01:26:24,280
and the pursuit of community can be one in the same.
1613
01:26:24,280 --> 01:26:29,120
I think that these work within one another,
1614
01:26:29,120 --> 01:26:31,160
they feed in and out of each other.
1615
01:26:31,160 --> 01:26:33,440
It's a very natural kind of thing
1616
01:26:33,440 --> 01:26:37,400
because so much of what is done artistically
1617
01:26:37,400 --> 01:26:43,440
is community oriented in terms of having a team working
1618
01:26:43,440 --> 01:26:44,680
together.
1619
01:26:44,680 --> 01:26:47,640
I mean, otherwise you wouldn't have orchestras.
1620
01:26:47,640 --> 01:26:50,800
And in writing pieces for many people,
1621
01:26:50,800 --> 01:26:52,680
we're bringing a lot of people together
1622
01:26:52,680 --> 01:26:56,840
to perform something.
1623
01:26:56,840 --> 01:26:59,520
I think it's a very organic kind of thing.
1624
01:26:59,520 --> 01:27:04,440
If you think about what Bach did in composing his Passions
1625
01:27:04,440 --> 01:27:06,960
and his Cantatas, these were pieces
1626
01:27:06,960 --> 01:27:09,720
that were written not just for performers,
1627
01:27:09,720 --> 01:27:12,480
but for the members of the congregation
1628
01:27:12,480 --> 01:27:15,640
because they would sing the chorales.
1629
01:27:15,640 --> 01:27:17,680
They were very much a part of this.
1630
01:27:17,680 --> 01:27:24,000
So this is something that is not a new idea.
1631
01:27:24,000 --> 01:27:27,680
And the last question would be, what
1632
01:27:27,680 --> 01:27:31,040
is your thought on our gift or maybe duty
1633
01:27:31,040 --> 01:27:34,240
as classical musicians to society?
1634
01:27:34,240 --> 01:27:37,560
Oh, that's a tough question.
1635
01:27:37,560 --> 01:27:40,080
We have to remember that in classical music,
1636
01:27:40,080 --> 01:27:43,040
we are in a service industry.
1637
01:27:43,040 --> 01:27:45,320
We are serving the composers.
1638
01:27:45,320 --> 01:27:49,240
We are bringing the music to the public.
1639
01:27:49,240 --> 01:27:52,280
And we do this through performing,
1640
01:27:52,280 --> 01:27:55,760
through hosting radio shows, through presenting,
1641
01:27:55,760 --> 01:27:58,880
through curating, through artistic directing.
1642
01:27:58,880 --> 01:28:01,640
However we do it, the important thing
1643
01:28:01,640 --> 01:28:04,960
is just getting the music to the people
1644
01:28:04,960 --> 01:28:08,320
and sharing it with them, not reaching it to them,
1645
01:28:08,320 --> 01:28:12,560
but sharing it and just giving people an opportunity
1646
01:28:12,560 --> 01:28:16,000
to hear this music and to get to know it
1647
01:28:16,000 --> 01:28:21,760
and to create contexts in which they can get to know it better
1648
01:28:21,760 --> 01:28:25,400
should they want through discussions or lectures
1649
01:28:25,400 --> 01:28:30,080
or books or reviews or whatever.
1650
01:28:30,080 --> 01:28:31,880
Oh, totally.
1651
01:28:31,880 --> 01:28:32,560
Beautiful.
1652
01:28:32,560 --> 01:28:34,720
Thank you beautifully said.
1653
01:28:34,720 --> 01:28:38,520
So for our listeners, please check out
1654
01:28:38,520 --> 01:28:44,120
Jed's website for all the work he has done in the past,
1655
01:28:44,120 --> 01:28:48,800
but also maybe to keep you posted on his new project.
1656
01:28:48,800 --> 01:28:55,880
So his website is jettlisler.com, J-E-D-D-I-S-T-L-E-R.com.
1657
01:28:55,880 --> 01:28:57,000
Correct?
1658
01:28:57,000 --> 01:28:58,600
Yeah, that's it.
