Schubert Now: Storytelling, Connection, and the Road to the 2028 Bicentennial

WEBVTT
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Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2026.
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To start the year I'm really excited to share
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this conversation with you. In today's episode
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of The Piano Pod, I am joined by Emil Bushkowitz,
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an Israeli -South African concert pianist and
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recording artist whose work bridges continents,
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cultures, and centuries. Known for his deep connection
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to Schubert and the tradition of German lead,
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Emil approaches music not as spectacle, but as
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shared storytelling, intimate, reflective, and
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deeply human. In this conversation, we explore
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why Schubert's music still feels so relevant
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today, not as something preserved behind glass,
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but as music that continues to speak directly
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to our lives. We talk about the Schubert 200
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Project, what it means to live alongside one
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composer over many years, and how Schubert's
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sense of time, his slowness, patience, and emotional
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honesty challenges the way we listen in the fast
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-moving world. We also talk about the tradition
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of German Lied, the unique relationship between
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singer and pianist, where the piano is an accompaniment
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but an equal voice, shaping the narrative, breathing
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with the text, and carrying the emotional subtext.
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And we explore why intimacy rather than scale
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may be the future of classical music. very much
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in the spirit of Schubert's own salon culture.
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A quick note for listeners. If you are tuning
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in via audio, you're in for an extended version
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of this conversation, including some of the most
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personal and reflective moments from the session.
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We go further into music as refuge, empathy,
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and a place to breathe. If you are enjoying the
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episode, please take a moment to like it and
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subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Or
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if you are joining us on YouTube, subscribe there
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as well. Your support truly helps the show grow.
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And now I am honored to welcome concert pianist,
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recording artist, and one of the leading Sherbert
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interpreters of our time, Emil Bushkovitz. Please
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enjoy the show. You are listening to The Piano
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Pod, where we talk to the brightest minds in
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the industry about how they are bringing the
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piano into the future and thriving in a complex,
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ever -evolving world. Emil, welcome to The Piano
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Pod. It's such a privilege to have you here with
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me today. Thank you so much. Thank you for the
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invitation, Yukimi. It's an honor to be here.
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Thank you. And before we dive in, where are you
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joining us from today? I'm in Zurich at the moment
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and just arrived from New York a few days ago.
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Oh, really? You were in New York? in Zurich,
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where I know you are a world traveler. I can't
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wait to talk more about that. You're traveling,
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you know, part of your career. Now, I had an
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opportunity to participate in the Artsong Preservation
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Society of New York as a collaborative pianist
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last season. And it reminded me how much I missed
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working closely with singers and our mutual friend,
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Blair Boom -Megura. who is, of course, the founder
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of the organization, has been one of the strongest
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supporters of this show and encouraged me to
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reach out to you. Blair and I collaborated last
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season featuring his organization and I'm so
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grateful he made this connection today. But thank
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you so much for really generously accepting my
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invitation, Emil. No, thank you. And yes, as
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you say, Blair is a... Such a wonderful person,
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both as a human and as an organizer and a connector
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of various people and organizations. Yeah, I'm
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really happy to know him and to have worked with
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him as well. Oh, wonderful. Yeah. So now you've
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built such a fascinating career that moves fluidly
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from, you know, being a solo pianist and chamber
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musician and especially the world of art song
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from the intimacy of Schubert's leader to major
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recital stages around the world. nearly struck
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by how extensive your recordings are from solo
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projects to collaborations with some of today's
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leading singers. Your career bridges solo performance
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and collaboration, especially in the world of
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art songs. So what would you say is the core
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passion or mission that ties all these worlds
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together? Well, I think as a pianist playing
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solo and working with singers, I think the thing
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that ties it together is the melody. Just the
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beautiful melody, which is something so ancient
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and so primal in humanity. You know, sitting
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around campfires thousands of years ago, singing
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together. That's something that's connected from
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our ancestors and from our childhood. And as
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a pianist, that's just something that I love.
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Of course, as a pianist, we have harmony as well
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as melody. And that's also wonderful to have
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both worlds. But for me, I just love beautiful
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melodies. And especially with Schubert, there's
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this great simplicity that, again, is very primal,
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I find. Wow, well said. I was actually going
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to ask you about that later because that's a
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really distinctive feature about Schubert. There's
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a simplicity, but then really these beautiful
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melodies that he comes up with. It's just incredible,
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the vast amount. Yes, not only a simplicity,
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but also something folkloric, very connected
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to, yeah. childhood melodies, lullabies, folk
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music as well. Actually, just by chance, this
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behind me is a painting, an Aboriginal painting
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by an Australian artist who lives in the outback
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and painted this. It's a bushfire. So that's
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something that maybe is connected as well to
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the folkloric and to the ancestors. Wow, yeah.
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Is that where you are? Is your home? Yes, yes.
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Okay, so you are currently based in Zurich as
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an artist. Yes, I travel between Zurich and Germany,
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but yeah, this is one of my bases, which I'm
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fortunate to have. Oh, wonderful. So let's continue
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our conversation with, speaking of Schubert,
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Schubert 200 Project. What an amazing project
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that you're working on. And it's a large -scale
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lead -focused collaboration with baritone Samuel
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Hasselhorn. Am I pronouncing his name correctly?
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Yes. Yes, perfect. Great. And that will result
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in five albums of Schubert songs from his final
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years and building toward the 200th anniversary
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of Schubert's death in 2020. Later, that will
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be 2028, which is two years from now. By the
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time this episode will be out, it's 2026. So
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tell us what this project is really about and
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where you are in the process right now. Well,
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yeah, thanks for asking. Samuel and I have known
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each other for many years. And as you say, he's
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a wonderful, wonderful baritone and wonderful
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lead interpreter. We actually, during COVID,
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I jumped in for a concert and that was our first
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performance together. And it just went so well
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and we enjoyed it so much that we decided to
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do a recording project together with the label
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Harmonia Mundi, with whom he was already recording.
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And we discussed various possibilities and unknown
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composers and maybe repertoire that's been neglected.
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And in the end, we thought, well, why not Schubert?
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Which has been, of course, recorded a lot. But
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there's still, as with great works of art, there's
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always something new and always new nourishment
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and something to discover, new ways to approach
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it, new ways to shine different lights, different
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lighting on the songs. And we proposed it to
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Harmonia Mundi. who, surprisingly for us, agreed
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on such a large, long -term project. Because,
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as you know, the recording industry today is
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going through a sea change. It's a bit difficult
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with online platforms and music streaming. So
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we are really grateful to Harmonia Mundi for
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believing in us and believing in this project.
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So, yeah, we're very excited about it. We're
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two discs down or two albums. And the third album
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is coming out early next year. It's called Hoffnung,
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Hope, which we thought is very, yeah, it's very
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fitting for this time and the place in which
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we find ourselves in the world in general. Yeah.
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And also it's 200 years since Schubert wrote
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these songs. So for us, it's almost like a journey
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together with Schubert during his last years,
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which is very special and unique. So for listeners
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who may not realize the sheer scale of Schubert's
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output, roughly how many art songs did he write?
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Do you know? He wrote over 600. So there's a
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lot. And the scope of these compositions are
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so varying from something like Haydn's Röslein,
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which is almost like a folk song. Well, it is
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basically a folk song. To songs like Die junge
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Nonne or Der Zwerg, which were very influenced
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by English neo -Gothic literature and Mary Shelley
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and Frankenstein, these kind of Gothic horror
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stories. So really... full -blooded romantic
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songs and then some songs that are very classical
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in style and remind one of maybe Haydn or Mozart.
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So really a wide variety. Wow. You know, I need
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to study more about Schubert art songs. So do
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I. Yes. Wow. That's, yeah, you just don't realize.
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But with this 200 project, you're just focusing
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on the late songs, right? Like toward the end
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of his life? Yes. Well, we're following Schubert
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consecutively through the last five years of
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his life. So 1823, he wrote Die Schöne Müllerin.
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And we brought out the album of that. in 2023.
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And so next year will be 2000. Well, this broadcast
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will be in 2026 and we will release songs from
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1826. So exactly 200 years previously. Oh, wow.
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So the album that you released, that's the Licht
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und Schatten. Yes, Licht und Schatten, Lights
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and Shadows. That's... you know, you released
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this album this year, 2025. So, which means you
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focused on the songs from 1825? Yes, exactly,
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exactly. Well, that was a special album because
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we focused on 24 and 25. So we put those together
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in one album. And that's why there are also some
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solo piano works. in between, interspersed in
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the album, because these years were very important
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for Schubert as a piano composer, solo piano
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composer. He wrote many sonatas and waltzes and
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Ländler during those years. I see. Wow, that's
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how you group, how, makes sense. Wow. Can you
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tell us more about these? you know, from 18,
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I guess, 23 to 1828, those years of his writing?
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Well, these years were seminal for him because
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in 1823, he discovered that he had syphilis.
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It was diagnosed with what was most likely syphilis,
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which in those days was basically a death sentence.
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So he knew that he would not... live a long life.
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He didn't know how long he would live, but it
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was just a matter of time. And he was diagnosed
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at a very young age. So yeah, 25, 26 years old.
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So that was something that I think stayed with
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him the rest of his short life. He passed away
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at the age of 31. But there was this shadow.
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of mortality that hung over him during those
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years. And I think it definitely influences his
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compositional writing and his style. So yeah,
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that was, that was very important, but also he
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didn't just have drew, you know, doom and dread
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in those last years. He had some very happy times,
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even some healthy times where, you know, he thought,
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well, His health was good and his music was progressing.
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Even his reputation in Vienna was slowly progressing.
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Another shadow under which he lived was the shadow
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of Beethoven, who was, of course, a big celebrity
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in Vienna, who was older than him, almost a generation
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older than him. Not quite, but Beethoven's reputation
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was... huge in Vienna. He was a celebrity. He
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was recognized while walking on the streets,
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whereas Schubert was very unknown, struggling
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financially. In one of his last letters, he wrote
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to his mother, asking her to knit him a few pairs
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of socks. It was very touching and moving. Are
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there any few songs or pieces in this particular
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of those two uh maybe this light and shadow album
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that really stand out what you're maybe describing
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you know to explain his mindset or his maybe
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even spiritual well -being that really showcase
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oh this song shows or is there any particular
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piece that stands out for you well i think the
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The combination of pieces are so astounding.
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And that's why we decided to call it Light and
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Shadows. Because, of course, in painting, you
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have the style from Rembrandt and Caravaggio,
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Chiaroscuro, the style of the light and shadows.
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And this contrast between the very dark and the
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very light just makes things so dramatic. And
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for us... This album was about this chiaroscuro
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in Schubert's music, not only in the music itself,
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but also in his life and the juxtaposition of
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the mortality and the good health that was oscillating
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throughout his life, especially during those
00:17:50.609 --> 00:17:57.619
years. So a song like Auflösung or... A song
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like Die junge Nonne that I mentioned earlier,
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it actually mentions a lot of light and shadow.