1659
01:28:58,600 --> 01:29:04,720
And then be sure to check out his radio show on WWFM.org
1660
01:29:04,720 --> 01:29:09,400
Between the Keys and his newly launched podcast,
1661
01:29:09,400 --> 01:29:12,720
The Piano Maven by Jed Disler.
1662
01:29:12,720 --> 01:29:17,920
And I also should mention that I am the new artistic director
1663
01:29:17,920 --> 01:29:22,080
of the Salon Concerts at Clavier House, which
1664
01:29:22,080 --> 01:29:27,160
is a weekly recital series that takes place for the most part
1665
01:29:27,160 --> 01:29:30,080
on Sunday afternoons at 2 o'clock.
1666
01:29:30,080 --> 01:29:32,920
And these concerts are live streamed,
1667
01:29:32,920 --> 01:29:35,240
but you can attend in person.
1668
01:29:35,240 --> 01:29:39,200
Concerts are free, but there's a suggested donation.
1669
01:29:39,200 --> 01:29:43,280
And the series presents a very broad range
1670
01:29:43,280 --> 01:29:47,240
of emerging and established pianists alike.
1671
01:29:47,240 --> 01:29:51,040
And this series was founded two years ago
1672
01:29:51,040 --> 01:29:56,240
by Joseph Patric, who was a fantastic recording engineer
1673
01:29:56,240 --> 01:29:58,680
and a mentor to pianists and somebody
1674
01:29:58,680 --> 01:30:02,440
who had an extraordinary presence in the piano world.
1675
01:30:02,440 --> 01:30:04,400
And he was a very close friend of mine,
1676
01:30:04,400 --> 01:30:08,320
and we collaborated on many projects together.
1677
01:30:08,320 --> 01:30:13,120
And after his death, I was brought in to keep the series
1678
01:30:13,120 --> 01:30:20,240
going, and we are continuing it into this season.
1679
01:30:20,240 --> 01:30:22,840
So you can find this online.
1680
01:30:22,840 --> 01:30:29,160
And all the concerts are booked through June 2025.
1681
01:30:29,160 --> 01:30:32,120
And I'm going to be performing on a bunch of these, which
1682
01:30:32,120 --> 01:30:33,880
will be a lot of fun.
1683
01:30:33,880 --> 01:30:37,800
So you can go to event.clavierhouse.com
1684
01:30:37,800 --> 01:30:39,400
to purchase tickets.
1685
01:30:39,400 --> 01:30:42,560
No, no, you don't have to purchase tickets, but get a more
1686
01:30:42,560 --> 01:30:43,840
important one.
1687
01:30:43,840 --> 01:30:46,040
Well, you should donate.
1688
01:30:46,040 --> 01:30:48,200
You have a moral obligation to donate,
1689
01:30:48,200 --> 01:30:51,040
even though you don't have to.
1690
01:30:51,040 --> 01:30:53,520
But you should.
1691
01:30:53,520 --> 01:30:54,040
Absolutely.
1692
01:30:54,040 --> 01:30:56,240
You should have, would have, supposed to.
1693
01:30:56,240 --> 01:30:57,240
Yeah?
1694
01:30:57,240 --> 01:30:59,280
Yes, that's right.
1695
01:30:59,280 --> 01:31:03,240
Well, it has been a wonderful, inspiring conversation.
1696
01:31:03,240 --> 01:31:05,080
It was a master class.
1697
01:31:05,080 --> 01:31:05,760
Thank you.
1698
01:31:05,760 --> 01:31:08,440
So thank you.
1699
01:31:08,440 --> 01:31:09,120
Thank you.
1700
01:31:09,120 --> 01:31:11,760
But before I let you go, we have one more thing to do.
1701
01:31:11,760 --> 01:31:12,280
It's called.
1702
01:31:12,280 --> 01:31:13,400
One more thing to do.
1703
01:31:13,400 --> 01:31:13,920
OK.
1704
01:31:13,920 --> 01:31:15,480
Of course, rapid fire questions.
1705
01:31:15,480 --> 01:31:17,000
And this is the part of the show where
1706
01:31:17,000 --> 01:31:19,640
I get to ask fun questions to each guest.
1707
01:31:19,640 --> 01:31:20,640
Here's a little twist.