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It mentions a storm coming and the thunder, but
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peace inside the heart at the same time. So,
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of course, for the romantics, nature was very
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important and often symbolized inner feelings
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as well. So, for example, in nature, a natural
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storm. would be something that can be echoed
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in the human condition. And I think it's a very
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special song in Schubert's oeuvre. And I think
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that's something that is in a way biographical
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also for him, could be considered biographical,
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this tension between the highly dramatic and
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the almost thunderous emotion. and something
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very calm and simple I've been listening to this
00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:03.480
album and plus your piano solo albums too so
00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:06.720
I have to revisit again after listening what
00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:08.900
you just explained it really gives you different
00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:13.619
perspectives right yeah wonderful now I know
00:19:13.619 --> 00:19:16.519
you mentioned a little bit about the singer Samuel
00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:19.400
Hasselhorn and how you met him and so on but
00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:22.930
maybe can you tell us more about the collaboration
00:19:22.930 --> 00:19:27.089
and also how did you both of you just to come
00:19:27.089 --> 00:19:29.589
up with this idea of Schubert 200 obviously the
00:19:29.589 --> 00:19:34.349
you know year 2028 really marks that 200th year
00:19:34.349 --> 00:19:38.529
anniversary but can you tell us the story well
00:19:38.529 --> 00:19:42.549
of course as as a lead pianist as a song pianist
00:19:42.549 --> 00:19:46.509
Schubert is the the summit it's the mount everest
00:19:46.509 --> 00:19:52.230
of of the the great composers and uh i i love
00:19:52.230 --> 00:19:55.990
you know other composers that's mozart bach beethoven
00:19:55.990 --> 00:20:01.150
chopin but in terms of elite as we spoke about
00:20:01.150 --> 00:20:06.549
schubert is really something very special and
00:20:06.549 --> 00:20:13.200
um i think both of us samuel and i We thought
00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:16.259
at first that we should at all costs avoid Schubert
00:20:16.259 --> 00:20:19.420
because he's so well -known and because his songs
00:20:19.420 --> 00:20:23.779
have been recorded so many times by such great
00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:28.980
performers, we thought we're not worthy to even
00:20:28.980 --> 00:20:34.539
touch these songs. But then we decided... We
00:20:34.539 --> 00:20:38.220
have the possibility of contributing something
00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:43.240
fresh and something new to these songs, a new
00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:45.640
style of interpretation, which is very personal
00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:51.019
and in a way almost daring in some ways, as some
00:20:51.019 --> 00:20:56.960
critics have also mentioned. So we thought we'll
00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.140
approach these songs not in a conservative way,
00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:04.930
but taking risks and pushing them. to their limits
00:21:04.930 --> 00:21:09.109
in terms of interpretation and seeing where that
00:21:09.109 --> 00:21:13.750
brings it. Yeah, so it's a kind of a love it
00:21:13.750 --> 00:21:19.589
or hate it project. That is, yeah, that's our
00:21:19.589 --> 00:21:24.529
goal, not to shy away from being adventurous
00:21:24.529 --> 00:21:27.640
and daring in the interpretation. Oh, that's
00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:29.720
amazing. That's wonderful. But can you maybe
00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:32.940
explore a little bit with this daring part of
00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:36.660
your interpretation? As musicians, we learn a
00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:41.059
lot to make dynamic changes, you know, to say,
00:21:41.099 --> 00:21:43.779
okay, well, we'll go really pianissimo, really
00:21:43.779 --> 00:21:46.440
fortissimo. And there's a lot of contrast in
00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:51.140
dynamic. But in terms of metrum and time, we
00:21:51.140 --> 00:21:54.299
stick to the bar lines and we learn that, okay,
00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:57.259
you can't change tempo unless it's indicated.
00:21:57.859 --> 00:22:00.799
And you can't change many things unless the composer
00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:06.319
writes it. But we feel like a composer, there's
00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:08.759
a lot more than what's written on the score.
00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:16.720
He or she wants a feeling in the end. And the
00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:19.839
feeling is more important than obeying every
00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:24.440
mark on the score meticulously and almost academically.
00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:28.880
So we took great liberties, especially in terms
00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:32.460
of timing. So we would slow down and accelerate
00:22:32.460 --> 00:22:38.680
where we felt that the text needed that. And
00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:43.039
we would often sit with the scores and just discuss
00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:45.789
them. without performing them, without singing
00:22:45.789 --> 00:22:48.309
or playing them, just looking at the score itself
00:22:48.309 --> 00:22:51.809
and trying to find out what is behind the notation,
00:22:52.049 --> 00:22:56.990
what is behind the lines and the dots. And yeah,
00:22:57.089 --> 00:23:02.750
so I think mostly in terms of trying new things,
00:23:02.809 --> 00:23:10.720
that the recordings are hopefully special. So,
00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:13.960
Emil, like, you know, from what I've read, Sherbert
00:23:13.960 --> 00:23:17.460
200 is aimed at a new generation of Sherbert
00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:21.440
and lead enthusiasts very directly asking why
00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:23.960
this music still matters in the 21st century
00:23:23.960 --> 00:23:26.920
and so on. So why do you think Sherbert's music
00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:30.720
continues to speak so strongly to modern listeners?
00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:36.039
Well, there's two great quotes about Schubert's
00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:39.099
music from his own time, from contemporaries.
00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:43.400
And the one is negative and the one is positive,
00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:47.319
but they both apply still today. So the one is
00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:52.039
from a music critic from the Wiener Allgemeine
00:23:52.039 --> 00:23:56.339
Zeitung, which was a big newspaper in Vienna
00:23:56.339 --> 00:24:01.039
at the time. And he said that Schubert modulates
00:24:01.559 --> 00:24:05.940
like no other composer on the whole globe. And
00:24:05.940 --> 00:24:08.460
it's just modulation, modulation the whole time.
00:24:08.779 --> 00:24:11.480
And one can't settle down in any key before he
00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:16.460
modulates again. That's right. Yeah. And that,
00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:19.220
I think, a composer like, you know, the French
00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:22.259
school, César Franck, who was telling his students,
00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:23.980
modulate, modulate all the time. But that was
00:24:23.980 --> 00:24:26.480
100 years, well, not 100 years, but 80 years
00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:32.880
later. But at the time of Schubert, it was considered
00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:38.299
negative to modulate so often. And the second
00:24:38.299 --> 00:24:43.319
quote is from Schumann, who was a huge admirer
00:24:43.319 --> 00:24:46.859
of Schubert, even at a time when Schubert wasn't
00:24:46.859 --> 00:24:53.400
known. And Schumann spoke about Schubert's himmlische
00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:59.289
Länge, the heavenly lengths of his sonata. you
00:24:59.289 --> 00:25:02.769
know, the sonata movements and the sections in
00:25:02.769 --> 00:25:07.990
his works. So you would have a huge movement
00:25:07.990 --> 00:25:11.410
of maybe 10 minutes, and then Schubert would
00:25:11.410 --> 00:25:14.109
write repeat, and then it would be repeated.
00:25:14.250 --> 00:25:16.509
And many early recordings and early performers
00:25:16.509 --> 00:25:19.589
left out the repetitions. Also in, for example,
00:25:19.670 --> 00:25:23.410
the final sonata, the D960 sonata, these really
00:25:23.410 --> 00:25:27.309
long sections that are just exploring different
00:25:27.309 --> 00:25:30.440
worlds. And then one thinks, okay, well, he's
00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:34.140
going to go on, but he writes repeat. And these
00:25:34.140 --> 00:25:37.140
are the heavenly length, which for me is almost
00:25:37.140 --> 00:25:40.599
like a bit like Zen, Zen Buddhism, something
00:25:40.599 --> 00:25:44.319
that's very minimalistic and repetitive that
00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:49.160
continues without trying to entertain and trying
00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:52.799
to impress. It's just something very, very spiritual.
00:25:53.619 --> 00:25:57.599
And like I said, minimalistic, which... which
00:25:57.599 --> 00:26:01.400
was very special for that time. Because if one
00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:03.240
compares it to Beethoven, Haydn, there's a lot
00:26:03.240 --> 00:26:10.039
of inventiveness in Haydn, especially making
00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:15.279
certain humorous turns in the music. And with
00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:23.599
Beethoven trying out new, what would I say? How
00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:26.759
would I put it? new directions in the music,
00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:30.559
but there's always something to entertain and
00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:33.460
to never to bore a person, never to dull the
00:26:33.460 --> 00:26:37.019
listener. But I think Schubert doesn't care about
00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:39.319
that. It's just something that just flows from
00:26:39.319 --> 00:26:42.519
his soul. And sometimes it repeats and sometimes
00:26:42.519 --> 00:26:44.819
it just goes on and on. And there's something
00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:48.220
very special and unique to that. You are absolutely
00:26:48.220 --> 00:26:52.099
right. And there's like a really continuous meditative
00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:58.980
element to it too. You know? Yeah. Oh, wow. Now,
00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:01.920
when you talk about, you know, a new generation,
00:27:01.940 --> 00:27:04.779
are you thinking about cultivating new audiences,
00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:08.460
you know, by education or about speaking or maybe
00:27:08.460 --> 00:27:11.779
to listen, you know, maybe just hold on to the
00:27:11.779 --> 00:27:17.480
current listeners to maybe cultivate their love?
00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:21.019
Yes. Well, that's a good question. It's very
00:27:21.019 --> 00:27:27.710
important to ask that Schubert. remains um uh
00:27:27.710 --> 00:27:34.589
you know important in the in these times where
00:27:34.589 --> 00:27:37.130
things go so fast you know with social media
00:27:37.130 --> 00:27:41.910
and um and everything's going so quickly instagram
00:27:41.910 --> 00:27:45.650
reels of 10 seconds and you know we want to be
00:27:45.650 --> 00:27:49.819
entertained all the time and i think it's It's
00:27:49.819 --> 00:27:52.640
very rare to sit down and have time to read a
00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:55.359
novel like War and Peace or Anna Karenina that's
00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:59.859
just so long and needs so much time and dedication
00:27:59.859 --> 00:28:04.500
because the modern world is just so full of distractions.
00:28:05.779 --> 00:28:09.380
So for us, it's important to work with the young
00:28:09.380 --> 00:28:16.539
generation and to make a place for enjoying.
00:28:17.789 --> 00:28:22.170
the time and the peace that's in Schubert, not
00:28:22.170 --> 00:28:25.730
to rush on to a new challenge, a new distraction.
00:28:27.210 --> 00:28:31.269
And we have different ways to do this. We have
00:28:31.269 --> 00:28:35.369
recorded, for example, a series of podcasts with
00:28:35.369 --> 00:28:40.869
the SVR, which is a southwestern radio of Germany,
00:28:41.089 --> 00:28:44.349
where we not only speak about Schubert, but also
00:28:44.349 --> 00:28:47.769
demonstrate things on the piano. that we're talking
00:28:47.769 --> 00:28:52.829
about, which is sometimes very useful. And we're
00:28:52.829 --> 00:28:56.970
planning to publish a children's book on Schubert,
00:28:57.170 --> 00:29:02.309
which is a heart project of Samuel's that has
00:29:02.309 --> 00:29:07.390
been for many years on his heart and mind. So
00:29:07.390 --> 00:29:11.529
that will be coming out. And yeah, we're teaching
00:29:11.529 --> 00:29:14.630
as well, different masterclasses and workshops
00:29:14.630 --> 00:29:18.630
for young singers. So, yeah, that's our way of
00:29:18.630 --> 00:29:22.529
contributing to the younger generation. Oh, that
00:29:22.529 --> 00:29:25.390
sounds amazing, especially the children's book.
00:29:25.549 --> 00:29:29.170
Yeah. Are you going to talk about his life or
00:29:29.170 --> 00:29:32.890
music or maybe all together in the book? Well,
00:29:32.990 --> 00:29:37.630
that's a good question. The plan, I won't give
00:29:37.630 --> 00:29:41.690
away too much, but the plan is to make something
00:29:41.690 --> 00:29:47.400
more abstract about... A story that a child can
00:29:47.400 --> 00:29:53.099
relate to and maybe is about something, you know,
00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:56.900
connecting the world to the stars and to the
00:29:56.900 --> 00:30:01.200
night, to these themes that are so important
00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:06.380
to Schubert. Life and the universe and the night
00:30:06.380 --> 00:30:11.480
sky, things like that, that are not only to Schubert,
00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:15.980
but also to the romantics in general. So it won't
00:30:15.980 --> 00:30:19.039
be specifically about Schubert's life, but it
00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:22.839
will be kind of an introduction to his world.
00:30:24.019 --> 00:30:27.200
Wow, what a beautiful way to connect to a young
00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:33.339
audience. I hope so. Yes, definitely. Wow, beautiful.
00:30:33.859 --> 00:30:38.259
So now, alongside this lead project, you're also
00:30:38.259 --> 00:30:41.140
embarking on a separate... Long -term undertaking.
00:30:41.420 --> 00:30:45.039
Whoa, blows my mind. Recording of Schubert's
00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:51.000
complete piano works, right? Yes. Do you have
00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:53.099
like 48 hours in a day? I don't know how you
00:30:53.099 --> 00:30:57.180
do it, but wonderful. I've been listening to
00:30:57.180 --> 00:31:00.980
Schubert piano works volume three, you know,
00:31:01.019 --> 00:31:05.500
and which includes the sonata number 15. I believe,
00:31:05.599 --> 00:31:08.940
and then also Moments Musical, very famous cycle.
00:31:09.460 --> 00:31:14.180
So what struck me was the clarity of your storytelling
00:31:14.180 --> 00:31:17.579
and how emotion emerges without being forced,
00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:22.200
you know, and Sherbert left us such an expansive
00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:24.779
body of piano work and sonatas impromptu. But
00:31:24.779 --> 00:31:27.680
where are you now in this journey and how many
00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:32.950
volumes do you imagine still lie ahead? Well,
00:31:32.950 --> 00:31:36.950
yes, it is a huge undertaking. And on the one
00:31:36.950 --> 00:31:42.250
side, I'm very honored and excited to be part
00:31:42.250 --> 00:31:46.210
of this project and to have this entrusted to
00:31:46.210 --> 00:31:49.049
me. But on the other hand, as you say, it's daunting
00:31:49.049 --> 00:31:53.329
and it's a lot of work, especially because I
00:31:53.329 --> 00:31:59.609
feel that these pieces are so great and so magnificent
00:31:59.609 --> 00:32:03.180
that they need... the dedication to them. They
00:32:03.180 --> 00:32:06.539
don't, they, they don't, it doesn't do them service
00:32:06.539 --> 00:32:10.380
to just learn them and record them and move on.
00:32:10.539 --> 00:32:14.140
One has to really immerse oneself in the, in
00:32:14.140 --> 00:32:17.240
the world that is behind them. And that takes
00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:23.240
time and, and just, yeah, a time and space to
00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:26.599
just, like I said, this heavenly length, which
00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:32.400
is in Schubert, it cannot be rushed. Yeah, the
00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:39.940
project will be nine albums in total. Wow. And
00:32:39.940 --> 00:32:44.200
the plan is to finish the project by 2028, which
00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:47.599
is the big anniversary, the 200 -year anniversary
00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:52.859
of Schubert's death. And yeah, I just, as you
00:32:52.859 --> 00:32:56.000
mentioned, the volume three is the final works,
00:32:56.099 --> 00:33:00.960
the final sonata and the Momo Musico. And the
00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:04.460
moment music are very special to me because they're
00:33:04.460 --> 00:33:09.819
they're like little improvisations almost that
00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:13.880
Schubert wrote separately. He didn't really plan
00:33:13.880 --> 00:33:20.240
them to be part of a sonata or a larger work.
00:33:20.339 --> 00:33:23.160
And then I think he just put them together in
00:33:23.160 --> 00:33:27.380
a set. In a way, like the Drei Klavierstücke,
00:33:27.500 --> 00:33:30.259
the three piano pieces, which are also very late.
00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:40.539
And also very special late works, in a way, foreshadowing
00:33:40.539 --> 00:33:46.380
the works of Schumann and Brahms, the small miniatures
00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:50.529
that Schumann wrote throughout his life. And
00:33:50.529 --> 00:33:53.569
the Brahms, you know, the Intermezzi, the late
00:33:53.569 --> 00:33:56.890
piano works, the Rhapsodies, the smaller miniatures
00:33:56.890 --> 00:34:00.970
that he wrote as well. Yes, and the next album,
00:34:01.069 --> 00:34:06.849
which is coming out in June 2026, will be Schubert's
00:34:06.849 --> 00:34:12.650
early piano sonatas. So the first four piano
00:34:12.650 --> 00:34:16.570
sonatas that he wrote. And these are also very
00:34:16.570 --> 00:34:19.239
interesting because he... would sometimes start
00:34:19.239 --> 00:34:23.039
a sonata and give up, which is something that
00:34:23.039 --> 00:34:27.119
he kept his entire life. I think he didn't feel
00:34:27.119 --> 00:34:34.260
very confident as a composer. Like I mentioned,
00:34:34.300 --> 00:34:38.019
being in the shadow of Beethoven, very late in
00:34:38.019 --> 00:34:41.760
his life, in his short life, he started actually...
00:34:42.219 --> 00:34:45.619
taking counterpoint lessons because he felt that
00:34:45.619 --> 00:34:49.199
he couldn't write counterpoint, fugues, canons,
00:34:49.199 --> 00:34:53.000
as well as other composers. So for me, it's very
00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:57.019
touching to imagine Schubert going to, you know,
00:34:57.039 --> 00:35:02.920
compositional lessons in Vienna. It's very moving
00:35:02.920 --> 00:35:05.300
to know that this great composer considered himself
00:35:05.300 --> 00:35:12.699
unworthy of writing fugues and canons. Yes, but
00:35:12.699 --> 00:35:16.360
the early works are interesting because they're
00:35:16.360 --> 00:35:23.099
just so full of inventiveness. It's mind -boggling.
00:35:23.179 --> 00:35:26.320
I never really paid attention to them. I think
00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:28.500
many pianists are not confronted with the early
00:35:28.500 --> 00:35:31.440
sonatas of Schubert. We focus on the middle and
00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:35.940
the later works, but it's just incredible and
00:35:35.940 --> 00:35:40.679
virtuosic as well. I had to really sit down.
00:35:41.800 --> 00:35:45.460
play a bit of piano there. So I really look forward
00:35:45.460 --> 00:35:47.340
to that. But, you know, as you mentioned, he
00:35:47.340 --> 00:35:51.699
lived such a short life, you know, in his 30s.
00:35:51.780 --> 00:35:56.340
Despite of that, do you feel like the huge difference
00:35:56.340 --> 00:36:00.179
in early, his early works and then late works?
00:36:01.460 --> 00:36:07.760
Yes, I think he, at some point he found, I wouldn't
00:36:07.760 --> 00:36:10.500
say he found his voice, but he allowed himself.
00:36:11.400 --> 00:36:17.000
to sing his own song, to let out what he felt
00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:20.260
in his heart. I think the early sonatas, he's
00:36:20.260 --> 00:36:27.800
very self -conscious and what we call the weight
00:36:27.800 --> 00:36:33.000
of history on his shoulders. So when one studies
00:36:33.000 --> 00:36:38.320
music and studies composition, you go through
00:36:38.320 --> 00:36:41.719
all the older composers and... the development
00:36:41.719 --> 00:36:44.519
of music theory and music history and compositions.
00:36:45.079 --> 00:36:47.699
And you feel like, what can I contribute now?
00:36:47.980 --> 00:36:50.639
And I get that feeling with his early works.
00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:54.539
He felt that he had to, you know, in a way build
00:36:54.539 --> 00:36:58.119
on what was already there and pay homage to the
00:36:58.119 --> 00:37:01.440
great Viennese composers of the time of, of Beethoven
00:37:01.440 --> 00:37:07.559
and Haydn and to fit into this piano sonata genre.
00:37:10.860 --> 00:37:14.059
And that's something that he took a long time
00:37:14.059 --> 00:37:18.699
to break free from because Schubert has a very
00:37:18.699 --> 00:37:22.139
different voice to Haydn and Beethoven, a lot
00:37:22.139 --> 00:37:28.219
more fantasy, I think, and experimental in many
00:37:28.219 --> 00:37:31.659
ways. So many of his middle and later sonatas
00:37:31.659 --> 00:37:37.179
are difficult to analyze, in fact, because they
00:37:37.179 --> 00:37:41.179
just take such different routes. and pathways
00:37:41.179 --> 00:37:45.019
one would start with a melody and develop that
00:37:45.019 --> 00:37:47.639
melody and then have another melody and it would
00:37:47.639 --> 00:37:51.659
just flow from one place like a stream of consciousness
00:37:51.659 --> 00:37:56.360
in a way whereas Haydn and Beethoven are like
00:37:56.360 --> 00:37:59.360
architects they have everything constructed perfectly
00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:04.320
and it's like a cathedral in a way if you look
00:38:04.320 --> 00:38:07.320
at Beethoven's late piano sonatas or the middle
00:38:07.320 --> 00:38:10.070
piano sonatas especially The architecture is
00:38:10.070 --> 00:38:12.170
astounding. And then he would, you know, bridge
00:38:12.170 --> 00:38:15.989
the subject to the dominant and then return to
00:38:15.989 --> 00:38:19.130
this key and everything would have architectural
00:38:19.130 --> 00:38:23.250
meaning. Whereas Schubert floats along, you know,
00:38:23.269 --> 00:38:27.570
very naively compared to Beethoven, but I think
00:38:27.570 --> 00:38:31.110
very honestly. And yeah, so that is something
00:38:31.110 --> 00:38:38.239
that's very special with Schubert. Yeah, I think
00:38:38.239 --> 00:38:40.840
also pianistically, it's interesting to note
00:38:40.840 --> 00:38:44.699
that Schubert was not a great pianist. He struggled
00:38:44.699 --> 00:38:49.980
even to play his own works. And he was in bad
00:38:49.980 --> 00:38:52.300
luck because nobody else played his pieces. So
00:38:52.300 --> 00:38:55.840
in order for someone to perform his piano sonatas,
00:38:55.980 --> 00:38:59.019
he would have to play them himself. And sometimes
00:38:59.019 --> 00:39:01.179
he would just... stop in the middle and say,
00:39:01.260 --> 00:39:04.099
I just can't do this. The famous story is of
00:39:04.099 --> 00:39:07.300
the Wanderer fantasy where he threw his hands
00:39:07.300 --> 00:39:10.159
up in the air and started cursing and said, let
00:39:10.159 --> 00:39:17.579
the devil play this. Yeah. So many of his works,
00:39:17.719 --> 00:39:22.840
I think the large majority of his piano sonatas,
00:39:22.940 --> 00:39:26.239
symphonies, string quartets, he never heard.