1708
01:31:20,640 --> 01:31:22,680
As silly as these questions may sound,
1709
01:31:22,680 --> 01:31:27,120
your answers may reveal who you truly are, so ready or not.
1710
01:31:27,120 --> 01:31:31,280
Please answer each question with the shortest response
1711
01:31:31,280 --> 01:31:32,160
as possible.
1712
01:31:32,160 --> 01:31:32,680
And no.
1713
01:31:32,680 --> 01:31:35,200
As quickly as possible?
1714
01:31:35,200 --> 01:31:37,240
Short, as short as possible.
1715
01:31:37,240 --> 01:31:40,120
The quick, you can take your time to think a little bit.
1716
01:31:40,120 --> 01:31:42,080
But no explanation.
1717
01:31:42,080 --> 01:31:44,880
Like three or four words.
1718
01:31:44,880 --> 01:31:45,680
Sure.
1719
01:31:45,680 --> 01:31:46,720
Yeah, yeah.
1720
01:31:46,720 --> 01:31:47,520
One word.
1721
01:31:47,520 --> 01:31:48,800
Yeah, it depends on the question.
1722
01:31:48,800 --> 01:31:50,440
But question one.
1723
01:31:50,440 --> 01:31:51,680
Question number one.
1724
01:31:51,680 --> 01:31:54,240
What is your comfort food?
1725
01:31:54,240 --> 01:31:58,200
My homemade meatballs from chicken.
1726
01:31:58,200 --> 01:32:01,400
How do you like your coffee in the morning?
1727
01:32:01,400 --> 01:32:03,320
Black, strong.
1728
01:32:03,320 --> 01:32:04,920
Cats or dogs?
1729
01:32:04,920 --> 01:32:06,000
Cats.
1730
01:32:06,000 --> 01:32:08,080
Yes, I met one of your cats.
1731
01:32:08,080 --> 01:32:09,920
You met Shubi.
1732
01:32:09,920 --> 01:32:11,480
Pablo, I don't think you met.
1733
01:32:11,480 --> 01:32:12,960
But you met Shubi.
1734
01:32:12,960 --> 01:32:14,000
So sweet.
1735
01:32:14,000 --> 01:32:17,720
And next question is sunrise or sunset?
1736
01:32:17,720 --> 01:32:19,520
Sunrise.
1737
01:32:19,520 --> 01:32:21,600
Summer or winter?
1738
01:32:21,600 --> 01:32:22,480
It's hard to say.
1739
01:32:22,480 --> 01:32:24,320
It depends on which country.
1740
01:32:24,320 --> 01:32:25,840
I would say summer.
1741
01:32:25,840 --> 01:32:28,280
Next question is a little bit more difficult.
1742
01:32:28,280 --> 01:32:31,240
What skill have you always wanted to learn
1743
01:32:31,240 --> 01:32:33,240
but haven't had a chance to?
1744
01:32:33,240 --> 01:32:36,040
Diving.
1745
01:32:36,040 --> 01:32:39,680
What is your word or words to live by?
1746
01:32:39,680 --> 01:32:41,800
Be yourself.
1747
01:32:41,800 --> 01:32:42,960
Good one.
1748
01:32:42,960 --> 01:32:44,640
What is the most important quality
1749
01:32:44,640 --> 01:32:46,960
you look for in other people?
1750
01:32:46,960 --> 01:32:48,880
Authenticity and kindness.
1751
01:32:48,880 --> 01:32:53,720
Name three people who inspire you, living or dead.
1752
01:32:53,720 --> 01:32:56,720
My wife, Maria Scarpini.
1753
01:32:56,720 --> 01:32:58,800
Oh, God, this is so hard.
1754
01:32:58,800 --> 01:33:01,280
So many people inspire me.
1755
01:33:01,280 --> 01:33:02,760
I don't know how to answer this,
1756
01:33:02,760 --> 01:33:05,600
but certainly my wife would come first.
1757
01:33:05,600 --> 01:33:06,760
That's good enough.
1758
01:33:06,760 --> 01:33:07,600
Thank you.
1759
01:33:07,600 --> 01:33:08,960
And then two more.
1760
01:33:08,960 --> 01:33:12,880
Name one title in your current playlist.
1761
01:33:12,880 --> 01:33:14,840
I'm so curious to know this.
1762
01:33:14,840 --> 01:33:18,120
Oh, Little Brother Montgomery's album
1763
01:33:18,120 --> 01:33:21,000
called Pharaoh Street Jive.
1764
01:33:21,000 --> 01:33:24,240
He was a blues pianist based in Chicago,
1765
01:33:24,240 --> 01:33:28,120
and this is a 1968 album on Folkways.
1766
01:33:28,120 --> 01:33:33,400
He's just a wonderful blues boogie woogie player and singer
1767
01:33:33,400 --> 01:33:36,120
and just such inviting music.
1768
01:33:36,120 --> 01:33:37,280
Lovely stuff.
1769
01:33:37,280 --> 01:33:38,800
Oh, I need to listen to that.
1770
01:33:38,800 --> 01:33:40,280
Well, sounds lovely.
1771
01:33:40,280 --> 01:33:41,520
The last question.
1772
01:33:41,520 --> 01:33:43,200
Fill in the blank, please.
1773
01:33:43,200 --> 01:33:45,760
Music is blank.
1774
01:33:45,760 --> 01:33:47,280
Fun?
1775
01:33:47,280 --> 01:33:49,720
Yay.
1776
01:33:49,720 --> 01:33:50,480
Why not?
1777
01:33:50,480 --> 01:33:51,680
Why not?
1778
01:33:51,680 --> 01:33:52,680
Absolutely.
1779
01:33:52,680 --> 01:33:54,680
Because I just want to have fun,
1780
01:33:54,680 --> 01:33:57,120
and I have fun doing everything that I'm doing.
1781
01:33:57,120 --> 01:33:58,040
That's great.
1782
01:33:58,040 --> 01:33:59,080
Wonderful answer.
1783
01:34:01,400 --> 01:34:04,200
So this concludes this episode of The Pianopod.
1784
01:34:04,200 --> 01:34:06,880
Thank you, Jed, for joining my show today
1785
01:34:06,880 --> 01:34:09,960
and sharing your story, insights, and expertise.
1786
01:34:09,960 --> 01:34:11,360
It was my pleasure.
1787
01:34:11,360 --> 01:34:14,760
I just enjoyed our time together so much.
1788
01:34:14,760 --> 01:34:15,120
Thank you.
1789
01:34:15,120 --> 01:34:15,520
Thank you.
1790
01:34:15,520 --> 01:34:16,840
Thank you.
1791
01:34:16,840 --> 01:34:17,840
Thank you so much.
1792
01:34:17,840 --> 01:34:20,440
You can learn more about Jed and his amazing work
1793
01:34:20,440 --> 01:34:22,960
through his website at jettlister.com,
1794
01:34:22,960 --> 01:34:25,560
and you can listen to his new podcast show, Piano,
1795
01:34:25,560 --> 01:34:29,240
The Pianomave, wherever you listen to your podcasts.
1796
01:34:29,240 --> 01:34:31,640
All the links are listed in the show notes.
1797
01:34:31,640 --> 01:34:34,040
And thank you to my wonderful audience and fans
1798
01:34:34,040 --> 01:34:35,040
for tuning in today.
1799
01:34:35,040 --> 01:34:38,520
If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review it
1800
01:34:38,520 --> 01:34:40,680
on your favorite podcasting platform.
1801
01:34:40,680 --> 01:34:42,320
Remember to hit the thumbs up button
1802
01:34:42,320 --> 01:34:45,440
and subscribe to my YouTube channel.
1803
01:34:45,440 --> 01:34:49,000
Follow The Pianopod on, that's right, social media
1804
01:34:49,000 --> 01:34:53,040
to get the latest piano news via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok,
1805
01:34:53,040 --> 01:34:55,280
and then LinkedIn.
1806
01:34:55,280 --> 01:34:57,440
I will see you for the next episode of The Pianopod.
1807
01:34:57,440 --> 01:34:59,400
Thank you, Jed, and thank you, everybody.
1808
01:34:59,400 --> 01:34:59,900
Bye.
1809
01:34:59,900 --> 01:35:00,400
Bye.
1810
01:35:00,400 --> 01:35:17,080
Thanks so much.