00:39:26.679 --> 00:39:31.860
They were just never performed. And, yeah, it's
00:39:31.860 --> 00:39:34.599
just, it moves me almost to tears to think that
00:39:34.599 --> 00:39:37.960
this great, great music, the person who wrote
00:39:37.960 --> 00:39:41.400
them down on paper never heard them, which is,
00:39:41.400 --> 00:40:01.389
yeah, it's very moving to me. recording the entire
00:40:01.389 --> 00:40:05.349
piano solo pieces. So I'm curious, especially
00:40:05.349 --> 00:40:09.710
like, you know, people love Schubert's impromptus.
00:40:09.829 --> 00:40:13.250
They're very famous. So are you recording them
00:40:13.250 --> 00:40:16.429
later or you have already recorded in the previous
00:40:16.429 --> 00:40:21.389
volumes? So the first set of impromptus I've
00:40:21.389 --> 00:40:29.789
recorded the D899. And the second set will be,
00:40:29.849 --> 00:40:36.710
in fact, the volume five. So that I will, I decided,
00:40:36.829 --> 00:40:38.769
as you mentioned, the impromptus are so famous
00:40:38.769 --> 00:40:42.610
and so beloved and have been recorded so many
00:40:42.610 --> 00:40:47.269
times by such great pianists that I'm very respectful
00:40:47.269 --> 00:40:49.650
for them. I mean, I'm respectful of the rest
00:40:49.650 --> 00:40:54.130
as well, but I take special precaution with especially
00:40:54.130 --> 00:40:59.409
the second set of impromptus. So I will be doing
00:40:59.409 --> 00:41:03.349
some solo piano tours with them before I record
00:41:03.349 --> 00:41:07.550
them, just to let them ripen a bit and mature
00:41:07.550 --> 00:41:18.269
before running to the studio. Yeah, the second
00:41:18.269 --> 00:41:22.969
set of impromptus is to me just heavenly, because
00:41:22.969 --> 00:41:27.320
Schubert... Like I mentioned earlier, he's not
00:41:27.320 --> 00:41:31.039
confined by sonata form because they're impromptus.
00:41:31.119 --> 00:41:35.039
So even though they have vague sonata forms and,
00:41:35.059 --> 00:41:37.420
you know, different sections that return and
00:41:37.420 --> 00:41:45.659
modulations that are consistent to the key, they
00:41:45.659 --> 00:41:48.260
still are not confined to the sonata form of
00:41:48.260 --> 00:41:52.000
Haydn and Beethoven. And I think that gives Schubert
00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:56.639
a lot of liberty. Returning to his songs, I think
00:41:56.639 --> 00:41:59.119
that is one of the reasons why he's such a great
00:41:59.119 --> 00:42:02.199
song composer, because he was the first to really
00:42:02.199 --> 00:42:05.420
specialize in the German art song. Of course,
00:42:05.420 --> 00:42:08.539
there were wonderful songs by Haydn and Beethoven
00:42:08.539 --> 00:42:12.480
and Mozart, of course. But Schubert was the one
00:42:12.480 --> 00:42:18.880
who made it unique and made it a great genre.
00:42:20.360 --> 00:42:23.099
who added importance to the genre. Because I
00:42:23.099 --> 00:42:26.880
think a composer like Haydn wrote songs on the
00:42:26.880 --> 00:42:30.800
sideline, that it wasn't his main focus. And
00:42:30.800 --> 00:42:33.900
of course, as a young composer, a string quartet
00:42:33.900 --> 00:42:36.519
or a symphony would be something that you pour
00:42:36.519 --> 00:42:40.960
your soul inside. But a song would be something
00:42:40.960 --> 00:42:44.739
that you write for entertainment, maybe, or just
00:42:44.739 --> 00:42:49.710
on the sideline. And Schubert, I think, was the
00:42:49.710 --> 00:42:54.429
first who realized that there's this great literature
00:42:54.429 --> 00:43:01.110
that needs a voice and that gets an added life
00:43:01.110 --> 00:43:05.489
through the music. A poet like Wilhelm Müller
00:43:05.489 --> 00:43:10.329
would maybe not be known today if it wasn't for
00:43:10.329 --> 00:43:14.989
Schubert, who just felt a kindred spirit and
00:43:14.989 --> 00:43:19.829
notated the... the feelings that he felt through
00:43:19.829 --> 00:43:23.170
the words. Yeah. So getting back to your question
00:43:23.170 --> 00:43:27.010
about the impromptus, they're just, they're just
00:43:27.010 --> 00:43:32.610
such, such special works. And, and so yeah, pure
00:43:32.610 --> 00:43:35.489
Schubert, like coming from his heart, not coming
00:43:35.489 --> 00:43:39.010
from his head as the early sonatas do. So yeah,
00:43:39.090 --> 00:43:41.389
that's, that's something that I'm, that I'm looking
00:43:41.389 --> 00:43:44.190
forward to. And that is a big, big project for
00:43:44.190 --> 00:43:49.079
me. I'm looking forward to the next two albums
00:43:49.079 --> 00:43:52.019
for sure. I mean, the rest of the albums. So
00:43:52.019 --> 00:43:55.800
for our audience, where can they find your music?
00:43:55.860 --> 00:44:00.619
Available on all streaming services? Yes, I think
00:44:00.619 --> 00:44:05.380
on most streaming services and on disc as well,
00:44:05.440 --> 00:44:09.619
on compact disc that one can buy. I myself don't
00:44:09.619 --> 00:44:15.579
even own a CD player, but I think... Yes, on
00:44:15.579 --> 00:44:20.619
all major platforms, Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music,
00:44:20.880 --> 00:44:27.760
Spotify, of course, Deezer, Tidal. But if they
00:44:27.760 --> 00:44:31.500
want to purchase the hard copy, where is a good
00:44:31.500 --> 00:44:37.480
place to go? Well, I think Amazon has availability
00:44:37.480 --> 00:44:41.739
and the label itself, which is Hensler Classics,
00:44:41.820 --> 00:44:46.860
they do sell. as well. And of course, anyone
00:44:46.860 --> 00:44:51.000
who can't access a disc is welcome to write to
00:44:51.000 --> 00:44:54.059
me on my website, and I'll be happy to arrange
00:44:54.059 --> 00:44:59.260
that. Your website is your last name, right?
00:44:59.599 --> 00:45:03.190
Yes, poshakovics .com. Buschkewitz .com. Okay,
00:45:03.269 --> 00:45:05.329
I'll make sure to list that link in the show
00:45:05.329 --> 00:45:09.409
notes. So I encourage all my listeners to go
00:45:09.409 --> 00:45:12.610
ahead and either buy the purchased album, purchased
00:45:12.610 --> 00:45:16.550
expansive albums, actually, or listen to them
00:45:16.550 --> 00:45:31.719
on your favorite streaming services. I kind of
00:45:31.719 --> 00:45:36.960
want to go back to the song part, like art songs,
00:45:37.099 --> 00:45:40.679
especially as a pianist, like functioning as
00:45:40.679 --> 00:45:44.710
a collaborative pianist. You've spoken about
00:45:44.710 --> 00:45:47.510
the pianist role as both a partner and then kind
00:45:47.510 --> 00:45:51.050
of a conductor and leading and following at the
00:45:51.050 --> 00:45:53.730
same time. So what are some of the challenges
00:45:53.730 --> 00:45:56.610
you encountered as a pianist over the course
00:45:56.610 --> 00:45:59.769
of your career as a collaborative pianist? Here
00:45:59.769 --> 00:46:01.750
in the United States, we say it, collaborative
00:46:01.750 --> 00:46:04.730
pianist, but I think there's a German word, lead,
00:46:04.909 --> 00:46:13.650
begleiter? Yes. I'm trying. Yes. I'm actually
00:46:13.650 --> 00:46:17.269
torn between two worlds because I understand
00:46:17.269 --> 00:46:20.250
collaborative pianist is very respectful. But
00:46:20.250 --> 00:46:23.449
for me, I have nothing. I personally have no
00:46:23.449 --> 00:46:26.150
problem with the term accompanist because I think
00:46:26.150 --> 00:46:28.489
it's very beautiful to accompany someone on a
00:46:28.489 --> 00:46:31.550
journey, you know, to accompany someone hand
00:46:31.550 --> 00:46:36.610
in hand is very, very special and very, very
00:46:36.610 --> 00:46:40.329
helpful to that person. It's not degrading, I
00:46:40.329 --> 00:46:44.949
think. um and that's the word begleiter in german
00:46:44.949 --> 00:46:50.670
is is accompanist so uh yeah but uh and a collaborator
00:46:50.670 --> 00:46:55.909
of course in in french and uh in french and german
00:46:55.909 --> 00:47:01.550
it has slightly negative connotations related
00:47:01.550 --> 00:47:06.050
to the war collaborators during the war um but
00:47:06.050 --> 00:47:07.789
in english it doesn't have that so it's just
00:47:07.789 --> 00:47:12.000
it's it's an interesting It's an interesting
00:47:12.000 --> 00:47:19.159
term. And I'm fine with both. Yes. So to your
00:47:19.159 --> 00:47:22.360
question, there's the famous book by Gerald Moore,
00:47:22.500 --> 00:47:25.739
who was the legend of collaborative pianists
00:47:25.739 --> 00:47:29.579
with singers. Of course, a great accompanist
00:47:29.579 --> 00:47:34.739
of Fischer Disko, of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, of
00:47:34.739 --> 00:47:39.099
Victoria de Los Angeles, and many others. And
00:47:39.099 --> 00:47:44.530
he... His famous autobiography is called Am I
00:47:44.530 --> 00:47:48.369
Too Loud? And I often think about that because
00:47:48.369 --> 00:47:54.409
often audience members comment on the fact that
00:47:54.409 --> 00:47:57.929
I'm not too loud or that the balance was good
00:47:57.929 --> 00:48:01.289
and things like that. And I find that very interesting
00:48:01.289 --> 00:48:07.369
because it's very seldom that that's, you know.
00:48:08.039 --> 00:48:11.000
Take, for example, the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.
00:48:11.739 --> 00:48:16.840
It ends with this frantic violin playing, I think,
00:48:16.840 --> 00:48:19.300
in octaves, and the orchestra is playing forte
00:48:19.300 --> 00:48:25.900
or fortissimo at the same time. And one can't
00:48:25.900 --> 00:48:28.760
really hear the violin because the orchestra
00:48:28.760 --> 00:48:31.440
is so loud. And I think Tchaikovsky meant it
00:48:31.440 --> 00:48:34.699
exactly like that, that one sees the violin going
00:48:34.699 --> 00:48:38.099
crazy on stage. And one just hears the orchestra.
00:48:38.199 --> 00:48:41.960
And that's such a wonderful impression visually
00:48:41.960 --> 00:48:47.019
to see that. It's just a moment of pure magic
00:48:47.019 --> 00:48:50.980
for me. And I think that there are moments in
00:48:50.980 --> 00:48:53.079
art song as well where the piano is louder than
00:48:53.079 --> 00:48:56.239
the voice. And they're also very special. Maybe
00:48:56.239 --> 00:48:59.519
just little moments and short moments because
00:48:59.519 --> 00:49:03.059
one wants to hear the text and the lyrics, of
00:49:03.059 --> 00:49:06.760
course. But I think there's a wonderful balance
00:49:06.760 --> 00:49:10.340
when the piano is a partner of the voice and
00:49:10.340 --> 00:49:15.159
not submissive to the voice. So yeah, for me,
00:49:15.199 --> 00:49:20.280
it's a great challenge to bring out the singer's
00:49:20.280 --> 00:49:24.360
voice as much as possible so that I can play
00:49:24.360 --> 00:49:28.079
maybe a bit more bass or a bit more treble, a
00:49:28.079 --> 00:49:32.030
bit more melody and have a dialogue. with the
00:49:32.030 --> 00:49:36.750
singer. And that's for me a great, not only a
00:49:36.750 --> 00:49:39.449
challenge, but a lot of fun as well to see how
00:49:39.449 --> 00:49:44.329
far I can push it and challenge the singer as
00:49:44.329 --> 00:49:50.809
well to take maybe musical risks and be more
00:49:50.809 --> 00:49:54.090
adventurous and just have fun. Because I think
00:49:54.090 --> 00:49:56.070
when that happens, the audience enjoys it as
00:49:56.070 --> 00:50:00.969
well. And it's just, yeah. a lot of excitement
00:50:00.969 --> 00:50:05.929
i feel like you know as a why we think about
00:50:05.929 --> 00:50:08.489
collaborative pianist or accompanist is that
00:50:08.489 --> 00:50:11.429
we're not just there to providing the background
00:50:11.429 --> 00:50:15.210
music like a machine but there's an element of
00:50:15.210 --> 00:50:18.590
really putting the music together no so doesn't
00:50:18.590 --> 00:50:21.730
it take a while the process not about learning
00:50:21.730 --> 00:50:24.030
notes that's something that you do as a homework
00:50:24.030 --> 00:50:26.769
but you know come together and negotiate the
00:50:26.769 --> 00:50:30.630
space not just the loudness or softness but about
00:50:30.630 --> 00:50:35.769
the pace and how the melody and then the counter
00:50:35.769 --> 00:50:39.710
melody all the good things just go together with
00:50:39.710 --> 00:50:43.269
lyrics right does it take it takes a while no
00:50:43.269 --> 00:50:48.130
right Yes, it does. And it's so much fun to just
00:50:48.130 --> 00:50:53.530
approach it every time from a fresh start point.
00:50:53.969 --> 00:50:57.849
And especially to discuss it without the music,
00:50:57.869 --> 00:51:00.570
I think. You know, to go for a walk and talk
00:51:00.570 --> 00:51:02.769
about the poem or to talk about the music and
00:51:02.769 --> 00:51:08.289
the interpretation. One of my favorite recordings
00:51:08.289 --> 00:51:12.409
of all time is Glenn Gould playing Brahms' Intermezzi.
00:51:14.180 --> 00:51:17.539
Wow. Do you know that recording? No, I don't.
00:51:17.800 --> 00:51:20.400
Yeah. I highly recommend it because it's not
00:51:20.400 --> 00:51:28.480
what one expects of Glenn Gould. And he writes
00:51:28.480 --> 00:51:33.019
in the program notes that he didn't play the
00:51:33.019 --> 00:51:36.360
pieces at all before recording them. For two
00:51:36.360 --> 00:51:41.920
weeks, he just read the score sitting on a couch.
00:51:43.019 --> 00:51:48.000
at a table and just looking at the score without
00:51:48.000 --> 00:51:51.440
touching the piano. And then he just went to
00:51:51.440 --> 00:51:55.199
the recording studio and recorded them without
00:51:55.199 --> 00:51:58.599
ever having practiced them. It might be a bit
00:51:58.599 --> 00:52:03.219
of a Glenn Gould story. And yeah, he liked the
00:52:03.219 --> 00:52:07.559
controversy, of course, and things like that.
00:52:08.320 --> 00:52:10.260
But I think there's something special to that.
00:52:10.340 --> 00:52:14.099
And I can imagine him doing that because he was
00:52:14.099 --> 00:52:17.219
such a great mind and such a wonderful pianist
00:52:17.219 --> 00:52:22.639
that he could do something like that. And so
00:52:22.639 --> 00:52:26.739
I take inspiration from that story to think that
00:52:26.739 --> 00:52:32.579
it's also very rewarding to discuss a score and
00:52:32.579 --> 00:52:36.039
to discuss an interpretation without performing
00:52:36.039 --> 00:52:40.429
it. Before one even touches the piano or sings
00:52:40.429 --> 00:52:43.269
the music, that one just reads the score like
00:52:43.269 --> 00:52:48.809
a book and discusses it. There's another great
00:52:48.809 --> 00:52:51.650
story, if I may mention an anecdote about Brahms,
00:52:51.690 --> 00:52:58.409
who said that the most perfect work of music
00:52:58.409 --> 00:53:02.789
was Don Giovanni of Mozart. And the perfection
00:53:02.789 --> 00:53:06.329
was in the score. So he said any performance
00:53:06.329 --> 00:53:10.670
of Don Giovanni is bound to be imperfect. Because
00:53:10.670 --> 00:53:13.690
as soon as it is sung and performed, there's
00:53:13.690 --> 00:53:15.809
some horn that plays a false note or a singer
00:53:15.809 --> 00:53:20.570
sings maybe with bad intonation or the orchestra
00:53:20.570 --> 00:53:22.829
is too loud, something like that. There's always
00:53:22.829 --> 00:53:24.889
something that goes wrong in a live performance.
00:53:25.449 --> 00:53:28.429
But on paper, it's perfection. So he said he
00:53:28.429 --> 00:53:30.730
never wants to hear Don Giovanni. It's a work
00:53:30.730 --> 00:53:33.980
that he wants to read. In winter at the fireplace.
00:53:36.000 --> 00:53:39.880
But he went against his own words and he did
00:53:39.880 --> 00:53:43.079
hear Mahler conduct it and he loved it. So, yeah.
00:53:44.039 --> 00:53:47.519
I suppose a mixture of both is good. Yes, definitely.
00:53:48.179 --> 00:54:03.769
Well, that's interesting. So, you know, this
00:54:03.769 --> 00:54:07.690
idea of Salon music was very, you know, Schubert
00:54:07.690 --> 00:54:12.250
idea, right? The famous Schubert Tieden, small
00:54:12.250 --> 00:54:14.969
gatherings among friends filled with poetry,
00:54:15.150 --> 00:54:18.070
song and conversation. I feel like it's coming
00:54:18.070 --> 00:54:21.369
back in this post -COVID era. I'm seeing a lot
00:54:21.369 --> 00:54:23.989
of Salon type music in New York City, like, for
00:54:23.989 --> 00:54:26.590
example, that music held at someone's homes,
00:54:26.710 --> 00:54:30.869
private homes, immersive spaces, or even at someone
00:54:30.869 --> 00:54:34.449
like lofts. For example, do you feel that return
00:54:34.449 --> 00:54:40.050
of this Sherpa Tia Din tradition in 2026? I do.
00:54:40.190 --> 00:54:44.110
I think I do. And it's for me very special to
00:54:44.110 --> 00:54:50.909
be part of that because, of course, one tends
00:54:50.909 --> 00:54:53.590
to give concerts sometimes for big audiences,
00:54:53.909 --> 00:54:57.989
big halls, and then at other times for smaller
00:54:57.989 --> 00:55:01.159
venues. And for me, the lead is such a personal
00:55:01.159 --> 00:55:04.460
and intimate genre that it does very well in
00:55:04.460 --> 00:55:09.920
small settings. Of course, many organizers prefer
00:55:09.920 --> 00:55:13.800
concerts for many people and it brings in more
00:55:13.800 --> 00:55:19.840
revenue. But for me, some of the most beautiful...
00:55:20.409 --> 00:55:22.929
And intimate moments I've had have been with
00:55:22.929 --> 00:55:27.329
smaller audiences in settings in a way similar
00:55:27.329 --> 00:55:32.170
to what Schubert himself experienced at his own
00:55:32.170 --> 00:55:37.869
Schubertiades, which were very special. If I
00:55:37.869 --> 00:55:40.750
might give a bit of a historic background. At
00:55:40.750 --> 00:55:45.210
the time of Schubert, during the years he lived
00:55:45.210 --> 00:55:49.219
in Vienna, The ruler was Metternich, who ruled
00:55:49.219 --> 00:55:54.280
with an iron fist and was very worried that Austria
00:55:54.280 --> 00:55:57.199
would follow the path of France into revolution.
00:55:58.219 --> 00:56:01.519
So he kind of imposed very strict rules about
00:56:01.519 --> 00:56:05.320
gatherings. One had to get permission to have
00:56:05.320 --> 00:56:08.699
gatherings of more than six or seven people.
00:56:09.199 --> 00:56:12.500
And there were curfews at night. One had to return
00:56:12.500 --> 00:56:16.309
home before a certain hour. So many of the Schubert
00:56:16.309 --> 00:56:18.989
Theaters that Schubert organized and took part
00:56:18.989 --> 00:56:23.469
of at friends' houses were, in fact, illegal.
00:56:24.449 --> 00:56:28.329
So I think that made them very special. And today,
00:56:28.429 --> 00:56:31.550
of course, it's not illegal to meet them together
00:56:31.550 --> 00:56:35.630
in most parts of the world, fortunately. But
00:56:35.630 --> 00:56:39.710
we've grown accustomed to live a large portion
00:56:39.710 --> 00:56:45.800
of our lives online, virtually. And I think it's
00:56:45.800 --> 00:56:51.139
become almost special to meet and to gather in
00:56:51.139 --> 00:56:54.820
small groups in someone's house or in small venues,
00:56:54.940 --> 00:56:57.800
have a glass of wine maybe. I think it's something
00:56:57.800 --> 00:57:02.360
very special. And for me as a pianist, it's always
00:57:02.360 --> 00:57:07.079
wonderful to have small concerts because I often
00:57:07.079 --> 00:57:11.519
play in halls that are bigger and I perform and
00:57:11.519 --> 00:57:14.619
I go home. Or I go back to the hotel and that's
00:57:14.619 --> 00:57:18.059
it. And for me, it's much more special to have
00:57:18.059 --> 00:57:22.179
a smaller concert in a smaller intimate venue
00:57:22.179 --> 00:57:25.440
or at someone's home and to meet the audience,
00:57:25.559 --> 00:57:29.699
to talk with them, to hear feedback. It's very
00:57:29.699 --> 00:57:34.679
special and I enjoy it very much. Wow. And I
00:57:34.679 --> 00:57:37.880
really love hearing that. Yeah, that you enjoy.
00:57:38.639 --> 00:57:41.320
you know, salon sort of setting concerts as well
00:57:41.320 --> 00:57:45.340
as big venues. Like you have so many extensive
00:57:45.340 --> 00:57:51.579
experiences as a concert pianist. So now I want
00:57:51.579 --> 00:57:56.739
to talk about where you came from. So how you
00:57:56.739 --> 00:58:00.300
discover the taste of this whole musical journey,
00:58:00.400 --> 00:58:04.219
right? So I think you were born in Israel, but
00:58:04.219 --> 00:58:07.369
you moved to South Africa. at such a young age
00:58:07.369 --> 00:58:10.250
with your family, correct? Yes, that's right.
00:58:10.289 --> 00:58:16.130
I moved when I was quite young, and the music,
00:58:16.170 --> 00:58:19.969
especially classical music, was very much part
00:58:19.969 --> 00:58:24.550
of my family. I got it, I think, from my grandmother,
00:58:24.690 --> 00:58:28.730
who loved especially Beethoven very much. And
00:58:28.730 --> 00:58:31.869
that's the reason why she named my mother Leonora,
00:58:32.070 --> 00:58:35.449
who is the main female character of Beethoven.
00:58:35.420 --> 00:58:38.880
Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, of course. And
00:58:38.880 --> 00:58:42.760
yeah, I grew up with a lot of music around me.
00:58:42.800 --> 00:58:47.980
My sister's an incredible violinist and my brother's
00:58:47.980 --> 00:58:52.039
a classical guitarist and composer. And yeah,
00:58:52.119 --> 00:58:54.920
there was a lot of music around home all the
00:58:54.920 --> 00:59:01.300
time. Wow. Fantastic. And then you were surrounded
00:59:01.300 --> 00:59:04.920
by music and literally your siblings are... including
00:59:04.920 --> 00:59:09.780
you, accomplished musicians. Yeah. Then you studied
00:59:09.780 --> 00:59:13.460
in Leipzig and also Paris as well, right? Yes,
00:59:13.579 --> 00:59:18.039
yes. Tell me more. Well, my first inspiration
00:59:18.039 --> 00:59:25.440
to this path that I chose or that chose me as
00:59:25.440 --> 00:59:29.000
a song pianist, as a collaborative pianist, was
00:59:29.000 --> 00:59:31.800
through a wonderful professor in South Africa,
00:59:32.440 --> 00:59:36.090
Heinrich van der Mest. who studied in Hanover
00:59:36.090 --> 00:59:40.230
with Carl Engel, who's one of the great interpreters
00:59:40.230 --> 00:59:44.969
of art song and of Mozart, especially. Wonderful
00:59:44.969 --> 00:59:49.210
Mozart concerto recordings from him. And yeah,
00:59:49.650 --> 00:59:54.289
that inspired me in the journey of the art song.
00:59:54.670 --> 00:59:59.289
And then I also was fortunate to have a wonderful
00:59:59.289 --> 01:00:05.280
mentor and teacher in Leipzig, Philip Moll. who
01:00:05.280 --> 01:00:10.400
is still a wonderful mentor to me. He's retired
01:00:10.400 --> 01:00:14.000
now and lives in Berlin and has just a huge amount
01:00:14.000 --> 01:00:18.659
of experience as a pianist in many different
01:00:18.659 --> 01:00:23.840
genres, worked with great instrumentalists, with
01:00:23.840 --> 01:00:27.920
great singers, and just has a huge knowledge
01:00:27.920 --> 01:00:32.429
of the repertoire and of the life. That one lives
01:00:32.429 --> 01:00:39.989
as a traveling troubadour. Wow. Then, you know,
01:00:40.010 --> 01:00:43.630
you obviously traveled a lot and, you know, throughout
01:00:43.630 --> 01:00:48.230
continents, right? And so how has this mix of
01:00:48.230 --> 01:00:51.289
cultures, which I'm so jealous of, you know,
01:00:51.289 --> 01:00:53.630
because I love different cultures and being able
01:00:53.630 --> 01:00:57.760
to really experience as... As an artist, you
01:00:57.760 --> 01:01:01.559
know, that's incredible. But how this mix of
01:01:01.559 --> 01:01:04.960
cultures shaped your artistry, the way you hear
01:01:04.960 --> 01:01:09.300
music, for example, the way you make music? That's
01:01:09.300 --> 01:01:11.619
a great question. And that's something that's
01:01:11.619 --> 01:01:17.739
very important to me is, you know, learning from
01:01:17.739 --> 01:01:22.800
different cultures and paying my respects to
01:01:22.800 --> 01:01:26.480
them and to, you know, it's just. incredible
01:01:26.480 --> 01:01:29.900
it's an incredible privilege to be able to travel
01:01:29.900 --> 01:01:33.239
and to see so many wonderful places meet wonderful
01:01:33.239 --> 01:01:37.559
people and hopefully bring them some some joy
01:01:37.559 --> 01:01:44.619
and some um some you know musical satisfaction
01:01:44.619 --> 01:01:52.300
i come from a family that's very kind of has
01:01:52.300 --> 01:01:57.539
has many different roots and I have citizenships
01:01:57.539 --> 01:02:01.320
on four different continents, which is also...
01:02:01.320 --> 01:02:11.480
Wow. Yeah. So I think I'm very honored to combine
01:02:11.480 --> 01:02:14.940
the two passions that I have, music and traveling,
01:02:15.000 --> 01:02:21.639
into one career. And it's just every time I have
01:02:21.639 --> 01:02:24.900
to pinch myself and say, well, what's... It's
01:02:24.900 --> 01:02:28.199
incredible to, you know, other people pay to
01:02:28.199 --> 01:02:31.019
travel to certain places and I get paid to travel
01:02:31.019 --> 01:02:35.519
to them, which is something that I don't take
01:02:35.519 --> 01:02:38.860
lightly. And I always try and remember it and
01:02:38.860 --> 01:02:43.440
be thankful and to enjoy it while I can. Wow,
01:02:43.480 --> 01:02:47.239
that's fantastic. But how many languages do you
01:02:47.239 --> 01:02:57.599
speak? Not enough. Actually, yeah, I'm becoming
01:02:57.599 --> 01:03:02.159
a father very soon, which is very exciting. And
01:03:02.159 --> 01:03:07.960
this will be something that I'll be thinking
01:03:07.960 --> 01:03:13.320
of a lot. What language will the child be learning
01:03:13.320 --> 01:03:15.940
and what language is? And of course, there's
01:03:15.940 --> 01:03:19.960
a temptation to teach many languages, as many
01:03:19.960 --> 01:03:23.070
as possible to the child. But one has to be careful
01:03:23.070 --> 01:03:25.449
not to overdo things, of course, not to be too
01:03:25.449 --> 01:03:33.130
zealous. But there are two, three languages which
01:03:33.130 --> 01:03:40.690
I would still love to learn. As an art song pianist,
01:03:40.730 --> 01:03:43.789
as a collaborative pianist, one is exposed to
01:03:43.789 --> 01:03:47.920
German a lot, of course, German -English. French
01:03:47.920 --> 01:03:51.099
and Spanish, I'd say. Of course, they're wonderful
01:03:51.099 --> 01:03:55.900
Russian art songs as well. And then there's,
01:03:55.900 --> 01:04:00.400
you know, any language, you name it, there's
01:04:00.400 --> 01:04:03.440
the great art songs. So there's just, it's an
01:04:03.440 --> 01:04:09.780
endless path of discovery. And that is another
01:04:09.780 --> 01:04:13.480
privilege as a pianist to not only work with
01:04:13.480 --> 01:04:17.360
wonderful music, but also with literature. and
01:04:17.360 --> 01:04:19.559
great literature from great composers you know
01:04:19.559 --> 01:04:25.219
the great settings of pushkin in russian the
01:04:25.219 --> 01:04:30.940
goethe in in in german of course heiner eichendorff
01:04:30.940 --> 01:04:37.119
murica and wonderful english poetry from across
01:04:37.119 --> 01:04:39.539
the atlantic you know from both sides from england
01:04:39.539 --> 01:04:44.300
from australian art song american art song which
01:04:44.300 --> 01:04:49.739
has its own long tradition uh so yeah it's it's
01:04:49.739 --> 01:04:52.139
it's a lot of discovery and always something
01:04:52.139 --> 01:04:56.539
new and fresh so well almost congratulations
01:04:56.539 --> 01:05:00.460
being a father yeah thank you that's exciting
01:05:00.460 --> 01:05:04.679
that's so life -changing moment it is yes yeah
01:05:04.679 --> 01:05:07.739
and then with all the projects you do you are
01:05:07.739 --> 01:05:10.219
giving birth to music too you know what i mean
01:05:10.219 --> 01:05:14.260
like so that's that's exciting yeah yes that
01:05:14.260 --> 01:05:17.829
is true that is true full of you know birth to
01:05:17.829 --> 01:05:22.010
something new it's always always especially live
01:05:22.010 --> 01:05:25.329
in a time like this these kind of moments are
01:05:25.329 --> 01:05:28.889
so precious right that's true that's true i think
01:05:28.889 --> 01:05:31.409
it's it's interesting what you say because i
01:05:31.409 --> 01:05:34.369
think as a performer i mean you're a pianist
01:05:34.369 --> 01:05:39.829
as well it's so um it's it's strange because
01:05:39.829 --> 01:05:42.989
a lot of what we do is abstract performing in
01:05:42.989 --> 01:05:46.190
a concert And one prepares for so long for this
01:05:46.190 --> 01:05:50.170
performance. And afterwards, it's all in the
01:05:50.170 --> 01:05:53.110
air. It's maybe in people's minds and hopefully
01:05:53.110 --> 01:05:57.829
in their hearts as well. But it's very abstract.
01:05:58.550 --> 01:06:04.949
Whereas an artist who paints a painting, the
01:06:04.949 --> 01:06:06.730
painting is there and stays there for hundreds
01:06:06.730 --> 01:06:12.820
of years. So for me... Like you say, the albums,
01:06:12.920 --> 01:06:16.000
it's almost like giving birth in a way, creating
01:06:16.000 --> 01:06:19.739
something that's hopefully a contribution to
01:06:19.739 --> 01:06:24.360
culture that's something concrete that can stay
01:06:24.360 --> 01:06:28.780
for hopefully a few years. Thank you for sharing
01:06:28.780 --> 01:06:31.960
all your wisdom and knowledge. I'm learning a
01:06:31.960 --> 01:06:35.460
lot by speaking with you. Thank you. That's kind
01:06:35.460 --> 01:06:37.420
of you. Yeah, and you're such a good teacher
01:06:37.420 --> 01:06:40.829
too. Now, speaking of that, you teach and give
01:06:40.829 --> 01:06:43.510
masterclasses around the world, working with
01:06:43.510 --> 01:06:45.989
young pianists, preparing to collaborate with
01:06:45.989 --> 01:06:50.030
singers, also maybe teaching them about being
01:06:50.030 --> 01:06:52.750
a soloist as well. So from a technical standpoint,
01:06:53.110 --> 01:06:55.789
what are some of the most common challenges these
01:06:55.789 --> 01:07:03.349
young artists face? Well, I think one example
01:07:03.349 --> 01:07:07.550
is a wonderful young pianist I taught in China.
01:07:08.640 --> 01:07:12.920
who played La Campanella of Liszt, which is,
01:07:12.920 --> 01:07:18.219
you know, legendarily difficult, technically.
01:07:18.440 --> 01:07:21.579
And it was just played, you know, perfectly.
01:07:21.739 --> 01:07:28.059
It was just so perfect. But he didn't know really
01:07:28.059 --> 01:07:31.699
what the title was or who the composer was. And
01:07:31.699 --> 01:07:34.940
that creates an interesting question to think.
01:07:36.619 --> 01:07:39.460
How much does one need to know of the history
01:07:39.460 --> 01:07:44.480
and the concept behind the work? And I think
01:07:44.480 --> 01:07:46.739
it does help on the long term, even though it's
01:07:46.739 --> 01:07:50.559
really impressive what one can do technically.
01:07:51.139 --> 01:07:58.139
I think being involved in the history and the
01:07:58.139 --> 01:08:01.559
culture and the story of the composer's life
01:08:01.559 --> 01:08:06.820
is also so important in interpreting it. So for
01:08:06.820 --> 01:08:11.179
me, I often try to bring these aspects in and
01:08:11.179 --> 01:08:14.619
not just to focus on the technical, because I
01:08:14.619 --> 01:08:19.840
often teach someone just once. I have one hour
01:08:19.840 --> 01:08:24.100
and then that's it. And I think if I focus on
01:08:24.100 --> 01:08:27.699
technical things, it will maybe just confuse
01:08:27.699 --> 01:08:30.880
them or, you know, it will maybe give them a
01:08:30.880 --> 01:08:33.020
little bit of help for some technical problem
01:08:33.020 --> 01:08:36.470
or technical issue. but I'm not sure if it will
01:08:36.470 --> 01:08:41.729
inspire them for the long term. And I think it's
01:08:41.729 --> 01:08:46.970
more important to me. The inspiration is so important
01:08:46.970 --> 01:08:50.270
because then one really has the discipline to
01:08:50.270 --> 01:08:54.210
focus on learning something. A sonata, let's
01:08:54.210 --> 01:08:56.850
say, let's take Rachmaninoff's second piano sonata,
01:08:56.869 --> 01:09:00.909
which is a huge piece. The willpower it takes
01:09:00.909 --> 01:09:04.899
to sit down for hours and learn this work. is
01:09:04.899 --> 01:09:09.640
so immense that one has to have some reason to
01:09:09.640 --> 01:09:14.539
do it. And I think for a young pianist, it's
01:09:14.539 --> 01:09:16.939
so inspiring to think, okay, I can achieve something
01:09:16.939 --> 01:09:21.439
one day if I sit down and work consequently and
01:09:21.439 --> 01:09:26.500
carefully as a pianist. One day I can be able
01:09:26.500 --> 01:09:33.239
to travel, to earn my living, to, you know, make.
01:09:33.760 --> 01:09:36.239
bring people joy through these uh through these
01:09:36.239 --> 01:09:39.760
performances i think that is that is the most
01:09:39.760 --> 01:09:43.000
important to me for for as a as a teacher to
01:09:43.000 --> 01:09:45.539
try and find something that can motivate and
01:09:45.539 --> 01:09:49.420
inspire a young young person beautifully said
01:09:49.420 --> 01:09:52.420
now you've also offered you know benefit concerts
01:09:52.420 --> 01:09:55.140
and master classes for humanitarian causes in
01:09:55.140 --> 01:09:58.000
places like ethiopia and brazil and so on so
01:09:58.000 --> 01:10:01.569
tell us more about them Well, this is an aspect
01:10:01.569 --> 01:10:05.409
of my career that I really enjoy. As I mentioned,
01:10:05.489 --> 01:10:10.930
I love traveling, but classical music doesn't
01:10:10.930 --> 01:10:14.770
always tend to bring one to developing countries
01:10:14.770 --> 01:10:19.130
and places like, as I mentioned, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia,
01:10:19.489 --> 01:10:25.869
parts of Africa, parts of South America, which
01:10:25.869 --> 01:10:30.279
are... which don't have the infrastructure to
01:10:30.279 --> 01:10:34.420
have regular classical concert series or big
01:10:34.420 --> 01:10:38.579
performances of great artists. So for me, just
01:10:38.579 --> 01:10:42.460
being able to visit these countries and perform
01:10:42.460 --> 01:10:47.140
for communities there to try and, I mean, I wouldn't
01:10:47.140 --> 01:10:50.260
say that, it sounds arrogant to say that I'm
01:10:50.260 --> 01:10:53.819
contributing in a big way, but even if I just
01:10:53.819 --> 01:10:57.579
managed to inspire one or two, young young people
01:10:57.579 --> 01:11:03.420
it's for me it's it's worth it um yeah one one
01:11:03.420 --> 01:11:09.680
story i have is from a a school in a rural area
01:11:09.680 --> 01:11:12.779
of of zimbabwe near the border of of mozambique
01:11:12.779 --> 01:11:16.479
where i i performed at the school and they had
01:11:16.479 --> 01:11:23.239
a small grand piano and uh i i played the the
01:11:23.239 --> 01:11:26.659
concert played a lot of Liszt, I remember, in
01:11:26.659 --> 01:11:30.380
the concert. And I kind of, the poor piano suffered
01:11:30.380 --> 01:11:34.899
a lot. And afterwards, the music teacher of the
01:11:34.899 --> 01:11:40.100
school told me that the piano had, in fact, it
01:11:40.100 --> 01:11:43.640
was an old piano that had ivory keys. And over
01:11:43.640 --> 01:11:47.420
the years, the ivory had been taken off and probably
01:11:47.420 --> 01:11:51.079
sold or had disappeared. So it was just the wooden
01:11:51.079 --> 01:11:55.140
keys on the piano. And he took... old ice cream
01:11:55.140 --> 01:11:58.579
containers and pieces of plastic and cut out
01:11:58.579 --> 01:12:02.039
piano keys and stuck them on the wood so that
01:12:02.039 --> 01:12:06.640
it would be playable. And it was so moving because
01:12:06.640 --> 01:12:09.680
the piano was in a great condition because of
01:12:09.680 --> 01:12:14.119
that. He had himself taken the effort to spend
01:12:14.119 --> 01:12:16.560
hours to repair this piano so that I could play
01:12:16.560 --> 01:12:21.579
on it. And yeah, that was just, it was very moving
01:12:21.579 --> 01:12:24.409
to me. That is special. And how was it to play
01:12:24.409 --> 01:12:28.270
on that keys? They were fine. I wouldn't have
01:12:28.270 --> 01:12:30.529
even noticed it if he had not mentioned it because
01:12:30.529 --> 01:12:33.670
they were so, so perfectly done to the millimeter.
01:12:33.810 --> 01:12:38.069
He had filed them and sanded them. That's incredible.
01:12:38.310 --> 01:12:42.529
That's an incredible story. Wow. And how were
01:12:42.529 --> 01:12:46.289
the reactions playing all that list pieces? They
01:12:46.289 --> 01:12:48.369
loved it. There was a standing ovation. And I
01:12:48.369 --> 01:12:51.569
think. most of the children there and maybe the
01:12:51.569 --> 01:12:55.109
adults as well had never heard a full piano recital
01:12:55.109 --> 01:13:01.529
before. So that was a great moment for me and
01:13:01.529 --> 01:13:05.250
far more special to me than many of the bigger
01:13:05.250 --> 01:13:08.590
concerts I've given, which of course good for
01:13:08.590 --> 01:13:12.329
my ego and that, but in terms of contribution,
01:13:12.470 --> 01:13:16.130
I'm not sure how much I contributed to the audience.
01:13:18.690 --> 01:13:23.489
Yeah, and together with my wife, Leticia Grimaldi,
01:13:23.569 --> 01:13:28.630
we created a non -profit organization called
01:13:28.630 --> 01:13:32.949
Voices of All Fears, Les Voix d 'Orphée in French,
01:13:33.149 --> 01:13:37.729
during COVID, because we had the time, many concerts.
01:13:37.909 --> 01:13:40.890
She's a wonderful soprano, and many of our concerts
01:13:40.890 --> 01:13:43.590
were canceled, of course. So we had the time,
01:13:43.590 --> 01:13:45.310
and it was a project that she had been wanting
01:13:45.310 --> 01:13:49.060
to do for a long time. And yeah, so together
01:13:49.060 --> 01:13:55.000
with the nonprofit association and partners such
01:13:55.000 --> 01:14:00.199
as the Goethe Institute and the Alliance Francaise,
01:14:00.319 --> 01:14:04.560
Institut Francais, which are worldwide organizations
01:14:04.560 --> 01:14:07.760
bringing especially German and French culture
01:14:07.760 --> 01:14:11.619
to the rest of the world. We've collaborated
01:14:11.619 --> 01:14:17.760
with them very often. Yeah, so that's something
01:14:17.760 --> 01:14:24.520
very special to me. And some of the most unforgettable
01:14:24.520 --> 01:14:30.140
musical moments I've experienced have been in
01:14:30.140 --> 01:14:33.380
such places. Ethiopia, for example, it's such
01:14:33.380 --> 01:14:37.000
a beautiful country and such generous, warm people.
01:14:37.079 --> 01:14:43.420
Just, that's a wonderful experience. Thank you.
01:14:43.479 --> 01:14:47.399
And your work really involves with such love
01:14:47.399 --> 01:14:50.199
and empathy and then it really shows through
01:14:50.199 --> 01:14:54.159
your playing as well. Yeah. I hope so. Yeah.
01:14:54.260 --> 01:14:57.800
And so what do you think audiences most need
01:14:57.800 --> 01:15:06.500
from music today? Well, I think that, as I was
01:15:06.500 --> 01:15:11.739
mentioning earlier, just to take the time. to
01:15:11.739 --> 01:15:16.920
find a place of refuge, to find somewhere where
01:15:16.920 --> 01:15:22.680
one can just be quiet and be comforted and find
01:15:22.680 --> 01:15:26.899
some healing from the stress and the turmoil
01:15:26.899 --> 01:15:31.819
of everyday life. As I said earlier, life has
01:15:31.819 --> 01:15:35.659
become so quick. Everything is very fast and
01:15:35.659 --> 01:15:42.989
very regulated. It has to be, we need to do this
01:15:42.989 --> 01:15:47.109
and this and this in a day. And I think music
01:15:47.109 --> 01:15:52.409
is a space to escape from that and to find, as
01:15:52.409 --> 01:15:56.729
I said, a place of refuge and almost a place
01:15:56.729 --> 01:16:00.970
where one can meditate and let things from life
01:16:00.970 --> 01:16:08.010
sink in or maybe leave them behind. I think that
01:16:08.010 --> 01:16:12.859
is... It's almost escapism for me, for me and
01:16:12.859 --> 01:16:15.720
hopefully for the audience as well. Absolutely.
01:16:15.720 --> 01:16:18.600
And healing as well. Yeah, you're right. Yes.
01:16:18.859 --> 01:16:23.619
Your podcast is, of course, focused on creativity.
01:16:24.539 --> 01:16:27.619
And I think that's something very, very special
01:16:27.619 --> 01:16:33.140
because as classical music performers, we are
01:16:33.140 --> 01:16:39.590
vessels. something that has already been composed
01:16:39.590 --> 01:16:44.529
and we have this enormous privilege and responsibility
01:16:44.529 --> 01:16:50.850
of kind of exposing it in a fresh new light and
01:16:50.850 --> 01:16:54.750
that's such a great experience because it's creative
01:16:54.750 --> 01:17:02.199
and it's in a way like being a curator of an
01:17:02.199 --> 01:17:05.020
art gallery you know to to create a new concert
01:17:05.020 --> 01:17:11.119
program is in a way curating an exposition and
01:17:11.119 --> 01:17:14.380
uh and i think that's that's that's a great privilege
01:17:14.380 --> 01:17:20.000
it is and wow what a wonderful conversation it's
01:17:20.000 --> 01:17:23.319
been like you are such a perfect guest for this
01:17:23.319 --> 01:17:27.449
season of creativity and connection and uh You
01:17:27.449 --> 01:17:30.909
know, although Schubert is the pieces, Pian solo
01:17:30.909 --> 01:17:35.130
pieces, traditional classical pieces, however,
01:17:35.250 --> 01:17:37.869
the way you approach to interpretation, to the
01:17:37.869 --> 01:17:41.829
way you approach to spreading this wonderful
01:17:41.829 --> 01:17:44.649
music of Schubert to the rest of the world is
01:17:44.649 --> 01:17:50.460
just so unique and innovative. Not just limited
01:17:50.460 --> 01:17:52.880
to Schubert, but, you know, so I appreciate you
01:17:52.880 --> 01:17:55.920
for being here. And we're really coming to the
01:17:55.920 --> 01:17:57.600
end of our conversation. But is there anything
01:17:57.600 --> 01:18:00.579
else you want to really, I need to talk about
01:18:00.579 --> 01:18:07.560
this? No, I think, as you mentioned, this creativity
01:18:07.560 --> 01:18:14.449
is, for me, the embodiment of Schubert. his music
01:18:14.449 --> 01:18:16.590
is so, as I mentioned earlier, he was criticized
01:18:16.590 --> 01:18:20.210
a lot during his time for almost being too creative
01:18:20.210 --> 01:18:24.409
and not obeying the formal rules of composition,
01:18:24.569 --> 01:18:29.810
which were of his time. And I think that's why
01:18:29.810 --> 01:18:31.729
I love him so much because he has this freedom
01:18:31.729 --> 01:18:35.090
that just, he follows his soul and not his brain,
01:18:35.189 --> 01:18:39.149
not his, his mind. And that is for me, the essence
01:18:39.149 --> 01:18:44.140
of, of Schubert is just the, the love, And sharing
01:18:44.140 --> 01:18:48.680
the love. And sharing the pain as well. Because
01:18:48.680 --> 01:18:51.199
for me Schubert is pain and love mixed together.
01:18:51.779 --> 01:18:55.739
And he wrote about that as well. How love and
01:18:55.739 --> 01:19:00.359
pain are so connected. And in life we have ups
01:19:00.359 --> 01:19:03.539
and downs. And that's what makes life so special.
01:19:05.260 --> 01:19:08.920
Being on top of a mountain. Seeing a wonderful
01:19:08.920 --> 01:19:12.739
view. it takes a lot of pain and effort to climb
01:19:12.739 --> 01:19:18.899
that mountain. And yeah, so I think for me, Schubert
01:19:18.899 --> 01:19:24.239
is an expression of what life is. And yeah, so.
01:19:26.100 --> 01:19:28.640
Oh, thank you. Well, thank you for really sharing
01:19:28.640 --> 01:19:31.840
this special moment together, because I think
01:19:31.840 --> 01:19:34.699
it's really wonderful. Like you're almost becoming
01:19:34.699 --> 01:19:37.340
a parent, you know, it's such a really special
01:19:37.340 --> 01:19:40.699
moment right now. I'm capturing you. Yeah, it's
01:19:40.699 --> 01:19:44.300
really wonderful. So how can my audience get
01:19:44.300 --> 01:19:47.039
in touch with you? So we talked about your website,
01:19:47.279 --> 01:19:51.180
bushkowitz .com, to learn more about your work.
01:19:51.279 --> 01:19:54.279
And also, I know there are a lot of exciting
01:19:54.279 --> 01:19:57.000
recordings coming up. So would you like to maybe
01:19:57.000 --> 01:20:03.640
promote yourself? Well, yes, there's the new
01:20:03.640 --> 01:20:13.719
solo recording coming out in June 2026. Schubert
01:20:13.719 --> 01:20:18.199
1826 songs in 2026, which is called Hoffnung,
01:20:18.260 --> 01:20:21.539
as I mentioned, Hope, together with Samuel Hasselhorn.
01:20:21.819 --> 01:20:26.520
That's coming out in April 2026. And there's
01:20:26.520 --> 01:20:29.380
a wonderful recording with baritone Konstantin
01:20:29.380 --> 01:20:35.619
Krimmel. of songs by Brahms and Mandyshevsky,
01:20:35.779 --> 01:20:41.659
which is also coming out later in 2026. This
01:20:41.659 --> 01:20:45.500
is a special project because it's songs in German
01:20:45.500 --> 01:20:49.819
and Romanian, and it includes a lot of world
01:20:49.819 --> 01:20:53.619
premiere recordings of the songs of Mandyshevsky,
01:20:53.680 --> 01:20:56.789
who was a contemporary of Brahms and a great
01:20:56.789 --> 01:21:02.510
friend and colleague of Brahms in Vienna. So
01:21:02.510 --> 01:21:05.369
these are three projects which are very dear
01:21:05.369 --> 01:21:11.909
to me. And other than that, yeah, I'll be traveling
01:21:11.909 --> 01:21:19.989
a lot and be recording, being a father and hopefully,
01:21:20.369 --> 01:21:24.680
yeah. Sharing this one, this beautiful world
01:21:24.680 --> 01:21:28.659
with other fellow humans. Wonderful. Thank you.
01:21:57.710 --> 01:22:00.149
Thank you really for being here and sharing your
01:22:00.149 --> 01:22:02.430
beautiful stories and expertise. But before I
01:22:02.430 --> 01:22:04.750
let you go, we have one more thing to do. It's
01:22:04.750 --> 01:22:06.890
called the PianoPod Rapid Fire Questions. And
01:22:06.890 --> 01:22:10.470
I take this segment very seriously. You shared
01:22:10.470 --> 01:22:15.710
your stories today, but these next questions
01:22:15.710 --> 01:22:18.390
will give you, our listeners, a glimpse into
01:22:18.390 --> 01:22:23.569
who you truly are. So let's do this. Each question
01:22:23.569 --> 01:22:27.430
is really short. I want you to answer them as
01:22:27.430 --> 01:22:31.409
the shortest response as possible. So let's start
01:22:31.409 --> 01:22:36.510
with number one. What's your comfort food? Salad,
01:22:36.510 --> 01:22:40.470
in fact. Salad? Oh, your salad? Yeah. Well, I
01:22:40.470 --> 01:22:44.850
love different kinds of crazy salads, everything
01:22:44.850 --> 01:22:50.289
mixed together. It's crunchy and healthy. Great.
01:22:50.550 --> 01:22:53.989
How do you like your coffee in the morning? I
01:22:53.989 --> 01:23:00.949
say black and bitter like my soul. Great. Cats
01:23:00.949 --> 01:23:05.729
or dogs? Dogs. Although I love cats as well,
01:23:05.770 --> 01:23:09.970
but yeah, dogs are to me almost like people.
01:23:12.149 --> 01:23:17.399
Sunrise or sunset? Sunset. I'm too lazy for sunrise.
01:23:18.739 --> 01:23:23.979
Summer or winter? Oh, that's a hard one. I'll
01:23:23.979 --> 01:23:27.859
have to say winter, but in the desert. So that's
01:23:27.859 --> 01:23:33.039
a compromise. That's a good one. Yes. Yeah. What
01:23:33.039 --> 01:23:36.220
skill have you always wanted to learn but haven't
01:23:36.220 --> 01:23:42.119
had a chance to? Woodwork. I find wood very beautiful.
01:23:42.199 --> 01:23:47.020
And as a pianist, you know, the piano is... It's
01:23:47.020 --> 01:23:49.359
made out of wood, essentially. And wood is what
01:23:49.359 --> 01:23:51.739
resonates and what creates these beautiful vibrations
01:23:51.739 --> 01:23:55.060
and sounds. So yeah, woodwork. Wow. Yeah, that's
01:23:55.060 --> 01:23:58.619
great. What is your word or words to live by?
01:24:00.979 --> 01:24:08.119
Hope is very special for me. Love, light, and
01:24:08.119 --> 01:24:14.770
longing. Oh, longing. Beautiful. Favorite venue
01:24:14.770 --> 01:24:18.289
you've ever performed in? That would have to
01:24:18.289 --> 01:24:22.689
be a place called, a venue called Eukarya in
01:24:22.689 --> 01:24:25.970
Australia. It's in the Adelaide Hills, which
01:24:25.970 --> 01:24:28.750
are beautiful. It's a wine region of Australia
01:24:28.750 --> 01:24:32.850
and it's covered in glass. So one sees the sunset
01:24:32.850 --> 01:24:35.350
while one is performing. It's just unbelievable.
01:24:35.850 --> 01:24:39.850
Wow. What is the most important quality you look
01:24:39.850 --> 01:24:44.949
for in other people? Honesty. I think, yeah.
01:24:45.109 --> 01:24:48.869
Even if it's direct and brutal, just honesty.
01:24:49.090 --> 01:24:53.510
Honestly, great. Name a composer you wish more
01:24:53.510 --> 01:24:56.810
people knew about. Well, that would be Mandyshevsky,
01:24:56.930 --> 01:25:00.770
whom I mentioned, which whom I, I must admit,
01:25:00.869 --> 01:25:03.529
didn't even know about. But yeah, as I mentioned,
01:25:03.569 --> 01:25:07.369
the contemporary of Brahms, beautiful Slavic
01:25:07.369 --> 01:25:12.090
romantic music, very special. I need to check
01:25:12.090 --> 01:25:15.529
him out. Yeah. Name one piece in your current
01:25:15.529 --> 01:25:22.909
playlist. Any genre. Whoa. At the moment, it's
01:25:22.909 --> 01:25:29.109
the Elijah of Metason, the oratorio. Just for
01:25:29.109 --> 01:25:33.270
me, incredible music. The last question. Fill
01:25:33.270 --> 01:25:37.369
in the blank. Music is blank. Music is light,
01:25:37.529 --> 01:25:40.520
I would say. Thank you so much for joining us
01:25:40.520 --> 01:25:44.140
today, for sharing your story, artistry and journey
01:25:44.140 --> 01:25:47.319
throughout. Thank you so much, Yukimi. Oh, it's
01:25:47.319 --> 01:25:49.579
a great pleasure to have been here. Thank you.
01:25:49.659 --> 01:25:52.220
So for our audience, if you would like to explore
01:25:52.220 --> 01:25:56.100
more of Emil's incredible work, please visit
01:25:56.100 --> 01:26:00.060
Buschkewitz. and listen to his acclaimed recordings
01:26:00.060 --> 01:26:03.180
available wherever you listen to music. And of
01:26:03.180 --> 01:26:06.739
course, a huge thank you to all of you for tuning
01:26:06.739 --> 01:26:08.720
in today. And if you enjoyed today's episode,
01:26:08.779 --> 01:26:10.880
please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the
01:26:10.880 --> 01:26:15.149
PianoPod on YouTube. Share. and review this episode
01:26:15.149 --> 01:26:18.470
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01:26:18.529 --> 01:26:20.949
It's one of the best ways to help our community
01:26:20.949 --> 01:26:23.750
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01:26:23.750 --> 01:26:27.289
latest updates, guest news and stories that inspire
01:26:27.289 --> 01:26:29.670
creativity and connection, follow the Pianapod
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on Substack, TikTok and LinkedIn. We'll see you
01:26:33.170 --> 01:26:35.270
in the next episode of the Pianapod. Thank you,
01:26:35.270 --> 01:26:38.010
Emil, once again. Thank you, Yukimi. All the
01:26:38.010 --> 01:26:45.390
best to you. Yeah, same to you. Thank you.